Leviticus 3 Commentary: Fellowship offerings.
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Chapter 1 introduced us to burnt offerings – whole burnt offerings. Only male animals without defects were acceptable, from the herd or flock. Birds, pigeons or doves were also acceptable.
Chapter 2 introduced us to grain offerings: Flour or bread strictly without yeast.
Now chapter 3 introduces us to fellowship or peace offerings. This could come from either the herd or the flock and could either be male or female. Only selected parts were to be burnt on the altar. You may notice that these parts could be considered choice parts – an indication that the best part of our lives belongs to the LORD. It follows the pattern we have seen so far.
The animal itself must be in perfect condition. Again the thought is that the worship of the LORD is serious business. The LORD is perfection itself and worshippers are therefore required to be perfect. It is a condition man has clearly failed to meet. Only by the cross do we find means to attain perfection and be in a position to worship.
The splashing of blood against the altar is an indication that life belongs to God. Blood was never to be consumed. I guess blood was splashed against the altar to achieve the same effect as burning. The fat was not to be consumed by people, just like blood.
Today the word fat carries with it a negative feeling but in reality no one would complain about a fat income! It is a positive word. Jacob’s blessing included the ‘fat of the earth’. We can think of the best for Jacob in these lines. When the LORD forbids man from consuming fat, the thought is that the best portions belong to the LORD. It is symbolic of what the worship of the LORD should be like. The LORD demands the very best of us! But in reality, who doesn’t feel defeated by these very high standards? Yes, these symbols here are pointing us to what the LORD Jesus Christ achieved at Calvary on your behalf.
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