24/11/2016
The Church of Christ Maya Ikorodu Lagos, is conducting series of teachings from the book of Leviticus on Types of Sacrifices we can make in the Lord's Church. This is one of such lessons. Enjoy the reading:
PEACE OFFERING: Text : Leviticus Chapter 3:1-17.
Introduction:
This chapter of the bible discusses how a nation and the individual Christians are to approach God who is holy. Some translations call this the fellowship offering (NIV). Both peace and fellowship offering are accurate representations of what this chapter is showing the worshipper. This is an offering symbolizing the peace that exists between God and the worshiper so that there can be fellowship between the two parties.
Leviticus 7 reveals that the peace offering was commonly used in fulfilling a vow as an offering of thankfulness (7:13), or as a freewill offering (7:16). The significant of this offering is given in greater details in Lev. Chapter 7: 11-34. The peace offering is a fellowship meal between the worshipper, his family and the priest. The meal of the offering was to be consumed by both priest and the worshippers.
The primary purpose of peace offering was to bring something good before the Lord as a sacrifice. The secondary purpose was that God wanted the people to stay in contact with the priest and the religious leaders of the nations. In eating the offering, both the people and the priest stay in close contact with one another. Peace Offerings were the only offering that the worshipper ate. In fact, they were a communion meal. In a symbolic sense everyone ate together: God, priest, worshipper, and others in the faith community.
During the course of this lesion, we are going to look at some of the following issues: The Significant, The Cost, The Participation (Everyone that is clean), The Whole Offering and Jesus Christ, the Prototype of peace offering.
There are three (3) types of Peace offering, namely:
Thanks Giving Offering: Lev 7:12-15
Votive Offering : Lev 7:16
Freewill Offering: Lev 7:16
THE SIGNIFICANCE: Lev.7:20
The significant of the meal was an occasion for discussion about religious matters. It was a time for counsel and fellowship with spiritual leaders of the nations. You must be clean to participate. Verse 20. But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
Spiritual examples of Peace Offering: You could offer a Peace Offering as an act of thanksgiving (Lev. 7:12, 16. 22:21, 29-30)
(Promotions, bought a new Car, House warming, Survive fatal accident etc.)
To fulfill a special Vow: In 1 Samuel chapter 1, Hannah made a vow to the Lord that she would dedicate her son to the Lord, if He would but give her a boy child. When God answered her prayer, she fulfilled her promise, thus completing her vow. Thus, in obedience to the instructions found in Leviticus pertaining to the Peace Offering, Hannah went to Shiloh and gave her son to the Lord, offering her Peace Offering at this time (1 Sam. 1:22-28). As she had experienced the “wholeness” of child-bearing and of being able to fulfill her vow, she offered her “peace” offering.
1. A freewill offering (Lev. 7:16; 22:18, 21, 23).
2. The Voluntary Giver – Zacchaeus, who gave of his goods to feed the poor without being asked Luke 19:1-9)
3. Barnabas Acts 4:34-35, and many others.
4. The Big Little Giver –The widow, who in giving two mites, gave all she has Mk. 12:4244)
These were all optional offerings, which we can offer at any time.
THE COST: Lev. 3:1, 6.
5. The Sacrificial Giver – David, who refused to give that which cost him nothing (2 Samuel 24:24
You would begin by selecting an animal without any defect or blemish, (not animal with one eye) either male or female, from the herd or from the flock you would then bring this animal to the door-way of the tent of meeting which remained.
Not much is said about the meal that is eaten. In contrast, there is considerable emphasis placed on the disposal of the meat of the Peace Offering (cf. Lev. 7:15-18; 19:5-8). This is called, “the law of the leftovers.”
The meat of the thanksgiving, Peace Offering must be eaten on the same day it is sacrificed or offered (7:15); if it is a prayerful offering or a freewill offering, it can be saved and eaten on the next day, but then must be burned (7:16-18; 19:5-8). The one who disobeys this regulation must be cut off from his people (Lev. 19:8).
The Origin and Meaning of the Peace Offering.
Before we seek to distinguish the meaning of the Peace Offering, let us take a moment to trace the history of sacrifice from the biblical data we are given. Sacrifice was first offered by Adam and Eve and by their sons. Genesis chapter 4, Cain and Abel made offerings to God (Gen. 4:1-5). Abel offered a blood (animal) sacrifice. It is especially interesting to note the wording here: “And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions” (Gen. 4:4).
In many other instances the Peace Offering was offered in the history of Israel. Interestingly, this offering was made both in times of great sorrows (Judges 20:26) And in times of great joy (e.g. Dt. 27:7; Josh. 8:31; 1 Sam. 11:15). In each instance the Peace Offering focuses on the benefits, the wholeness, which Israel is experiencing, or which she had lost (and for which she hopes for).
