Recipes are available for everything from cuisine to concrete. Ingredients and processes matter when a significant outcome is desired—and needed. The word translated law (CSB) is torah, which means “instruction.” This inviting term describes the guidelines the Lord gave to enable the Israelite people to flourish. In the context of approaching the radiant and holy presence of God, these instructions are of utmost value.
In today’s instructions for the offerings, the labels “sin offering” and “guilt offering” tell the story of our persistent need. While details of these individual instructions vary, the ingredients in Leviticus always include the offering, sacred space, the priest(s), and fire. First, the sacrifice was costly; that is what the word “sacrifice” means when we use it in other contexts. Second, the Lord’s presence made the space “holy ground.” Third, as priests, Aaron and his sons had the task of sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice on the altar. Finally, the fire was constantly burning; it consumed the portions of the sacrifices given up to the Lord, a reminder that the presence of God is a consuming fire.
There were some recipe variations depending on each individual sacrifice. Yeast (leaven) was prohibited from the grain and fellowship offerings; later it came to symbolize sin, a most powerful pollutant. It seems, however, that occasionally leavened cakes accompanied the fellowship thanksgiving offering (Leviticus 7:13), possibly because leaven made it tastier, and gratitude is sweet.
The fellowship sacrifice (“peace offering”) is at the end of the list in today’s reading. It drew together the community—the person bringing it, the priests, and the Lord. The human participants were communing together as they ate the sacrifice. The root meaning of the word translated fellowship is related to shalom, a word that points to the right order of everything—wrongs set right, reconciliation, restoration.
So what are the key themes from today? Above all, we are deeply needy. That shatters self-presentations often ordered to make us look like pretty decent human beings. Add to that the glory and holiness of the Lord God Almighty, who dwells in unapproachable light. We tend to reduce this reality to something we can “manage,” but that is an ill-advised coping mechanism. Into the gaping chasm between our sinful selves and the unapproachable light came the incarnate Son of God, Jesus, as both the perfect sacrifice and our Great High Priest.
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45 thoughts on "Laws for Offerings"
I shall be confident in all things!
We need God. It is inevitable. Thank you Jesus for giving Yourself up for us!
Simply AWESOME.. ❤️
Thank you Lord for the perfect sacrifice, I will rest and abide in you knowing that your will for my life , is the best thing that could ever happen to me . I won’t force anything out or in but I will remain grateful and confident in that which you have blessed me with
Wow
By His wounds we are healed
Wow
Reading Galatians after the Levitical passages and Isaiah… phew! My being crucified with Christ hits waaaaay differently. I want to read it again and again so that I don’t lose the impact.
❤️❤️
Well said! Thank you!
A really good read, we are blessed to have Jesus and so thankful that God sent his only son, so that we could all be free.
Praise Jesus for being the one true sacrifice for us all. By his stripes we are healed and by his sacrifice we are made whole in the Lord!
Praying for everybody’s safety who is dealing with hurricane Ian. I can only imagine the anxiety it can give one.
I love that God provides a way for us to be in His presence. Even when we shouldn’t be able to.
Prayers for you Florida friends! God is with you. Stay near to Him and believe Him for your refuge and strength. God please lay Your hand on their lives and give them Your peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of the storm.
Peace, be still, and know He is God!
RHONDA J, LEXI B, TRACI G – praying for safety of family & property! We are in N FL out of the path this time but went through Michael & know how scary it can be. Prayers also for family members in central FL who are also feeling Ian’s pounding tonight.
Praise God Renee K! Praying for your son. Praying for those in the path of the hurricane.
Good news Renee K. Praying for your safety Rhonda J and all our friends and family in Florida. I was in Ft Myers during the last big hurricane ~2004 that hit this area – it sounded like a train going over the house.
I thought it was interesting that they, the sinner, were required to touch the animals head. It made the sacrifice more personal to acknowledge the life being
I was wondering why the priests benefited so much from some of these sacrifices and I looked on Enduring Word and it says this:
“Someone might object that this was a great benefit to the priests, and maybe even an excessive benefit. Meat was a luxury in the ancient world, and the priests had more meat to eat than most people. Yet, it should be remembered that the priests (as from the tribe of Levi), had no allotment of land given to them (Numbers 18:20). God was their inheritance, and they were provided for by the offerings and gifts of God’s people.”
