“If one’s offering is a peace offering and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he must present it without blemish before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar.
From the peace offering he is to bring an offering made by fire to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys. Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
If, however, one’s peace offering to the LORD is from the flock, he must present a male or female without blemish. If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he must present it before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
And from the peace offering he shall bring an offering made by fire to the LORD consisting of its fat: the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys. Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
If one’s offering is a goat, he is to present it before the LORD. He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
And from his offering he shall present an offering made by fire to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys. Then the priest will burn the food on the altar as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s. This is a perpetual statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”
What is the point of a peace offering? This offering was not to atone for sins but to celebrate enjoying peace with God. There are several things that are different about this particular offering:
- Although the animals had to be perfect and without blemish, they could be either male or female.
- The person making the offering lays hands on the animal, indicating that the animal is a substitute for that person, taking away any unintentional offenses against God, so that God and the worshiper will remain in a peaceful and right relationship.
- The animal is to be slaughtered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting by the person making the offering. The priests will then take over.
- The part of the offering that is actually burned is the fat, the kidneys encased in the fat, and the lobe of the liver containing the fat while the blood is sprinkled on all sides of the altar. At this time, fat, kidneys, and liver are considered a delicacy and also a source of energy. This offering ensures that God is given the best part of the animals
- The meat from the animals is to be shared between the person making the sacrifice and the priests, ensuring lovely celebrations whenever peace offerings are made.
- No matter what kind of animal is offered, the regulations regarding the parts of the animal to be burned are still the same. God knows His people will try to slide out and save choice parts or themselves otherwise. God is being specific to avoid senseless haggling.
Ancient religions are full of regulations for all kinds of offerings to propitiate angry gods who might otherwise do terrible things to their worshipers. But the peace offering is actually a celebration approved by the One True Living God. God wants to celebrate being at peace with His people.
“It was a voluntary sacrifice given to God in three specific instances. First, a peace offering could be given as a freewill offering, meaning that the worshiper was giving the peace offering as a way to say thank you for God’s unsought generosity. It was basically just a way to praise God for His goodness. The second way a peace offering could be given was alongside a fulfilled vow. A good example of this was when Hannah fulfilled her vow to God by bringing Samuel to the temple; on that occasion she also brought a peace offering to express the peace in her heart toward God concerning her sacrifice—it was a way to say, “I have no resentment; I am holding nothing back in the payment of my vow.” The third purpose of a peace offering was to give thanksgiving for God’s deliverance in an hour of dire need. None of these three reasons to sacrifice had anything to do with propitiation, with appeasing God, or with pacifying Him.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/peace-offering.html)
No system is perfect. Such offerings are open to misuse. The wanton wife described in Proverbs 7 hunts down a handsome young man, enticing him with the promise of meat from a peace offering. “Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart. She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home. Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner. She seizes him and kisses him; she brazenly says to him: “I have made my peace offerings; today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you; I sought you, and I have found you. I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses! For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took with him a bag of money and will not return until the moon is full.” (Proverbs 7:10-20)
Sex and a great steak dinner-what a temptation! Never mind that the foolish young man will die spiritually – and possibly physically – as a result. In this case, the woman is perverting the concept of peace offerings as an excuse to kill a fine animal and get great meat in the process.
APPLICATION: The concept of peace offerings remains viable today, although they generally are not labeled as such. In Ghanaian churches, it is quite common for men and women to give special offerings in gratitude after recovering from an illness, surviving a dangerous situation such as a bad traffic accident, achieving something special, or seeing God fulfill a promise. Generally, these offerings consist of money, although a farmer might donate grain or an animal. Such offerings are generally made in the middle of the church service as a way of sharing joy with the entire congregation.
A popular Gospel song here in Ghana asks, “What shall I render unto the Lord, for He has done so very much for me?” gotquestions.org concludes: “God is not interested in taking from us. That is not His heart at all. But the lie we so often believe is that our good actions bring about His goodness, and our sinful actions must be paid for in personal sacrifice. The peace offering shows that worshipers in the Old Testament were not any more responsible for their salvation than worshipers in the New Testament. Throughout the ages, people have been tempted to think that sacrifices create God’s favor. This belief is evident in our modern understanding of a peace offering as a propitiation for wrongdoing. But only Christ’s sacrifice creates favor with God and covers wrongdoing, and the Old Testament sacrifices were a picture of that future provision.”
We cannot possibly buy God’s favor; we can only thank Him for it. We cannot earn our way into heaven, but we can accept the blood sacrifice that Jesus has already made for us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die for our sins so that we might live in peace with You. Help us to believe in that sacrifice and to trust You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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