Key Verses: Leviticus 3:1, 3:11, 3:17
The peace offering (the shelamim, from shalom, “peace” or “wholeness”) may be from the herd or the flock, male or female, and its distinctive mark is that it is shared. The fat portions and the inner organs are burned on the altar as “the LORD’s food,” a pleasing aroma; the breast and thigh go to the priests; and the rest is eaten by the worshiper and his household in a fellowship meal before God. The chapter ends with a perpetual statute binding on all Israel: “you shall eat neither fat nor blood.”
The peace offering celebrates reconciliation and communion with God — a shared meal in which the worshiper, having been atoned for, sits down at God’s table in fellowship and joy. It could be brought as thanksgiving, in fulfillment of a vow, or as a freewill offering. This meal of peace anticipates the fellowship believers have with God through Christ, “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1), and the table He spreads for His people, both the Lord’s Supper and the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Key Terms & Words:
- שְׁלָמִים (shelamim) - Leviticus 3:1 - “Peace offering”; from shalom, a sacrifice of fellowship, wholeness, and reconciliation
- חֵלֶב (chelev) - Leviticus 3:16 - “Fat”; the best portion, burned for the LORD and never eaten
- רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ (reach nichoach) - Leviticus 3:5 - “A pleasing aroma”; the offering received with favor by God
Cross-References:
- Leviticus 7:11-18 - The three kinds of peace offering: thanksgiving, vow, and freewill
- Romans 5:1 - Justified by faith, we have peace with God through Christ
- Colossians 1:20 - Making peace by the blood of His cross
- Luke 22:19-20 - The meal of the new covenant in Christ’s body and blood
Discussion Questions:
- How does the shared meal of the peace offering differ from the burnt and grain offerings, and what does that difference express?
- Why might the same offering be brought in thanksgiving, for a vow, or freely?
- What does it mean that God invites the forgiven sinner to eat in His presence?