Leviticus is a book spoken by God and written by the hand of Moses so that the nation of Israel could engage in proper worship. The way that they worshiped and the God that they worshiped would distinguish them from all other nations around them. Rather than worshiping many gods, Israel worshiped the one, true God. Instead of participating in pagan rituals and ceremonies, Israel’s worship would be defined by holiness and reverence for the God who had delivered them from Egyptian bondage. The Law and commandments had been established (Exodus 19:1-24:18). The tabernacle would become the center of worship for the children of Israel (Exodus 25:1-31:18; Exodus 35:1-40:38) and be the place where God would dwell. God defined worship by outlining the following religious ceremonies and practical guidelines: the five sacrifices observed in worship (Leviticus 1:1-7:38), priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20), the specifics of uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34), and the guidelines for individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34). The first few chapters of Leviticus (1:1-7:38) discuss the five sacrifices/offerings used in worship: burnt offerings (Leviticus 1; 6:8-13), grain offerings (Leviticus 2; 6:14-23), peace offerings (Leviticus 3; 7:11-36), sin offerings (Leviticus 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30), and trespass offerings (Leviticus 5:14-6:7; 7:1-10). The first three sacrificial offerings were completely voluntary (burnt, grain, peace) while the last two were mandatory (sin and trespass).
The burnt offering symbolized forgiveness of sin, the grain offering pictured a consecrated and thankful heart, and the peace offering was given to celebrate fellowship between God and man. The peace offering was similar in nature to the burnt offering. An unblemished male or female (females were not used in a burnt offering) of the herd (a cow or bull) was to be offered before the Lord (3:1). The worshiper was to lay his hand on the animal’s head (symbolized the sins of the person being transferred to the animal), slaughter the animal, and then the priests would sprinkle the blood around the altar (3:2). The fat of the animal was removed and burned on the altar as a sacrifice which was a sweet aroma to the Lord (3:3-5). If a sheep was offered instead of a cow or bull, the instructions for the offering were the same except the entire fat tail was to be burned with the fat of the sheep (3:6-11). It is interesting that Moses also writes that “…the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the Lord” (3:11). The peace offering was meant to picture a meal being shared between God and the sacrificer. Sharing a meal implied fellowship or friendship amongst the participants. For the modern-day believer, Jesus Christ is our peace. Paul writes these words to the church at Ephesus, “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups” (Ephesians 2:14-15, NLT). If a goat was used in the peace offering, the same procedures applied as was used with the sheep except that no fat tail was burned (3:12-16). At the conclusion of these instructions God says, “This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood” (3:17). This ordinance was given for the Israelites and God expected them to adhere to this commandment. Further into Leviticus, the reader discovers that the peace offering is accompanied by a meal where the worshiper’s family would eat before the Lord (Leviticus 7:15). The shared meal was an intimate time of fellowship and thanksgiving for the blessings of the Lord. God had been faithful to the people of Israel and participating in this freewill offering would express the unique relationship between God and man.
Dear God, thank You for giving me peace through Your Son, Jesus Christ. May our fellowship together be pleasing to You.
