into four vo.rieties of cakes. The ritual of but they shall not be b1Jrnt on the altar. offering is not different from that of the first The mark in A. V. denoting a new paragrapli .form. The, fro.nkincense is not mentioned, at the beginning of ver. 12, should be re- but doubtless is underslood. The rabbiui• moved. .cal rule, that meat offerings, when follow- Ver. 13.-Every oblation of thy meat offer- ing upon burnt offerings or peace offerings, ing shalt thou season with salt. Salt is had no fro.nkincense burnt with them, rests commanded as symbolizing in things spiri- -0n no solid foundation. tual, because preserving in things physical, Vere. 11, 12.-Ye shall bum no leaven nor incorruplion (cf. Matt. v. 13; Mark ix. 49; any honey, in any offering of the Lord made Luke xiv. 34; Col. iv. 6). It is an emblem of by fire. Leaven and honey are not forbidden an established and enduring covenant, such to be offered to the Lord ; on the contrary, a.a God's covenant with his people, which is in the next verse they are commanded to be never to wax old and be destroyed, and it is •Offered. The prohibition only extends to tht:refore termed the salt of the covenant ot their being burnt on the altar, owing, no thy God. Hence "a covenant of salt" ea.me -0oubt, to the effect of fire upon them in to mean a covenant that sliould not be making them swell and froth, thus creating broken (Numb. xviii. 19; 2 Chron. xiii. 5). a repulsive appearance which, as we shall The use of salt is not confined to the meat see, throughout the Mosaic legislation, repre- offering. With all thine offerings thou &halt 'Senta moral evil. The firetfruits of honey offer salt. Accordingly we find in Ezek. a.re to be offered (cf. Exod. x:xii. 29), and xliii. 2!, "The priest shall ce.st salt upon leaven is to be used in the two wave loo.ves them, and they shall offer them up for a offered at the Feast of Pentecost as first- burnt offering." fruits (eh. x:xiiL 17). The words trans- Vera. B-16.-The third form of meat lated As for the oblation of the ftretfruite, ye offering, parched grains of corn, with oil, shall offer them llllto the Lord, should be salt, and frankincense. The mark of a new rendered As an oblation of firstfruits ye para.graph should be transferred from ver. cha.U offer them (that is, leaven o.nd honey), 12 to the beginning of ver. 14.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-16.-The fMat offering. It consisted of a gift to God of the products of the earth most needed for the support of life-flour and oil, to which were added salt and frankincense, and it was geuerally accompanied by the drink offering of wine. It was offered to God in token of the recognition of bis almighty power which gave the corn, the olive, and the vine, and of the submission of the creature to him, the merciful Creator. I. IT WAI A GIP'T OF HOMAGE. As such, it had a meaning well defined and well understood in the East, that meaning being an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God, and a promise of loyal obedience on the part of the offerer. II. SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLES OF THE GIFT oF HOMAGE. 1. The sacrifices of Cain and Abel. Whether the sacrifice was of the fruits of the ground or of the flock made no difference. Each was the "minchah," or "gift," of the offerer, acknowledging God as his God-one, however, offered loyally, the other hypocritically (Gen. iv. 3, 4). 2. The present sent to Esau by Jacob (Gen. xxxii.; xxxiii.). Jacob had sent a humble message to his brother (Gen. xxxii. 3), but this was not enough, "The messengers returned to Jo.cob, saying, \Ve came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him" (Gen. xxxii. 6). Then Jacob, terror-stricken, sent his gift of homage (Gen. xxxii. 13), which symbolically acknowledged Esau as his suzerain lord. Esau, by accepting it (Jacob "urged him and he took it"), bound him- self to give protection to his brother as to an inferior, and offered to leave some of his soldiers with him for the purpose (Gen. xxxiii. 15). 3. 'l'he present carried by Jacob's sons to Joseph when they went down into Egypt (Gen. xliii. 11). 4. 'l'be present without which Saul felt that be could not appear before Samuel (1 Sam. ix. 7). 6. The gifts presented to the young Child by the Wise Men of the East (Matt. ii. 11). III. EXAMl'LES OF TllE GIFT OF HOMAGE IN THE PRESENT DAY. 1. At an Indian durbar, every one of the dependent princes brings his present, and offers it to the representative of the Empress of India. 2. Presents are always brought by natives of India. to British officials set over them, when they have a request to make, and ceremonially accepted by the latter by a touch of the hand, 3. In the Abyssinian w11r 26 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [cB, IL 1-16.
a present of a thousand oxen and five hundred sheep was sent by King Theodore of Abyssinia to Lord Napier of Magdale., in token of submission e.t the le.st momeut e.nd rejected by the English general Had he accepted it, he would have been bou~d tl>' give the king protection. IV. LEssoNs TO us FROM THE MEAT OFFERING. 1. To give to God of the worldly goods which God ha.s gi~en to us (1) freely, (2) cheerfully, (3) loyally. Our motiv8 mus~ not be self-ostentation, no~ the Pf;lise ~f men, nor our own gratification. By our offeri~g _to God we mus,t r~cogmze Gods cla~ms over us, and openly profess our loving subm1ss1on to them. This throws a new light on the practice of almsgiving in the weekly offertory of the Church. 2. To give a hearty and loyal service to God in other respects besides almsgiving, such as obedience to his commandments, doing his will on e.'U'th. V. THE GIFT OF HOMAGE OALLll FORTH A REQUITING Gil"l'. Esau gave protection in return for cattle. Joseph gave sacks of corn in return for "a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds." The representative of the Crown of England gives back to each prince at a durbar a present greater than he has received. So we gi_ve to God repe1:1tance, ~nd receive ba~k from him forgiveness; we give faith, and receive grace; we give obedience, and receive righteousness; we give thanks!rlving and receive enduring favour; we give, in the sacrament of the Lord's Supp;r th; "creatures of bread and wine," and we receive back "the strengthening and refre~hing of our souls by the Dody and Blood of Christ."