We are looking at Leviticus and studying five offerings. All of these have beautiful symbols which affect us deeply in our relationship with Jesus Christ. You will get a deeper understanding of the cross and our relationship with God if you deeply meditate on this book. All these are God’s gracious means by which he meets our deepest needs. In chapter 1, we saw how the burnt offering meets our greatest need to be loved and accepted. Every time a guilty Jew offered a burnt offering, he would go back experiencing the acceptance and love of God. Chapter 2, the grain offering, shows the true way to be joyful is to respond to God’s love with an expression of gratitude. You can be in the midst of an ocean of people who love you, your family may love you a lot, and your friends may love you, but if your heart does not realize and respond then you are as far separated from love as though you were on a distant planet, alone, thinking no one loves you. Have you thought, if God loves us so much, why are we not experiencing that love? Because we don’t respond and express with gratitude. You experience joy from God’s love only when you respond. The grain offering shows the greatest joy we experience is when we offer ourselves to him, symbolized in the labor of our hands, the grains. People don’t realize they are not happy because they don’t respond with gratitude.
Now, chapter 3, thirdly, comes the peace offering. Peace meets another basic need of human beings. We all need peace. Do we realize we don’t have peace in our lives? We live in a sense of tension and pressure, something squeezing in our head, a mixing in our stomach, our heart beating, and a restlessness that is sometimes so intense you feel that you can’t sit down or sleep restfully, the inability to get your mind off the subject that is troubling you. No matter what you do to distract your mind, it keeps coming back again and again. You feel that you have got to do something, but you don’t know what to do. This is all a sign that your soul is screaming and telling you that your great need is peace. We can say for whatever reason for health problems today, the absence of peace brings high blood pressure, gastric problems, indigestion, ulcers, nervous weakness, and in some cases, emotional breakdown and nervous collapse can follow. God is saying in all this, “Oh man, do you realize one of your basic needs is peace?” God shows in this chapter how we can experience that peace.
Look at the marvelous divine order. The burnt offering makes us experience love, the grain offering makes us experience joy, and the peace offering brings peace. When the New Testament talks about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22, it is no accident. It is a divine order of the great needs of our soul: love, joy, and peace. God, who designed human life, knows our deep needs and those come as fruit from the Holy Spirit when we obey God. When an Israelite truly in faith came and gave a burnt, meal, and peace offering, the result was that his life was greatly blessed and enriched by experiencing love, joy, and peace in those early days.
The word peace is a very important word for a Jew. They greeted each other with “shalom.” And that doesn’t just mean hello. It means, “May you have the wholeness of God’s love, joy, and peace, good welfare, and prosperity in life.” Shalom refers to a man experiencing God’s love, joy, and and peace without need. The peace the Bible talks about is not in the sense of no troubles in life, but in the midst of whatever happens, we have a sense of emotional stability, of an untroubled heart, a sense of security, confidence that all things are under control and that it is all going to work out in a good way. That is true peace. There was a drawing competition. One artist depicted peace as an absolutely calm and tranquil sea lying under the moonlight without a ripple on the water. But the one who won the prize pictured a turbulent mountain waterfall with its noisily plunging waters. There was a lot of sound and mist. But half-hidden behind the waterfall, in the midst of all the thunder and tumult, was a bird’s nest with a mother bird sitting, and all its chicks were quietly and serenely sleeping under their mother’s wings. That was peace. I was searching for a picture, couldn’t get one, so the best I got I put as a thumbnail for this message. Let us learn how to experience that through this chapter 3 peace offering.
- Details of the peace offering.
- Themes of the peace offering.
- Occasions when the peace offering was given.
- Applications for us.
Firstly, broadly what are the distinct features of the peace offering? A peace offering may look the same as a burnt offering. Like the burnt offering, a variety of animal offerings were permitted. If I have to give the entire chapter outline:
Verses 1-5, a peace offering of cattle. Then He explains the method of how to give a peace offering. Verses 6 -11 showed the peace offering of sheep; he repeats the same method on how to give a sheep as a peace offering. If you want to give a goat instead of a sheep, verses 12 – 17 show the peace offering of goats. As a good teacher and knowing people forget, God just repeats the same method three times with different sacrifices. The same structure is repeated with a cow (vss 1-5), sheep (vss 6-11), and goats (vss 12-16).
