Key Verses: Leviticus 7:11, 7:26, 7:37
The manual for the priests continues with the law of the guilt offering and the peace offering. The peace offering is divided into thanksgiving, vow, and freewill offerings, with rules for how long the meat may be eaten and warnings that eating it while unclean, or after it has spoiled, cuts a person off from the people. Two permanent prohibitions are repeated with emphasis: Israel must eat no fat and no blood, “wherever you dwell.” The priests’ portions — the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed — are assigned as their perpetual due from the people’s offerings.
The double ban on fat and blood teaches reverence: the fat, as the richest part, belongs to God, and the blood, which carries life, is reserved for atonement and never for consumption (a theme unfolded in chapter 17). The careful regulation of the fellowship meal guards the holiness of what has been offered to God, so that communion with Him is never treated casually. That the priests live from the altar becomes a principle Paul applies to gospel ministry: “the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).
Key Terms & Words:
- תּוֹדָה (todah) - Leviticus 7:12 - “Thanksgiving”; the peace offering brought in grateful praise
- תְּנוּפָה (tenufah) - Leviticus 7:30 - “Wave offering”; the priests’ portion presented before the LORD
- דָּם (dam) - Leviticus 7:26 - “Blood”; forbidden as food, reserved for atonement
Cross-References:
- Leviticus 17:11 - The reason blood is reserved: the life is in the blood
- Psalm 50:14 - “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving”
- 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 - Those who serve at the altar share in its offerings
- Hebrews 13:10 - “We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat”
Discussion Questions:
- Why are the fat and the blood treated as belonging to God alone?
- What does the thanksgiving peace offering suggest about the place of gratitude in worship?
- How does the provision for the priests inform the way God’s people support those who minister?