Leviticus 3:1-5
Sitting in Fellowship (2)
Last week, we started looking at third of the practical offering, the
Peace Offering. I told you last week that there are only two main
points to this message.
I. The Similarities of the Peace Offering (to other blood sacrifices)
A. There are similarities between all of the blood sacrifices
because they are all point us to sin, salvation, and the
Savior.
B. However, every sacrifice was different and pointed to
different truths.
II. The Difference of the Peace Offering
A. \\#Lev 3:1\\ The Peace Offering could be either male or
female.
B. The Peace Offering was to be without blemish, but the book of
Leviticus did make an exception.
1. Found in \\#Lev 22:21-23\\.
2. If the Peace Offering was being offered as a freewill
offering, it could have some superfluous (extra) parts or
be lacking in some parts.
3. Both of these exceptions pointed to two truths.
a. God was making some exceptions to the sacrifice so
that more people could bring them.
b. God was using these sacrifices to point out different
truths.
C. \\#2\\ "at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation"
1. This difference is a difference not because of what was
said but what was not.
2. Any animal that was to be sacrificed was always to be
killed at the door of the Tabernacle.
a. In fact, while the children of Israel marched in the
wilderness, EVERY animal slain had to be slain at the
door of the Tabernacle and offered as a Peace
Offering \\#Lev 17:1-9\\.
b. This was to teach the Jews NOT to offer sacrifices to
their false gods.
Lev 17:7 And they shall no more offer their
sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone
a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto
them throughout their generations.
c. Once the Jews were in the Promised Land, they could
slay meat for food at their homes, but a sacrifice
could only be slain at the door of the Tabernacle.
Deut 12:20 When the LORD thy God shall enlarge
thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou
shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul
longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh,
whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
21 If the place which the LORD thy God hath
chosen to put his name there be too far from
thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of
thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as
I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in
thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
3. Although not specifically stated in the Peace Offering,
all the offerings were to be slain not only at the door
of the Tabernacle, but on the north side of the altar.
a. The Burnt Offering
Leviticus 1:11 And he shall kill it on the side
of the altar northward before the LORD: and the
priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle his blood
round about upon the altar.
b. The Sin Offering
Leviticus 6:25 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons,
saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In
the place where the burnt offering is killed
shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD:
it is most holy.
c. The Trespass Offering
Leviticus 7:2 In the place where they kill the
burnt offering shall they kill the trespass
offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle
round about upon the altar.
4. The fact that these scriptures do not state that the Peace
Offering is to be slain on the north side is different
from the other blood sacrifices.
5. According to some who have done more research on the
Tabernacle’s layout than I have, God left the north side
of the altar an open area so the animals could be slain
there.
a. On the west side was the laver. \\#Ex 30:18\\
b. \\#Lev 1:16\\ On the east side, the trash and ashes of
the offerings were thrown until they could be
disposed of.
c. The south was the direction by which the priests went
up to the altar.
(1) \\#Ex 20:26\\ That was not by steps as it was
forbidden.
(b) The Jews must have built a dirt slope.
\\See Barnes Commentary on "Lev 1:11"\\
6. The north side in the Bible represents the location of
heaven and the presence of God.
a. When Lucifer wanted to take God’s place, he spoke of
sitting on the north side of the mount of the
congregation.
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north:
b. When God spoke of promotion (a gift which He gives to
this world) He left north as the only direction from
which it came.
Psalm 75:6 For promotion cometh neither from the
east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
c. Judgment is often pictured as coming from the north.
While that is the direction from which God often
brought enemies to punish Israel, it is possible that
there was a dual inference to those prophecies.
Isa 14:31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole
Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come
from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone
in his appointed times.
d. Jesus was believed to have been slain on the north
side of Jerusalem.
Psalm 48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of
the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of
the north, the city of the great King.
(1) Both the Garden Tomb and the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre are north of Jerusalem.
(2) Source:
https://www.gci.org/articles/where-was-golgotha/
7. So the north side of the altar is a picture of where God
was.
a. The sacrifices were being slain in His presence, at
His command, and pictured His Son dying on the cross.
b. There is no doubt when Jesus was dying, God was
present for that Sacrifice.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?
c. These sacrifices were personal for God. He was not
detached from the sacrifices but was there and
watched.
d. This was pictured in the fact the animals were slain
on the north side.
8. However, God does not mention the north side of the altar
when it comes to the Peace Offering.
a. There is no doubt that the Peace Offering sacrifice
was slain there.
(1) That was the designated place of slaying.
(2) Jewish writings make that clear.
(3) It is just not repeated in this text.
b. Why?
(1) Some think God just did not want to repeat it
again and that may be true. However, God makes
sure to repeat it when dealing with the Burnt
Offering, the Sin Offering, and the Trespass
Offering. This is the only blood sacrifice in
which it is not mentioned.
(2) I believe it is because God did not pour His
judgment out upon the Peace Offering.
(a) He pours His judgment out on the offerings
that deal with sin (the Burnt Offering,
the Sin Offering, the Trespass offering).
(b) The problem between God and man is not
primarily a PEACE problem but a SIN
problem.
(c) A lack of peace between God and man is a
symptom of the problem, but it is not the
problem.
(d) There is no doubt that the only way to get
peace with God is through the blood of
Jesus Christ and that is why this offering
is a blood sacrifice.
(e) But you can’t offer a Peace Offering to get
peace without first offering a Sin Offering
to deal with the sin.
(f) So even though the Peace Offering was
offered on the north side, God does not
associate it with the north side.
D. The animals offered were slightly different.
1. There were similarities to the Burnt Offering animals, but
they were not the same.
2. And the animals that were the same are divided into
different groups than with the Burnt Offering.
3. Peace Offering animals and groupings:
a. \\#1-5\\ Peace Offering animals were of "the herd,"
meaning one of the larger, full-grow animals such as
a bull or a grown cow.
b. \\#6-11\\ Peace Offering animals were of "the flock,"
meaning a goat or a young cow.
c. \\#12-16\\ The lamb was a Peace Offering animal left
to itself.
(1) While the lamb was treated the same as the goat
in the Burnt Offering, it was not in the Peace
Offering.
(2) I will address that more later.
4. One type of animal that was NOT offered with the Peace
Offering that was offered with the Burnt Offering was
birds.
a. The Burnt Offering allowed a pigeon or two turtle
doves to be offered. This allowed the poorest of the
people to bring a Burnt Offering.
b. The Peace Offering did not.
c. Why? Well, as usual, the Bible does not say, but I
think it was because there was no cut on the bird
that was substantial enough to picture the kind of
fellowship the Peace Offering demonstrated.
(1) The Peace Offering, like the Meat Offering, was
to be shared so as to be a fellowship offering.
(2) \\#Lev 7:11-36\\ also discuss the Peace Offering.
(3) There we find out that the "right shoulder" went
to the priests to eat \\#Lev 7:32-35\\ and what
was not offered to the Lord or given to the
priest was also to be eaten by the offeror.
(4) If a bird was offered for a Peace Offering,
there just would not be enough meat to make
a fellowship offering that would illustrate
the fellowship we have with God.
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