What is the method? As a Jew you want to give a peace offering. Firstly, it is spontaneous, no compulsion or rule. You would bring a cow, sheep, or goat. And in verse 2, you shall lay your hand on the head of the offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then in verse 3, the priest and Aaron’s sons, the priests, catch the blood and shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. Verses 2-4: Specific parts are consumed on the altar, bringing a soothing aroma before the Lord in verse 5.
Though the method is broadly the same as the burnt offering, I want to notice one distinct feature of the peace offering. Remember the burnt offering was fully burnt, no part was left. The whole thing went up in flames as a soothing aroma to the Lord. Now, in this peace offering, there are only three parts burnt. God only wants three things in a peace offering. First, fat. Verse 3: “the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails.” They are to carefully remove all the fat in the internal intestines and offer it to God. Second, two kidneys. Third, and the lobe, the extended part of the liver, that’s all. That’s all that gets offered. We can say it’s three things: fat, kidney, and liver. Whether it is a cow in verse 2-4, it is fat, kidney, and liver. Whether it is a sheep in verse 9-10, it is fat, kidney, and liver. Or whether it is a goat in 14-15, it is fat, kidney, and liver. These are to be burnt as part of a peace offering.
Okay, God takes these three things, what happens to the rest of the meat? It was not thrown out. Both the priest and the worshiper should enjoy the remaining meat. They will always have a festive meal. Leviticus 7:28-34 says there are two important portions of the peace offering: the breast and the right thigh. They should be carefully brought and waved before the Lord. Lift hands and wave, “Lord, this is your peace offering, and we thank you for joyfully allowing us to partake in this.” And the priest will eat those two special portions. Remember the two important portions: read verse 34, “the breast and the right thigh.” Then, the worshiper gathers his family in the environs of the Tabernacle, and they all enjoy a festive meal with the rest of the meat.
So those are the details of the peace offering.
Themes of the Peace Offering
Firstly, we see the peace offering given as a spontaneous thing. Verse 2: “When anyone of you brings an offering to the Lord.” Other offerings, always after a burnt offering, a grain offering was given. It was part of the daily and weekly temple worship of the nation, but a peace offering was completely dependent on the giver. It is a spontaneous peace offering that was offered when a man was personally moved. No day, time, or event. He can give anytime he is moved to give a peace offering.
Secondly, the best is given and is to be given with deep emotions. This is indicated in the three things given: fat, kidney, and liver. Why fat? In fact in verse 17, he forbids eating fat at a peace offering. “This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.” No fat during a peace offering. In fact, in Leviticus 7:24, “For whoever eats the fat of the animal of peace offering, he shall be cut off from his people.” See chapter 3:16, there is a phrase “All fat is the LORD’s.” What a comfort that is to some of us! Today with no activity and high cholesterol, we may see fat as a bad thing, but in the Old Testament, fat is always synonymous with the best. The fat in the Old Testament is always a sign of the best. The taste of the meat is in the fat. Genesis 45:18, Joseph is sending a message to his father, Jacob, “Come to Egypt with your whole family,” he promises to give the best of Egypt. And therefore, he says, “I will give you the best of Egypt so you can feed on the fat of the land.” The fat is the best. A peace offering indicates you have to give the best to the Lord.
How should you give? Not carelessly or grumbling, “Oh, not fat at all.” No, with deep emotional engagement. That is what the kidney and liver show. The kidney, liver, and intestines, internal organs, for Hebrews, are always a sign of deep emotions. In English or Tamil, we say, “I feel or love God with all my heart.” Hebrews would actually say, “I love God with all my intestines, kidney, and liver.” You see Job actually saying this. That is what David meant “bless the Lord all that is within me.” Hebrews believed emotions came from the intestines. So fat indicates you give the best to the Lord and you give it with deep emotional engagement.