I was wondering why the priests benefited so much from some of these sacrifices and I looked on Enduring Word and it says this: Someone might object that this was a great benefit to the priests, and maybe even an excessive benefit. Meat was a luxury in the ancient world, and the priests had more meat to eat than most people. Yet, it should be remembered that the priests (as from the tribe of Levi), had no allotment of land given to them (Numbers 18:20). God was their inheritance, and they were provided for by the offerings and gifts of God’s people.
We are a needy people. I love how God goes to such great lengths to be able to meet with us and live in our midst. I am very thankful that we don’t have to present all of these different offerings anymore. I’m thankful that I am forgiven in Christ. ❤️✝️
The offerings to the Lord, whoever touches them will become holy (Leviticus 6:18). When we make ourselves an offering (living sacrifice) to the Lord, enduring the consuming fire of refinement of God that is always burning, whoever touches us will also become holy. This reminds me of the sanctity of marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:14 “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy”. Because of one person who is made holy by becoming the offering to the Lord, the rest will become holy. Just as when the church, becomes the bride of Christ, the church is made holy because of Him. God married a spiritual promiscuous nation unto Himself, to make her holy (like when God told prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute (Hosea 1:2) to demonstrate the dynamics of His relationship with the Israelites, to show us the faithfulness He still displayed even though His bride was unfaithful, and demonstrate the shame and blasphemy He endured in the marriage). How many times the church have been unfaithful to God? But yet. But God, He said it, whoever touches my offering will become holy. And that offering is Jesus. Come to Jesus today dear sisters, touch Him, so you might become holy. Holy holy holy is He, and you and I will become holy- just like Him thanks to Jesus (1 Peter 1:16 ), and there is such profound beauty in holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29). Beauty is only skin deep. Let us put on the beauty of holiness. What an amazing and profound truth. Be blessed dear sisters.
Thank you Jennifer. I feel you can understand when I say I have been greatly blessed by my disability by God!
Thank you to all who have posted! I draw more serenity from y’all!
Signing in from the hospital with a praise report!!! My son’s (Joe) surgery was successful without complication!! We are recovering in ICU today..Joe is doing great and we are already seeing a return of his vision!! Praise God!! Thank you for praying!! Please keep praying for healing/recovery/a full restoration of vision!!
I have a question about the reading. I understand most of the different offerings, but I don’t understand the meaning or purpose of the wave offering. Does anyone know what this was to represent?
Angie, thank you so much for your breakdown of the passages. It really helps me understand it a bit better.
I’ve seen a few Ian prayers on here, thought to add mine as well. My family is in Bradenton FL, in the path of Ian. They are about 30 minutes away from the water so they chose to stay vs evacuate. They are in good spirits right now but understandably nervous. Please pray for their safety during this storm.
Prayers for Florida! We just bought a house in Naples last May. We are not there, so not as important as Rhonda and Sarah!
Jennifer Loves Jesus I love your writing! Just beautiful!!!
It’s nice to distract myself from the hit of Ian by being in the Word! It is grounding to my soul, my peace, my assurance. We are not in power or control, my God is. Inhale in his presence, exhale is peace. Fear you have no control over me! Now-if only my doggie could read the Word!! He is very nervous with the high wind and rain and the power flickering on and off! It’s surprising we still have power really. We are in South Fort Myers, continued prayers please!
So thankful for Jesus- The only sacrifice I have to bring to be surrounded by the presence of God is open arms!!!! Praise God!!
Jenifer Loves Jesus, I loved your message this morning. Thank you. Prayers for all in Ian’s path today.
I was struck by the amount of eating! If this mobile nation was hundreds of thousands of people, and they were all in continual need for repentance, sacrifice, and atonement….that’s a lot of food to be consumed ceremonially! Not the deepest thought, but it is what struck me.
