Part 3 The Offerings in the Tabernacle: The Peace Offering

"Breath in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy."
Augustine


Part 3 The Offerings in the Tabernacle: The Peace Offering

There were five principal offerings in the tabernacle
and these were given to Moses from the erected tabernacle
at the foot of mount Sinai.
The Lord had filled the tabernacle
with his presence (Exodus 40:34-38).

The cloud settled upon and covered the outside of the tabernacle,
while on the inside it was filled with the glory of the Lord.

It was from here the Lord gave to Moses the 5 principle offerings
that were to be given.
This is recorded in Leviticus chapters 1 - 7,
they are listed in some detail in chapters 1 - 5 as follows : -

chapter 1 the Burnt offering
chapter 2 the Grain or meal offering
chapter 3 the Peace or Fellowship offering
chapter 4 the Sin offering
chapter 5 the Trespass or Guilt offering

The five offerings fall into two classifications;
the first three being offerings
given when in communion with God.
They are offerings of worship
and could be called sweet-savor offerings.

They were a sweet and pleasant fragrance to God
that gave him pleasure,
they speak of :
fellowship,
worship,
surrender,
acceptance,
and satisfaction.

Sweet-savor offerings were burnt within the camp
and were given freely, a freewill offering given to God.

The second two were given
for communion with God
and were a sacrifice for sin.

These were not the sweet smelling savor
because they spoke of sin and were obnoxious to God.

They were not burnt upon the altar of God
but outside the camp.

The believer came before God as a sinner,
confessing his sin and seeking forgiveness.

He was commanded by God to bring them to obtain pardon,
the sense of sin and guilt being prominent.

In addition to the detailed explanation given in chapters 1 - 5,
God then in chapters 6 & 7 changes the order,
to the order he requires them to be performed in.

The peace or fellowship offering
is taken from third place and positioned last.

It may be that God is saying to us that
the peace offering does not cause us to make
the sin or trespass sacrifices
that gain communion with God
but rather comes from
the consequence of communion with God.

We will continue to deal with them
in the order they were to be observed.



The Peace Offering –
Leviticus 3:1-17
Note: the entirety of this Scripture
is included at the end of this study outline,
should you desire to read it first.

As we have already said
the peace offering
was third in revelation
but in practice took place last,

revealing that peace
is not the cause of communion with God
but the consequence of that communion.

The peace offering
is described in Leviticus chapter 3
and was a sweet-savor offering.

It was not compulsory but voluntary
like the burnt and grain offerings

although it differed
in that the peace offering was
shared between all three participating parties
God, the priests, and the believer.

The Hebrew word for peace is 'shalom'
and has a greater or fuller meaning
than the way peace is used today.

We define peace in English as
the absence of war or disturbance,
the cessation of hostilities
and harmonious agreement between people,
a state of stillness and tranquility.

The Hebrew word while accepting those things would add
prosperity,
well-being,
joy,
happiness,
wholeness.

Our English understanding of peace
has mainly a negative approach,
a lack of something,
whereas the Hebrew includes the positive aspects as well.


It was a sacrifice that was offered
when in communion with God

and can be divided into three kinds,
the Thank offering,
the Vow offering
and the Freewill offering.

The peace offerings
have their root in the state of grace
with its fellowship with God,

helping the Jews to be mindful of God
when in possession of and enjoying God's mercy,

and when adversity threatened
to obscure the awareness his feelings
of God's presence and love…
…the offering would awaken his awareness
of God's nearness and mercy toward him.

It served to establish more firmly
this fellowship under divine grace.

In times of prosperity and success
he would obviously feel thankful to God
and show this by means of the sacrifice.

The believer would bring a
bullock, lamb, or a goat,

birds were not acceptable
because the offering was shared
between the three parties
and that the fat was to be God's portion
and there is a lack of fat on birds.

The animals brought could be either male or female
where in the other offerings a male was usually prescribed.

The animal also had to be without blemish
although interestingly enough
deformed animals could be allowed in freewill offerings.

The believer would take the victim
to the gate of the court of the tabernacle.

He then laid his hand upon the victims head
to identify with the animal, then he killed it.

The priest collected the blood
and sprinkled it on the side of the altar.

At this stage the fat of the intestines –
the same part as for the sin offering –
was taken from the animal
and burnt upon the bronze altar
as God's share in the offering.

The breast
and the right shoulder
were then separated from each other.

The shoulder being heaved - laid aside –
as the portion of the particular priest who made the sacrifice,

The shoulder was symbolic of strength,
a reminder that
the strength of the Lord is given to those who serve.

While the breast was waved symbolically
presenting it to the Lord,
from whom the priests received it for their own use.

The breast was a symbol of affection,

this gives a lovely picture of love being shared
by the participants in the peace offering.

All of the rest of the animal
belonged to the believer,
furnishing the material for the sacrificial feast.

In the case of the thank offering
it had to be eaten the same day,

in other cases
some could be kept for the next day but no longer.

Whatever was not eaten in the prescribed time
had to be burnt,
but not on the altar.

In consequence of the consecrated character imparted
to the whole victim by giving the choicest portions to the Lord and to the officiating priest,
the sacrificial feast was transformed into a covenant feast.

The feast was shared with family and friends,
it was a feast of love and joy,
in which the believer was feasting with God.

Symbolizing the privilege of dwelling in the house
and the family of the Lord.

This time of fellowship was marked
by the rejoicing of God's people before Him
and the blessedness
of eating and drinking in the kingdom of God.


Leviticus 3
1 If a man's offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
2 He shall lay [both] his hands upon the head of his offering and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the altar round about.
3 And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, he shall offer the fat that covers and is upon the entrails,
4 And the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys.
5 Aaron's sons shall burn it all on the altar upon the burnt offering which is on the wood on the fire, an offering made by fire, of a sweet and satisfying odor to the Lord.
6 If his peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
7 If he offers a lamb, then he shall offer it before the Lord.
8 He shall lay [both] his hands on the head of his offering and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood around against the altar.
9 And he shall offer from the peace offering as an offering made by fire to the Lord: the fat of it, the fat tail as a whole, taking it off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers and is upon the entrails,
10 And the two kidneys, and the fat on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which he shall take away with the kidneys.
11 The priest shall burn it upon the altar, a food offering made by fire to the Lord.
12 If [a man's] offering is a goat, he shall offer it before the Lord,
13 And lay his hands upon its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the altar round about.
14 Then he shall offer from it as his offering made by fire to the Lord: the fat that covers and is on the entrails,
15 And the two kidneys and the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys.
16 The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, offered by fire, for a sweet and satisfying fragrance. All the fat is the Lord's.
17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.