First, spontaneous, give best with deep emotions. Thirdly, it was a joyful festive meal. It is also called a fellowship offering. In fact, Deuteronomy 12:7 describes the joy, “you and your household rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you” and enjoy the peace offering meal. It need not be over in just one day. Leviticus 19:5-8 talks about that. You have to eat on the same day at the tabernacle surrounding. If you finish eating all the same day, the peace offering feast is over. But if you have some peace offering left, you can have a feast the next day. If you have anything on the third day, you shall burn it. But notice you’re not to feast on the third day and beyond, for that would be an abomination. After the third day, without modern freezers, it may be spoiled. So it was a very happy feast for the worshiper.
Remember the three themes: First, spontaneous; give the best with deep emotions; thirdly, it was a joyful festive meal. So we see details, themes, and now we will look at when was the peace offering given in the Old Testament. Though spontaneous, you see specific times it was given. If you survey the Bible, you will find mostly three times.
Firstly, most times when a peace offering is given, is when they are in danger, in trouble, have no peace, are disturbed, and want God’s peace. In Judges 20, the whole nation is in big trouble because one of the tribes, Benjamin, has become like Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember the Levite’s wife was raped in Gibeah of Benjamin. The man cut her into 12 pieces and sent them to the 12 tribes, and the whole nation was shocked. Then the 11 tribes attacked Benjamin, but they faced defeat. They are confused and didn’t have shalom. They didn’t have peace. They humbled before the Lord, fasted, and offered a burnt and peace offering, confessing their sins and they were seeking peace from the believing God. Priests were eating the breast and right thigh. And after they offered up the peace offering, we find the Lord gave them a plan for victory, how to ambush and attack. And by following God’s plan, they defeated the Benjaminites, and they had peace.
Secondly, very important, whenever they want to grow in their fellowship with God. We see David sinned when he sinned by counting people. He repented and offered first a burnt offering and then in 2 Samuel 24:25, a peace offering. Ezra and others living in Babylon away from God and his temple. When Cyrus declares the Jews can go and build the temple in Jerusalem, Ezra and others offer a burnt and peace offering to come close to God.
It is like through a burnt offering we are accepted before God as justified. And then you want to grow in our fellowship with God so we bring a peace offering. And it is called a fellowship offering because this is an offering that we share with God, a meal with God. We give a few parts to God, the best parts, a few parts to God’s priest, and gather our family to partake of that meal near God’s tabernacle and enjoyed the meal. It brings us closer communion and fellowship with God.
Thirdly, we find an Old Testament occasion when God gives answers to prayers or to celebrate any blessings they receive, they come and offer a peace offering. A classic case is 1 Samuel 1 with Hannah. She prays for a baby, God answers, she brings a bull – they were rich – and gives a peace offering. She was ecstatic because God had given her little Samuel. We know she was so filled with joy by God’s answer. She sang, “my heart exalts in Jehovah,” she was joyful God answered her prayer.
So those are the Old Testament occasions: no peace, when you want to come closer to God in fellowship, and in answer to prayers or blessings. So those are the details of the peace offering. The next time you read the Bible about a peace offering, you will know what is involved.
So we saw features of the peace offering, three themes of the peace offering, and two times it was offered in the Old Testament. Now, how do we apply it to us today? Though the need for animal sacrifice is removed in the New Testament because the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all animal sacrifices, we can learn deep principles from the peace offering. Just as they offered a peace offering, we can offer a peace offering on a few occasions.
Application
Firstly, here we are in the New Testament. What do we do in times of danger, trouble, and times when we don’t have peace? How do we find peace now? We can find peace by a peace offering now. The animal that was sacrificed was a picture of Christ. He was the fulfillment of the peace offering. He offered his fat, kidney, and liver. He offered his best, a best sacrifice, his deep supreme heart emotions to God, loving God with all his heart. Because of his life and death, we have peace with God when we trust his sacrifice objectively. But pastor, I know I have peace with God, but how do I experience that peace of God? Subjectively, experientially, inside my heart? I believe I have peace with God because of Christ’s work, but I need the peace of God in my heart in my situations. How do I experience it?
Just like how the Israelites ate the peace offering. When our minds are all full and disturbed with 101 thoughts, we need to feed our mind with the peace offering. God in the gospel is offering a peace offering to you through his son. The only way you can find true peace of mind is when you feed on his Son. John 6:53, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.”
