sermonette: Two Loaves, Baked with Leaven

Differences, Unity, and Christ's Work
David C. Grabbe
Given 31-May-20; Sermon #1547s-PM; 20 minutes

Description: (show)

---

But as we get started this afternoon, please turn to Leviticus chapter 23. I recently ran across an observation by a commentator that I thought was quite apt. The man said that the sacrifices, all those offerings commanded by God, are the parables of the Old Testament. The sacrifices are inspired lessons, ones that are acted out rather than spoken. And we know that the sacrifices point to Jesus Christ in some way, whether in his work or in the critical need for it. Paul likens the covenant with Israel to a schoolmaster to bring people to the Messiah. He is the object of the whole sacrificial system that was added to the Abrahamic covenant because of transgressions. And Paul told Timothy that the same scriptures would make him wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Now of course, many people latch onto the faith in Jesus part and turn a blind eye to the rich details that all the sacrificial instructions provide. It is easier to skip to the ends, knowing that Christ fulfilled these things somehow. But if we only read the end of a book, we miss all that the author presents, so we really do not understand the ending either. If we neglect the Old Testament, we really cannot grasp what happens in the New. So here in Leviticus 23, we will read about the first fruit's offering, beginning in verse 15. And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, 7 Sabbaths shall be completed. Count 50 days to the day after the 7th Sabbath, then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of 2/10 of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven. They are the first fruits to the Lord. Verse 18, and ye shall offer with the bread 7 lambs of the first year without blemish, 1 young bull, and 2 rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. Then you shall sacrifice 1 kid of the goats as a sin offering and 2 male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. Verse 20. The priests shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the Lord with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest, and ye shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. Ye shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. Verse 22. When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am the Lord, your God. We aren't going to cover the counting aspect because that's a major topic all by itself. But the centerpiece of this Pentecost parable, if you will, is the two loaves that are baked with leaven. Now for those with any familiarity with the Bible, this poses a serious question because leaven is universally used as a symbol of corruption. And yet here it is in an offering. And so in this living lesson, a tension is introduced, something that must be resolved. And the mystery deepens with the fact that there is not one leavened loaf, but 2. Now why too? For some of the literary parables we are given the interpretation such as the field is the world or the terrors are those bearing the characteristics of the evil one. But we are not given a clear definition here. And so we must consider the biblical usage of 2. In short, whereas the number 1 indicates sovereignty and that there is no other, the number 2 signifies that there is another. And it indicates that there is a difference, and that's the fundamental idea behind 2. Where there are 2 of something, there is a difference. Now the difference can vary as to its nature. For example, two people may have different personalities, but a common testimony or friendship, they are different, but they are not opposed. Likewise, the ritual for cleansing leprosy consists of two clean birds. The birds have different roles, but a common purpose in the cleansing of leprosy. There is no opposition. However, in a great many usages, the number 2 progresses beyond simple difference and into division, opposition, or enmity. Think of God and Satan, Jacob and Esau, or two nations and the armies thereof. Often when there are two, at least one half of the pair wants to be the only one to be sovereign, and because they are not one, there is strife. So there are 2 different wave loaves baked with corruption, which suggests that the difference between the 2 may not be entirely benign. Where there are differences with carnality, the tendency is toward division, if not enmity. This picture is really a puzzle because two different leavened objects are presented to the holy God. And these symbols beg the question of how such a thing could be accepted. Verse 16 adds a critical detail. Says the wave loaves are a new grain offering, and that sets some of the bounds for what is pictured here. The grain offering is symbolic of what man owes to his fellow men. The grain offering is not about death because it is a bloodless offering. It also does not represent a person, but rather what a person does in relation to others. It typifies devotion to others, including service and generosity. And this meaning is directly embedded in this holy day, as you can see in verse 22 where God stipulates that those harvesting must leave a portion for the poor and strangers. That might seem like a random law that she just tacked on, but it fits perfectly with the grain offering because that law gives a clear example of mankind owing something to others and supporting their well-being. Verse 17 says the two leavened loaves are first fruits, which is another significant symbol. First fruits are the early abundant sample of a harvest. Each harvest has first fruits, whether the harvest is of barley, wheat, olives, olive oil, or even honey. Each harvest has an abundant early sample. In many cases, first fruits symbolize people. For example, James calls us a kind of first fruits of God's creatures. And yet not all first fruit references are to people. And the fact that these loaves are a grain offering indicates that the emphasis here is more on what is produced by people rather than people themselves. The Pentecost grain offering contains leavening, while the typical grain offering does not. And because of the leavening, the loaves are not put on God's altar. God is very clear on this point in Leviticus 2 in verse 11. The altar symbolizes his table, and he has never shown partaking of corruption. Instead of being burned on the altar, the wave loaves are held up before God. They are waved before him, picturing his close inspection and hopefully his acceptance. But the loaves are for the use are for use by the priest rather than for God. The symbol of leavening indicates that this offering is about this life rather than the resurrection. In the resurrection, this corruption will put on incorruption. There will not be any leavening. It is also in this life where differences and potentially division are factors in our relationships with others. In the resurrection, the division will be gone, and we will not, and we will be one with the Father and the Son and each other. Now even though the loaves are prepared first, they are not offered first, and the sequence helps us to resolve the tension in the themes. Verse 18 shows that a very substantial burnt offering was made first consisting of 10 animals. 