Also, the never ending fire, the lack of any type of seating in the tabernacle, coupled with concepts like the Sabbath reminding us that the work is never done (not a part of this study, but a part of God’s people)….it all made me think of the steadfastness of God. I’m sure there’s a bigger “a-ha” moment coming with all of the reading today, the impressionist pictures buzzing around my mind, but I just wanted to make those 2 observations! Love when others bring realism and clarity to my blurry impressions! We need constant reminders of our un-doneness, our constant need of life, sustenance, and rest, but in Christ all those needs are met, fulfilled, and finished! A lot to sit in every day with this study. It’s so good.
Thank you, God, for your steadfastness, your grace, your sustaining mercy. And thank you for the heart and mind to keep learning more about you and your overwhelming desire to see us reconciled to you, to be in your presence. May I sit in it longer every day, prioritizing it above all that this life can pull me towards.
Amen
Father God thank You for sending Your Only Son to die for our sins. In Christ’s name, amen.
Sisters, be blessed and take time to smell the flowers.
It all comes down to faith. Do I believe Jesus made the final sacrifice of His own life for mine? Did the Lord of lords, King of kings, Creator and sustainer of all things really come down to us out of love to save us from the blood and guilt? From sin and death? I realized that my first yes was quite ambivalent. Like brackish water. Fresh water mixing with salt. One foot in the mud and one in the clean and living water. It took some hard blows and suffering to pull me from contradiction to Christ centeredness. My faith has been deepened and transformed by pain. And I would not trade it for anything. My pride was tough. And it took a divine measure of tough love for me to finally stop going back to the muddy water when I was thirsty. I was passionately ambivalent. I loved the holy experiences of God, but I would not let go of holding on to the very things that kept me getting stuck in the mud. It took total trust in God to provide when all seemed lost and pain was constant. He provided. He provides. The more I depend on Him first, the freer I feel. One day I realized that both of my feet were standing in the clean water. I still see the muddy pit. But now I go there to help pull others out of it. And my faith in Jesus makes me stain proof. Any dirt or mud that gets on me doesn’t stick. It washes out easily. Thank You Father for Your patient persistence and pursuit of my heart. Thank You for all the things You have worked together for the goodness and peace I experience now. I can face trouble and hard things without fear and with tears of faith and love rather than despair. Washed and permanently clean in the blood of Jesus my hope is unwavering and I can do all things through Him. I know that joy is always accessible in my heart even when outside things are hard. Selah. Maranatha. Amen.
I’m running behind this morning so just wanted to pop in and say I’m praying for you @Sarah D, @Rhonda J, and the other prayer requests mentioned!
Amen
I know there were comments yesterday about the sights and smells at the altar, but as we continue to read about the sacrifices the picture becomes bigger and more real to me. This is not what I ever envisioned sacrifices being like. Yet as Jo and Tracy discussed it helps one see the gravity of even the small sins. I wonder how much less likely I’d brush past it if I needed to make an animal sacrifice over it. Jesus thank you for being the sacrifice. Holy Spirit convict me of all my sin.
OBSERVATIONS ON SACRIFICES TODAY:
•BURNT OFFERING:
-In verses 8-13, it is mentioned three times that the fire on the altar should be a continual fire, it must not go out.
-The priest should wear his priestly garments to remove the ashes from the altar & put on other garments to move the ashes to a ceremonially clean place outside of the camp.
-Priest can keep the hide.
•GRAIN OFFERING:
-Especially holy.
-Male descendants from Aaron can eat it in the courtyard to the Tent of Meeting.
-Anything that touches it becomes holy.
-Priest offering it keeps any that is baked in an oven, prepared in a pan or on a griddle. Grain offerings that are presented dry or mixed with olive oil belongs equally to all priests.
-For priest’s anointing: Prepared by next high priest & is to be completely burned as a burnt offering (No other person can act as a representative between the priest & God, therefore their portions are a burnt offering to the Lord.)
•SIN OFFERING:
-Priest who offers it eats it in the courtyard to the Tent of Meeting on the same day it is offered.
-Anything that touches its flesh becomes holy. If a garment gets blood on it from the offering, it is to be washed in a holy place. A clay pot that is used to boil it must be broken. A bronze pot used to boil it must be scoured out & rinsed with water.
