12 September Leviticus 3

The ultimate peace offering, Jesus Christ

Leviticus 3:1-2 (AMP) ‘If a man’s offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice] and kill it at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.

The peace offering. The Hebrew word for peace is " שְׁלָמִים - Shelamim" which is similar to "Shalom" and carries two main ideas. First, it was a gift given by the Israelites to thank God for the peace, friendship, and closeness they felt with Him. Second, after giving the peace offering to the Lord, it became a fellowship meal that the Israelites and the priest happily shared before God, with God's portion being burned on the altar.

The sacrifice of a peace offering could be either a male or female animal. However, the animal still had to be without blemish.

· Without blemish, means we give God the best.

· Without blemish, means we need a sinless substitute.

· Without blemish, points to Jesus, the perfect sacrifice.

1 Peter 1:19 (NKJV) “but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. “The peace offering was not an offering to make peace with God (this was the purpose of the sin offering of Leviticus 4, but an offering to enjoy peace with God. The whole reason Jesus made peace between the Father and the believer is so that the peace could be enjoyed.” - David Guzik

The greatest act of peace ever made was when Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross. His sacrifice not only took away the punishment for our sins but also brought peace between believers and God, a peace we can now experience as implied by:

Romans 5:1 (AMP) “Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)”.

Ephesians 2:14-16 (AMP) “For He Himself is our peace and our bond of unity. He who made both groups—[Jews and Gentiles]—into one body and broke down the barrier, the dividing wall [of spiritual antagonism between us], 15 by abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the hostility caused by the Law with its commandments contained in ordinances [which He satisfied]; so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thereby establishing peace. 16 And [that He] might reconcile them both [Jew and Gentile, united] in one body to God through the cross, thereby putting to death the hostility”.

Colossians 1:20 (AMP) “and through [the intervention of] the Son to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace [with believers] through the blood of His cross; through Him, [I say,] whether things on earth or things in heaven”.

The word reconcile means to change, referring to our relationship with God. It is not God who is reconciled to man, but man who is reconciled to God through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (AMP) “But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but cancelling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favour with God]. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God”.

We will never experience peace until we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, the peace offering in Leviticus 3 is a powerful symbol of the relationship between God and His people, highlighting the importance of offering the best to God and recognising the need for a sinless substitute. This offering was not about making peace with God but enjoying the existing peace through fellowship. This Old Testament practice points forward to the ultimate peace offering, Jesus Christ, who, through His sacrificial death, brought lasting peace between God and humanity. As believers, we are called to embrace and share this peace, living as ambassadors of Christ's reconciliation, knowing that true peace can only be found through Him.