The peace-offering is probably the least understood of any of the offerings. Will you read carefully this chapter, Leviticus 3, and then the law of the peace-offering, Leviticus 7:11-3411And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. 12If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. 13Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. 14And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. 15And 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. 16But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: 17But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. 18And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 19And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. 20But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 21Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 22And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 24And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. 26Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 28And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 29Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord shall bring his oblation unto the Lord of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30His own hands shall bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the Lord. 31And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. 32And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part. 34For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel. (Leviticus 7:11‑34).
If in the meat-offering, there is fellowship in receiving, as we have seen, “all the sons of Aaron, one as much as another,” it is of the sweet savor of Christ in His life, and perfect obedience unto death. Here, it is fellowship in the sweet savor of His death. We shall find it answers in some respects to the Lord’s supper: fellowship in the remembrance of His death.
In chapter 3, whether the peace-offering be of the herd, or of the flock, or a goat, whatever the measure of fellowship, it must be through death that we can alone have fellowship. The spotless victim must be without blemish before Jehovah. Such was Christ. “And he shall lay hand upon the head of his offering,” etc. There can be no worship, no fellowship, unless there be identification with Christ. It is of no use talking about repentance, and baptism, and worship; if you are not identified with Christ, you cannot be in fellowship with God, or worship with His people. What wide-spread delusion there is on this matter! As the offerer came before God with his hand on the head of the peace-offering, do you come into His holy presence identified with Christ? Is this your condition at the Lord’s table?
The offering, though for food, must be killed. The blood must be sprinkled; it is “an offering made unto the Lord.” Surely this has not now to be repeated. And note, this is not the offering made for sin. Do we thus remember Him, as an offering made by fire unto the Lord? Oh, the sweet savor of that one offering, Jesus in all His perfectness and preciousness, offered to Jehovah. Do we remember that God our Father has His portion in that offering? “The fat that coverlet the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards” — all the inwards, is “an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor UNTO THE LORD.” With us, how often the energy of our inmost thoughts is contrary to the path of holy obedience we long to pursue: not so Jesus, our offering. The whole energy of His soul, His inmost thoughts and desires, tested even in the midst of the darkness of this world, the rage and hatred of devils and priests, yea, and the wrath of God due to our sins pressing upon Him; yet the energy of His whole soul, the divine and human affections of His tender heart, went up “an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.” Oh wondrous, perfect, infinite love! “And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord.” “All the fat is the Lord’s” (vss. 11-16).
And so was the blood — the life, the Lord’s and until the great one sacrifice should be offered, the life of these sacrifices must not be eaten. Man could not be thus identified with the Son, until He died and rose again (John 12:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)). Until then the life of the offering was forbidden to be eaten. God then has His food, His portion first in the sweet savor of the offering of Christ, and this is what is shadowed forth in the fat and the inwards going up on the altar a sweet savor to the Lord.
We will now turn to the law of the peace-offering, as applied to us (Lev. 7:1111And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. (Leviticus 7:11)). The great principle is that the sacrifice of peace-offerings shall be offered unto the Lord. In coming to the Lord’s table, it is not merely to receive, but to offer praise, and thanksgiving, and worship, in holy fellowship. Thus, in speaking of fellowship or communion at the Lord’s table, the apostle refers to this very offering, Israel’s fellowship. He says, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread [or loaf] and one body; for we are all partakers of that one loaf” (1 Cor. 10:1616The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)). The principle of identification is the same, at the Lord’s table, or Israel’s sacrifices, or of the Gentiles. “Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” (1 Cor. 10:1717For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:17)). If God had His portion, and they had theirs, they were partakers with God in the sacrifices of the altar. In like manner, to eat of that loaf and drink of that cup at the table of the Lord, was to have fellowship with the Lord. It was to be identified with the Lord, and with all that are His, like the particles of the one loaf.
