John Calvin Commentary Leviticus 6:14

"And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before Jehovah, before the altar." — Leviticus 6:14 (ASV)

And this is the Law of the meat-offering. We have already seen that there were various kinds of this offering; now, the cakes or wafers are omitted,²⁷⁹ and mention is only made of uncooked flour, of which God commands that the priest should burn on the altar as much as his hand could hold.

But this law was necessary so that believers might be fully assured that God was propitiated by the proper offering of this part, and so that no one might complain because the greater portion remained with the priests.

However, so that the dignity of the sacrifice would not be diminished, the priests were only permitted to make unleavened bread of it, which they were to eat in the sanctuary, as we have seen elsewhere.

The meat-offering of the priests is an exception, which I understand to be for two reasons:

1. That the excellence and dignity of their gift, honored as it was by special privilege, might stimulate the priests to greater efforts of piety, so that they would not perform their duties in God’s service in a common and perfunctory manner.
2. That they might thus be restrained from the pretense of offering it too frequently.

For if it only cost them a little flour, a door would be opened to vain ostentation. They would have never ceased offering their ²⁸⁰minha, the profit of which returned to themselves. Perhaps they might even have made a trade of it, as we see the Popish sacrificers entice the simple populace to lavish spending on offerings through the pomp of their false devotion.

Therefore, so that their excessive offerings would not contribute both to their vainglory and avarice, God willed that their meat-offering should be entirely consumed.

²⁷⁹ “Omettant les gasteux, et les tourtes, et bignets, tant cuits au four que frits;” omitting the cakes, and the tarts, and fritters, both cooked in the oven and fried. — ;” omitting the cakes, and the tarts, and fritters, both cooked in the oven and fried. — Fr.

²⁸⁰ “Leurs belles parades.” — .” — Fr.