Leviticus 2:16: “Then the priest shall burn the memorial portion: part of its beaten grain and part of its oil, with all the frankincense, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.”

March 19th, 2026 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This chapter records the Old-Testament rituals that had to be followed in order to bring God a meal or grain offering. Many see this fire as a picture of the passion or fervency of spirit that should be burning in all of us who desire to serve God. The picture from the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit is the fire that God puts in us. But we must be continually stirred up. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:6–7).

The Greek word “stir up” means to “rekindle” or “to keep in full flame.” Just as a campfire needs to be constantly stoked, rekindled, or added to, so our faith constantly needs to be given fuel. The picture is of stirring up the coals of a fire that has died down. When you stir up smoldering embers, the flames come back to life. Like Timothy, we also already have all that is needed for service to God and people, but the intensity of our faith must be maintained.

In Leviticus 2:13 we read that every grain offering was to be seasoned with salt. This is another component best understood from the New-Testament perspective. As Jesus said, “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (Mark 9:49). We know that salt both gives flavor and preserves from corruption. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to add flavor to life and preserve the world around us from general corruption.

“LORD, fill us with Your fire and salt that we might be stirred up to serve You today.”

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Leviticus 2 KJV

¹ And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: ² And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: ³ And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORDmade by fire. ⁴ And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. ⁵ And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.  ⁶ Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering. ⁷ And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸ And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar. ⁹ And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. ¹⁰ And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORDmade by fire. ¹¹ No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire. ¹² As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.  ¹³ And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. ¹⁴ And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears. ¹⁵ And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering. ¹⁶ And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.