The Purpose of the Peace Offering
It is important to see this peace offering, also called the fellowship offering, as a festive banquet that intensifies the fellowship and enjoyment of fellowship between a man and his God. It is the most joyful of all of the sacrifices of the Law of Moses because it involves the festive celebration of peaceful relationships between a man and his God, between a man and his family, and certainly with a man himself.The Significance of Its Name
The name of the sacrifice of the peace offering in Hebrew is shelem, which has its derivation from the word shalom, which is the Hebrew term for peace. It was and is used as a greeting among Hebrew people today. Here, however, it is presented in the plural form, shelamim, and therefore indicates that it is peace of a multi-directional nature. It creates good relationships, as already mentioned, between God and man, between man and man and with the man himself.
It is also called the sacrifice of completion by the Hebrew people. Shelem has the meaning of making up that which is lacking or supplying that which is wanted. It, therefore, tends to complete the sacrificial repertoire that is involved when a Hebrew strays from God and loses his fellowship with God because of his sins or trespasses. Then if he wants to come back to God, repenting and restoring good fellowship with Him, the first thing he must do is offer the sin offering or the trespass offering to make atonement. It would not be proper for him to presume to offer the peace offering while still in a state of alienation or broken fellowship with God. It would be called an abomination by the Hebrews for one to offer a peace offering when he was not in good covenant standing before God. Therefore, the first sacrifice demanded when a man is alienated from God is not the peace offering nor the burnt offering, but it is the sin offering. The sin offering is for atonement that leads to fellowship, and it is fellowship that leads to the festive celebration between the individual and God. Therefore, as always characteristic, peace has to be restored, or peaceful relationships have to be restored, before a man can participate in this festive banquet.
It is quite clear, according to Hebrew instruction in the Law of Moses, that no person outside of a covenant relationship with God could offer this sacrifice because “their pollution is in them.” So says the Law of Moses. A Hebrew could not even accept an animal from a person who was uncovenanted and then use that animal as a sacrifice of the peace offering. The participants at this offering had to be in fellowship with God. Therefore, the main object of this sacrifice seems to be that it was the final stage of the restoration process. That led to the festive sacrificial meal designed to express and intensify the gratitude for restoration. There would naturally be thanksgiving for renewed fellowship that could be enjoyed.
Until atonement was made, it would not have been proper in any way for the Jew to participate in the peace offering. Leviticus 7:18-21 tells us that a person who had been cut off from God did not have the privilege of participating in this sacrifice. In Psalm 116:17 David said, “I will sacrifice a thank offering (that is the peace offering in the Hebrew) to you and call on the name of the LORD.” What is the purpose of the call? Quite evidently, the purpose is, “God, I want to intensify the sense of fellowship, union and friendship between me and you.”
Three Kinds of Peace Offerings
The Peace Offering of Thanks to God
The peace offering was divided into three different kinds of peace offering sacrifices. The first one was called a thank offering. In the Hebrew language of Leviticus 22:29 the term is horah, and it seems to have an equivalent interpretation. That word horah seems to mean “hooray.” It seems to mean “Hallelujah, thank you Lord.” It is called the sacrifice of thanksgiving because God has restored the peace. He has accepted atonement and has judged as proper the individual who has offered the sacrifice. Atonement has been accepted, and therefore, the individual is back into fellowship with God. This is the highest level of peace offering, the horah.
Leviticus 7:15 says that the body of this horah animal which was consumed in the festive celebration had to be eaten on the first day of the sacrifice. It was a joyful banquet, a sacrificial meal. Any portion that was left over after the first day had to be burned outside the camp, not upon the altar of burnt offerings. It could not be eaten on the second day. This was not for consecration of self unto God—that was the burden of the burnt offering. This sacrifice was rather to intensify fellowship.
Failure to comply with the ordinances regulating the peace offering would profane the name of God, as Leviticus 22:26-31 indicates. Of course, the animal had to be without any blemish of any kind. The fowl were generally excluded from the sacrifice simply because there was not enough flesh on birds to make arrangements for a festive banquet.
The Peace Offering of a Vow
The second type of peace offering was a lower grade sacrifice. It was called in Hebrew the neder. In Leviticus 22:21 this was a sacrifice that accompanied the making of a vow and an oath. It had the concept of standing before God enjoying the fellowship restored through new commitments to God. The man could renew his vow to God or perhaps to his family and do so in peace with both.
Since this was a lower grade sacrifice, any portion of the animal that was left over from the first day could be consumed on the second day according to Leviticus 19:5-6. But they could not eat it on the third day because that would have defiled the sacrifice and the worshiper himself. It also would have profaned the name of God (Leviticus 19:7-8). The flesh begins to see corruption on the third day. There may be some confirmation of that fact in the resurrection of Lazarus. In John 11:39, Jesus was told that the body of Lazarus had the odor of the decaying flesh after four days in the tomb.
