Handsworth Christadelphian Church

Thursdays Bible Class 04.03.10

Last night a few of us met at Hamstead Hall School’s Aspiration Centre to look at Leviticus Chapter 2. An Old Testament account from the time of Moses instructing the priests from the family of Levi on their sacrificial offerings.

Leviticus 2 looks at the Grain offering which was an offering of fine flour -  easy that’s just a trip to Tesco right? – obviously…noo. Back then you’d have had to grind it down yourself with a mill stone or a pestle and mortar and it would have taken ages to get out all the lumps – in fact if you were just making it for regular use it would have sufficed to be a bit lumpy. This however was for a sacrifice to God and here we have our first spiritual lesson:

The flour: In our lives we need to shake things up a bit remove the stodgy  lumps and kernels. Submitting to God grinds us down so that the next ingredient can take effect.

The oil was added to the mix next, it would permeate through the fine flour soaking through all of it. Lumpy flour would not soak up the oil quite as well. Oil in scripture  was used to anoint those who were to carry out Gods will – Priests, Kings Prophets and Jesus himself. Gods will is carried out by His “Spirit” a word which in Hebrew means Breath or life it alludes to the way God thinks and acts… so now for Spiritual lesson number two:

The Oil: We should fill our lives with the will of God – get in tune with His Spirit and how he would like us to do things. To understand Gods will we must communicate with Him through reading his word and being constant in prayer which leads to the next ingredient

The frankincense a valuable perfume made from the sap of Boswellia trees which was burnt as an incense. Spiritual Lesson Three:

Incense: Often representing prayer in scripture rising up as a sweet smelling savour as Ephesians tells us the sacrifice of Christ was to God “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” So in our life of service to God we must be pure as fine flour that is crushed and broken.  Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” In this way we can let the Spirit of God permeate through our lives and produce prayers to God that are sweet like perfume.

Finally Salt was added to the sacrifice. A preservative and a distinct flavour. Time for…Spiritual Lesson Four:

Salt: In the law Salt represented an everlasting covenant because Salt can never lose its Saltiness. Jesus tells us to be the Salt of the Earth and not to lose our saltiness,because if Salt loses is saltiness then it can’t be Salt. As Christians we have to act as Christians if a Christian loses their Christian-ness they simply aren’t Christian. The Salts saltiness defines itself just as a Christians Christian-ness should define them.

Of course the perfect example of the crushed servant of God, full of Gods spirit that was a sweet smelling sacrifice and defined by his actions was Jesus Christ our Lord. How perfect Gods word is that His son fulfilled the law completely.

Love in Jesus – Handsworth Christadelphians.