What is an oblation?

Anything presented to God. All the Hebrew words so translated are also rendered 'offering,' except maseth in Ezek. 20:40; it signifies 'lifting up,' a gift. See OFFERINGS.

"The oblation." In this we have the life of Christ. The meaning of oblation is a food-offering. This we may see in John 6. The Lord speaks of Himself in this chapter as bread, and bread with three distinct characters. "The bread of God." This is what He is to the heart of God. "Living bread." This is what He is in Himself. "Bread of Life." This is what He is to us. As the oblation in this world He filled the heart of God; He had life in Himself; He gives life to all who appropriate Him by faith. The oblation was to be "mingled with oil." Here, the conception of our Lord by the Holy Spirit is prefigured. If we know from other parts that "anointed with oil" pointed to the banks of the Jordan where our Lord was publicly anointed, "mingled with oil" pointed to His holy conception by the Spirit and His virgin birth. So the oblation here reminds us of the Son of God in His perfect Manhood in this world under the eye of God.

"Fine Flour." This speaks to us of the texture of His being in Manhood. This word for fine flour is really "The finest part of wheat flour." (Lev. 2:1. Footnote J.N.D.). It has been said there was nothing of character in our Lord. (J.G.B.). He was perfect in every attribute. Not one feature of His Manhood stood out to the detriment of another. All was perfectly blended in Him. With flour, the harder the grind, the greater the pressure, the finer is the production. So it was with our Lord. Where was pressure applied to Him at its hardest? In the garden of Gethsemane. What did it produce? "Not my will, but thine be done." With us, pressure usually brings out the grit, making our uncomely parts more evident, but with Him it only served to bring out more into evidence His perfect Manhood. The fact, too, that it was wheat flour reminds us that He was "The second man out of heaven." He gave a heavenly touch to all He did and said. So this oblation of fine flour mingled with oil takes us in thought to the holy conception of our Lord, followed by His perfect pathway of obedience, where every attribute of Manhood was seen in Him as ever giving pleasure to the heart of God. The measure of "two tenth deals" we leave for the moment as we have it again further down our chapter.

"He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD," v. 29. The word "Oblation" means a "food offering." Whilst it is primarily for the delight of the heart of God, all receive gain from it. A brother may spontaneously give thanks to God by speaking of the greatness and the glory of Christ, and it becomes food for the souls of those who have the privilege of hearing it.

We come in Leviticus 6:14 to the law of the meat offering or oblation, which means "gift offering," or "food offering," which the sons of Aaron offered "before the LORD, before the altar." What an accept-able offering to bring to God! that which speaks of Christ as the food of His people. And how wonderful that we should be able to feed on Him who is thus acceptable to God, Christ in all the perfections of His Manhood, the One conceived by the Spirit, and the anointed Man for God's pleasure in this world.

The principal Hebrew words used in reference to the offerings are: Olah, Alah, from 'to make to ascend.' Translated burnt offering. Minchah, from 'a present, gift, oblation.' Translated meat offering. Others prefer to translate it meal offering. Shelem, from 'to be whole, complete,' to be at peace, in friendship with any one. Translated peace offering. The ordinary form is plural, and may be rendered 'prosperities offering.' Chattath, from 'to sin.' Constantly translated sin offering. Asham, from 'to be guilty.' Translated trespass offering. Tenuphah, from 'to lift up and down, wave.' Translated wave offering. Terumah, from 'to be lifted up.' Translated heave offering.

Next to the burnt offering, comes what is called in our authorised version, the meat offering, or food offering; for in this sense meat is used for food by our translators (Gen. 1:29; John 4:32). In the Septuagint it is termed a sacrifice, and in the Vulgate it is called a sacrifice, and an oblation. In the Hebrew minghah, always used of, but not restricted to that which is translated a meat offering, simply means a present. So the offerings of Cain and Abel are thus designated by Moses, who uses a term which could characterise them both. Generally minghah, is restricted to unbloody offerings, but there are occasions in which it is applied to animal sacrifices as well: e.g. 1 Kings 18:29-30; 2 Kings 3:20; Ezra 9:4-5. Throughout this book, however, it is restricted to unbloody offerings. Of such Israel could bring to the Lord; yet, till they were acknowledged as God's people, we hear of no such offerings being acceptable to Jehovah. Cain attempted to approach the Lord with such, and was rejected; Israel could draw near with them as offerings made by fire of a sweet savour to the Lord. (Lev. 2:2.)

The "Meat-offering" of the common version has been changed in the late revision to meal-offering, a change which is here preserved on account of its slightness in form, and yet sufficiency for the purpose of avoiding a difficulty resulting from the change in meaning of the first word of this compound term. In fact neither "meat" nor "meal" is in the Hebrew minchah, which means simply "gift" or "offering," and is used of Abel's offering as well as Cain's; but in the law is restricted to bloodless offerings, and often in fact to that part of it which consisted of meal. We may in these cases accept the term.

The Hebrew word used in this case is Minchah, simply meaning an offering, a word always employed for the Meat Offering. The materials of which this offering was composed was never "meat," as we speak of the flesh of animals. It was always composed of things baked in the oven, such as cakes and wafers, and sometimes of green ears of corn.

Composed of fine flour, whether dry or cooked, it typified the Lord as a man; mingled with oil, and presented with frankincense as often as that was the case, it spoke of His conception by the Holy Ghost, and of His life on earth, being a sweet savour to God. And when the anointing with oil is spoken of, we are reminded of Him who was anointed with the Holy Ghost after His baptism by John the Baptist. Under various conditions could meat-offerings be brought. They might be voluntary or compulsory. Of the voluntary, we read in Leviticus 2; as to those commanded, we have the directions in different parts of the law. After the people had entered the land, whensoever they, or the stranger that sojourned with them, brought a voluntary burnt-offering or a peace-offering to God, a meat-offering was to accompany it (Num. 15:1-16); and the same rule held good for Israel at all their solemn feasts (Num. 28:29), and on special occasions as well (Lev. 9:14; Num. 6:8), besides the daily meat-offering that accompanied the morning and evening burnt-offering (Ex. 29:40), and the weekly sabbatic-offering. (Num. 28:9.) In all these Israel individually or nationally had part. But whereas in the case of the voluntary meat-offering no measure defining its size or quality was mentioned, for those which the people were commanded to provide, a regular measure was laid down, according as the animal sacrificed was a bullock, a ram, or a lamb. Another meat-offering which was also commanded by God to be brought had its measure prescribed, and its daily offering was enjoined. We allude to that presented daily for the priests by the high priest, commencing from the day of his consecration. (Lev. 6:19-23.) All these were typical of the Lord Jesus Christ. There remains, however, one other offering, called in Hebrew by the common term minghah, and translated in the authorized version a meat-offering, and that was the special offering on the feast of weeks of the two wave loaves, typical really of those from Jews and Gentiles who together form the Church of God. Dismissing all consideration of this, since no part of it was offered on the altar of burnt-offering, we shall confine our attention throughout this article to those meat-offerings which were really typical of the Lord Jesus Christ, a portion therefore of which was burnt on the brazen altar; only adding, that as minghah means a present, and meat-offering is simply food-offering, the reader may understand how the wave-loaves could be thus designated.

"And when any one [a soul] presents an oblation (or, gift) to Jehovah, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon. 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 thereof on the altar, a fire offering of sweet odour to Jehovah. And the remainder of the oblation shall be Aaron's and his sons': [it is] most holy of Jehovah's fire offerings" (vers. 1-3).