In our study of Leviticus chapter three, we look at the fellowship offering and the fact that peace among men is only possible through Jesus Christ.
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"'If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, then, if he offers before ADONAI an animal from the herd, then, no matter whether it is male or female, it must be without defect. He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to splash the blood against all sides of the altar.
Now, Moshe introduces us and the Israelites to the fellowship or peace offering. This offering was similar to the burnt offering but had a few differences. The first difference that we see is the fact that, unlike the burnt offering, either a male or female animal was allowed to be brought as the sacrifice.
He is to present the sacrifice of the peace offerings as an offering made by fire to ADONAI; it is to consist of the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs, the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. Aharon's sons will make it go up in smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering which is on the wood on the fire; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for ADONAI
The second difference that we see between this offering and the burnt offering is the fact that not all of this sacrifice was burned up on the altar. The kidneys, part of the liver, and the fat around them were to be burnt on the altar. These parts of the body are associated with the removal of waste (detoxification) from the body. These parts were a "food offering" to God but not in the sense that He needed nourishment from men. They are a "food offering" in the sense that they provided satisfaction to God much like the way food satisfies our hunger. They were selected and removed as God's portion to remind us that it is only through Yeshua Messiah that the bad things (waste) from our lives can be removed. The rest of the animal was shared and eaten by the priests and the person that brought the sacrifice. This was a picture of the fact that we can have peace with our fellow men but it is only possible through Jesus Christ. God's portion was only offered on top of the burnt offering and the grain offering which is a reminder of this fact.
"'If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to ADONAI is from the flock, then, when he offers it, no matter whether it is male or female, it must be without defect. If he brings a lamb for his offering, then he is to present it before ADONAI. He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aharon are to splash its blood against all sides of the altar. From the sacrifices made as peace offerings, he is to present ADONAI with an offering made by fire; it is to consist of its fat, the entire fat tail, which he will remove close to the lower backbone, the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs, the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. The cohen will make it go up in smoke on the altar; it is food, an offering made by fire to ADONAI.
The regulations for offering a lamb took into the account the fact that there was a specific kind of sheep that had a tail that contained a bunch of fat. Fat represented the best of an offering because it was a sign that an animal was well taken care of (it ate well). It is a reminder that we are always to present our best to the Lord.
"'If his offering is a goat, then he is to present it before ADONAI. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aharon are to splash its blood against all sides of the altar. He is to present from it his offering, an offering made by fire to ADONAI; it is to consist of the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs, the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. The cohen will make them go up in smoke on the altar; it is food, an offering made by fire to be a fragrant aroma; all the fat belongs to ADONAI.
The regulations for the goat are very much the same as with the lamb. The main difference is that they did not have a fat tail.
It is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations wherever you live that you will eat neither fat nor blood.'"
The blood and the fat belonged to God because they represented abundant life which is only found in Him. This ordinance was to remain in effect until the time of the sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah.
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