Leviticus 3: The Peace Offering

Translation & Sermon By Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 28 Feb 2016

 

1  וְאִם-זֶבַח שְׁלָמִים קָרְבָּנוֹ אִם מִן-הַבָּקָר הוּא מַקְרִיב אִם-זָכָר אִם-נְקֵבָה תָּמִים יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה:

2  וְסָמַךְ יָדוֹ עַל-רֹאשׁ קָרְבָּנוֹ וּשְׁחָטוֹ פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְזָרְקוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת-הַדָּם עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב:

3  וְהִקְרִיב מִזֶּבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה אֶת-הַחֵלֶב הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת-הַקֶּרֶב וְאֵת כָּל-הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עַל-הַקֶּרֶב:

4  וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת-הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן אֲשֶׁר עַל-הַכְּסָלִים וְאֶת-הַיֹּתֶרֶת עַל-הַכָּבֵד עַל-הַכְּלָיוֹת יְסִירֶנָּה:

5  וְהִקְטִירוּ אֹתוֹ בְנֵי-אַהֲרֹן הַמִּזְבֵּחָה עַל-הָעֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עַל-הָעֵצִים אֲשֶׁר עַל-הָאֵשׁ אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַיהוָה: פ

  6וְאִם-מִן-הַצֹּאן קָרְבָּנוֹ לְזֶבַח שְׁלָמִים לַיהוָה זָכָר אוֹ נְקֵבָה תָּמִים יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ:

7  אִם-כֶּשֶׂב הוּא-מַקְרִיב אֶת-קָרְבָּנוֹ וְהִקְרִיב אֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה:

8  וְסָמַךְ אֶת-יָדוֹ עַל-רֹאשׁ קָרְבָּנוֹ וְשָׁחַט אֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְזָרְקוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶת-דָּמוֹ עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב:

9  וְהִקְרִיב מִזֶּבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה חֶלְבּוֹ הָאַלְיָה תְמִימָה לְעֻמַּת הֶעָצֶה יְסִירֶנָּה וְאֶת-הַחֵלֶב הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת-הַקֶּרֶב וְאֵת כָּל-הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עַל-הַקֶּרֶב:

10  וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת-הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן אֲשֶׁר עַל-הַכְּסָלִים וְאֶת-הַיֹּתֶרֶת עַל-הַכָּבֵד עַל-הַכְּלָיֹת יְסִירֶנָּה:

11  וְהִקְטִירוֹ הַכֹּהֵן הַמִּזְבֵּחָה לֶחֶם אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה: פ

21  וְאִם עֵז קָרְבָּנוֹ וְהִקְרִיבוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה:

13  וְסָמַךְ אֶת-יָדוֹ עַל-רֹאשׁוֹ וְשָׁחַט אֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וְזָרְקוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶת-דָּמוֹ עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב:

14  וְהִקְרִיב מִמֶּנּוּ קָרְבָּנוֹ אִשֶּׁה לַיהוָה אֶת-הַחֵלֶב הַמְכַסֶּה אֶת-הַקֶּרֶב וְאֵת כָּל-הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עַל-הַקֶּרֶב:

15  וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת-הַחֵלֶב אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵהֶן אֲשֶׁר עַל-הַכְּסָלִים וְאֶת-הַיֹּתֶרֶת עַל-הַכָּבֵד עַל-הַכְּלָיֹת יְסִירֶנָּה:

16  וְהִקְטִירָם הַכֹּהֵן הַמִּזְבֵּחָה לֶחֶם אִשֶּׁה לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ כָּל-חֵלֶב לַיהוָה:

17  חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם כָּל-חֵלֶב וְכָל-דָּם לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ: פ

NAW English Translation

3:1 And if his offering is a sacrifice of peace-offerings – if he is offering from the cattle, whether a male or whether a female – he shall offer it perfect before the face of Jehovah.