What important portions are given for us to feed on as priests in the New Testament? Remember the two important portions that were waved before the Lord and eaten: the breast and the right thigh. In Scripture, the breast is a symbol of affection and love. The right thigh is always a symbol of power and strength. It is where the strength of our physical bodies is centered. I think right in that little requirement is hidden the secret and beautiful picture of how to have peace in the midst of trouble. You find peace when you depend upon the love and the strength of Jesus Christ to solve our problems in his own way and time.
When troubled, not knowing what to do, what do we do? Feed your mind with the breast of the peace offering. In faith, you have to meditate. Turn your mind. I was teaching meditation is mumbling. Take a verse that talks about the love of Christ. “Cast your cares on him, because he cares for you.” “I will never you or forsake.” “God who did not spare his son, but gave him for us, how will he not give all other things?” Keep mumbling those verses, not just from mouth to mind. It will clear all the thoughts and settle the thought of Christ’s love in our mind.
Focus your mind on the love of Christ, how he loves you, to remind you that he is concerned about you. He knows the problem you are going through. He has been through it himself. United to you, he understands exactly how you feel. And he will never abandon you. He loves you and he will be with you in it. Every time you are in trouble, just sit, maybe lean on the breast of Christ, and allow your mind to think of the love of Christ, what he did, what he is doing for a few minutes.
And then, feed on the thigh. Focus on his almighty power, to remind you that he is able to work it out in his own way and time. “All power in heaven and on earth is committed unto me,” (Matthew 28:18). He is the Lord of Lords who works all things for the good of his children. As you begin to accept that fact, and to rest upon it, to reckon it true, to count upon it, you will find peace flowing into your heart like a river in the midst of your troubled circumstance. That is the way it works.
Our problem is that we are always trying to second-guess God. Aren’t we? We think God should answer a prayer in a certain way. If he doesn’t, we assume God is not hearing, not loving. We get mad at God. We say, “Prayer doesn’t work. God doesn’t care. He’s not faithful!” We have forgotten that God has promised that he loves us, and that he has the power to work it out his own way. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” (Isaiah 55:8). “The way you think it is going to work out is not the way I am going to work it out. But if you will trust me I’ll work it out.” And if we will accept that fact, if we feed, you see, upon the breast and the thigh, upon the love and the power of Jesus Christ, he will work it out in his own way and time. And that is where peace comes from.
The New Testament teaches this very plainly. Listen to these words from John 14:27. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you [I bequeath it to you. You can have it; it is yours]; not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:25-27a) That last statement is very important to notice. How does the world give peace? You know how. When a worldly man is disturbed and upset and troubled, he tries to do one of three things. He first tries to change the circumstances, because his peace comes from peaceful circumstances. He can be at peace only when everything is peaceful around him. And so he tries desperately to change the circumstances. But they cannot always be changed. So if he cannot change them, he tries to forget them and run away, go on vacation, go home to mother, take a drug, or get drunk. That forgetfulness is the world’s way of finding a degree of peace. If he cannot do that then the third thing he tries is to blame his difficulty on somebody else. It is everybody’s fault but his. Thus the worldling seeks peace, but he never finds it that way. So Jesus says, “I’m not going to give you peace that way. Not as the world gives, give I unto you.” All that will not give true peace.
How does he give it, then? He gives it from within. He gives it as you feed upon his affection and his power. As you depend, trust, and reckon his promises to be true and turn the job over to him and leave it in his hands, then you will have peace.
In that well-known passage in Philippians 4:6-7, Paul says, “the peace of God, which passes all understanding [you won’t be able to explain how it got there — the circumstances haven’t changed, you’re not forgetting or running from the problem, nor trying to blame it on everybody else] will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) This is the only way to find peace: eat the breast and thigh. The world may seem upside down, all falling apart, pressures so intense as to drain all natural strength. At those times, realize God loves you and he has infinite power at work in the situation.
