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I. THE MATERIALS.

1. Bread, corn, wheat, or barley (1 Chronicles 21:23; Ezekiel 45:13, 15).

(1) Fine flour, purged from the bran. The pure estate of Christ, and of all Christians, with their services in Him, being purged, as it were, from the bran of natural corruption.

(2) Firstfruits (see 1 Corinthians 15:20).

(3) Ground, sifted, baked, fried, beaten, &c. (see Isaiah 53:5; Colossians 1:24). Ignatius, when about to suffer martyrdom by being devoured of wild beasts, speaks of his body as the Lord's corn, which must be ground by their teeth, to be prepared for Him.

2. Oil. This signified in general the Spirit of God in His graces and comforts (Isaiah 61:1), which Spirit Jesus Christ did receive above measure, and from Him all believers do partake of His anointing. There is, and must be, this sacred oil in all our offerings, the influence of the Spirit of God.

3. Frankincense. Signifying the acceptableness unto God of the persons and services of His people, through the mediation and intercession of Jesus Christ.

4. Salt. The perpetuity of the covenant of grace, and the wholesome and savoury carriage and walking of God's people.

II. THE ACTIONS TO BE PERFORMED ABOUT IT.

1. It must be brought to the priest. Imports a voluntary act of the offerer, and a making use of Christ for acceptance in all our services and approaches unto God.

2. The priest is to burn the memorial of it upon the altar, before the Lord (see Psalm 20:3; Acts 10:4).

3. The remnant was Aaron's and his sons'.

(1) The communion and participation of Christ by all believers (Revelation 1:6; 1 Peter 2:9; John 6:33).

(2) Part of the priests' maintenance.

III. THE MEANING.

1. It prefigured and shadowed forth the atonement or expiation of sin by the righteousness of Jesus Christ — both by His sufferings and actings, His active and passive obedience.

2. It signified also the persons of believers, who, through Christ, are sanctified and cleansed to be a pure oblation to God (Isaiah 66:20; Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6).

3. It signified those fruits of grace and good works that believers perform, whether towards God or towards man.

(1)  Prayer.

(2)  Praise.

(3)  Holy Communion.

(4)  Alms.

4. It shadowed forth the acceptance of our persons and services with the Lord (Philippians 4:17, 18; Malachi 1:10, 11).

IV. THE ADDITIONS FORBIDDEN.

1. Leaven argues corruption.

(1)  False doctrine (Matthew 16:6, 11, 12).

(2)  Scandalous and wicked practices (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

(3)  Hypocrisy and secret sins (Luke 12:1, 2).

(4)  Promiscuous communion and carnal mixtures in Church society (1 Corinthians 5:6).

2. Honey cloys and loads the stomach, and turns to choler and bitterness.

(1) God will be worshipped according to His own institution and command. His will is the rule, though we cannot well see the reason of it. We must not follow any invention of our own, though to our carnal thoughts it seem as sweet as honey, though it seem never so decent, never so orderly.

(2) Learn that holy temper and equability of spirit, which becometh saints in all the conditions and vicissitudes they pass through. We must take heed of extremes. There must be neither leaven nor honey; neither too much sour nor too much sweet; neither inordinate sorrow nor inordinate pleasures in the meat-offering of the saints.

(3) Some apply it to Christ Himself: that there is in Him, our Meat-offering, no such sweetness which turns to loathing, no such pleasure whereof a man can take too much, no such delight as proves bitter in the latter end.

V. THE APPURTENANCE OF DRINK-OFFERINGS.

1. Wine, in typical and allegorical Scriptures, sometimes signifies the joys and consolations of the Holy Ghost.

2. We find the saints pouring out their blood in the cause of Christ, compared to a drink-offering (Philippians 2:27; 2 Timothy 4:6). And so, in a much higher sense, the blood of Christ is represented by wine in the Holy Communion.

3. It shadowed forth the Lord's acceptance of His people.

(S. Mather.)

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KJV: And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

WEB: "'When anyone offers an offering of a meal offering to Yahweh, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.