Worship in the Wilderness #7: Kinds of Peace Offerings

 Read: Leviticus 7

Background: God had given instructions on the basic kinds of offerings to be brought to Him in worship, and then began to explain the place of the priesthood in assisting worshippers as they came. He now further explains more examples of when the Peace Offering would come into play.  

Key Verses: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. 13 With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. 14 And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten. 17 But what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned up with fire. 18 If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

Thoughts: As mentioned on Day 3, these Peace Offerings were voluntary offerings which were often eaten with the priest.  Sometimes, they would be Thank Offerings for when God blessed them above and beyond anything they had asked or hoped for.  These were prepared as a meal to make it a celebration.  Other times a peace offering might be made is if a person was making a special committal vow before the Lord or praising Him "just because", of his own free will.  Finally, later verses go on to explain the Wave Offering, where the priest would receive the breast of the animal and "wave" it for all to see, showing that God had provided for him through this offering.

The peace offerings all celebrated relationships in order: between God and man and each other. They brought joy to the giver, to the Lord, and to those privileged to serve Him.