Chapter Two involves an offering called the "grain offering". Like the burnt offering, this is something that is to be brought to the Lord at the newly constructed tabernacle.
A grain offering is a type of offering that was brought in ancient times to great kings as a token of the people's thankfulness for his protection and provision. The custom of a grain offering was a custom observed by nations other than Israel. Such offerings were also brought by pagan cultures to their false gods. But Israel is to bring grain offerings to the tabernacle as a token of their thanks to the greatest king of all---the King of kings---and to the greatest god of all (the one and only God) the Lord of lords---for His protection and provision.
"When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour." (Leviticus 2:1a) Just as with the burnt offering, the people are to bring their best. A man had to select a fine specimen from his flock or herd to bring to the Lord for the burnt offering and in the same way the person bringing a grain offering must bring the finest flour.
"They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it and take it to Aaron's sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord." (Leviticus 2:1b-3) Out of the measure of flour the person brought to the tabernacle, a priest would gather a handful and burn it on the altar as a thank offering to the Lord. This aroma is pleasing to Him because the Lord is pleased with our thankfulness. He says, "Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor Me." (Psalm 50:23a) The Lord is displeased with ungratefulness. He created us, provides for us, and made a way of salvation for us. The least we can do is come to Him in an attitude of gratitude and give Him our thanks.
The remainder of the flour belongs to the priests. "The rest of the offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord." (Leviticus 2:3) The tribe of Levi (the priestly tribe) will be given cities to live in when the nation of Israel arrives in the promised land but the tribe of Levi will not be given a marked-out section of territory like the other tribes will be given. The Lord does not intend the Levites to be landowners. He has called them to be priests, not farmers or herdsmen. They are to make their living as priests. There are too many verses backing this up for me to list here, but in Old Testament times the priests shared in the offerings brought to the tabernacle and later to the temple, with the exception of burnt offerings, and in the New Testament we are told that the preachers of the gospel deserved to be supported by their churches.
The Apostle Paul states that he had the right to expect his needs to be met by the members of the churches he founded but that he made himself an exception and did not ask the members to support him. Many believers did voluntarily send aid to his missionary ministry but he didn't ask them to because he was worried he'd be lumped in with unscrupulous orators and philosophers of his day who were charging people a great deal of money to come and listen to their speeches. He was afraid that some would dismiss the gospel he was preaching by dismissing him as a charlatan who was out for money so he refused to ask the churches to support his ministry. He had the right to ask them to support him; he just excepted himself from this right. He was not, however, excepting any other preacher from this right and stated that they deserved to be supported by their churches. But in Paul's case if the churches voluntarily took up collections or sent food and clothing to him, he gratefully accepted it as an offering to God and called it a "sweet-smelling aroma" and "an acceptable sacrifice". (Philippians 4:18) He was calling it a thank offering, like the grain offering we are studying in Chapter Two.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: we owe it to our church pastors for them to be able to make a living wage as a pastor. If at all possible, pastors should not have to hold a job outside of the church. I realize there are small country churches here and there in underpopulated areas where there aren't enough church members to contribute a living wage or where the church members are all living below the poverty level and there just isn't enough money to be put into the offering for the pastor to make a living just working for the church. I grew up in rural Southwest Virginia where most church pastors had to have a secondary occupation. The landscape was dotted with small churches spread throughout the farming communities and most of the pastors did something else besides preach the gospel because they had to, whether that meant farming or teaching at the schools or driving into the surrounding cities to work in factories. But our current chapter shows us it's ordained by God that we give to the churches we attend because the preacher of God's word should be able to devote as much time as possible to the study of God's word and to ministering to the church members.
If you haven't given to your church lately, now is a good time. Or if you don't attend a church but follow various pastors and teachers online, you should donate to them since you are benefiting from their teaching.
Above all we must give thanks to the Lord, for our thanks is a sweet-smelling savor and an acceptable sacrifice. Let's all take time out of our day to give thanks for the great things our God has done for us!
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