3:2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and he shall slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around upon the altar.

3:3 Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace-offerings a fire-offering to Jehovah: the fat covering of the innards, all the fat which is upon the innards, 3:4 both of the kidneys, the fat which is upon them (and which is upon the flanks), and the lobe above the liver. He shall put this aside with the kidneys.

3:5 Then the sons of Aaron shall burn it up on the altar, on top of the whole burnt-offering which is upon the sticks which is upon the fire, as a fire-offering of a soothing aroma to Jehovah.

3:6 Now, if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Jehovah is from the flock –male or female – he shall offer it perfect.

3:7 If he is offering a lamb as his offering, then he shall offer it before the face of Jehovah.

3:8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering; then he shall slaughter it before the face of the Tent of Meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around upon the altar.

3:9 Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace-offerings a fire-offering to Jehovah: its fat – the entire fat tail (He shall remove it close to the backbone), and the fat covering of the innards, and all the fat which is upon the innards.

3:10 And both of the kidneys, the fat which is upon them (and which is upon the flanks), and the lobe above the liver, he shall put this aside with the kidneys.

3:11 Then the priest shall burn it up on the altar as food of a fire-offering to Jehovah.

3:12 But if his offering is a goat, he shall offer it to the face of Jehovah.

3:13 And he shall lay his hand upon its head, and he shall slaughter it before the face of the Tent of Meeting. And the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around upon the altar.

3:14 Then he shall offer from it his offering as a fire-offering to Jehovah: the fat covering of the innards and all the fat which is upon the innards.

3:15 And both of the kidneys, the fat which is upon them (and which is upon the flanks), and the lobe above the liver he shall put this aside with the kidneys.

3:16 Then the priest shall burn them up on the altar as food of a fire-offering for a soothing aroma. All the fat is Jehovah’s.

3:17 This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your places of residence: You shall not eat any fat or any blood!

 

Verb#

Root

Parsing

Formatives

Meaning

Syntax

1

קרב

Hiph. Ptc. m.s.

 

bring near/offer

Cond.

2

קרב

Hiph. Impf. 3ms

3sm

“

M.V.

3

סמך

Qal Perf. 3ms

v.c.

lean/lay

M.V.

4

שטח

Qal Perf. 3ms

v.c. + 3ms

slaughter/kill

M.V.

5

זרק

Qal Perf. 3m.plur.

v.c.

sprinkle

M.V.

6

קרב

Hiph. Impf. 3ms

v.c.

near/offer

M.V.

7

סור

Hiph. Impf. 3ms

3sf

turn away/aside

Explan. of #6

8

קטר

Hiph. Perf. 3m. plur.

v.c.

burn up/ smoke

M.V.

9

קרב

Hiph. Impf. 3ms

3ms

offer/bring near

M.V.

10

קרב

Hiph. Ptc. ms

 

“

Cond.

11

קרב

Hiph Perf. 3ms

v.c.

“

M.V. (apodosis)

12

סמך

Qal Perf. 3ms

v.c.

lay/lean

M.V.

13

שחט

Qal Perf. 3ms

v.c.

slaughter

M.V.

14

זרק

Qal Perf. 3m.pl.

v.c.

sprinkle

M.V.

15

סור

Hiph. Impf. 3ms

3sf

turn away/remove

Explan.a/M.V.b

17

קרב

Hiph. Perf. 3ms

3ms + v.c.

near/offer

M.V.

18

סמך

Qal Perf. 3ms

v.c.

lay/lean

M.V.

19

שחט

Qal Perf. 3ms

v.c.

Slaughter

M.V.

20

זרק

Qal Perf. 3m.plur.

v.c.

Sprinkle

M.V.

21

קרב

Hiph. Perf. 3ms

v.c.

near/offer

M.V.

22

רוס

Hiph. Impf. 3ms

3fs

turn away/remove

M.V.