The Focus on Fat
The next interesting detail is the focus made on the fat of the offering. In the peace offering the fat was to be removed from the animal. This is not the fat in the meat, but the fat that surround the internal organs of the animal. There were no such instructions for the burnt offering. God makes this point very clear in verse 16. “All fat is the Lord’s.” Of course we must try to understand why the fat belong to the Lord.
The fat was considered the choice part of the animal. The fat represented the very best of the animal. An animal that was fat was well fed and healthy. When Israel was able to eat “the fat of the land” it meant that they enjoyed the abundance of the land. (Harverst) (cf. Genesis 45:18). Thus, the giving of the fat of the animal represented giving God the very best.
The Israelites were not to turn the worship of God into pagan rituals. They were to look to God and give to God the very best.
The Peace offering then, is an act of faith, a looking forward to a Peace, which God will grant His people.
The Communal Meal
Finally, we must also notice that this is the offering where everyone shares in the meal. The fat, considered the best of the animal, was offered to God. Notice this part is described as a food offering to the Lord (Lev. 3:3,5,11,14,16). The breast and the right thigh of the animal was given to the priest to eat (cf. Leviticus 7:31). The rest of the animal was given to the worshiper to eat, along with his family and any invited guests.
The communal meal between the Lord, the priest, and the worshiper. Leviticus 7:15 makes it clear that peace offerings made out of thanksgiving were to be eaten that very day and none of it was to be left until morning. If the peace offering was made out of a fulfillment of a vow or freewill offering, then they must eat the day of the offering and could eat of it the next day, but that was all. This solidifies the picture that God is eating with the priest and the worshiper. This is a communal meal showing that the worshiper is in fellowship with God. The animal’s death has brought peace between God and the worshiper as well has brought life as a meal to the worshiper.
The Peace Offering and today’s Contemporary Christians
1. Christ is our Peace Offering. The primary significance of Peace Offering of the Old Testament is to be found in the prototype of Jesus Christ.
2. In the offering of the Peace Offering, the Israelite's benefited by the peace of knowing and experiencing God’s forgiveness. In fact, it was more than this. God’s anger was appeased.
3. God was no longer angry with the offerer, His favor was with him. He is favorably disposed to Him. And because this is true, we can experience the inner peace that comes from knowing God’s favor directed toward us.
4. Christ came and preached peace to us who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:13-18).
The Peace Offering helps the Christian to understand the significance of a meal, especially since the Lord’s Table was initially conducted as a part of a meal (cf. 1 Cor. 11). The Lord’s Table, or Communion, is, in large measure, the New Testament version of the Peace Offering meal. Because of the significance of the Lord’s Table, as it pertains to the peace which Christ has accomplished on the cross, misconduct at His table is taken most seriously (1Cor. 11:27-29). The newly born church manifested its life and fellowship by sharing meals from “house to house” (Acts 2:46).
Atonement is the basis for enjoying peace and fellowship with your God. A cost must be paid before fellowship can be enjoyed. The peace that Jesus brought through his death was a twofold peace, according to the New Testament. First, the blood of Jesus brought peace in that two separate groups, Jews and Gentiles, would become one new people in the family of God. (no Yoruba, Ibo or Hasusa)
Ephesians 2:14–17). For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
Second, the blood of Jesus brought peace between God and us. The apostle Paul also elaborates on this great truth. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
Romans (5:6–11) For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We have peace with God through the sacrifice of Jesus. We are justified by his blood so that we are no longer enemies, but are now reconciled. Through the blood of Jesus we can have fellowship and peace with God. The imagery of a communal meal between God and the worshiper is found in many bible passages in the New Testament. Consider that Paul makes this connection to the participation in the Lord’s Supper.
(1 Corinthians 10:14–18) Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?
Notice that Paul speaks about the people of Israel who eat the sacrifices. Of the five sacrifices prescribed in Leviticus 1-7, only the peace offering was one where the worshiper ate a portion of the meal. Think about how Paul was relating this argument to the Corinthians. When they ate from the pagan food that came from pagan temples, they were participating and joining themselves in fellowship with that pagan idol. When they ate of the Lord’s Supper they were participating and joining themselves in fellowship with Christ. The Lord’s Supper contains a picture of the peace offering, reminding us of the fellowship that we have with Christ who died for us.
Jesus also used a communal meal image to describe our complete reliance and devotion to God. (John 6:52–64) Notice that Jesus is not describing the Lord’s Supper memorial but is speaking about our sustenance coming from the life that only Jesus can provide.
Conclusion:
Those who surrender their hearts to God and come before him on the basis of shed blood can celebrate being at peace with God. Only through atonement can there be fellowship with God. Jesus is the fulfillment of the peace offering symbolism. Only through Christ can we be in fellowship with God.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col.1:19). May God help us to always give him a peace offering from our heart in Jesus Name…..Amen.