-Any male among the priests can eat it. However, if it was brought into the Tent to make atonement in the Holy Place, no one may eat it. It must be burned up.
•GUILT OFFERING:
-Is especially holy
-Offerer presents all the fat which the priest burns up.
-Priest who offers animal eats the rest of animal in a holy place.
•FELLOWSHIP SACRIFICES:
•THANKSGIVING: Grain + Animal
-Grain = Unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil + unleavened wafers coated with oil + well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. A portion of each is offered to the Lord. The rest belongs to the priest who splatters the blood of the offering.
-Meat is to be eaten on the same day it is offered.
•VOW or FREEWILL: To be eaten on day it is presented. Leftovers can be eaten the next day. Nothing is to be eaten from it on the third day. The priests should get rid of it on the third day.
•PRESENTATION OFFERING
-Breast of sacrifice is given to the priests.
-Right thigh belongs to the priest who presents the blood & fat of the offering.
•Meat offered to the Lord is holy. If it touches anything unclean, it must be burned up & not eaten. Anyone clean may eat any other meat. An unclean person who eats fellowship offering is to be cut off from the people.
•No one should eat the fat of an ox, sheep, or goat. Those who eat fat from food offering should be cut off from the people of Israel.
•Any one who eats blood should be cut off from the people of Israel. No one should eat blood of any bird or animal.
WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT DRAWING NEAR TO GOD:
•The fire on the Altar of Burnt Offering was to be continually burning. God is an All-Consuming Fire. His wrath against our sin is continuous. Sin is our nature & we always need atonement. Without Him making atonement for us, we deserve to be burned up in His presence.
•The sacrifices were holy & are being presented to the Holy One. They were to be handled with reverence & fear. My worship is given to the Holy One who has made atonement for my sin. How well do I worship Him? Am I reverent when I worship Him or am I flippant in my worship?
•Through food portions & other items, God provided for the needs of those who served Him. We can trust Him to provide for our needs.
•Jesus’ sacrifice was freely given. Therefore, He stayed in the tomb for three days & rose on the third day, just as people ate the freewill offering for two days & would not eat from it on the third day.
•God is holy, holy, holy! We should remember this about Him and treat Him with the respect, awe, reverence, & fear He deserves. He should receive all glory, praise, & honor.
Leviticus 6:13 A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out. (NKJV)
What a statement on the pervasiveness of sin, that the burnt offering fire would always be needed.
So very very thankful for Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for me, for us.
NADS – haven’t seen you here in a long time, good to see you!
SARAH D – praying for your anxiety and job situation
RHONDA J and others in Ian’s path – praying for safety!
Amen, Jo! Thank you and Tracy. Until we see the depths of our own sin and our own depravity, I don’t think that many get it. It’s easy to do the comparison game and think that amy sin is not as bad as that other person. May we never forget that God is Holy and sin is not taken lightly. The word sacrifice stood out to me today..Elaine said that: “First, the sacrifice was costly; that is what the word “sacrifice” means when we use it in other contexts.” A tremendous price was paid. A price that only the precious Son of God could pay. Jo, you said it when you wrote, “ I know that I need to have a right perspective of my sin so that true repentance can lead to overwhelming thankfulness of the sacrifice Jesus paid for that sin..” What a blessing that will be! May we all come to this place always! Amen!
The sacrifices that were offered became holy because they were in God’s presence. Believers are holy because of the Spirit’s presence.
God calls us to reflect His holiness to the world. May we be encouraged that it is His presence that makes us so; not anything we do, say or think.
Amen Jo!
I was reminded by this of your comment yesterday TRACY GENDRON “We excuse a simple sin and move on. But that one sin is still sin in God’s eyes. I’m thankful that we have forgiveness through Jesus sacrifice.” Amen!!!!! We don’t want to be overwhelmed by the enormity of our sin so instead the danger is that we instead only focus on the forgiveness. I know that I need to have a right perspective of my sin so that true repentance can lead to overwhelming thankfulness of the sacrifice Jesus paid for that sin. Have a blessed day everyone xx