Just like with every sacrifice, the grain offering had specific rules and regulations concerning what exactly was included. That’s how it was defined as “pure”—nothing outside of what God decreed could be included or the offering was null and void.
In Leviticus 2:1, God says that grain offering should be of “fine flour” with oil and frankincense poured on top of it. Just as importantly, Leviticus 2:11 states no honey or leaven should be included in the grain offering at all.
We can only speculate as to why these two ingredients were forbidden. Honey is obviously a sweetener, so it’s possible that honey was forbidden to remove the temptation for some priests to take more than they should.
Leaven is usually associated with corruption (Exodus 12:15; 1 Corinthians 5:6), so it makes sense that God would want that excluded from His holy sacrifice. There’s no reason to artificially inflate an offering towards God.
For the first time since the incident with Lot’s wife, salt is mentioned again in Scripture. In Leviticus 2, God says that every single grain offering should have salt included. It’s so important to God, that He mentions it three times in that one verse alone. Don’t forget the salt!
It’s likely that the symbolic aspect of salt was in focus here. Throughout Scripture, salt is known for its preservation capabilities. Since nobody in the wilderness had refrigeration (that we know of), salt was how people used to make their food last.
The “salt of the covenant” in Leviticus 2:13 probably refers to this idea of longevity. Just as the covenant itself would last, the thankfulness and gratitude associated with worshippers should last as well. If so, then the covenant could continue to exist.
But there’s another attribute of salt that is worth pointing out here—one that I think doesn’t get nearly enough attention. As most of us know, salt is flavorless. What you taste when you pour salt on something is not the salt itself, but the flavor of the food that has been salted.
Why would a grain offering be salted? In my opinion, it’s because God’s covenant was designed to bring out the gratitude of the worshipper. We express praise towards Him (or at least, we should) when we meditate on what He’s done with us. That’s what a grain offering is all about—a freewill expression of praise from an individual towards God.
All of our sacrifices should reflect this inward gratitude in some way. Our worship, our work, our evangelism, our personal sacrifices—all of it is an expression of thankfulness. As 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.”
Are we showing that love and appreciation through our sacrifices?
