“From the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil. Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams” (Exodus 29:2-3).
This is an excerpt from the instructions for ordaining Aaron and his sons as priests. Along with a sacrificed bull and rams, the ceremony required a few loaves of bread. Sometimes I glide over these details, but this time I realized that this is about a special meal with God. It’s a fellowship meal, just like one we would have for an ordination or installation of a pastor. A lot of negotiations, workshops, conventions, training sessions, anniversaries, and celebrations all include sitting down to eat. This is just like sitting down to eat with the Lord.
As I thought more about it, I realized that the bible begins and ends with food.
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden” (Genesis 2:16).
“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9)
There are so many significant meals in the bible.
- Abram hosts the Lord and two angels in Genesis 18.
- Joseph ate a meal with his brothers once they were reunited in Egypt.
- The Lord fed his people with manna and quail in the wilderness.
- Jesus fed the 5,000 after his teaching, hosted the Passover meal, ate with two disciples on the road to Emmaus and grilled fish on the beach with the disciples after his resurrection.
- The father hosted a lavish banquet when his prodigal son returned home.
I can’t prove it, but I’ll bet whenever something significant happens in the bible, there’s food involved in some way.
Now that’s good news. I like to cook, bake, and eat. I guess I’m just a kingdom kind of guy!
Waite for it... 