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What is the significance of the oil and blood in the Thanksgiving sacrifice

Bible Question:
In the Thanksgiving offering in Leviticus 7:11-15—the unleavened cakes are to be mingled with oil. The wafers to be anointed with oil and in verses 13-14-the heave offering of bread is to be sprinkled with blood by the priest. What is the significance of the oil on the unleavened offering and the blood on the leaven offering?  (This sacrifice is part of the law of Moses given to the Israelites and found on the Biblical Timeline Poster around 1500 BC.)

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Answer:  We have to assume the blood represents the blood of Christ and the oil the anointing oil referred to by David in his Psalms as well.

Why_blood-and-oil

Here’s an interesting response to that question posted on our site:
Through the years, we have been celebrating the American holiday for Thanksgiving. However, I have paused to reflect towards the significance of Thanksgiving as a Christian myself. As I usually do when I study a word or thought, I have looked up Thanksgiving within the contents of the Bible. According to Leviticus 7:11, the cakes that are unleavened are to be mingled up with oil and that the priest will sprinkle the blood upon the offering of the bread. I have always been wondering what the significance of the oil for the unleavened offering. Basically, this is the main law for the sacrificial phase of peace offerings. Since then, I have decided to figure exactly what this certain passage (verses 11-15) had been trying to tell us about Thanksgiving in Leviticus.
To start off, I have noticed that the “Thanksgiving Sacrifice” was not at all a separate type of offering, but rather a certain type of offering for peace. This peace offering portrays how Christ had satisfied the rage of God towards sins and have made been able to make true peace with God and each sinner who would be trusting only in Jesus. It also portrays that the peace we have through Jesus Christ who is described to passeth each and every single understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Secondly, the Thanksgiving offering is a multiple type of offering. It has to be made up of unleavened wafers, unleavened cakes and cakes from fine flour (verse 12). All of these various forms of such sacrifice are not given as choices but are demanded to be all offered together. Not one less was supposed to be left out. To say it, in other words, it is right to give God thanks and praise for everything (Ephesians 5:20). Choosing what our favorites are and ignoring the items that we find unpleasant is not something that can be possible. Aside from the cake, he will offer as a part of his offering the leavened bread that comes with the Thanksgiving sacrifice (verse 13). Leaven, which is yeast in the scripture, portrays that it is impure, sinful and false. Now, how can leaven even become a part of the said offering? Remember the part when it is quoted that everything must be given thanks for? Obviously, there is no exception to that. The good things in life are not the only ones that must be given appreciation, but the bad ones too. We do not have the right to judge what the purpose of God is for everything in this world. Because he will eventually work things out if we remain loving and faithful to him (Romans 8:28).
This leads us to why the mingling of the oil and sprinkling of the blood are both significant. This act shows that each Thanksgiving celebration is with accordance to the shedding of blood by Jesus Christ to clear our sins. That is how he was able to give successfully salvation towards humanity.

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Assyrian Power Increased Under Tiglath-Pileser

Tiglath-Pileser was a powerful monarch who resided on the throne during the Middle Assyrian Period. Tiglath-Pilesar I. was one of the most revered rulers at the time of the Assyrian empire. He conquered many Empires and kingdoms during his reign.  He is found on the Biblical Timeline Poster with World History during the 12th century BC. The Assyrian empire was once located near the northern Mesopotamian Sea in the region of modern-day Iraq. This kingdom was originally started by the Akkadians who resided in the city of Asur which eventually became known as the Assyria.

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Tiglath-Pilesar_Leader_of_Assyria
Tiglath-Pilesar

When Ashur-rush-Ishi the I. had passed away Tiglath-Pilesar I. had taken over the kingdom. Once he gained power, he began to immediately mobilize his armies for conquest. He reorganized his chariots and infantry to make them more effective in battle. After the army was reorganized, he quickly moved them quickly against the remaining Hittite groups that lived north of the kingdom. Anatolia was his next area of conquest, and many of the people that lived in the northern areas outside of Assyria were defeated by him. Some kingdoms, such as Melid, yielded to his power and paid him tribute without going to war. He eventually turned his attention to the south and defeated the Arameans in Syria and headed further south to fight against many kingdoms that lied in that region. Israel happened to be one of them. When Tiglath-Pilesar I marched his forces against Israel a king named Pekah ruled the nation. Pekah had killed a former monarch named Pekiah to take his position as ruler. Pekah ruled Israel in the south and King Ahaz ruled the northern kingdom of Juday. Pekah had allied himself with Rezin of Aram to attack Judah.

