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151 The Tabernacle sion rendered the word "meat" offering because in their day "meat" meant "food," not necessarily flesh. Before we go into the spiritual meaning of this "sweet savour offering" unto the Lord, let us pause to read carefully these portions of Scripture which tell what God has said concerning it. The meal offering really needs to be considered in con- nection with the burnt offering; for it was always linked with it, as many passages of Scripture show. (See Lev. 23:12, 13, 18; Num. 28:7-15; Judges 13:19.) Christ, our Burnt-Offering, satisfies the heart of the Father; Christ, our Meal-Offering, satisfies the heart of God and the heart of man. And both were offered in consecration to J ehovah. Thus the Person and the work of Christ are linked together. He could die as the sinner's Substitute only because He was sinless Man, as well as the eternal, all-powerful God of love. The whole burnt offering was sacrificed unto the Lord upon the altar; whereas only a portion of the meal offering was burned with fire as "a sweet savour unto the Lord"; the remainder was food for the priests. In this we see how both God and redeemed men :find delight in the beloved Son of the Father and only Saviour of sinners. This is communion! We have already observed that the meal offering was the only one of the five that was presented without the shedding of blood. Thus it was typical of the Lord Jesus in His sinless life on earth. Yet the fire that consumed the meal offering spoke also of Christ's obedience even unto death, as well as of the proof of His sinlessness, as evi- denced through the fires of trial and persecution and sorrow which led to the cross. His life was absolutely holy, "altogether lovely," in its perfection; therefore, the meal offering, which foreshadowed His perfect humanity,
The Tabern,c/r Offering, well pleasing unto the Father-only then is he "accepted" before God. "The undying devotedness of Christ" is seen in the fact that the fire was ever to be kept "burning upon the altar"; it was never to "go out" (Lev. 6: 13) until the worthy Victim should come! God sent the fire; then He commanded the priests to keep it ever burning upon the altar. Israel was to be reminded, day after day, year after year, century after century, that a holy God would accept him only on the basis of the sacrifice of the promised Sav- iour, who was to offer Himself "without spot to God." Thank God! The fire went out nearly two thousand years ago! Never again need our Saviour suffer! His whole Burnt-Offering was "once for all"! As we have seen, the burnt offering was placed first in the sacred record, because it was most precious to God. Do we, my Christian friend, find our delight in meditating upon the beauties and perfections of the One "altogether lovely"? Or are we more concerned with His gifts? The better we know Him, the more we love Him-for His Person alone. As we think of all that He is, in His majesty and holiness and sinlessness and love, we stand amazed in His presence, to think that He should love us enough to die for us! "Love moved Jehovah's hand to smite; Love moved the Son to bear: How sweet on Calvary to stand! The God of love is there." The Meal Offering The meal offering, as it is called in the Revised Version, and the law of the meal offering are described in Lev. 2:1- 16; 6: 14-22. The translators of the King James Ver-
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