Fine Flour Mingled with Oil — by Keith Petersen

The Old Testament language as to the design of the tabernacle, the temple and the associated offerings can appear to be, for many of us, a bit obscure in language and intent.  However, if the simple fact is kept in mind that God is always the Same (“the Same”—an actual name of God—2 Kings 19:15)—which is to say, an unchanging God (Malachi 3:6)—and, that He is conveying aspects of the truth that pertain to His own holy, divine Nature, it makes it much easier to understand what is being taught.

When we come to the book of Leviticus, there is great detail and emphasis on various offerings, sacrifices and feasts.  Among these is an offering steadily referenced and associated with a variety of other offerings—and it is called the oblation.  This offering is shown as being of “fine flour mingled with oil”—and, invariably, without leaven.  Leaven always represents in Scripture the adulterating effect of the activity, or result of the activity, of the natural mind—and, is always a negative allusion.  In the tabernacle system (other than in rare instance where it is included as a nod, so to speak, to the reality of the existence of the natural side of man) leaven is to be excluded.  The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5, “Do ye not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?  Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, according as ye are unleavened. For also our passover, Christ, has been sacrificed; so that let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.”

When we consider the phrase “fine flour”, what is the difference—even speaking naturally—between fine flour and uneven, or, lumpy flour?  The simple answer is “the lumps”.  It is easy to recognize that the fine flour is smooth and even, and has no lumps.  When we consider this in respect to the moral overtones and import of this offering, it is understandable that the fine flour would be preferable, speaking intelligently, as an offering to God—as it represents what is even throughout.  Since the offerings, as “types”, are always representative of something further in God’s economy and approach to His people—to what, or, to whom, can we apply this principle of fine, even, flour?  Who, in their path here in this world, can we unequivocably say displayed a perfect evenness?  We can immediately recognize that the only Person to whom this could always apply would be the Lord Jesus—He could say, “I do always the things that are pleasing to him [i.e., to God]” (John 8:29).  We, on the other hand, display in our path here the “lumps” and the unevenness of our Christian testimony—i.e., this particular issue needs adjustment, we sinned over here, we failed God there, etc.  James writes, “For we all often offend” (James 3:2), and the apostle John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

How lovely this type is, then, as we view it in respect of the perfect, fine, even path of the Lord Jesus here in this adversarial world.  God instituted this oblation as a reminder to Himself and to us of the perfection in His humanity of the Lord Jesus (obviously, perfect in His Godhead glory)—made in every way like unto us; but, “sin apart” (Hebrews 4:15).  Evidence of the Lord’s perfection as a Man (“He does all things well”—Mark 7:37) is never to discourage us simply because we see, in contrast, imperfections in our own testimonial paths here.  Rather, it is both to show us the immeasurable and pleasing perfections of the Lord Jesus Christ, and, laterally, to remind us that we ourselves have “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4)—an ineffable and elevating reality in and of itself—and a reminder that, under the indwelling power of the blessed Holy Spirit, God shows us that our new nature is inherently, in itself, without sin.  1 John 3:9 tells us in wonderful language that, “Whoever has been begotten of God does not practise sin, because his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.”   He cannot sin!  We do sin, of course, as shown above—however, that is simply because we devolve back to the “mind of the flesh”—to “the old man”.  The antidote to that is seen in Romans 8:13, “if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body”, etc.  The catalyst for our fidelity to Christ is affection for Himself—"If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  Our failures in our Christian path are typically due to our focus on self rather than on Christ. 

This leads into the second element, speaking reverently, in the oblation—the oil.  In the Bible, oil is universally a type of the Holy Spirit.  In Leviticus 8 “Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and hallowed them.  And he sprinkled thereof on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, to hallow them.  And he poured of the anointing oil on Aaron's head, and anointed him, to hallow him”, and then he anointed Aaron’s sons in the same fashion. 

The teaching is clear—in the Divine system everything and everyone is to be characterized by the presence of the blessed Holy Spirit.  It is of great interest that the Bible shows routinely that Christ when here—and, in respect of ourselves as yet here—is characterized in movement and nature as “by the Spirit”.  Without the Holy Spirit, we have no part with Christ (“but if any one has not [the] Spirit of Christ he is not of him”—Romans 8:9).  It is only by His indwelling power that we are able to fit into and move intelligently within the great Divine system of love and eternal life into which we’ve been called.  He has come, this “Spirit of truth”, so that “he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak.”  Amen.

Thus, we can see that the oblation can be deciphered, as it were, as intended by God to help us understand God’s thoughts in respect of Christ—and, His redeemed people!  Some might say, “But, I am not like the Lord Jesus—He never sinned—whereas, I sin.”  True enough; but, we have to keep in mind the abstract teachings of Scripture as set in apposition to the practical circumstances here.  1 John 4:17 distinctly says, “even as he is, we also are in this world.”  There is only one way to interpret this—i.e., as He is now in Heaven, so we are here on this Earth.  God is saying, “Even now before the Church is raptured to be eternally with Christ in Heaven, there is no moral difference in nature between Christ and the born-again Christian.

This is enormously elevating language and should lead us to enjoyment in taking up our Christian path here.  Do we desire to be an expression while yet here of the fine flour mingled with oil?  It involves suffering—we have to be consciously engaged in the “spiritual warfare” of Ephesians 6 and have to, as we’ve already seen in Romans 8:13, “put to death” the will of the old man.  But, the recompense is simple—it is joy with Christ.  "Well done …. enter into the joy of thy lord’ (Matthew 25:21).  God is looking for overcomers (notice—the language as to this in the early few chapters of The Revelation is addressed to individuals)—let us each make a decision to be just that.