Peace Offering

The third type of sacrifice mentioned in Leviticus is the Peace Offering – sometimes also called Fellowship Offering. Three options were given for this type of sacrifice: it had to be an animal from the herd (i.e., cattle) (Lv 3:1), or an animal from the flock (i.e., sheep) (Lv 3:6), or a goat (Lv 3:12). It could be either male or female but had to be without defect (Lv 3:1, 6). The other interesting thing here is that the one making the offering was intimately involved in the sacrifice. First, he placed his hand on the animal’s head (Lv 3:2, 8, 13) as a symbol of transferring his sins, or those of his family, to the animal. Then he had to slaughter the animal in front of the tabernacle (Lv 3:2, 8, 13). This was not the duty of the priest, but the one making the offering. As I said, the one making the offering was intimately involved. Then, the priest splashed the animal’s blood against the sides of the altar (Lv 3:2, 8, 13). The animal’s internal organs, fat, long lobe of its liver, and its kidneys were offered on the altar (Lv 3:3-4, 9-10, 14-15).

To honor this type of sacrifice, there were several prohibitions which were instituted: the people were not to eat any fat or any blood (Lv 3:17; 7:26; 17:12) because that was the part of the animal being offered to God; a foreigner living in the land could not eat blood (Lv 17:12) because the land was tied to Israel and its covenant with God (Ex 6:4, 8); anytime game was caught, the blood had to be drained and covered with dirt (Lv 17:13), and anyone found eating blood would lose their inheritance (Lv 7:27) because God had decreed blood to be holy (Gn 9:4, 6) and would pollute the land of their covenant (Nu 35:33) as well as being the source of redemption (Hb 9:22).

There were several things that made this offering unique. The reason for the offering could be for expressing thankfulness (Lv 7:12), because of a vow (Lv 7:16), or given as a freewill offering (Lv 7:16). This type of offering was mandatory only at Pentecost (Lv 23:19) and for fulfilling a Nazarite vow (Nu 6:13-20), which was a vow of dedication to God for a specific period of time.

When this offering was made, several things were made with it: a thick loaf made with fine flour and olive oil, but without yeast (Lv 7:12), or thin loaves made without yeast, but brushed with olive oil (Lv 7:12), or a thick loaf made with yeast (Lv 7:13). The thick loaves then belonged to the priest making the sacrifice (Lv 7:14), the one making the offering would wave the breast before the Lord and give it to the high priest and his sons (Lv 7:30-31) while the right thigh was given to the priest making the sacrifice (Lv 7:32). The remainder of the animal was for the one making the offering and his family (Dt 27:7).

God wanted the people to take this offering very seriously, even if it was for the most part voluntary. If offered for thanksgiving, the meat had to be eaten that day with nothing left over until the next (Lv 7:15). If offered for a vow or as a freewill offering, it could be eaten the second day, but not the third; it had to then be burned (Lv 7:17-18). Violators of this requirement would lose the acceptance of their offering by God (Lv 7:18). Anyone who was unclean and partook of a peace/fellowship offering lost their inheritance (Lv 7:20). All sacrifices had to be brought to the tabernacle. They could not be offered elsewhere; the consequence was also losing one’s inheritance (Lv 17:3-4).

For us today, some of the requirements seem rather strange. We will go into this aspect next time and see why God had some of these requirements for the Israelites and what it can mean for us today. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens