Leviticus 3

Lev. 3 1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offerings; if he offer of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his oblation, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting: and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away. And Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt offering, which is upon the wood that is on the fire; it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 6 And if his oblation for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. If he offer a lamb for his oblation, then shall he offer it before the LORD. And if his oblation be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD. 17 It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.Lev. 7 11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer unto the LORD. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked. With cakes of leavened bread he shall offer his oblation with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving. And if it he shall offer one out of each oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD; it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his oblation; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. But if the sacrifice of his oblation be a vow, or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow that which remaineth of it shall be eaten: but that which remaineth of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, every one that is clean shall eat thereof: but the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people. And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean abomination, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, that soul shall be cut off from his people.

28. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He 29 that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto 30 the LORD out of the sacrifice of his peace offerings: his own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire; the fat with the breast shall be bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.

Lev. 19 5 And when ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it 6 that ye may be accepted. It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and 7 if aught remain until the third day, it shall be burnt with fire. And if it be eaten at all on 8 the third day, it is an abomination; it shall not be accepted: but every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the holy thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

[The verses omitted above are mainly repetitions of verses 2-5.]

The peace-offering was a sacrifice offered as a testimonial of seeking peace and favor with God. Peace-offerings were of three kinds: (1) of thanksgiving or praise; (2) votive, or for a vow; (3) voluntary or free-will offerings. Peace offerings were eucharistic and bloody, and were voluntarily offered from the herd or flock, male or female. With them were offered “unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried,” and “leavened bread.” From the peace-offering the fat was burned upon the altar; but the breast as a wave-offering before the Lord, and the right shoulder as a heave-offering, were given to the priest; but the rest of the flesh was to be eaten by the offerer—on the same day, if of the first kind above—on that day and the next, if of the second or third kind—before the Lord. This meal was the distinctive feature of this sacrifice, and indicated a state of peace and friendship with God. Dic. B.

The peace-offering was not an atoning sacrifice to make peace with God, but a joyful celebration of peace made through the covenant. In this part of the ritual, more than in any other, we see Jehovah present in his house inviting the worshipper to feast with Him. Peace-offerings were slain with the same ceremonies as the burnt-offering; but only a part was burned upon the altar—namely, all the fat, the kidneys, the caul or midriff, and, in the case of a lamb, the rump. These parts formed, according to Oriental tastes, the delicacies of the feast, and therefore they were offered to Jehovah; and they are emphatically called his bread. The breast and the shoulder were the portion of the priests, who might eat them in any clean place with their sons and daughters. They were called the wave-breast and the heave-shoulder, from the motions made in offering them before Jehovah. The priest also took one of the unleavened cakes or leavened loaves, which were offered as a meal-offering with the peace-offering, having first heaved it before God. P. S.

The general name for this species of offering is she’anim: it comes from a root which signifies to supply what is wanting or deficient, to pay or recompense; and hence it very naturally came to express a state in which, all misunderstandings having been removed and good experienced, there was room for friendship, joy, and thankfulness. And the sacrifice which went by this name might be employed in reference to any occasion on which such ideas became strikingly displayed. In regard to the offerings themselves, they were all to be accompanied with imposition of hands and the sprinkling of the blood round about the altar, which implied that they had to some extent to do with sin, and, like all the other offerings of blood, brought this to remembrance. It fitly served to remind the worshipper of his unworthiness of the boon, and his unfitness in himself to stand before God in peace when God should be drawing near. P. F.

