Leviticus 3:1-17
Wednesday, 12 May 2021
This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings. -Leviticus 3:17
The book of Leviticus is a continuation of what is described in the book of Exodus that focuses on the tabernacle. Exodus describes the building and the components of the tabernacle and Leviticus describes the service of the tabernacle. There are several offerings brought to the Tabernacle, of which, Peace Offering (Fellowship Offering) was made in order to have fellowship with God and to express thanksgiving. This offering points to the peace that believers have with God and other believers and then to the final communion when we will all sit with God in His kingdom.
Let’s look into the characteristics of Peace offering:
Its Foundation is the Burnt Sacrifice (Leviticus 3:5)
Peace offering symbolized the fruit of reconciliation between a sinner and God. For us who are saved, it is the communion with God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, and with one another as priests of God (as a voluntary offering). This is achieved on the basis of the perfect work and the shed blood of Christ. Thanksgiving and praise naturally flow from the heart of a worshiper on the ground of the value of the work of Christ.
We see here that the peace offering is founded upon the burnt offering. “And Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire” (Lev 3:5). The burnt offering typifies Christ, who became sin for us offering Himself to God in death as a sweet aroma, bringing glory to God. It is the foundation for everything — for all our peace, all our communion, all our worship and all our praise.
Any worship to God not connected with the value of the work of His Son is an abomination to the Lord. In other words, people who have never been washed in the precious blood of Christ are not accepted as worshippers before God.
Unless a person has peace with God and his sin is settled before a holy God, there can be no communion, no worship in spirit and in truth. Jesus spoke about true worship in John 4:23-24: “… for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Typifies Communion (Leviticus 3:2)
All the people involved partook of the same sacrifice. God had His portion, the priest had his and the rest of the animal was eaten by the one that brought it and those with him. First, the fat was God’s and was burned upon the altar for a sweet aroma; secondly, a specific portion belonged to Aaron and his sons or the offering priest — a type of the Lord Jesus; the rest of the animal was eaten by the one who brought it and those with him. Thus God, the offering priest, Aaron and his sons, and the person who brought the animal in sacrifice all fed upon the same sacrifice. It becomes, therefore, a very simple type of communion with God, and with the Lord Jesus Christ and with one another as believers.
All Fat is the Lord’s (Leviticus 3:16)
Richness belongs to God. As Israelites were told to take the fat- especially the interior fat of the organs and carefully remove it, they were being taught that all the inner richness of life — everything which makes a person strong and delighted within — is from God- it belongs to Him and comes only from Him.
Think of this blessed feast with God. We who were once far off from God and estranged from Him in our wickedness, are now brought near- we sit at God’s table as His children and hear Him as the prodigal son’s father said in Luke 15:23-24: “Let us make merry and be glad; this my son was dead, and is alive again.”
We now have Peace with God, the Peace of God and God of Peace!
Think on: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...”
(Romans 5:1)