Leviticus 6:16, commentary and pictures

Leviticus 6:16 directs that the remainder of the grain or meat offering was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons. It was to be eaten with unleavened bread in the holy place, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation, as food most holy to the Lord for the priests, but not in the most holy place. When the blood was not sprinkled in the sanctuary, this eating by the priests represented the transfer of the offerer's forgiven sin to the sanctuary, leaving it there before God through the year until it was removed on the Day of Atonement. As part of the earthly sanctuary pattern it is a shadow and object-lesson of the temple of God in heaven and of Christ's priestly service therein as High Priest begun when He ascended on high. Like the other details of the sacrifices, this detail has its fuller meaning in the sacrifice, life, and work of Jesus Christ, showing God's hatred of sin and that sin demands its penalty.

Sanctuary Offering Ritual

The remainder of the grain or meat offering was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons. It was to be eaten with unleavened bread in the holy place, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. As holy food for the priests it was not offered or eaten in the most holy place. The offering itself was most holy to the Lord.

The instruction belongs to the directions for individual offerings in Leviticus 1-7, which describe the main features of the service of the sanctuary built by Moses in the wilderness and later replaced by the temple. Those offerings formed part of the priests' regular ministry in the earthly sanctuary through the year. More particularly it belongs to the first of three general ministries connected with the earthly sanctuary, the ministry of individuals who came burdened with sins bringing their offerings in faith in the Redeemer to come. The various offerings brought from day to day were combined and correlated in the daily ministration for the nation, with constant remembrance of sin.

When certain offerings were not handled by sprinkling their blood in the sanctuary, the priests ate the remaining flesh in the holy place with unleavened bread. This eating represented the transfer of the offerer's forgiven sin to the sanctuary. In figure Aaron and his sons in eating the offering in the holy place took the forgiven sins of the penitent upon themselves and transferred them to the sanctuary, whether by the blood of the sacrifice or by the person of the priest. Those forgiven sins were left there before God through the year until they were removed on the Day of Atonement.

The requirement that Aaron's male descendants eat the offerings applied through their generations. The verse also illustrates that soul can refer to a person, namely one who eats the remainder of an offering in the tabernacle court and brings offerings to the Lord.

Typical Teaching and Application

The verse belongs to the ceremonial law, which was instituted in consequence of sin. As part of the earthly sanctuary pattern it is a shadow and type and an impressive object-lesson teaching concerning the temple of God in heaven and Christ's priestly service therein as High Priest and Minister of the heavenly sanctuary begun when He ascended on high. The service of the sanctuary of the Levitical dispensation built by Moses in the wilderness and later replaced by the temple, with its building, appointments, priesthood, and complete round of service given in Leviticus 1-16, was typical of Christ and His priesthood, the service repeated in each year typifying the service of Christ which was once for all.

Like the other details of the sacrifices and the different kinds of sacrifices in Leviticus 6, this detail of the remainder of the grain offering eaten with unleavened bread in the tabernacle court has its fuller meaning in the sacrifice, life, and work of Jesus Christ and teaches something in type about His work. As part of the special instructions about offerings in chapters 1-7, it shows God's hatred of sin and that sin demands its penalty, with the offerings as shadows of their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. It belongs with the first of three general ministries connected with the earthly sanctuary, the ministry of individuals who came burdened with sins bringing their offerings in faith in the Redeemer to come, with all the various offerings brought from day to day combined and correlated in the daily ministration for the nation with constant remembrance of sin made, which looked forward to a future antitype fulfilled in the yearly cleansing of the sanctuary.

It was not written in vain or without purpose but is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, and was written for learning, that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures men might have hope. Studying it as part of Leviticus 1-7, which describe the main features of the service of the sanctuary built by Moses, gives clearer views of the Saviour and His work in behalf of men and reveals God's way, power, and glory. The rule was ceremonial, applying through the generations of Aaron's male descendants, and ended when the offerings were done away. God's giving the priests certain portions of the offerings to eat proves that eating flesh is not sin in itself, since Christ also ate flesh and never sinned; abstinence from flesh may be best, but circumstances alter cases and there are times when it is better to eat flesh than to abstain.