10 indicates perfection of divine order. Those 10 include 7 lambs, which is another number of perfection, indicating something being filled up. The burnt offering was completely burned on the altar, picturing unreserved devotion to God as a life consumed in service to Him. Next, in the sequence in verse 19 is a sin offering which provides symbolic cleansing. Next is a peace offering which pictures God, the priest, and man in harmonious fellowship and sharing a meal. And then finally comes the part where the leavened loaves are waved before God. Now the critical part is that the leavened loaves are not waived by themselves. There would be no basis for God's acceptance then. If you notice the end of verse 20. The two lambs of the peace offering were also waived, but before that it says the priest shall waive them. The them refers to the burnt and sin offerings, portions of which were also waived along with the loaves and the peace offering. This complex picture shows that God's acceptance is dependent on everything else that is waved before Him. In other words, God's acceptance of a harvest of devotion and service to others that contains differences and carnality is possible only in conjunction with a substantial burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering. And then God accepts what is leavened, but even then it's not allowed on his altar. He accepts it for use by the priest, but his own portion must be without leavening. Now, as mentioned, this is like a parable that teaches about the Messiah. Christ is a compassionate high priest approaching God on our behalf. His life was a perfect burnt offering. Day by day he was consumed in service to the Father, giving of himself up to his final breath. His sinless sacrifice fulfilled the sin offering, paying for our transgressions. And he is our peace offering. He is the means that we have peace with God and we have that abundant fellowship, and it's all these flawless elements together waved before God that makes these two different leavened loaves acceptable to God. The acceptance comes because of the work of Jesus Christ. Now we can identify some of these same themes within the church. Please turn with me to John chapter 4. John 4 and verse 35. Jesus is speaking, he says, Do you not say there are still 4 months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest. And then verse 38. I sent you to reap that for which you had not labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labors. And so a harvest was already in process at this point in Christ's ministry, a gathering of spiritual fruit. Now please turn to Acts chapter 2. The leavened loaves contain a declaration. That our duty to each other is tainted simply because we have not yet put on incorruption. Among God's servants there have always been differences, some of which have given way to division and even enmity. The disciples argued among themselves about who would be greatest. That matter apparently came up at least twice. They were preaching the gospel, healing people, casting out demons, serving their fellow man, but also jousting for dominance. Striving for preeminence always leavens relationships. The disciples had differences in approach. With one bold and tempestuous and a couple wanting to call down fire from heaven and others more or less unobtrusive, and yet all of them forsook their perfect friend for a time, failing to give the loyalty that they owed to that righteous man. And yet the high priest could still use their flawed works because God accepted the leavening, since it was in conjunction with Christ's perfect work. This Old Testament offering contains the idea of difference, while the New Testament Pentecost shows differences overcome. In verse 1 here in Acts 2, the apostles were all of one accord and in one place. They were different people, but one in purpose, and because they were accepted by God, they were given the gift of the Holy Spirit. That gift included the gift of languages, which enabled the language barrier, a major difference if there ever was one, to be overcome for the church. God's spirit also gives a unity to those who are led by it. The unity is not perfect yet, but it is still far above what we could ever achieve on our own. In verse 41 of this chapter, 3000 people became reconciled to God in a single day. In verses 44 through 47, the young church freely gave to those in need. They continued daily with one accord, breaking bread from house to house, eating with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God. They were imitating Christ's burnt and peace offerings after accepting his sin offering. This is a dramatic example of what can happen when our high priest works to make imperfect labors with manifest differences acceptable to the Father. But it is dependent on Christ supplying his own labors. In terms of differences that affect service and labor, the New Testament addresses quite a few pairs of different groupings. The most significant pair in terms of the effect it had on the church is that of Jews and Gentiles. The Father accepted them both, but some of the works of the church were further leavened because not everyone else accepted both. In Paul's epistles, he also addresses circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians and Scythians, slaves and freemen, male and female, husbands and wives, masters and servants, parents and children, young and old, rich and poor. These are examples of different groupings laboring in service and trying to produce out of God's abundance. While still having corruption that affects love toward others, as the grain offering shows. Now here is an application for the presence. As you know, there are a number of doctrinal differences in the greater Church of God right now. There are differences in understanding when the Count to Pentecost should begin. And whether we are spiritually born or begotten, and who that is Ozelgoat represents on these and other matters, ministers and members have blown the dust off their Bibles. And earnestly sought God and humbly fasted, but still there are strong convictions that are not unified. This is not a condition that can be overcome by the love and efforts of men. On our own, we can't even open our own eyes, let alone somebody else's. Jesus Christ must do the opening, and it will be in his own time. But the sacrifices for this day provide a helpful guide for us to follow while we wait on the head of the church, so that he is still pleased to make our imperfect works acceptable to the Father. The burnt offering of devotion with 10 animals is a substantial and costly part of the Pentecost offering. And in this vein, it seems that Christ's every thought was about what would please the Father. It drove him and constrained him. If we strive to emulate Christ in this and let His drive please the Father, do please the Father, move us, we will focus more on what God wants than what we want, and such devotion fosters unity with others who are likewise motivated and devoted. And next, the sin offering reminds us that we would all be under the same condemnation if not for Christ's sacrifice. Each of us approaches the Father with nothing to stand on but Christ's sacrifice, and if we remember that, it tempers our evaluation of others and reminds us that we need forgiveness just like those who are different from us. There is no room for arrogance or high-mindedness, only gratitude that atonement has been made available to us. And in the peace offering, we are reminded of the fellowship with the Father that Jesus Christ made available and the abundance and contentment that results. In Jesus Christ, we have peace. Esteeming and highly valuing that rare piece will motivate us to be eagerly willing to repent if there is even a chance that we are wrong. Because peace with God and being right with Him means so much more to us than defending our ideas, our position, our pride. And thus the same living parable that teaches that shows us how our leavened works are acceptable to God also teaches us how to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace so that our imperfect works continue to be accepted by the Father.