Morning Light – Leviticus 7

[Leviticus 7] Cleansed from Guilt by the Blood of Jesus. Moses receives laws concerning the preparation of the trespass or “guilt” offering. Each offering was very personal, and each offering involved shedding of blood. God’s only answer for sin is the shedding of sacrificial blood. Leviticus 7 also reveals the mystery of why Jesus was raised the 3rd day and not the 2nd or the 4th day. This is connected with His priestly ministry and what He did with His blood when He carried it into the heavens.

[Lev 7:1-38 KJV] 1 Likewise this [is] the law of the trespass offering: it [is] most holy. 2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar. 3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, 4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that [is] on them, which [is] by the flanks, and the caul [that is] above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away: 5 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar [for] an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a trespass offering. 6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it [is] most holy. 7 As the sin offering [is], so [is] the trespass offering: [there is] one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have [it]. 8 And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering, [even] the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered. 9 And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it. 10 And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one [as much] as another. 11 And this [is] the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. 12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. 13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer [for] his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. 14 And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation [for] an heave offering unto the LORD, [and] it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering [be] a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: 17 But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. 18 And if [any] of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 19 And the flesh that toucheth any unclean [thing] shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. 20 But the soul that eateth [of] the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that [pertain] unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 21 Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean [thing, as] the uncleanness of man, or [any] unclean beast, or any abominable unclean [thing], and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which [pertain] unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 24 And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth [it] shall be cut off from his people. 26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, [whether it be] of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27 Whatsoever soul [it be] that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 28 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 29 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30 His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved [for] a wave offering before the LORD. 31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest [for] an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for [his] part. 34 For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel. 35 This [is the portion] of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day [when] he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office; 36 Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, [by] a statute for ever throughout their generations. 37 This [is] the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings; 38 Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

In v. 1, we find reference to the law of the sin or trespass offering. The trespass offering, as expressed in the original language, is parsed as “the guilt offering.” When we think of guilt, we think of it as something to get away from and deal with as quickly as possible. The guilt offering is defined separately from the three categories of offering by sacrifice by the declaration in this verse that it is “most holy.” Some things were considered simply as “holy;” other things were considered “most holy.” What is the difference? In Ex. 26:33 is the first mention of something being “most holy,” referring to the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. In scripture where something is mentioned as “most holy,” it is connected with the glory of God and the mercy seat where sin is cleansed.

In verse two, Moses is instructed on the dispensing or handling of the blood after the sacrifice was exsanguinated. The blood was to be sprinkled by the priest around the altar, where the body of the sacrificial beast was burned to ashes. We see then the connection between blood and guilt in the eyes of God. Men deal with guilt by excuses and accusations. God deals with guilt by the shedding of blood. Psychologists try to deal with guilt by many means, including blame-shifting and talking you out of your guilt by suggesting your sins are not your fault but a product of your environment or upbringing. Consider the cynical definition of guilt found in the medical dictionary: “feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy:

morbid self-reproach often manifest in marked preoccupation with the moral correctness of one’s behavior.”

God intends that we are not bound to carry guilt or shame around in our lives endlessly, but instead, we can be pronounced free by the efficacy of the shed blood of Christ:

[Eph 2:13 KJV] 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

[Heb 9:14 KJV] 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

[1Jo 1:7 KJV] 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

God never intended religious culture or Christian culture to USE guilt, but rather to expiate guilt through repentance, contrition, and faith in Calvary’s shed blood.

In verse 4, we find instructions relating to special handling of the kidneys, and the liver in the sacrifice. The kidneys and the liver were to be taken and burned upon the altar separately. The kidneys and the liver represented the emotions to ancient peoples.

The Babylonians used the liver in rites of divination. The liver and the kidneys to ancient people were regarded in much the same way we regard the heart as the seat of emotions, home of the spirit, and the organ of life. In offering the kidneys and the liver separately on the altar, we are offering ourselves to God. This is what is meant to “give our lives to Jesus.” Remember, the offerer always put his hand on the head of the offering. In the sacrifice, God is represented, but we are represented as well. We are giving ourselves to God, and God is giving Himself to us. Paul put it this way:

[Rom 12:1 KJV] 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

After the sacrificial animal was properly presented to God v. 6 instructs, “…it shall be eaten in the holy place.” Unlike some offerings that were to be wholly burned, the trespass or guilt offering would be eaten by the officiating priest in a special “holy” place set aside for that purpose. When the priest would eat the sin offering, the picture of Christ couldn’t be more precise – He took our sin upon Himself “in the holy place,” becoming sin for us as an act of obedience rather than rebellion. Paul speaks of this:

[2Co 5:21 KJV] 21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The language of this verse can be controversial to some, depending on how you interpret it. Jesus became sin. He identified Himself more than by mere imputation with our sinfulness that we might be identified with His righteousness. Jesus becoming sin was more than by mere reckoning or some cosmic divine pretense on the Father’s heart. Verse 17 in 2 Co. 5 says:

[2Co 5:17, 21 KJV] 17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. … 21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The language in this verse that describes Jesus being “made sin” implies actual transformation – that we become in Christ “a new species altogether…” Salvation is not imputed or merely reckoned to us; we actually change as 1 Pet. 1:23 says being born again by the incorruptible seed, even God’s word.

