I didn't get to finish this last night - still working through. Paused halfway because the interpetation of "by the spirit" was entirely different from what I was taught and had me thinking and researching until 2:30 am.
But for anyone who is curious and interested in passive quick prayer vs deep seeking prayer, unanswered prayer, this was a worthwhile one.
There are rich lessons to be learned from the OT sanctuary service.
From M L Andreasen..."
The Sanctuary Service. "
Sanctified by the Spirit
The flour used in the meal offerings was not to be offered dry; it was to be mingled with oil, or anointed with oil. (Leviticus 2:4,5) The oil is the Spirit of God. Only as a life is sanctified by the Spirit,
mixed with it, anointed with it, can it be pleasing to God. Suffering, in and of itself, may not be a blessing. It may only lead to hardness of heart, bitterness of spirit. But as God's Spirit takes possession of the soul, as the sweet spirit of the Master permeates the life, the fragrance of a dedicated life becomes pure.
As the incense offered each morning and evening in the holy place was emblematic of the righteousness of Christ which ascended with the prayers of the priest for the nation as a. sweet savor unto
God. So the incense offered in connection with each meal offering was efficacious for the individual. It was making a personal application of that which otherwise was only general. In the morning and evening sacrifice the priest prayed for the people. In the meal offering the incense was applied to the individual soul.
In the minds of the Israelites, incense and prayer were closely associated. Morning and evening, as the incense-symbolizing Christ's merits and intercession ascended in the holy place, prayers were offered throughout the nation. Not only did the incense permeate the holy and the most holy place, but its fragrance was noted far around the tabernacle. Everywhere it bespoke prayer and called men to communion with God.
Prayer is vital to Christianity. It is the breath of the soul. It is the vital element in every activity of life. It must accompany every sacrifice, make fragrant every offering. It is not only an important ingredient of Christianity, it is the very life of it. Without its vital breath, life soon ceases; and with the cessation of life, decomposition sets in, and that which should be a savor of life unto life becomes a savor of death unto death.
“Every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” Mark 9:49. Fire purifies; salt preserves. To be salted with fire means not only purification but preservation. God wants a clean people, a people whose sins are forgiven. It is not enough to be forgiven and cleansed. The keeping power of God must be accepted. We must be kept clean. The fire is to be not a destructive fire but a cleansing one. We are to be first cleansed, then kept.
“Salted with fire” “Salted with salt”! Purified and kept pure! Wonderful provision!
The meal offering, though not the most important one, has beautiful lessons for the devout soul. All we are should be on the altar. All we have belongs to God. And God will purify and keep His own. May these lessons abide with us.