That is the reason that Jesus was raised early on the morning of the third day, so that His flesh might not see corruption. There may be some kind of symbolic tie-in between this peace offering and the fact that the flesh could not be consumed on the third day because then it begins to see corruption.
The Peace Offering of Free-Will
The third and final type of peace offering was the free will offering. It was called nidebah in the Hebrew tongue. It seems to have been a sacrifice that was offered spontaneously; it too could be eaten on the second day.The Stages of the Ritual
As we begin the study of the ceremonials governing the peace offering, let us notice the rituals. The early stages of this sacrifice conformed to the pattern of the burnt offering: presentation, the laying on of hands, the killing of the animal and the sprinkling of the blood. However, from that moment forward there was a distinction and separation in the rituals of the sacrifice. So let us go back through the stages of this ceremonial because there are some changes even in the intent of each of the stages.Stage One:
The Presentation
Stage Two:
Laying On of hands
Stage Three:
Killing the Victim
Stage Four: Sprinkling Blood on Base of Altar by the Priest
The priest would apply the blood on the altar. He would sprinkle it. The Hebrew word zaraq literally means “to splash or to splatter.” The blood was applied to the base of the altar of burnt offerings in marginal atonement for the sins that had been committed. As was characteristic of all animal sacrifices, the worshiper had to rely on the priest to accomplish the functions essential for his forgiveness.Stage Five:
Removal of All the Fat
Stage five of the ceremonial of the peace offering is the first stage of the sacrifice that differs from that of the burnt offering. In this sacrifice there would be the removal of all of the fat that was a part of the animal’s body. Scrupulous dedication was demanded in the removal of all the fat. Leviticus 3:9-10 insists upon removal of the animal’s “. . . fat, the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them . . .”
The fat of the peace offering was called “the bread of God” or “the food of God.” Such terminology clearly indicates that not only was the worshiper involved in the festive banquet but that God Himself would receive His “food” from this sacrifice. God shared in the banquet. In Leviticus 3:11,16 and 21:6, 8 and 17, the fat is referred to either as the bread of God or the food of God. Therefore this was seen as a banquet between God and the worshiper. It was a beautiful manifestation of the mutual fellowship that had been restored and was being enjoyed both by God and the worshiper. Of course the Father delighted when His wandering citizens of the kingdom of Israel returned in repentance to restoration. The worshiper’s part of the banquet would be celebrated in the final stage of the ritual. God’s part is seen in this stage when the fat is “incensed” on the altar of burnt offerings to Him.
Leviticus 3:17 says: “This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.” This is a perpetual ordinance prohibiting the children of Israel from eating any fat because the fat belongs to God as His “bread.” The blood will be presented upon the altar to make atonement. We have been noticing a lot of symbols in the study of the burnt offering, grain offering and now the peace offering. There was incense symbolizing prayer, oil symbolizing consecration, salt symbolizing covenant, and yeast and honey symbolizing corruption and fermentation. So fat had symbolic meanings. In the Scriptures, fat always stood for the richest and best part of the animal.
God always demanded that the best part be given to Him, the first-fruits were always the better fruits. In Genesis 45:18, God told the children of Israel that they would eat of the fatness of the land. Interpreting the symbol, the fat would then indicate the abundance of the land. In Deuteronomy 32:15, God is giving warning unto the children of Israel. He does not want them to go into the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, and there find all they need to sustain them, and then forget the God that begat them. Therefore, fat stands for that which is the richest and the best.
In Psalm 36:8, the statement is made that there will be the feast of abundance. The Hebrew says “of the fat” that is enjoyed in the house of God. In other words, the simple statement is that Israel could enjoy the fatness of God’s house. In Isaiah 25:6, there is a beautiful prophecy about the coming kingdom of the Messiah, and he tells us that in those days the Lord of heaven will prepare a feast of rich food. That word “rich” is “fat” in Hebrew. That banquet is for all people of all the nations on earth. This prophecy indicates the universal intent of God to bring everybody into the kingdom of Christ and to share with them the feast of heavenly blessings. When the text speaks of “a feast of rich food,” the prophet is using physical figures to represent spiritual realities.
Even the Apostle Paul used that same concept in Romans 11:17 when he mentions the fact that salvation is come from the Jews and that the Gentiles “. . . now share in the nourishing sap (the word is “fat” in Greek) from the olive root.” The “olive root” is the Jewish nation in Paul’s analogy. Jesus had told the woman at the well that salvation comes through the Jews, from whom Messiah was born. In fact, Jesus descended from God’s original Jewish stock in Abraham. The salvation Jesus brought through His Jewish roots brought blessings to both Jews and Gentiles.