23

רטק

Hiph. Perf. 3ms

3mp + v.c.

burn up/smoke

M.V.

24

אכל

Qal Impf. 2m.pl.

 

eat

M.V.

Introduction to the Peace Offering

·         In Leviticus chapter 1, we looked at the burnt offering which prefigured Christ’s death to pay the price for our sins and make us acceptable to God.

·         Then in Leviticus 2, we looked at the grain and firstfruit offerings, which symbolized fealty to God as King of Kings and the offering of our lifework in His service.

·         Now we come to the third class of sacrifices in chapter 3:

3:1 And if his offering is a sacrifice of peace-offerings –

·         The peace offering was an optional sacrifice, which could be offered only after the burnt offering and the grain offering had been made.

·         Although the Passover could be considered a kind of peace offering, the only time that we find a command to offer a peace offering is in the instructions for how to observe the Pentecost holiday in Leviticus 23:16-19.

·         זֶבַח  “sacrifice” Here is the first occurrence of this word in Leviticus. It is related to the word for “slaughter” and emphasizes the killing of an animal.

·         שְׁלָמִים  This is also a new word in Leviticus. You can see it is related to the word “shalom/peace.”

o       Always plural, (except in Amos 5:22). I have followed Soncino and the NASB in rendering it “sacrifice of peace offerings,” but the KJV renders it singular. According to K&D, the plural denotes “the entire round of blessings and powers by which the salvation or integrity of man in his relation to God is established and secured.”

o       Also called the “thank-offering,” “slain offering” (K&D), “saving offering” (LXX = θυσία σωτηρίου), “settlement-sacrifice,” “communion-sacrifice” (Hol.), and “fellowship offering” (NIV).

o       The connotations of this word “peace” have to do with wholeness, perfection, safety, well-being, and peace.

o       Soncino: “peace” because it brings peace between God and man, because it fulfills vows between man and man, and because both priest and offerer share it in fellowship.

o       It is different from the burnt offering in that only the fat and kidneys are burnt on the altar. The rest of the animal is eaten as a meal (The priest gets the breast and right leg, and the offerer and his family and guests eat the rest before the Lord ~Lev. 7:31ff). It also can be male or female, unlike the burnt offering which was only male.

o       This is the only sacrifice where the person making the sacrifice gets a tangible benefit out of it. He gets a steak dinner! For this reason Matthew Henry commented that this particular offering emphasized “God as a benefactor to His creatures and the giver of all good things to us.”

o       HAW: The peace-offering symbolizes peace with God and man and fullness of life, prosperity, and joy. This is further pictured in the meal where there is human fellowship around the table in the presence of God. Ephesians 2:13-16 shows Christ to be the fulfillment of this – our final sacrifice who brings “peace.”

o       Just as the flesh of the peace-offering was eaten as a fellowship meal, so also we are commanded to eat the “flesh” of Jesus Christ, our peace, in the Christian sacrament of Communion (fellowship)/Eucharist/Lord’s Supper.

·         Three different kinds of peace offerings are distinguished in Leviticus 7:11-12,16 “This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the LORD:  If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil... 16  But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice...” (NKJV)  

o       First, the “praise-offering,”

§         Matthew Henry suggested that Psalm 116:12 is talking about this kind of peace-offering, and it sounds reasonable to me: “What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD.  I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people.”

§         Psalm 56:12-13 explicitly mentions the peace offering in such circumstances: “My vows to thee I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to thee. For thou has delivered my soul from death, yea, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

o       the “special-vow offering” is the next class of peace offerings in Leviticus 7

§         K&D: This sacrifice is offered as thanksgiving for salvation already received or sometimes as a prayer for salvation desired in times of misfortune.

