Praise...Fellowship...and Peace

Leviticus 3:1-4 -  " 'If someone's offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the LORD an animal without defect.  He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood against the altar on all sides.  From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the LORD by fire: all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them,

And the instructions continue from the Lord for another possible offering to the Lord.  This chapter suggests that the Israelites might want to bring a fellowship offering to the Lord. They still had to lay their hands on the head…but the directions had them kill the sacrifice themselves. Then the priests scattered the blood as before… right before they selected the right parts of the animal…including the fat…and offered it on the altar.

Funny thing about the title of this offering…different versions of the bible gave it different names. The Living bible and the King James… used the term ‘peace offering” …the NIV I love most used ‘fellowship’…and still other versions used ‘thank.’  This must have been a relatively new idea for them…to praise and thank God for the blessing of his saving grace….but it must have been important…for the Lord spent a whole chapter of Leviticus explaining how to do this. So instead of getting caught up in picking the most appropriate word for this ritual…I choose to combine all these terms …and just see it as God telling them that sometimes…we just need to thank him…praise him for the grace and mercy he provides…and offer it in fellowship with others…so we can be slathered with that abundant peace he gives us…the kind that surpasses all our human understanding.

The commentary in my Life application Bible….said that even the one who sacrificed the animal… shared some of the meat.  It was cooked on top of the burnt sacrifice offered to God for their sins…it was ‘in addition’ to the required sacrifice offered for their sins….and the priest ate some…and the one who sacrificed it ate some.  In this way…God…the priest..and the one who brought it…all shared the meal.  Cool way to see it…a thank offering…to ask God to favor them and bring peace into their life…that they shared in fellowship with God and the priest.

Father…I thank you this morning….and pray that you bring peace into my life that causes a wave of fellowship with you that Satan can never defeat. I give you all I have…to do with what you wish.  Reveal to me your plans for me….help me to see them clearly.  Give me the courage and faith to act on what you tell me to do…and give me a peace that surpasses any I have ever known from human love. Amen.