The fat stands as a symbol of all of the riches and the best. Having been removed from the sacrifice, it was placed on the altar and then incensed and fumed to God as a “sweet savor.” No other individual had the privilege of participating in any portion of the fat of the sacrifice. There is a tragic story related in I Samuel 2:15ff. Eli was the great high priest over the nation of Israel. He was a good high priest but a very poor father. His sons were guilty of committing some of the most grievous sins on the doorsteps of the Tabernacle. Eli knew of their sin “but he reproved them not.” Therefore, God removed the priesthood from him and his family. It is in that context that we learn one of the grievous sins of Eli’s sons.
The sin was this: after the fat was removed from the peace offerings, it was the practice of the high priest to send his servants to get some of the meat that was the privilege of the high priest to receive for his own food. But these sons wanted their portion of the meat before the fat was removed. In other words, they wanted God’s part, and that was an abomination in the sight of God. It was a grievous sin. Any time man is negligent in giving God His rightful tribute, honor, worship or devotion, he is robbing God of that which creation gives Him the right to expect. (See Malachi 3:8.)
Stage Six: The Animal Is Divided for the Participants
In stage six, the animal was divided into the portions that would be used by the participants in this sacrifice. The first part of the animal to be removed was the breast. Interestingly enough, it was called the “wave breast.” In Leviticus 7:31, 34-36, explanation is given to the high priest. The reason it was so called was because the worshiper held the shoulder of the animal in his hands. The officiating priest would place his hands on the sacrificial breast and the two would wave it toward the altar and then would bring it back. The waving seems to have been done two or three times. This was done to signify to both worshiper and priest that the breast really belonged to the altar—literally, to God. Having acknowledged that God was the donor of the “food” for the priest, he would take his breast home to consume it.
From such action it was understood that God was making provision for His priest. In Deuteronomy 18:2 we read that the Levites received no inheritance of land in the country of Israel. They lived on the offerings made to the Lord by fire, for this was their inheritance. The Lord was their inheritance as He promised them. Paul used this example in I Corinthians 9:13, to establish his right of support from those who served the Lord. He said, “Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?”
After the “wave breast,” they removed the right thigh from the sacrificial animal. It was called the “heave thigh.” The worshiper again held the thigh, and the priest put his hands on top and they together lifted it up toward heaven and brought it back down, lifted it to heaven and back down. After the third time it was given to the officiating priest, who would take it home as his share in the offering. It was lifted to heaven in indication that the animal belonged to God. This indicated that it was God who offered this gift to the priest out of His providence. It is clear that such “waving” of the breast and “heaving” of the thigh signaled to all participants that God is the ultimate Provider for those who serve Him according to His law.
Stage Seven: The Disposal of the Rest of the Body
In the final stage, the rest of the body of the peace offering animal is given by God to the worshiper. The body was to be consumed in festive celebration by the worshiper and by his immediate family—his wife, children, servants, and widow who happened to be in his home, any orphans who were there, and the Levite who was within his gate. Deuteronomy 12:18 and 16:11 indicate to us that it was a family affair.
When an individual sins so as to lose his fellowship with God, it creates alienation, not only between him and God, but also within the family. Once he has repented and has come home, the whole family can enjoy the fellowship. Deuteronomy 12:7 insists that this sacrifice be eaten in the presence of the Lord. The man and his family were to eat it in the courtyard of the Tabernacle, and they were to rejoice as they feasted. The courtyard indicates that this banquet was to be enjoyed in the house of God. In verse 17 he said, “You must not eat in your own towns . . . ,” for that would imply that the worshiper was the host and God would be the guest. Rather, this was a feast that God would host in His house, and the Hebrew participants were all God’s guests.
Important Lessons
From the Peace Offering
There are some salient lessons that we want to learn from the peace offering. The first lesson is that peace has many directions to it—peace with God, with the family, with the commonwealth of Israel and certainly peace within a man himself. Another lesson is drawn from the very location of the banquet—the courtyard of the Tabernacle. It was “before God,” that is, in His presence. When one is invited to the banquet table of the king, then he is seen as being in good standing with the king. He and the king have mutually rewarding, peaceful relationship. Again, this was a fellowship that was enjoyed by the entire family as they collectively feasted before God.
Deuteronomy 12:18 says, “. . . you are to rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to.” In Psalm 23:5 David said, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” God is the host, and the worshiper is the guest. God wanted this sacrifice to be enjoyed in His house. That was where fellowship is granted. That was where meaningful relationship between God and man was to be enjoyed.
Prophetically, the peace offering indicates to us many things about Jesus Christ Himself, and we will be looking into that in the next lesson.