§         “If a man was in the pursuit or expectation of any mercy, he would back his prayer for it with a peace-offering, and probably put up the prayer when he laid his hand upon the head of his offering. Christ is our peace, our peace-offering; for through Him alone it is that we can expect to obtain mercy and an answer of peace to our prayers...” ~Matthew Henry

§         Jacob made a vow like this at Bethel that if God brought him safe home again, he would own Yahweh as his God (Gen. 28:20-21) and when at last he did return to Bethel, he offers a sacrifice to fulfill the vow (Gen. 35) (Wenham)

§         Hannah also made a vow that if God would give her a son, she would devote that son to the ministry. God answered her prayer, so she brings three bulls, at least one of which would have been a peace offering, when she brings her son Samuel back to the temple in fulfillment of her vow. (1 Sam. 24-28)

o       The “free-will offering” was the third kind of peace offering listed in Leviticus 7. The Free-will offering was kind of an extra gift for any occasion as needed or desired.

§         Deuteronomy 16:10 NKJV “Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you.”

§         Exodus 35:29 NKJV  The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the LORD, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.

Kinds of animals sacrificed

·         A cow, a sheep, or a goat could be sacrificed as a peace offering.
3:1b if he is offering from the cattle... 3:6 Now, if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Jehovah is from the flock (הַצֹּאן / προβάτων)... 3:12 But if his offering is a goat, he shall offer it to the face of Jehovah.

·         Furthermore, the animal could be either male or female:
3:1/3:6 ...whether a male or whether a female – he shall offer it perfect before the face of Yahweh.

·         Regardless of the gender or kind of animal sacrificed, they all had to beתָּמִים  “perfect” KJV = “without blemish,” NAS & NIV = “without defect.” This is an adjective describing the animal to be offered, not an adverb describing how the supplicant offers the peace offering. It was to be a perfect animal.

The Sacrificial slaughter and sprinkling

3:1/3:7/3:12 ...he shall offer it before the face of Jehovah.
3:2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and he shall slaughter it at the entrance of (v.8 & v.13 “before the face of”) the Tent of Meeting.

o       This is the same place that the burnt offering was slaughtered in chapter 1.

o       The special presence of God, the door of the Tent of Meeting, and the North side of the altar were all close together and facing each other. It was in this special place that people were to seek the face of God – His special presence.

o       Of course, God is omnipresent, but He appears to manifest His presence and dwell in a special way in certain places, such as in the Old Testament temple and in the bodies of New Testament Christians.

o       It is a testimony to the love and grace of God to locate His special presence so close to sinful humans and “meet” with us. It is also significant that this special presence was located so close to the altar, because it is only by the sacrifice of a perfect substitute on the altar (the lamb, and finally, Jesus, the Lamb of God) that any human can meet with God. God locates His special presence right beside the way into His presence – the altar of the Old Testament, and today, His people carry the Gospel (of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world) which is the way into His presence, and His special presence is located in the bodies of the same people who carry this Gospel!

o       Later on, Jesus would say, “I am the door” (John 10:9).

·         The offering which brings peace and salvation necessitates the death of an entity, showing that the way to peace and salvation for mankind would necessitate the death of Christ. Salvation and peace are not free and easy; they come with a terrible price.

 

3:2b/3:8/3:13 ...And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around upon the altar.

·         The priests would hold a bowl under the animal’s neck to catch the blood, then sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. The death of a substitute and the shedding of blood are essential, as the New Testament clearly states:

o       Ephesians 1:7 “In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

o       Colossians 1:20-22 “...making peace through the blood of His cross... And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind engaged in evil deeds, yet He [Jesus] has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless…”

·         We have to have our sins taken away before we can talk to God or receive His grace, so the blood has to be shed in the peace offering before the fellowship meal can take place.[1]

·         Again, the priests are the ones who bring the blood to the altar. “Christ the peaceful prince has made peace for us by His atoning death, achieving for us what we could never do for ourselves, and terminating the state of alienation between God and Man” ~Harrison: IVP.

o       Isa. 9:6 “... a son will be given to us... and He will be called... Prince of peace.”

o       Eph. 2:14-16 “He Himself is our peace...”

o       Isaiah 26:3 “A steadfast mind you will guard in perfect peace, for it trusts in You.”

o       Acts 10:36 “The word which He commissioned to the children of Israel proclaiming good news through Jesus Christ... you yourselves know...” NAW

The innards and fat offered up in smoke on the altar

3:3/3:9/3:14 Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace-offerings a fire-offering to Yahweh:

·         Here is where the peace offering differed significantly from the burnt offering: Only the internal organs of the animal (the fat, intestines, and kidneys) were offered up in smoke on the altar. The good meat did not go on the altar; it was eaten.

