Worship is expressed in various forms: hymns, prayers, and so forth. In these there will be both that which is truly worship mingled with that which is not strictly so. A hymn may begin with an expression of worship and end with the care and walk of the saints. Other hymns may have wonderful expressions concerning the person and work of Christ intermingled with a gospel message. Indeed, few hymns, as excellent as they may be, contain sentiments that are purely worship. For this reason, a selection of verses from a hymn may sometimes be sung. There is, however, a risk of being overly taken up with these things—and worse yet, sitting in judgment on our brethren when such a hymn is given in its entirety. Unnecessarily editing a hymn to make it more worship-like detracts from the worship itself. At this point our worship becomes prescriptive—if I restrict my forms of expressions to this or that, then it will be worship. Words alone do not constitute worship; the most worshipful hymn may be sung with the most unworshipful spirit.
On the other hand, if a gospel song is given out during a meeting for worship, what should one do? There should be a generosity of spirit that looks for God’s portion in it. Invariably, there is such an expression, especially when the motives of the individual are right. Considerable damage has been caused by needlessly correcting such heartfelt expressions. I do not speak of contention—it is certainly possible for one to assert themselves in a disruptive manner during a meeting. That is quite a different thing. In that case, it is incumbent on those who have oversight in the assembly to shepherd and, if necessary, to reprove such a one. Nevertheless, to sit in the assembly with a judgmental attitude is more disruptive to the liberty of the Holy Spirit than a hymn or prayer given with true affection for Christ, although there may be a lack of spiritual intelligence.
In the burnt offerings of Leviticus, the least significant offering was the dove or pigeon. “If the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons” (Lev. 1:14). No one was prevented from making a voluntary offering because of their penury. Nevertheless, there are some instructions unique to the fowl. “The priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: and he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: and he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord” (Lev. 1:15-17). The crop of a bird contains undigested food. A bird pecks whole grains and stores them in its crop before they pass through the stomach and into the gizzard. There the stomach’s secretions and the gizzard’s grinding action reduce the food to a digestible state. This would picture truths and thoughts that we haven’t fully appropriated. Perhaps a regurgitating of things which we may have heard, without them being made good to our own souls. The feathers, on the other hand, are the glory of the bird. What it pictures is clear enough—self. Man, by nature, is a selfish creature and invariably his thoughts return to himself. But when self asserts itself during worship (in any of its various forms), this must be set aside. It was the priest’s role to remove them. In the present day it is Christ who performs this priestly function; it is His role and not ours.
The offerings of the Old Testament, so integral to Jewish worship, give us valuable insights into the nature of Christian worship. These offerings foreshadowed Christ, who, as the antitype, fulfilled them all—indeed, the Levitical sacrifices hold no value apart from Christ. The burnt offering gives us God’s side; it is a sacrifice by fire of a sweet savour to the Lord (Lev. 1). It is Christ offering Himself entirely to God. He glorified God as to sin, in a way in which God could not be glorified otherwise. Christ in this character is the very essence of worship. The sin offering, on the other hand, is quite a different thing—except for one verse, it is not described as a sweet savour unto the Lord (Lev. 4). Certainly, we come in the good of the sin offering, but it does not form the subject of worship. We may initially measure the value of Christ’s work according to the greatness of our need; but having been brought into communion with God, we must now measure that work according to the value in which God sees it. The meal offering is Christ in His perfect humanity (Lev. 2). Yet, in dwelling on Christ in His humbled life, it is always with the consciousness that the cross completed it and threw its character of perfectness over His whole path.xi In the peace offering we have elements of both the burnt and meal offerings but with the added feature that it brings in the fellowship of the saints (Lev. 3; Lev. 7:11-38). As such it offers a most vivid image of the Lord’s supper. The Apostle Paul makes this connection in chapter ten of his first epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 10:16-18).
The peace offering was a freewill offering, not for atonement but for an expression of communion. It was an offering made by fire to Jehovah of a sweet odor and where the choice of animal, whether of the cattle, sheep, or goats, was not prescribed. The offerer was limited only by his capacity to furnish such an animal. The offering was killed by the offerer, but it was the priest who sprinkled the blood roundabout upon the altar. Likewise, the fat and the kidneys were brought by the hands of the offerer, but it was the priest who burned it (Lev. 3:10-11; 7:30-31). As a type, the priest speaks of Christ; He partakes in the joy of those who are His through the value of His death. As to the fat, something special is noted: “The priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord” (Lev. 3:11). The word used for food, לחם, is quite literally, bread—this was God’s portion, His bread. God delights in the sweet odor expressed by the full and complete work of Christ. The breast (affection) of the animal was waved before the Lord as a wave offering (Lev. 7:30). Similarly, the shoulder (strength) was to be a heave offering (Lev. 7:32). When the peace-offering was presented in thanksgiving, it was to be accompanied by unleavened cakes and wafers of fine flour (Lev. 7:12-13). As with the meal offering, this speaks of Christ’s humanity in all its perfection. Unique to the peace offering, parts of it were eaten by the priests, the offerer, and those who were his guests—all who were clean (Lev. 7:19).
There are so many aspects of the peace offering which could be addressed, but it is necessary to limit the commentary and leave much to the reader’s meditation. Christ’s sacrifice is the basis of our fellowship with God and with one another (1 John 1:3). Furthermore, it is the enjoyment of Christ in His death which leads to thanksgiving and worship to God. God’s portion in it is the memorial of His Son. Christ is also our object—the perfection of His person and work, neither of which can be spoken of without bringing in the cross. The offerer does not come away empty; all were blessed and filled by the offering. Notably, “The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning” (Lev. 7:15). The meat of the animal, once divorced from the offering itself, became a profane thing and was not to be consumed. Likewise, the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper are simply bread and wine when divorced from the remembrance of the Lord. Neither has peculiar powers that may be conferred upon one who later eats it. By the same principle, a recording of worship does not represent worship for those who might later listen.
To avoid any confusion, it must be made clear that the Lord’s Supper is most pointedly not a sacrifice—it is a memorial of a sacrifice. In it we express our fellowship (identification) with the body and blood of Christ, and those who likewise partake. In so doing, we recall that one perfect sacrifice that Christ made of Himself (John 10:17-18; Heb. 9:10). United in one body we show forth the death of Christ until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26).