You may say, “Pastor, yes, I have peace when I come to think of Christ’s love and power, but in one or two days, I lost it.” See another marvelous truth. You want to continue to enjoy this. The Lord told them to eat the peace offering on the first and second day, not the third day. What was the Lord saying? It is a very practical truth. He is saying that there must be no separation between the peace that you feel and the source that gives you peace, the sacrifice which provided it. You must not separate the two. In other words, you must not depend upon the feelings of peace that are given to you. Don’t try to live on those. Once peace is given as a result of trusting the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf, don’t just say, “Ah, now I feel much better! I think I can go on now, and tomorrow I’ll just expect this peace still to be here and I’ll presume or reckon on that.” Don’t shift your dependence from the One who gives peace to the feeling that is produced. What a practical warning that is! Because we all tend to do this, don’t we? As soon as the load is lifted, we think, “Well, everything’s fine now. I’ll shift back now and go on, on my own.” But if you try that, within two days you are right back into the same mess again, with a troubled heart. No, there is only one source from which peace can come. It comes by abiding in Christ, abiding in him, dependent on his love and power. That is the secret of constant peace.
You know the wonderful news is the Israelites’ peace offering meat would be over on the third day because the meat will spoil. But our peace offering meat, the Lord Jesus Christ, he did not decay on the third day, but he rose from the dead on the third day and lives forever. He lives forever, so we can ever eat this peace offering and always experience his peace. So we see like this in the New Testament, we can offer a peace offering at times of trouble, when we need peace. Whenever I don’t have shalom.
Secondly, a peace offering shows us how to grow in our fellowship with God. When an Israelite feels a sense of distance between him and God, maybe he has sinned, what does he do? The first thing he does is go to the offerings, a burnt offering, to experience the peace of God. Godly Israelites don’t stop there, they offer a peace offering, just like David did when he sinned by counting. You see, offering a burnt offering first and then a peace offering. Why? The three themes of the peace offering show how we can grow in a relationship with the living God. When God has provided a burnt offering for us through Christ and showed us a living way to have a relationship with God, whatever we have sinned, every truly forgiven soul would want to continue to grow in fellowship with God.
What kind of relationship does God want from us? The three themes of the peace offering show us the kind of relationship we should have with God. Firstly, it has to be a dynamic, spontaneous relationship. Secondly, earnest, and thirdly, a joyful relationship. Can we describe our relationship with God with these words?
First of all, it should be a dynamic and lively relationship. By that I mean not forced or dull, dead. I know there are sad marriages where a husband and a wife don’t communicate with each other much at all. In fact, when the husband comes home, there is a blurring silence in the house. That’s a dead relationship. Isn’t it? And so too, in a relationship between God and man, there ought to be a dynamic and a lively continual interaction of man with his God. Is there spontaneity in your relationship with God, as is manifested in the peace offering?
And you know what I mean by spontaneity, meaning not doing things because you have to. Even when no one expects, you do. Like a man who doesn’t buy a gift or flowers for his wife only because it’s her birthday or anniversary, but suddenly he buys something for his wife unexpectedly. Why? Just like that, or calls her urgently. The wife is anxious, “What happened?” The husband says, “I’m in love, honey.” No, it was not expected, not an anniversary, not a birthday. She may wonder, “Do you want anything?” It was just something that was spontaneous. We see that in the peace offering, don’t we? A man is moved with gratitude in his soul to offer Thanksgiving to the Living God.
Do you know that spontaneity in your relationship? Not praying or singing just because, “Oh, okay, today is Saturday, Sunday is coming, so let me read and pray.” Or in the morning you have a routine five-minute prayer. But at some unusual times, unexpected times, maybe you are busy, but suddenly you think of God. Meditate on God. When your emotions well up in adoration to the living God. You’re amazed that God has forgiven you of your sins, and you have peace with the living God. You think of a sermon, some promise. You go out and into a room, or sit in a chair. You praise and thank God. That is a spontaneous peace offering.