·         Why would that be? I do not see an explicit reason given in the Bible, but it is reasonable to think of the internal organs as representing the thoughts and emotions and desires inside the heart of the worshipper.

o       After the substitute had died for the worshipper in the burnt offering in chapter 1 and made the worshipper acceptable to God,

o       and after the worshipper had offered the physical work of his hands back to God in the grain offering (in chapter 2),

o       now the worshipper has the opportunity to go one step deeper in the peace offering of chapter 3 and offer the thoughts in his heart to God and feel God respond with the welcoming nurture of a barbeque feast.

·         However, even these internal thoughts and feelings are tainted by our sin which affects every part of our being; therefore death and sprinkling of blood had to precede even the offering of the worshipper’s thoughts to God symbolically in this sacrifice. (Newberry)

·         What specifically were those internal organs?
3:3b/3:9/3:14 the fat covering of the innards, all the fat which is upon the innards (NAS = “entrails,” NIV = “inner parts.”) 3:4/3:10/3:15 both of the kidneys, the fat which is upon them (and which is upon the flanks), 3:4b/3:10/3:15 ... and the lobe (caul/covering) above the liver. He shall put this aside (KJV=”take it away”) with the kidneys.

·         They were all to be set aside by the offerer so that the priest can then pick it up and burn it on the altar.

·         The Hebrew word for “fat” isהֵלֶב  . This is a different word for “fat” than the word פּדר, used in chapter 1, but probably denoting the same thing.

·         What is the distinction being made here between the “fat covering” and the “fat upon” the innards? I’m inclined to agree with Keil and Delitzsch that the first is the large net which stretches from the stomach over the bowels and completely envelopes them, and the second is the fat attached to the intestines, which could easily be peeled off. I remember seeing those things when butchering deer after hunting.

·         At any rate, the fat was to be offered to the Lord. (It has been suggested that since birds don’t carry much fat, they were not animals used in these peace offerings. ~Henry) But what is significant about fat? Let me suggest three reasons:

o       One, the fat was considered the choicest part, and the best was to be given to God –

§         The Hebrew word chelev is translated “best” instead of “fat” about 8% of the time in the King James, in reference to things like wheat and fruit and things that don’t have animal fat.  (e.g. Num. 18:29-32)

§         Jesus was the “best” that God had to give us. “This is God’s estimate of the internal preciousness of Him who reconciled us to God by the blood of His cross.” God gave us His best, now we can give our best to God.

§         Now, there’s a place for giving away hand-me-downs that aren’t the best any­more, and when it would be wasteful for you to keep them and other people could use them, but is there also a category in your giving for offering some of your best things to God?

o       The second reason is that fat is a hidden part inside the animal and therefore represents the hidden inner thoughts of our hearts which are symbolically offered to God in this sacrifice.

§         “[T]he peace offering was often tendered in intrinsically emotional situations, when a man made vows or found himself seeking God’s deliverance or praising Him for His mercy.” ~Wenham, New International Commentary on the O.T.

§         Matthew Henry wrote, “[T]he burning of the fat is supposed to signify the offering up of our good affections to God in all our prayers and praises. God must have the inwards; for we must pour out our souls and lift up our hearts in prayer...”

o       A third reason why God may have commanded all the fat to go on His altar is that it would contribute to the good health of His people, since eating fatty foods can facilitate not only circulatory disorders but also the transfer of parasites which tend to reside in adipose tissue (Harrison).

