What does Leviticus 6:14 mean?
What is the meaning of Leviticus 6:14?

Now this is the law of the grain offering

- The phrase introduces a specific statute God is giving to Israel, distinguishing the grain offering from the burnt, peace, or sin offerings (see Leviticus 2:1-16).

- “Law” signals something fixed and enduring; it is not a suggestion but a God-ordained pattern, just as “the LORD said to Moses” is repeated throughout Leviticus (Leviticus 6:1).

- The grain offering highlighted daily dependence on God’s provision—bread from heaven turned into bread from the earth. Jesus later echoed this truth: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), and He Himself became the Bread of Life (John 6:35).


Aaron’s sons shall present it

- Priestly responsibility: only Aaron’s descendants could handle this offering, underscoring that sinful people need a qualified mediator (Hebrews 5:1-4).

- “Present” means to bring near, picturing worshipers drawing close to God through priestly service, previewing Christ’s work of bringing us near by His blood (Ephesians 2:13).

- It was a family affair: God’s choice of Aaron’s sons points to generational faithfulness (Numbers 18:8), challenging every household to guard its priestly calling (1 Peter 2:9).


Before the LORD

- Worship is God-centered, not performer-centered; everything occurs “before the LORD,” a phrase echoing Genesis 17:1 when God told Abraham, “walk before Me.”

- God’s presence makes ordinary flour holy; likewise, ordinary lives become holy when lived consciously before Him (Romans 12:1).

- The grain offering, lacking blood, still required divine acceptance, foreshadowing that even our “best” needs God’s grace, fully expressed in Christ’s atonement (Titus 3:5).


In front of the altar

- Physical location mattered: at the altar where sacrifices burned (Leviticus 1:9). Holiness is spatial as well as moral.

- “Front of the altar” kept the offering in full view, ensuring transparency and reminding Israel that nothing is hidden from God’s gaze (Hebrews 4:13).

- The altar symbolizes substitutionary payment; every handful of flour placed there pointed to the future sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 13:10-12).


summary

Leviticus 6:14 lays out a lasting statute for Israel’s grain offering: it must be handled by Aaron’s sons, presented consciously before the LORD, and laid at the altar. Each phrase layers meaning—divine authority, priestly mediation, God-centered worship, and the necessity of atonement. In Christ, these shadows find their substance: He is the Bread offered, the Priest presenting, and the Altar where reconciliation is made, inviting us to draw near and live every moment before the LORD.

Why was the fire on the altar never to be extinguished according to Leviticus 6:13?
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