III. NOT BAKING THE MEAL OFFERING WITH LEAVEN
Speaking of the meal offering, Leviticus 6:17a says, “It shall not be baked with leaven.” Not baking the meal offering with leaven signifies that our working on Christ as our life supply must be without sin.
IV. CONSIDERING THE MEAL OFFERING MOST HOLY. LIKE THE SIN OFFERING AND THE TRESPASS OFFERING
The meal offering “is most holy, like the sin offering and like the trespass offering” (v. 17b). Here the meal offering is mentioned in relation to the sin offering and the trespass offering. We should consider all these offerings most holy.
A. Signifying That to Enjoy Christ as the Life Supply We Need to Deal with Sin in Our Fallen Nature
The sin offering deals with sin in our fallen nature. If we would enjoy Christ as our life supply, we need to deal with the sin in us.
B. Signifying That to Enjoy Christ as the Life Supply We Also Need to Deal with the Sins in Our Conduct
The trespass offering deals with the sins in our conduct. If we would enjoy Christ as our life supply, we need to deal not only with sin but also with our sins.
When we enjoy Christ as our daily supply for our priestly service, we need to realize that this enjoyment involves dealing with the sin in our fallen nature and also dealing with the sins in our conduct. If we try to enjoy the meal offering without such a dealing, we commit sin. We cannot take Christ as the meal offering unless we deal with our inward sin and our outward sins. This is the reason the meal offering refers us to the sin offering and to the trespass offering.
V. EVERY MALE AMONG THE SONS OF AARON EATING OF THE MEAL OFFERING
A. Signifying That the Partakers of Christ as the Life Supply Should Be Strong in Life
“Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat of it; it is their perpetual due throughout your generations from the offerings of Jehovah by fire” (v. 18a). Here we see that every male among the sons of Aaron could eat of the meal offering. This signifies that the partakers of Christ as the life supply should be strong in life.
When we hear that we need to be strong in life to partake of the meal offering, we may be disappointed, feeling that we are disqualified. This is the reason that nearly every day I make a strong petition to the Lord: “Lord, have mercy on us all.” Our situation is probably suitable only for the Lord’s mercy. Actually, according to this particular statute in the law of the meal offering, we are not qualified to partake of the meal offering. We are not the males among the sons of Aaron; that is, we are not the stronger ones in life among the saints. It is the stronger ones in life who are qualified to enjoy Christ as the meal offering.
No matter how much we may think we have the daily enjoyment of Christ, we actually have not enjoyed Him that much. Our enjoyment is short because we have a problem in life. We are still so young and feeble in life. We are not the proper males. What we are, God knows, and we also know. We cannot say that we are adequately strong in the divine life. For this reason we need to ask the Lord to have mercy on us all. We need the Lord’s mercy.
(Life-Study of Leviticus, Chapter 24, by Witness Lee)