7:39. When the sacrifice was killed, the offerer himself must, with his own hands, present God’s part of it, that he might signify thereby his cheerful giving it up to God, and his desire that it might be accepted. He was with his own hands to lift it up, in token of his regard to God as the God of heaven; and then to wave it to and fro, in token of his regard to God as the Lord of the whole earth; to whom thus he offered it, showing his readiness and wish to do Him honor. H.—In regard to the peace-offerings the waving was peculiarly connected with the breast—which is thence called the wave-breast—and the heaving with the shoulder, for this reason called the heave-shoulder. When those parts were thus presented to God and set apart to the priesthood, the rest of the flesh was given up to the offerer to be partaken of by himself and those he might call to share and rejoice with him. Among these he was instructed to invite, beside his own friends, the Levite, the widow, and the fatherless. This participation by the offerer and his friends, this family feast upon the sacrifice, may be regarded as the most distinctive characteristic of the peace-offerings. It denoted that the offerer was admitted to a state of near fellowship and enjoyment with God, shared part and part with Jehovah and his priests, had a standing in his house, and a seat at his table. It was therefore the symbol of established friendship with God, and near communion with him in the blessings of his kingdom; and was associated in the minds of the worshippers with feelings of peculiar joy and gladness—but these always of a sacred character. And in the way by which the worshipper attained to a fitness for enjoying these privileges—namely, through the life-blood of atonement—how impressive a testimony was borne to the necessity of seeking the road to all dignity and blessing in the kingdom of God through faith in a crucified Redeemer. By Him has the provision been made, and the door opened, and the invitation issued to go in and partake. Such only as have attained to faith in his blood can be admitted to taste, or be prepared to relish, the feast of fat things he sets before them. The unbelieving and unholy must of necessity be aliens from God’s household, and strangers at his table. P. F.

The peace-offerings had regard to God as a Benefactor to his creatures and the giver of all good things to us; and therefore these were divided between the altar, the priest, and the owner. Peace signifies (1) reconciliation, concord, and communion. And so these were called peace-offerings, because in them God and his people did, as it were, feast together in token of friendship. The priest, who was ordained for men in things pertaining to God, gave part of this peace-offering to God (that part which He required, and it was fit He should be first served), burning it upon God’s altar; part he gave to the offerer, to be eaten by him with his family and friends; and part he took to himself as the days-man that laid his hand upon them both. They could not thus eat together unless they were agreed; so that it was a symbol of friendship and fellowship between God and man and a confirmation of the covenant of peace. (2) It signifies prosperity and all happiness: Peace be to you was as much as All good be to you; and so the peace-offerings were offered either (1) by way of supplication or request for some good that was wanted and desired. If a man were 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; and in him an upright prayer shall be acceptable and successful though we bring not a peace-offering. Or (2) by way of thanksgiving for some particular mercy received; it is called a peace-offering of thanksgiving, for so it was sometimes. H.—The peace offering regarded as an act of thanksgiving for mercies received is referred to by David (Ps. 107:22), “Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving.” In allusion to this kind of offering the apostle says (Heb. 13:15), “By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.” Bush.

As the name implies, the prominent thought in these sacrifices was the blessed result of drawing near to God in the way of his appointment. “Justified by faith, we have peace with God.” In the sin-offering there was forgiveness, in the burnt-offering acceptance, in the meal-offering consecration, and now in the peace-offering there is peace and joy, peace with God and joy in the Holy Ghost, the supreme satisfaction of the soul in that communion with God which has been established through the appointed sacrifices. Here, as always, there is the idea of atonement underlying all. It was essentially a festal sacrifice, the idea of joyful communion shining out in it. J. M. G.

Jesus Christ is the great peace-offering. We have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is by the blood of Christ that we are made nigh unto God—for he is our peace, having broken down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, having reconciled us unto God by the cross, and so as to make peace and furnish a sure warrant to the heralds of salvation, when in the fulfilment of their commission they proclaim peace on earth, or preach peace both to them who are afar off and to them who are nigh (Eph. 2:13-17). T. C.—The instant a sinner believes—though he may have been the chief of sinners a moment before—he is united to the Saviour; he is in Jesus; he is accepted in the Beloved. This is no inchoate or half-finished justification. All God’s anger is turned away. The sufficiency of Christ covers all. Millions of sins, each aggravated and intensified by accumulated turpitudes, are as easily blotted away and sunken in the deep, as a single infant fault. It is not they, it is the substitute, at whom God is looking. No progress in justification can be conceived of. Each soul, at each moment, is either acquitted or condemned; either rejected as an alien, or accepted in the Beloved. Though there are degrees in the manifestation of this acceptance—for example, to the believer’s own consciousness; to the recognition of brethren; or, at the last day, to the assembled universe—yet the justification is complete at the moment of believing. The believer needs no further justification. In Christ—he can no more come into condemnation than Christ himself, J. W. A.

THE SIN-OFFERING: SIN, AS PRESENTED IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES; MEANING AND PLACE OF THIS OFFERING; DIVERSITY OF VICTIMS; TREATMENT OF THE BLOOD AND OF THE VICTIM; OTHER DETAILS OF TEXT. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS.