What is the meaning of Leviticus 6:15? The priest is to remove a handful • God assigns the priest an active, personal role. Service at the altar is never mechanical; it involves deliberate obedience (Leviticus 2:2). • A “handful” signals that only a portion is taken, leaving the rest for the priestly family (Leviticus 6:16; 1 Corinthians 9:13). • The mediator stands between the offerer and God, prefiguring the One who “ever lives to intercede for us” (Hebrews 7:25). of fine flour and olive oil • “Fine” flour—carefully sifted—pictures purity and excellence (Malachi 1:7–8 contrasts cheap offerings). • Olive oil speaks of consecration and the Spirit’s empowering; kings and priests were anointed with it (1 Samuel 16:13). • Together, the elements show that only what is pure and Spirit-filled belongs on God’s altar. together with all the frankincense from the grain offering • Frankincense was costly, white, and fragrant (Exodus 30:34). Every grain offering required it (Leviticus 2:1). • Nothing of the frankincense is held back; worship is wholehearted (Psalm 103:1). • The Magi later present frankincense to Jesus (Matthew 2:11), underscoring His perfect, pleasing worship. and burn the memorial portion on the altar • “Memorial” means that the act brings the worshiper to God’s remembrance, similar to Acts 10:4 where Cornelius’s prayers become “a memorial before God.” • Fire consumes but also transforms; what is offered returns to God in another form, rising upward (Hebrews 12:29). • The altar—first of bronze, later Calvary’s cross—remains the place where sin is faced and fellowship secured (Leviticus 17:11; Colossians 1:20). as a pleasing aroma to the LORD • Genesis 8:21 shows God responding to Noah’s sacrifice: “The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma.” The language is identical, tying every acceptable offering to divine satisfaction. • Ephesians 5:2 applies the phrase directly to Christ: “He gave Himself up for us as an offering and a fragrant sacrifice to God.” • When we offer lives of gratitude and holiness, we join that fragrance (Philippians 4:18). summary Leviticus 6:15 reveals that God values intentional, pure, Spirit-saturated worship offered through His ordained mediator. The handful set apart, mingled with oil, crowned with frankincense, and consumed by fire becomes a fragrant reminder before the LORD—foreshadowing the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ and inviting us to present ourselves as living offerings that delight His heart. |
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