The timing of the writing of this post could not be any more amazing. In three days, we recognize and celebrate the birth of Yeshua. It is the most well-known story to man. Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the wisemen, and the tiny baby born in Bethlehem. The second chapter of Matthew gives the account of the Magi seeking Yeshua so they could worship Him. We know that they followed the star in the east until they found Him, and when they did, they bowed down, worshipped Him, and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is interesting to note that this is only one of two places within the New Testament that you will find mentions of frankincense. The second is in the book of Revelation. But what does this have to do with finding Yeshua in the book of Leviticus?
In the past couple of posts, we have seen that the grain offering was one of fine flour and had olive oil poured upon it, however that was not the only thing placed upon the cake. Leviticus 2:1 tells us, “Anyone who brings a grain offering to Adonai is to make his offering of fine flour; he is to pour olive oil on it and put frankincense on it.” Yeshua was born in Beit-Lechem, The House of Bread. He is the Bread of Life, He was crushed with three pressings in the garden, just as olives were pressed three times to extract the oil, and one of the Magi brought the gift of frankincense, one of the very requirements for the grain offering. The question is, what do we know about frankincense and what is its significance regarding Yeshua.
While pursuing this question I was led to do a Hebrew word study on frankincense, but also its use within the Tabernacle and the Temple. Frankincense was one of the ingredients used to make incense. The Complete Jewish Study Bible states, “The Hebrew word translated ‘frankincense’ is lavonah, literally ‘a white object,’ as frankincense is white. Since its aroma neutralized bad odors, it was part of the ‘fragrant aroma’ mixture (see Lev. 6:8). When in the air, it had a sanitizing effect, protecting the priests from fungi, bacteria, and microbes to which they would have been exposed while working with animal offerings (even though in this particular verse, Lev 2:1, the meatless grain offering is being discussed.”
Upon reading this commentary, the first thing that jumped out at me was the phrase ‘fragrant aroma’, which took me to Paul’s letter to Ephesus. In chapter 5 verses 1 and 2, He says, “So imitate God, as his dear children; and live a life of love, just as also the Messiah loved us, indeed, on our behalf gave himself up as an offering, as a slaughtered sacrifice to God with a pleasing fragrance.” Here we see how the sacrifice He made on our behalf is tied to the incense and the frankincense used in that mixture. As the frankincense had a sanitizing effect protecting the priests, it is through Him that we are likewise sanitized from our sins, our spiritual fungi, bacteria, and microbes. Even more exciting, when we are in Messiah, we get to be a part of that pleasing fragrance and fragrant aroma. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 reads, “But thanks be to God, who in the Messiah constantly leads us in a triumphal procession and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of what it means to know him! For to God we are the aroma of the Messiah, both among those being saved and among those being lost; to the later, we are the smell of death leading only to more death; but to the former, we are the sweet smell of life leading to more life.”
As we saw in the commentary, lavonah (lebohnah)or frankincense, literally means a white object. It is spelled with the Hebrew letters Lamed, bet, vav, nun, and hei. As Hebrew is alphanumeric, and letters are also numbers, when adding these letters together, it comes to a total numeric value of 93. I am always fascinated to look and see what other Hebrew words or phrases have the same numeric values, and I am always amazed at the connections that I find.
· Abaz - “I will make white.” To be white, to shine, to be conspicuous.
· Chaphah - To cover, veil, covering protection, a canopy, curtain
· Magen – To enclose, a shield
“Come now,” Says Adonai, “Let’s talk this over together. Even if your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow; even if they are red as crimson, they will be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18
The numeric value 93: frankincense, to make white, to cover, a shield. Each of these are demonstrated in Yeshua. He is the sweet-smelling aroma, we are made white through the salvation He provides, our sins are covered by His blood, and He is our shield.
I’d like to take this one step further and take the root word for lavonah, which is laban (law-ban). Its definition is “to be white to make white, to become white, or purify”. Laban has a numeric value of 82. When looking at other words with this value, the first connection I made when I looked at on the surface didn’t seem to make sense. The word beiy (beh-ee) at face value means ruin or heap of ruins. The BDB lexicon gives its translation as “grave”. Digging further, the BDB goes on to give this word’s explanation as “a prayer”. There is only one scripture reference for this word, and it is found in the book of Job. “Surely [God] wouldn’t strike at a ruin, if in one’s calamity one cried out to him for help.” Job 30:24
The next word valued at 82 is obed which means serving, worshipper, or doorkeeper. What a beautiful picture of how Yeshua ties to the essence of frankincense. Prayer, serving, worship, and He is the ultimate doorkeeper as He is the only way to the Father. Psalm 51:9(7) is the cry of David’s heart when he said, “Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” It is only through Yeshua’s blood that we are made white, He pulls us out of the grave of our sin when we cry out to Him in prayer and worship. He shields us from the judgement that should rightfully be carried out upon us. He is the sweet-smelling aroma that was offered up on our behalf.
The baby in the manger, the bread of life, who was pressed in the garden, who is the only one who has ever been white and pure, was offered up. The Passover Lamb, the firstfruits, the ultimate sacrifice who can be seen not once, but three times in the first verse of Leviticus 2. As you celebrate this Christmas season, may that baby become so much more in your life, and may He bring His love and peace to you as you walk into the new year. Shalom!
A quick note: An interesting note concerning the number three tied to this study. There were three elements for the grain offering. The fine flour, olive oil, and frankincense. In John 12:24 Yeshua said, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that unless a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, it stays just a grain; but if it dies, it produces a big harvest.” He was that grain and was resurrected on the third day. When we look at the creation story, on the third day, God created the plants and the trees. It is incredible how “grain” is connected to Yeshua from creation to the resurrection.
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