It was the same, and is the same to this day in the worship of idols. This gives idolatry its most fearful character. “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1 Cor. 10:20, 2120But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. (1 Corinthians 10:20‑21)). Israel then had fellowship with God in eating of the typical sacrifices: to eat that flesh was to be in communion with Jehovah. To eat the Lord’s supper is to be identified with the sweet savor of Christ, in fellowship with Him, and all saints. To eat in the idol’s temple that which was offered to idols, was to be in fellowship with devils. And yet men are seeking and proposing to set up images again, and restore idolatry again, as the religion of this land; seeking that England should again have established “fellowship with devils”! It may be the sin of ignorance, they may not know how Satan is leading them on to the wickedness of the last days. We need not be ignorant, for these scriptures are plain enough. O Lord, deliver thy people from the wiles of the devil! (1 Cor. 10:16-2116The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 18Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. (1 Corinthians 10:16‑21)).
We will now return to our chapter, Leviticus 7. Verse 12. “If he offer it FOR A THANKSGIVING, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.” When we come then to the Lord’s table, if it be with thanksgiving, we remember the Person and work of Christ. Here all can and did go up for a sweet savor to God. They offered the flour, which shows in figure His pure humanity, begotten and anointed of the Holy Spirit. In Him was no leaven of sin. Praise should ascend with unmixed joy in Him, the Holy, Holy One, once offered a sweet savor unto the Lord.
But if we are identified with Him, as the worshiper of idols is identified with demons, are we then pure and sinless? If we have fellowship with Him, are we now like Him in pure sinless perfection, as to our nature, and even as to practice? Is the whole church, or the individual believer, now like Him, the Holy One? Oh how soon we shall be; yes, we shall see Him as He is, and be like Him. But reader, can you or I, can any child of God, now say, I am pure, without the leaven of evil in my old nature?
Verse 13. How exact are the balances of the sanctuary. “Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace-offerings.” Thus it is, as it was in the meat-offering, where it is Christ, there is no leaven; where it is the church, or the individual saint, there is the recognition of the truth, that evil is still found: and therefore there is leavened bread with the sacrifices of thanksgiving. We may deceive ourselves with thoughts of our sinless perfection, as to the eradication of evil from our old nature; but, there are no such mistakes in the Word of God. Is not the type equally striking in there being leaven when it points to us, and no leaven when it typifies Christ?
Now when we come to the Lord’s table our communion is twofold. If it be thanksgiving, it is in thankful remembrance of Him. And when the offering was for thanksgiving, it must be eaten the same day: “he shall not leave any of it until the morning” (vs. 15). But where it was a vow, or a voluntary offering, it was to be eaten the same day, and on the morrow (vs. 16). A vow had reference to the future. With us there is a yielding of ourselves as a sweet savor to God — a yielding of our bodies as such. “That ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service,” etc. (Rom. 12:11I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)). With the Christian, however, it is not a vow, but devoted dependence on God.
This is not limited to the Lord’s day, or to the Lord’s table, but to be continuous, the lasting effect of communion with Him. But inasmuch as the sacrifice of peace-offerings was a shadow of Christ, it must not be kept until it might become corrupt, on the third day. He that ate it at all on the third day, could not be accepted. There was no corruption in Him, neither could His holy flesh see corruption. It would be abomination to eat of such flesh of the sacrifices with a taint of corruption, or for us to allow such a thought of Christ. Where such a thought is allowed, all communion must be lost. How terrible the sin of such as speak of the Lord, in the days of His flesh on earth, as unfit to stay in Jerusalem at night, or to enter the temple! It would be abomination to have communion with them, be they who they might. “It shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity” (vs. 18).
So jealous is God as to the purity of His spotless and undefiled Son, that no flesh should be offered as a type of Him, and His sweet savor offering, that even touched anything that was unclean. It may be said, These were but shadows; true, but surely the substance of these shadows may not be less pure than the lessons set forth in these shadows.
When we hear Him pleading with the Father, His words are not then shadows! Is it not the desire of His heart that we should be kept from evil? Is it His will that we should be mingled with the world? He says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world: sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth... And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth” (John 17:14-1914I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. (John 17:14‑19)). What a precious, holy example; may we have grace to tread in His steps! Ah, how often we are like Peter, following afar off: and then warming ourselves at the world’s fire — that world which still hates and rejects the Lord of glory.
Very important questions now present themselves. May we have grace and wisdom to look them fairly in the face, however they may search us.