Leviticus 7 (NRSV)
Instructions concerning the Guilt Offering
This is the ritual of the guilt offering. It is most holy; 2at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered, they shall slaughter the guilt offering, and its blood shall be dashed against all sides of the altar. 3All its fat shall be offered: the broad tail, the fat that covers the entrails, 4the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which shall be removed with the kidneys. 5The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a guilt offering. 6Every male among the priests shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy. 7The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is the same ritual for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. 8So, too, the priest who offers anyone’s burnt offering shall keep the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered. 9And every grain offering baked in the oven, and all that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle, shall belong to the priest who offers it. 10But every other grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron equally.
This offering followed a similar pattern to previous sacrifices. The fat (speaking of the good and the abundance) and the blood (speaking of the life) belonged to God, and had to be given to Him. The meat portions could be shared among the priests, with its distribution determined by the officiating priest.
–David Guzik
Instructions concerning the Offering of Well-Being
11This is the ritual of the sacrifice of the offering of well-being that one may offer to the Lord.
In the old King James Version (1611) and the English Standard Version (2001) of the Bible, this offering is called the peace offering. It points us to Christ —
Ephesians 2:14 (New Living Translation)
For Christ himself has brought peace to us.
Colossians 1:19-20 (New Living Translation)
For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
12If you offer it for thanksgiving, you shall offer with the thank offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of choice flour well soaked in oil. 13With your thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being you shall bring your offering with cakes of leavened bread. 14From this you shall offer one cake from each offering, as a gift to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who dashes the blood of the offering of well-being. 15And the flesh of your thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being shall be eaten on the day it is offered; you shall not leave any of it until morning.
Psalm 50:14-15 (NASB)
“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”
16But if the sacrifice you offer is a votive offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that you offer your sacrifice, and what is left of it shall be eaten the next day; 17but what is left of the flesh of the sacrifice shall be burned up on the third day. 18If any of the flesh of your sacrifice of well-being is eaten on the third day, it shall not be acceptable, nor shall it be credited to the one who offers it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall incur guilt.
19Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burned up. As for other flesh, all who are clean may eat such flesh. 20But those who eat flesh from the Lord’s sacrifice of well-being while in a state of uncleanness shall be cut off from their kin. 21When any one of you touches any unclean thing—human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature—and then eats flesh from the Lord’s sacrifice of well-being, you shall be cut off from your kin.
Further Instructions
22The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23Speak to the people of Israel, saying: You shall eat no fat of ox or sheep or goat. 24The fat of an animal that died or was torn by wild animals may be put to any use, but you must not eat it. 25If any one of you eats the fat from an animal of which an offering by fire may be made to the Lord, you who eat it shall be cut off from your kin. 26You must not eat any blood whatever, either of bird or of animal, in any of your settlements. 27Any one of you who eats any blood shall be cut off from your kin.
Which month is clergy appreciation month? Every month that has a vowel! When last did you encourage your pastor with an email or note? Aaron and his sons were well cared for by the Israelites, as we will read below — let us not forget our responsibility in this regard!
28The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 29Speak to the people of Israel, saying: Any one of you who would offer to the Lord your sacrifice of well-being must yourself bring to the Lord your offering from your sacrifice of well-being. 30Your own hands shall bring the Lord’s offering by fire; you shall bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be raised as an elevation offering before the Lord. 31The priest shall turn the fat into smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons. 32And the right thigh from your sacrifices of well-being you shall give to the priest as an offering; 33the one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the offering of well-being shall have the right thigh for a portion. 34For I have taken the breast of the elevation offering, and the thigh that is offered, from the people of Israel, from their sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel.
35This is the portion allotted to Aaron and to his sons from the offerings made by fire to the Lord, once they have been brought forward to serve the Lord as priests; 36these the Lord commanded to be given them, when he anointed them, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel throughout their generations.
1 Corinthians 9:11-14 (Contemporary English Version)
When we told the message to you, it was like planting spiritual seed. So we have the right to accept material things as our harvest from you. If others have the right to do this, we have an even greater right. But we haven’t used this right of ours. We are willing to put up with anything to keep from causing trouble for the message about Christ.
Don’t you know that people who work in the temple make their living from what is brought to the temple? Don’t you know that a person who serves at the altar is given part of what is offered? In the same way, the Lord wants everyone who preaches the good news to make a living from preaching this message.
37This is the ritual of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the offering of ordination, and the sacrifice of well-being, 38which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, when he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
(Hebrews 10:12)JESUS FULFILLED THE BURNT OFFERING (Leviticus 1)
As Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:2)
JESUS FULFILLED THE GRAIN AND FIRSTFRUITS OFFERING (Leviticus 2)
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
JESUS FULFILLED THE PEACE OFFERING (Leviticus 3)
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God though our Lord, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
JESUS FULFILLED THE SIN OFFERING (Leviticus 4)
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
JESUS FULFILLED THE GUILT OFFERING (Leviticus 5)
Who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:25)
You have made His soul an offering for sin. (Isaiah 53:10)
JESUS FULFILLED EVERY SACRIFICE FOR US!
–David Guzik
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Music:
HERE is a tender and beautiful arrangement of a wonderful old Charles Wesley hymn — “And Can It Be” arranged by Dan Forrest.
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The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
DWELLING in the Word 
