The priest shall take from the oblation a memorial thereof, and shall burn it on the altar, an offering by fire to Jehovah of a sweet odor. And the remainder of the oblation shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is most holy of Jehovah’s offerings by fire. No oblation which ye shall present to Jehovah shall be made with leaven; for no leaven and no honey shall ye burn in any fire-offering to Jehovah. Leviticus 2:9–11 JND
These verses remind us of the Lord Jesus whose whole life was a living sacrifice. During His life on earth, living among fallen and rebellious mankind, He was here as a Man who always honored God. In His obedience He was ready to go to the cross and die a shameful death; in His life and death He honored God to the utmost.
His life of complete devotion is illustrated in the oblation—the meal-offering, or grain-offering. His perfect life led to His death on the cross where He satisfied all God’s holy and righteous demands while taking our place as our perfect Substitute. Such a sacrifice needed to be prepared and given in complete separation from evil—no leaven could be used. This implies that God wants the lives of those who offer such a sacrifice to be in tune with Him. He cannot accept any leaven of wickedness or hypocrisy in our lives. He wants, therefore, salt to be a part of such sacrifices. Salt is what preserves, what makes the meal tasty, and it speaks of reality rather than a show.
Honey, though good in natural relationships, has no place in such sacrifices. Natural preferences or influences, the tastes of human nature, are not to be linked with the oblation, which speaks of Christ’s perfections. God’s standards are good and holy: He wants the remembrance of this ultimate Sacrifice kept pure and holy—for Himself as a memorial, and for us, priestly sons, as food, so that we feed on Christ and become like Him.