We don’t have to offer animals in the New Testament. The only sacrifice, the fruit of lips which praise God, is the New Testament offering. Hebrews 13 and verse 15, the Hebrew writer is talking about so many sacrifices. When God has fulfilled all that on our behalf, we don’t have to offer all that. But how regularly we should be offering praise of lips. Those are peace offerings you offer to God unexpectedly. You praise God and thank God. Maybe while driving a car, sitting or waiting for some time, woman, you are washing dishes or cooking. Just offering a peace offering, praising God. When you see your wife or husband, or children all healthy, you remember when you didn’t have children, pregnancy struggles, your marriage struggles, how God has blessed you now. All that joy they bring into your life. When you have good gifts in life, when you have good food, when you have a job, receive salary, good things of life. Spontaneously because you’re moved to make offerings to the living God. Brethren, our lives ought to be filled, speckled with spontaneous peace offerings. Our relationship with God should not be wooden, or routine, but a dynamic and lively relationship with God. Will you learn that from a peace offering? You ought to make sure that you have the peace offerings.
Secondly, a peace offering teaches that in our relationship with God, it should be an earnest relationship. A relationship that moves us and touches deeply and brings deep emotions. What is God saying by asking for the fat, kidney, and liver? Doesn’t all that depict earnestness? Matthew Henry puts it this way: “God must have our inwards.” That’s what we give to God. God must have our zeal and our affections and our emotions. God doesn’t want mere outward formalism from us. He doesn’t want a religion where we pick ourselves from bed and force ourselves to church to the worship of the Lord because that’s our duty. Yes, it is a duty. But we offer a true peace offering and experience peace and fellowship when we come with earnest eagerness. We give our innards and our emotions.
When we open our Bible or are praying, God wants our inwards. He wants even our passions and eagerness. He wants us to purify our desires. God wants earnestness in our relationship with him. See the fat denotes the best and the choicest of our emotions, souls, and of our lives to be given to God. The first command is to love God with all your heart. First and top most emotions and eagerness belong to God. Fat belongs to God. The cream of our life belongs to God. A preacher said how many Christians never experience peace or true fellowship with God because they give not the fat, but the remainders, not the fat, they give the lean to God. They keep the fat, the best fruit of their life’s activity, for themselves. It is easy Christianity. A peace offering teaches us we are to give to God the best of our time, the best of our energies, the best of our finances, our leisure hours, our skills, and we are not to habitually be spending them upon ourselves in our own leisure seeking. You see, God wants the fat. God wants the kidneys. God wants the intestines, the fact. Our earnest, not formalist religion.
Remember what it said, verse 17, “you should not eat fat as an eternal perpetual statute” and in fact, “You’re not to take your best and eat it for yourself and spend it upon yourself.” And it even says in Leviticus 7:25, “Whoever eats the fat shall be cut off from his people.” Do you see the type there? If you call yourself one of God’s people and you are found ever eating the fat, spending it on yourself, you are cut off from that privilege and you are not one of God’s covenant people. Cut off from the fellowship and communion with God. So we see our relationship not only spontaneous but earnest, giving our best to God.
Finally, in Godward communion, a joyful relationship, a peace offering is a joyful festive meal. When we think about really, what’s my relationship, what is the atmosphere of my relationship with my God? Is it that of a threatening police interview or interrogation? Or is it that of a friendly dining room? Some people have an idea that God is the supreme policeman who wants to catch us in our sin, put us in an interrogation room, and question and threaten us like guilty suspects. He should always be rebuking me always, pointing that sin in my life, this wrong in my life, making me guilty. I should be trembling and sweating. Is that our religion? Yes, there are times we become like that. We need some rebuking and warning.
Generally, see the relationship God wants to have with us through his son. He didn’t redeem, justify, and adopt us for that kind of relationship. He treats us as beloved guests in his son. He spreads a bountiful table of providence and redemption for us to enjoy. And he serves us as a host. He wants us to come boldly to his throne through the living, knowing he will welcome us and treat us as honored guests. Isn’t this what David tells us in Psalm 23, “he spreads a table before and anoints my head with oil”?