§         This doesn’t mean that you have to be like Jack Sprat who could eat no fat. Matthew Henry became one of my favorite commentators on this passage when I saw him point out that Nehemiah 8:10 contains a command to eat fatty food (מַשְׁמַנִּים, λιπάσματα - and this is in accordance with Isaiah 25:6). The little bits of fat “interlarded with the meat” that make marbled steaks taste so good is not what God is demanding, rather it’s the big strands and layers of fat that God claimed for the altar.

3:5/3:11 Then the sons of Aaron (the priest 3:16) shall burn it up on the altar, on top of the whole burnt-offering which is upon the sticks which is upon the fire,

A soothing aroma and a fellowship meal

·         Verse 5b and verse 16 call it “... a fire-offering of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.”

·         v.11 also calls it “food”  לחם – literally “bread” This is the first time so far in Leviticus that the offering is called God’s “food.”

o       So, in what sense is a sacrifice of fat “food” to God? God is not a temporal being that needs carbohydrates to convert into energy – He is a Spirit.

o       Is it merely a figure of speech for the disposal of something – as in “well, that’s not for us to eat, it’s God’s,” or is there more to it?

o       I am reminded of Jesus’ words in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”

o       Throughout the Psalms, it is clear that God takes a special delight – perhaps akin to the mental delight and physical renewal we humans find in food – in the worship and righteousness and obedience of His people.

o       As we offer ourselves as living sacrifices – males or females, sheep or goats (Jews or Gentiles?), offered symbolically on the altar, He takes a special delight in it. This modern kind of peace offering (as opposed to the burnt offering fulfilled in Jesus) is His continuing diet – His food, and this is our fellowship with Him!

·         Finally, what is not mentioned in this chapter, but is still an important part of the peace offering is that the meat would be cooked on the temple grounds and eaten as a festive meal.

o       Deuteronomy 12:6-7 “There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.” (NKJV)

o       Leviticus 7:15-17 “The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning. But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten; the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire.” (NKJV)

o       Do you see how this peace offering at the end of the Old Testament sacrificial ceremonies is like the end of our worship service where we take the Lord’s Supper together – and sometimes even eat a regular meal together?

o       Eating together symbolizes fellowship, partnership, and friendship. For the Old Testament Jew to eat a sacrifice with God in the temple (and for the New Testament Christian to eat the communion bread and drink the communion cup) is to make a bold statement that you have a good relationship with God.

As we review the Peace offering, we see many principles that apply to us in worship today:

·         We need peace with God, and God shows His grace by providing a way of peace with Himself – the death of an innocent life.

·         The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ fulfills God’s requirement for the death of an innocent party. Jesus’ blood bought forgiveness for our sin and peace with God. We must believe this (3:1, 2, 13).

·         Those who believe in Jesus should express their fellowship with Him and with His people by observing the Lord’s Supper and offering ourselves as living sacrifices to Him (3:1).

·         We should give the best to God (3:3).

·         All of our worship should be before the face of God – He is the only true object of our worship! (3:7)

·         Praise God that He locates His special presence close to sinful people in order to meet with them and save them (3:8).

·         Since God locates His special presence now in the bodies of Christians, we are now the way by which others enter the presence of God – by our telling them the Gospel (3:8).

·         In the peace offering, God required that the fat be offered to Him, leaving the good meat to His people. In our own lives, sometimes, God takes away something we like (just as the ancients considered the fat desirable) in order to give us something that is better for us (3:9).

·         The Fat offered from the animal was called God’s food. Jesus said that His food was to do the will of God. Let us offer the food of our obedience and worship to our God today! (3:11).

·         And let us take confidence that God welcomes us into His presence to bless us because Jesus has made us at peace with God.

 

 


[1] cf. Hosea 14:2 “...return to the LORD. Say to Him, ‘Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.’” (NKJV)