THIS month we complete the first section of the Book of Leviticus, that part which speaks specially of those offerings expressing God’s satisfaction in Christ. The burnt offering, the oblation, and the peace offering were offerings which a man might bring, the sin offering and trespass offering were offerings which he must bring, in the case of sin or trespass. The first three tell of communion between God and the worshipper, with Christ as the common object. The fourth and fifth show how communion might be restored when broken, and again Christ is found to be the means of restoration.
From the later history of the people it would appear that very little of all this perfect order of offering was ever carried out, but it is a touching thing to think of God cherishing all this in His heart as to His intercourse with rebellious man, “yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” Before ever the journey from Sinai was recommenced, to end in such disaster, God had unfolded these rich thoughts of Christ, so perfect in their order and beauty, though He knew that they would lie hidden and unheeded, save where the Holy Ghost might light up here and there the heart of some saint in trial and sorrow, even passing through the consequences of his own sin, to teach him that there was One who knew and understood these things, and that there was a sympathy that flowed like the water from the rock of old, “and that Rock was Christ!” Such are the ways of God in His Word, and blessed is the man that has ears to hear.
The Peace Offering. — The name does not very well express the meaning of the offering; a French version gives it more nearly―sacrifice de prosperites. It is a sacrifice which speaks, more than the other offerings, of the blessings which the worshipper enjoys as the fruit of God’s dwelling with His people.
In the burnt offering all was for God, neither priest nor worshipper ate any of the burnt offering. In the case of the oblation, a memorial handful, with all the frankincense, was burnt, the rest was eaten by the priests, but the worshipper did not partake. But here, in the offering which speaks more of the blessing flowing from Christ’s work, we find that God has His portion, the priest has his portion, and the offerer feeds upon the rest. This, however, comes out later, and in Leviticus 3 we are only concerned with God’s portion in the peace offering. As in the case of the burnt offering and oblation, the subject is divided into three parts:
1. The Offering from the Herd. In this offering the victim might be either a male or a female, whereas in the burnt offering it might only be a male. If the use is traced out in Scripture it will be found that generally the male represents the responsible person, the one who does the action, while the female represents the state resulting from the action. These are two sides of the need which has to be met by the work of Christ, and which must be met in order that the heart may be set free. Then the feature that specially characterizes the peace offering, in whatever aspect it is viewed, is brought out in verses 3 and 4. It is the offering of the fat. The fat that covers the inward parts is burnt as a sweet savor. It speaks of what controls and governs the inward feelings and desires, the springs of action, the will. The blessed Lord wholly surrendered His own will, that He might do the Father’s will. All the springs of man’s thoughts and actions have been perverted through the working of his own will in independence. Hence the blessed Saviour, though He never willed anything that was not in perfect accordance with the Father’s will, yet, as man, surrendered His own will that the will of God might be done. People sometimes pray that their wills may blend with God’s will. Our wills can never blend with His will, it is impossible, and this is why the blessed Lord thus gave up His will as part of the sacrifice; that we might be sanctified, not to do our own will, nor to blend our wills with God’s, but to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Finally, we have the point which is peculiar to this aspect of the offering in verse 5. The fat was burnt upon the burnt offering. The burnt offering must come first, as the ground of acceptable worship.
2. The Offering of a Sheep. The same general difference between the offering of a bullock and the offering of a sheep, already spoken of in the burnt offering, holds good here. The first shows more the full value of the work of Christ for acceptance before the Father, the second more the work of Christ in meeting judgment. So, in this second offering, the one point which is peculiar (ver. 9) speaks in a remarkable way of the offering of the tail, “the whole fat tail.” It may be that this apparently strange detail speaks of the closing up of the history of the old man in rebellion and self-will at the cross. As through the disobedience of the one man the many were constituted sinners, so through the obedience of the One the many were constituted righteous (Rom. 5:19).
3. The Offering of a Goat. When the sheep is offered we get more the picture of the blessed Lord in patient obedience suffering both from the hand of man and from God all that was needed to do the will of God. In the goat we see more what He was made for our sakes in bearing sin and being made sin. How terrible to think of the blessed sinless One, the Holy One of God, having to touch sin, to bear it, to know its terrible consequences; it is by this that God would teach us what sin is in its horror, and what is the love of Jesus. So this aspect closes with the only thing special to it, in verse 17, that no fat and no blood was to be eaten. It was an everlasting statute in the dwellings of God’s people. The surrendered will in the agony of Gethsemane, the poured-out life-blood when all was ended, to consummate the sacrifice, these were for the Father’s heart alone, though we enjoy the fruits.
So we see that the general outline of the offering is simpler; we have not the whole meaning of this offering here, but only what completes the unfolding of those things which are acceptable to the heart of God, and which we may bring to Him to delight Him.
Answers to Questions.
1. The chief difference is the one mentioned above, that in the burnt offering all was for God, in the oblation the priest had a portion, while in the peace-offering the offerer and the priest partook of the sacrifice.
2. The priest’s work in the peace-offering was—
(a) to sprinkle the blood (3:2).
(b) to burn the fat (3:5).
Note that in none of these offerings does the priest slaughter the victim.
The priest’s portion is given in Leviticus vii. 34.
3. The offerer had―
(a) To lay his hand upon the head of the victim (3:2).
(b) To slaughter the victim (3:2).
(c) To present the fat (3:3, 7:30).
Note the last reference especially.
4. Leviticus 3:5.
For next month (D.V.) the subject will be: ―The Sin-offering, Leviticus 4. The following questions may he answered:
1.What are the main divisions of the fourth chapter of Leviticus, and what points do you specially notice about each?
2. What cases occur in the O.T. of a sin-offering for the whole people?
3. Where is the sin-offering mentioned in the N.T.?
4. What happened to the first sin-offering for the people?
B.S. ED.