What significance do the "basket of unleavened bread" and "sacrifices" hold? The Old Testament Setting: Bread Beside the Altar “Put them in a basket and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.” (Exodus 29:3) • The scene is the ordination of Aaron and his sons. • One basket filled with three kinds of unleavened bread (loaves, cakes mixed with oil, wafers brushed with oil) sits next to three animal sacrifices (a bull for sin, two rams for consecration and fellowship). • A similar pairing appears in the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:15-17). Why Unleavened? A Picture of Purity • Leaven was excluded from fire-offerings: “No grain offering that you present to the LORD shall be made with leaven” (Leviticus 2:11). • Leaven points to corruption and sin (Matthew 16:6; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). • Unleavened bread in the basket proclaims that the priests—and ultimately all worshippers—must be cleansed from sin before serving. Oil on the Bread: Spirit-Empowered Service • Each piece is “mixed with oil” or “coated with oil” (Exodus 29:2). • Oil consistently symbolizes the Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13; Zechariah 4:6). • Pure lives alone are not enough; ministry must be energized by God’s Spirit. The Basket Itself: Everyday Work Offered to God • Bread comes from harvested grain, ground, kneaded, and baked—human effort under God’s blessing. • Placing that labor in a basket for the LORD declares that ordinary, daily work belongs on His altar. The Animal Sacrifices: Atonement and Consecration • The bull (sin offering) clears guilt—“without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). • The first ram (burnt offering) is wholly consumed, picturing total surrender. • The second ram (consecration/fellowship) is eaten by the priests, sealing covenant fellowship with God. • Blood is applied to the right ear, thumb, and toe of each priest (Exodus 29:20), dedicating hearing, doing, and walking. Bread and Blood Together: A Complete Relationship • Unleavened bread shows inner purity; sacrifices secure external forgiveness. • Together they preach that worship is both moral and relational—clean hearts living in blood-bought fellowship. Christ Fulfills the Pattern • He is the sinless Bread of Life (John 6:35) and the once-for-all Sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). • At the Last Supper He united bread and sacrifice: “This is My body… this is My blood” (Luke 22:19-20). • 1 Corinthians 5:7 reiterates the link: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Living the Truth Today • Pursue purity—clear out the “old leaven” of sin. • Depend on the Spirit’s oil in every act of service. • Offer daily work—your “basket of bread”—to God’s glory. • Rest in the finished, blood-sealed atonement of Jesus, our perfect Priest and Sacrifice. |
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