Ahaz called on Tiglath-Pilesar I to come to his aid, and he did. They both defeated Pekah and Rezin. After defeating the Israelites, he deported many of them back to Assyria. Tiglath-Pilesar eventually expanded his conquest all the way to coastal cities that lived near the Mesopotamian Sea. He never attacked the Phoenician coastal cities such as Tyre or Sidon. Instead, he took a trip within this great sea and this event is recorded in his inscriptions. Many years later when the Babylonians became a powerful threat, Tiglath-Pilesar tried to conquer them as well. Tiglath-Pilesar I. was also a city builder as well as a conqueror.

During his reign, he created many public works and established many temples that were dedicated to his gods that included their chief deities Nanna and Shamash. This Assyrian monarch also helped to developed public works and to maintain order within his territories that he ruled. Inscriptions about Tiglath make him out to be a mighty and exceptional king. He apparently had a magnetic personality and was a well-respected leader. Some ancient texts even claim that he had cultivated a spirit of fear among his people and conquered subjects. Many inscriptions about this king can be found on the walls of the palaces that he constructed during his reign. Tiglath-Pilesar ruled for about 40 years, and he died in 1076 B.C.

Biblical References to Tiglath-Pilesar

  • 2 Kings 16:7 Ahaz requests Tiglath-Pilesar’s help against the Israelites.
  • 2 Kings 16:7-9 Ahaz pays tribute to Tiglath-Pilesar I. The Israelis are deported back to Assyria after they are defeated by Tiglath.
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David Smites Moabites and Ammonites

There are two Biblical references to King David‘s wars with the Moabites and the Ammonites. 2 Samuel 8 and 1 Chronicles 19 are the two major passages of scripture that that give an account of these battles. These battles appear on the Biblical Timeline Poster around 1030 BC.

The Moabites were related to Israel through Israel through Abraham’s nephew Lot. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Only Lot and his two daughters were spared through the event. Lot’s daughters wrongly assumed that the whole world was destroyed. They had gotten their father drunk before having sex with him. They did this for a few nights in a row until they were pregnant. Moab was the name of the son born to the oldest daughter and the youngest daughter had a son named Ben-Ammin who became known as the Ammonites.

The nations of Ammon and Moab both lay east of Israel. Israel fought against both of these nations at various times throughout their history. The Israelites could not pass through the Moabites territory when they were settling into Canaan. In Deuteronomy 23:1-6 God gave Israel permission to harass the Moabites because they didn’t give them food and drink when they passed by their land after leaving Egypt. He also didn’t want Israel to help them because the Moabites called on Balaam to curse God’s people. So God told them that they were never allowed to help the Moabites or the Ammonites in their times of trouble.

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David_Subdues_Moabites
King David, Russian icon from the first quarter of 18th cent.

The Ammonites were always at strife with the Israelites as well. They fought and plotted against Israel at various times in their history. The Ammonites were also guilty of not allowing Israel to pass through their lands after they left Egypt. The Ammonites also joined forces against Israel during the time of the Judges. I

n 2 Samuel 7 God had just given David a strong blessing that was to establish his lineage on the throne of Israel forever. Soon afterward God preserved David and allowed him to conquer the nations that had been a problem for Israel for many years. After defeating the Philistines, he turned his attention toward the Moabites and destroyed them. After they were beaten he placed them on the ground and measured every two of them with a cord. This cord was as long as three men. The first two men that were measured with the chord were killed and the third man was spared. After he did this to the people of Moab they humbly accepted his rule and brought him tribute.

1 Chronicles 19 outlines how King David showed kindness to an Ammonite king by the name of Hanun. Nahash was Hanun’s father who had recently passed. King Nahash and King David were both allies. So David sent his servants to help comfort the king and to show sympathy for his loss. Hanun’s princes told him that David was sending his men as spies. So King Hanun had David’s servant’s beards cut and their garments were cut off at the buttocks. David’s servants were shamed by this event. King David was outraged and he told his servants that had been shamed to remain in Jericho until their beards grew back. The Ammonites realized King David was mad enough to go to war and they gathered their forces. They also hired mercenaries for the battle. The Ammonites had gotten a lot of Israel’s enemies to go to war against them and they were going to attack them on two sides. David’s general Joab organized the army on two fronts since they were going to be attacked on two different sides. The Armeans were the Ammonites main attack force, but Israel defeated them and the Ammonites also fled. The Ammonites were defeated on that occasion.

The Ammonites paid David tribute right along with Moab and a few other nations (see 2 Samuel 8:12). Apparently, King David must have beaten them in battle as he was conquering the other nations in the region.

Biblical References to David smiting Moabites and Ammonites

  • Genesis 19:30-38 the Moabites and Ammonites are born through acts of incest.
  •  Deuteronomy 23:1-6 God forbids Israel to help the Moabites and the Ammonites
  •  2 Samuel 8:2 King David defeats and executes the Moabites.
  •  2 Samuel 8:12 The Ammonites are one nation that pays tribute to Israel.
  •  1 Chronicles 19 King David beats the Ammonites after they humiliate David’s ambassadors and good will.
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Abdon A Judge In Israel

Abdon was a judge and one great thing that was mentioned about him was the fact that he had 40 sons and 30 nephews. Bible scholars theorize that he was a man of wealth and means because his sons and grandsons were known to ride around on 70 donkeys.

