Principle
Under the Law of Moses, GOD gave specific instructions regarding peace offerings.
Explanation
Here are the instructions GOD gave to Israel through Moses in the Law about peace offerings.
- The Israelite offering cattle, sheep, or a goat had to put his hand upon the animal’s head and kill it at the door of the tabernacle.
- The priest sprinkled blood around the altar of burnt offering.
- The priest then removed specified portions and offered the animal as a burnt offering.
- Offerings of thanksgiving and freewill were optional, but guidance on proper processing was still provided.
- These offerings were considered holy, therefore the offerer must have been ceremonially clean. To touch the sacrifice while unclean carried the penalty of severance from Israel.
- These sacrifices could only be offered at the tabernacle / temple.
Cattle
1 ‘Now if his gift for the Lord should be a peace offering, and if he should offer it from the oxen, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 Then he shall put his hands on the head of his gift, and kill it at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar of whole burnt offering. 3 He shall then offer from the peace offering a burnt offering to the Lord; and he shall remove its fat that covers the entrails, all the fat on the entrails, 4 the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys; 5 and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall offer these upon the wood and fire on the altar of whole burnt offering as a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord.
Leviticus 3:1-5 OSB
Sheep
6 ‘Now if his peace offering should be a gift from the sheep, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7 If he should offer a lamb as his gift, then he shall offer it without blemish. 8 Then he shall put his hands on the head of his gift, and kill it before the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. 9 He shall then offer from the peace offering, a burnt offering to God; and he shall remove its fat, the whole fat tail close to the backbone, the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat on the entrails, 10 the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys; 11 and the priest shall offer these on the altar as a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord.
Leviticus 3:6-11 OSB
Goats
12 ‘Now if his gift should be from the goats, then he shall offer it before the Lord. 13 He shall put his hands on its head, and kill it before the Lord at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. 14 Then he shall offer his burnt offering to the Lord; and he shall remove its fat that covers the entrails, all the fat on the entrails, 15 the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys; 16 and the priest shall offer these on the altar as a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord. All the fat is the Lord’s. 17 This shall be a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’”
Leviticus 3:12-17 OSB
Thanksgiving
11 ‘This is the law of the sacrifice of the peace offering, which he shall offer to the Lord: 12 If he should offer it for a thanksgiving, he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened cakes smeared with oil, and fine flour kneaded with oil. 13 Besides the unleavened loaves, he shall offer with his gifts leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering. 14 Then from all his gifts he shall offer one choice portion to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who pours out the blood of the peace offering. 15 The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.
Leviticus 7:11-15 OSB
Freewill
16 Now if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day he offers his sacrifice; and on the next day the remainder of it may also be eaten; 17 but the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. 18 But if some of the flesh should be eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted for him who offered it, nor shall it be imputed to him; it is a defilement; and the soul who eats from it shall bear guilt.
Leviticus 7:16-18 OSB
Cleanliness
19 The flesh that should touch any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire, but all clean flesh may be eaten. 20 But the soul who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering which is the Lord’s while he is unclean, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from among his people. 21 Moreover, the soul who touches any unclean thing, or some human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and who eats some of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering which is the Lord’s, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from among his people.’”
Leviticus 7:19-21 OSB
Priests’ Portion
28 Furthermore, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 29 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of the peace offering to the Lord shall bring his gift to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offering. 30 His own hands shall offer the burnt offerings to the Lord. The lobe of the liver and the fat upon the breast, these he shall offer to place as gifts before the Lord. 31 Then the priest shall offer the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32 Also the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a choice portion from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat shall have the right thigh for his portion. 34 For the breast from which the fat was offered and the thigh of the choice portion I took from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of your peace offerings, and I gave them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by an ordinance forever.’”
35 This is the consecrated portion for Aaron and his sons from the burnt offerings of the Lord, on the day He presented them to minister to the Lord as priests. 36 The Lord commanded this to be given to them by the children of Israel on the day He anointed them, by an ordinance forever throughout their generations.
Leviticus 7:28-36 OSB
Location of Offering
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing the Lord commanded, saying, 3 “Whatever man of the children of Israel, or resident aliens dwelling among them, kills a young bull, a sheep, or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, to offer it as a whole burnt offering or a peace offering to the Lord, acceptable for a sweet aroma; and whatever man kills outside and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, so as to offer it as a gift to the Lord before the Lord’s tabernacle, blood shall be reckoned to that man, for he has shed blood; and that man shall be utterly destroyed from among his people, 5 that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices they kill in the fields to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of testimony, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 The priest shall pour the blood upon the altar all around before the Lord at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony, and offer the fat for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 7 They shall no more offer their sacrifices to worthless things, after whom they prostituted themselves. This shall be an ordinance forever for you throughout your generations.’”
Leviticus 17:1-7 OSB
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