The meat offering.
It consisted of a gift to God of the products of the earth most needed for the support of life—flour and oil, to which were added salt and frankincense, and it was generally accompanied by the drink offering of wine. It was offered to God in token of the recognition of his almighty power which gave the corn, the olive, and the vine, and of the submission of the creature to him, the merciful Creator.
I. IT WAS A GIFT OF HOMAGE. As such, it had a meaning well defined and well understood in the East, that meaning being an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God, and a promise of loyal obedience on the part of the offerer.
II. SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLES OF THE GIFT OF HOMAGE.
1. The sacrifices of Cain and Abel. Whether the sacrifice was of the fruits of the ground or of the flock made no difference. Each was the "minchah," or "gift," of the offerer, acknowledging God as his God—one, however, offered loyally, the other hypocritically (Genesis 4:3, Genesis 4:4).
2. The present sent to Esau by Jacob (Genesis 32:1-32; Genesis 33:1-20). Jacob had sent a humble message to his brother (Genesis 32:3), but this was not enough, "The messenger's returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him" (Genesis 32:6). Then Jacob, terror-stricken, sent his gift of homage (Genesis 32:13), which symbolically acknowledged Esau as his suzerain lord. Esau, by accepting it (Jacob "urged him and he took it"), bound himself to give protection to his brother as to an inferior, and offered to leave some of his soldiers with him for the purpose (Genesis 33:15).
3. The present carried by Jacob's sons to Joseph when they went down into Egypt (Genesis 43:11).
4. The present without which Saul felt that he could not appear before Samuel (1 Samuel 9:7).
5. The gifts presented to the young Child by the Wise Men of the East (Matthew 2:11).
III. EXAMPLES OF THE GIFT OF HOMAGE IN THE PRESENT DAY.
1. At an Indian durbar, every one of the dependent princes brings his present, and offers it to the representative of the Empress of India.
2. Presents are always brought by natives of India to British officials set over them, when they have a request to make, and ceremonially accepted by the latter by a touch of the hand.
3. In the Abyssinian war a present of a thousand oxen and five hundred sheep was sent by King Theodore of Abyssinia to Lord Napier of Magdala, in token of submission at the last moment, and rejected by the English general. Had he accepted it, he would have been bound to give the king protection.
IV. LESSONS TO US FROM THE MEAT OFFERING.
1. To give to God of the worldly goods which God has given to us
Our motive must not be self-ostentation, nor the praise of men, nor our own gratification. By our offering to God we must recognize God's claims over us, and openly profess our loving submission to them. This throws a new light on the practice of almsgiving in the weekly offertory of the Church.
2. To give a hearty and loyal service to God in other respects besides almsgiving, such as obedience to his commandments, doing his will on earth.
V. THE GIFT OF HOMAGE CALLS FORTH A REQUITING GIFT. Esau gave protection in return for cattle. Joseph gave sacks of corn in return for "a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds." The representative of the Crown of England gives back to each prince at a durbar a present greater than he has received. So we give to God repentance, and receive back from him forgiveness; we give faith, and receive grace; we give obedience, and receive righteousness; we give thanksgiving, and receive enduring favour; we give, in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the "creatures of bread and wine," and we receive back "the strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the Body and Blood of Christ."