Abdon had judged Israel for eight years and apparently during his rule the people didn’t rebel against God.  He is found on the Biblical Timeline Poster around 1130 BC.

Shortly after Abdon’s death the people of Israel turned against God once again. This means that Abdon must have had a strong influence on the people during this reign. He must have been wise as well as rich. Nothing in scripture indicates that his rule was disappointing God.

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The Bible also mentions that Abdon was the son of Hillel and he was also from Pirathon a city in Ephraim. Joseph was the father of Ephraim and the people that descended from him became Ephraimites. This is one of the two tribes that came from Joseph.

Abdon,_A_Judge_in_Isreal
Abdon had possession of many donkeys, a sign of wealth.

He also must have had many wives in order to have so many sons or his one wife must have been a fertile woman capable of bearing so many children within her lifetime. He also could have had more than one wife throughout the course of his lifetime and has his children spread out between them.

The fact that he had so many nephews would indicate that his family was large and that they were probably just as wealthy as he was. He came from a large family of brothers and sisters himself and might have been one of the eldest sons of his clan. This probably wasn’t that uncommon since a few of the previous judges also had large families. Keep in mind that most people could not adequately support a large family of this size unless they had enough resources.

Abdon’s wealth must have been something of note since he had so many donkeys for his sons. The families in ancient Israel were close knit and it wouldn’t have been uncommon for them to work together in some sort of enterprise. Herding was a popular line of work and so was farming large fields. Each of these enterprises could have made Abdon a rich man if they were, in fact, his trade. His wealth, wisdom and influence helped him to be selected by the elders of his people as a leader.

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Phoenicia the First Trading Nation

The Phoenicians were a maritime people that lived in coastal city-states that bordered the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. Phoenicians were also known as Canaanites, and they were well known as a nation of traders and craftsmen. The Phoenicians came into power around 1200 B.C., and their civilization went into decline about 900 years later in 300 B.C.  These dates are shown on the Biblical Timeline Poster.

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Phoenecia
The commercial network of Phoenicia

Some of the most historically significant cultures spoke about Phoenicia in the past. Rome, Greece and Israel all had contact with the Phoenician people. The Phoenicians had monopolized and traded many goods not only with people in the Mediterranean but also from the Middle East. The Phoenicians probably were not the first major trading nation in recorded history, but they once were significant in world economic affairs for thousands of years.
The Phoenicians were known for trading juniper, purple die, cypress wood, embroided linen, oaks from Bashan, cedar from Lebanon, turquoise, honey and olive oil. Tyre was also known to trade their goods for slaves, gold, silver, copper and tin.
The Bible doesn’t contain the word Phoenicia, but it does talk about Tyre. This city was the most well known of all Phoenician city-states. King Solomon had traded and purchased raw materials from the Phoenicians to build Solomon’s Temple. God acknowledges Tyre as a major financial and economic power and condemns the Phoenicians because they would not worship him. Jesus Christ also echoes this same train of thought concerning Tyre when he condemns cities that would not repent of their sins and turn to him for forgiveness. Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who married King Ahab, a former ruler of Israel. During Ahab’s reign, she killed many of God’s priests and instituted the worship of Baal. God was not pleased with her and ultimately had her killed.
Tyre was always regarded as an economic power but all throughout scripture they were portrayed as people who didn’t follow after God. Since these people were Canaanites, they worshipped gods similar to Baal. This particular deity was the god of many ancient enemies of Israel. Ultimately God had wiped out the Phoenicians and removed their influence and power from the world.

Biblical References to Phoenicia

  • 2 Samuel 5:11 King Hiram of Tyre sends messengers and raw materials to King David to build him a house.
  • 1 Kings 5:1 King Hiram sends King Solomon servants in memory of his father, David.
  • 1 Kings 9:11 King Hiram provides Solomon with raw materials for the temple.
  • 1 Kings 16: 30-31 tells about Jezebel’s marriage to Ahab.
  • 1 Kings 18: 13, 19 Introduces idol worship to God’s people.
  • 1 Kings 19: 1-3 Jezebel tries to eliminate God’s prophet, Elijah.
  • 2 Kings 9: 30-37 Jezebel dies a terrible death.
  • Ezekiel 27 God acknowledges Tyre’s powerful economic position, but he condemns the city for not believing in him.
  • Isaiah 23 speaks of God’s judgment and condemnation of Tyre.
  • Mathew 11:21 Jesus condemns the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida for not believing in his miracles, and he claims that Tyre will fare better during judgment than those two cities.