This peace teaches us, “Oh child of God, throw all your inhibitions, worries, come boldly to my table, sit at my table. I am your host. And come and sit at that table and bask in the smile of your God who has redeemed you through his son. Enjoy my redemptive table meal.” Some houses we go to, we know we are new to them, they don’t know us. Maybe we have a feeling those people don’t like us at all, half-heartedly providing a meal. Will we enjoy that food? Never. God is not like that. He knows all we need, knowing that he himself as a chef has prepared the meal in peace. He says, “Come let us eat together,” just like Jesus rose and prepared breakfast for the disciples who didn’t catch anything, were very hungry, and ate with them. A peace offering says, “Oh sinner, come in and enjoy my feast with on my smiling favor.” It is a joyful, enjoyable relationship. See you want a growing relationship with God. Remember the themes of the peace offering: spontaneous, dynamic, earnest, and joyful.
Finally, a feast offering was given during answered prayers to celebrate any blessings from God. Sometimes it was a community feast where families were gathered and enjoyed a peace offering, like Hannah.
A peace offering not only helps us grow our fellowship with God, but also with our brothers and sisters. The Lord’s Supper is a way of offering peace; we gather and celebrate the Lord’s death. But in the New Testament, I think God’s delight is to see his reconciled children happily enjoying the bounty from his hand. I think there is an application and permission here: we as a church should often have fellowship meals. As a church, we have such joy with all the items: mutton, chicken, sweets, and church fellowship dinners.
We celebrate our fellowship as a church. We don’t realize how much those events help us to grow in fellowship. Do we realize that the Lord is pleased with that? “Where two or three are gathered,” not only as a gathering assembly, but even in a feast, the Lord is there. How many times did Christ speak about feasts in the New Testament? He said, “I was eager to do the Passover feast.” Even heaven itself was compared to a meal, a feast.
We should do more of that; it should be a consistent part of our church life. Vinod is planning a picnic. Yes, we can go as a family, but it would be a blessed joy to go as a church. Those things increase our fellowship with one another. These kinds of events are like a foretaste of when we are going to eat together in the new heavens and new earth.
Not only as a gathered church, we should also regularly have mini fellowship meals in personal hospitality with other brothers. How do we celebrate God’s answers to us and celebrate blessings? A promotion at a job, a birthday, an anniversary for another year, or a special blessing in life. We should have a fellowship meal. Call a brother’s or two brothers’ families and have a meal to offer such a peace offering. I believe such a thing is wholesome when it is within economic reason and responsibility. Don’t be too lavish, always feasting, and don’t fall into debt.
Some people go to the other extreme, where they never think of celebrating and miss all the joy. Why? Expenses. They are always stingy, saving and saving. What will you enjoy in life? Like our grandparents, saving, saving, for land, but not enjoying it. In the end, no one cared for them. Yes, we should be good stewards, but I think God allows us to enjoy with fellowship. I have seen that by always spending for the church, the Lord has always blessed me more. He even said that he will not lose a reward for a cup of water. If you think, “Oh, I have no money,” whatever we can, sometimes a cake or juice or a snack, is a fellowship meal. We should have more.
We should have more Thanksgiving lunches and dinners, and bless God for a harvest and the prosperous labor of our hands.
How wrong are some people to think God is this strict, somber, and serious, and wants us to be like a sadhu or a sannyasi? No, he wants us to enjoy his blessings. There is a certain unbiblical feeling that people have that God detests satisfaction and the enjoyment of his blessings and indulgence. That is not true. Look at the peace offering. God ordained a festival meal with family near his temple.
In Deuteronomy 12:20, about this peace offering, it says, “you may buy and eat in the Lord’s presence whatever your soul desires. Whatever your soul desires.” You see, there are certain individuals who have the notion that man should never have enjoyment. Ephesians 2 talks about that false religion that says, “touch not, taste not, handle not,” don’t eat this and that.
Do you realize that not all self-denial is virtuous? 1 Timothy 4 talks about men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods “which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth, for everything created by God is good. And nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude, for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
Biblical religion is not a “torture box” Christianity, like some people try to make it. It is liberty that Christ has purchased to enjoy without sinning or breaking his law. Here was a delightful festive meal. And there ought to be that dimension in our lives now. We need to always be careful, as we are such creatures of extreme. May God give us grace to implement that principle and see in our God not a perpetually frowning face, but a face that delights for his people to enjoy his bounty. So the first of the categories of enjoyment is in festive celebration.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 