Temple Work of the Old Testament

The Grain Offering

The Old Testament Israelites routinely brought before the Lord a special kind of offering in conjunction with a burnt offering. This offering was called a grain offering and consisted of finely ground flour. Leviticus Chapter 2. (The King James Version uses the word “meat” to refer to the edible part of the plant.) It symbolized that all the product of a man’s labor was to be set apart for the Lord. This was an opportunity for someone to voluntarily demonstrate thanksgiving to Heavenly Father who is the Provider of all things.

Typically, a person would also place incense on his grain offering to symbolize his devotion to the Lord. The Holy Bible says, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense.” Psalm 141:2 The priest would burn the offering on the altar as a reminder of the person’s covenant promise with Heavenly Father.

It was also very common for the grain offering to be seasoned with salt. During the Old Testament times, salt was used as a preservative. Yeast or honey would corrupt the food. When a person added salt to his grain offering it was reminder that he was in a state of preservation. God was never going to abandon his people. He would preserve all of his promises set forth in the covenant.