In verse 7, this whole process is brought under the heading of “atonement.” We are atoned for in the shed blood of Christ. The result was that the giver was atoned or brought into right relationship with God by the spilling of blood. The word atoned here is “kapar,” and it means we are “covered.” We need to pause and think about this. Jesus made a statement in Matthew’s gospel:

[Mat 23:9 KJV] 9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Only the blood of Christ can cover – every other covering is a religious misconception at best and manipulation at worse. When we look at Abraham and Lot’s relationship, we see that Abraham was not fully secured in his destiny until he sent Lot away. Lot’s name means covering. Some labor under the false idea that the pastor or some other leader is your covering, and you are robbing yourself of full engagement in the purposes of God because of it.

In v. 11, the law of the peace offering is defined, and instruction is given concerning it. The peace offering foreshadows Jesus as the Prince of Peace, who is our peace between God and us. The Hebrew word here is the “selem” offering or “requital offering.” It was also seen as a friendship or alliance offering. As the sin offering was connected with the Ark of the Covenant by being called “most holy”, so the peace offering was connected with God’s relationship with Abraham.

[Jas 2:23 KJV] 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

The Israelites understood Abraham to be the blood covenant partner of God. As Abraham’s seed, that blood covenant was passed on to them. When a generational covenant was observed in ancient times, it would of necessity in the minds of ancient Semites, be brought into remembrance by shedding of blood. This was the purpose of the peace offering – to remind God and remind the worshipper that a covenant of blood existed between God and Abraham’s descendants. This includes us. The book of Galatians is devoted to emphasizing that you and I are likewise inheritors of Abraham’s blessings.

In verse 12, we see that the peace offering was to be accompanied by cakes, specifically unleavened cakes soaked in oil. The unleavened cakes mingled with oil are a picture of Christ, who is our peace. The word “Christ” means “anointed one” or “smeared one.” The cakes in the peace offering would be “smeared with oil thus foreshadowing Jesus as the anointed one, or smeared one as the embodiment of our peace through the work of redemption on the Cross.

In v. 15, relating to the peace offering, we see that the priest’s portion had to be eaten on the same day it was offered. That requirement did not apply to the sin offering, which had to be eaten yes, in a holy place but not necessarily the same day it was offered. The peace offering had to be eaten the same day it was offered. This speaks to us of God’s timing. The concept of “the day of the Lord” refers to God’s set season. You can set your own season in God when you partake of the peace offering of Christ. What is the nature of this peace in the believer’s life?

[Rom 5:1 KJV] 1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

[Rom 14:17 KJV] 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

The peace we have with God is not a human thing. When we think of peace, we think of mutual combatants refraining from fighting each other or leaving each other alone. God’s peace, the peace we have with Christ, implies covenantal engagement that involves God in every area of our lives and involves us in service to God in the purposes of the kingdom.

In verse 17, there is mention of a part of the sacrifice that remained being burned or offered up on the third day. Here the prophetic theme of the third day is reflected in the sacrifice. Some offerings were to be eaten the same day and others on the third day. The phrase third day appears 38 times in scripture and many times in connection with resurrection and miracles and creation. Jesus was raised the third day, and that was the day He presented Himself in the heavens and sprinkled His own blood on the mercy seat in heaven.

[Heb 4:14 KJV] 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession.

Why did he rise on the third day and not the first or fourth day? Because as our high priest, he had to appear before the Father on the third day in fulfillment of the dictates of the law regarding the peace offering that He might stand in the Tabernacle or Temple in Heaven to ratify the new covenant for us before the Father. There are 1000 year days in God’s timetable as well, and we are currently in the 3rd 1000 year day from the resurrection and the 7th 1000 year day from creation.

In v. 21, there are strict warnings that the priest or the offerer who handled the peace offering had to be ceremonially clean on penalty of death. The idea of touching the unclean thing and being cut off points to the fact that we cannot cleanse ourselves. We cannot rectify sin in our life to God’s satisfaction. We must look to the shed blood of Christ to establish our acceptance before God and station in the economy of the kingdom.

In vs. 25-27, we find a prohibition regarding the consumption of fat or blood. The people are forbidden to eat blood or fat. Leviticus 17 says the “life is in the blood, ” and God’s life is in the blood of Jesus. Blood, therefore, is sacred. Fat is a picture of surplus – our surplus belongs to God, which he usually directs to be given to the poor.

In vs. 29-30, we see that those making offerings had to bring them with their own hands. In other words, they couldn’t send a substitute, an employee, or a servant to make the offering. The atonement; the peace offering was invalid unless it was the very person offering it up and no one else. The people were not allowed to telegraph their offerings to the Lord. Their own hands were to present them to God. Inherent in religion is the idea of proxy service. We expect the pastor to pray for us, the missionary to go for us, the teacher to study for us. We rely falsely on the piety of those in our lives who are close to God because it isn’t convenient to do all this ourselves. God is putting us in this day and age on our own recognizance. We can no longer leave to others the role of spiritual leadership. We must shoulder these responsibilities ourselves.

In v. 32, we find that the right shoulder was the specific part of the sacrifice that was apportioned to the priest to have for himself. The right side of something speaks of kingship and entitlement. The shoulder speaks to us in scripture of the government of God, as Isaiah confirms:

[Isa 9:6 KJV] 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The right shoulder is also symbolic of our service. Our lives are not our own – we belong to God, and every believer has a ministry portion by which we are called to serve Him. These are the commandments of God handed down to Moses while he was on Mt. Sinai with the children of Israel waiting below to implement all that Jehovah instructed.