Are there more instructions expanding the various offerings? Is a fuller understanding often found in various passages scattered throughout the Bible? Let’s look at Leviticus 7.
Guilt Offering
What are further priestly instructions about the trespass, reparation or guilt offering?
Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. 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. And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, 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: And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a trespass offering. (Leviticus 7:1-5 KJV)
How were various offerings similar in regard to the priest’s portion?
Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy. The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is one law for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. Also the priest who brings near any man’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has brought near. Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in the oven and everything prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who brings it near. And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to all alike. (Leviticus 7:6-10 LSB)
Peace Offerings
How was the sacrifice known as a peace or fellowship offering to be handled, if it was a thanksgiving offering?
Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the Lord. If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil. With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread. Of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the Lord; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. Now as for the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it over until morning. (Leviticus 7:11-15 NASB)
How was the sacrifice known as a peace or fellowship offering to be handled, if it was either a vow or a freewill offering?
If, however, their offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up. If any meat of the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, the one who offered it will not be accepted. It will not be reckoned to their credit, for it has become impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible. (Leviticus 7:15-18 NIV)
Unclean Things
Was uncleanness completely ceremonial, or also quarantine practices?
The flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire. And as for the clean flesh, all who are clean may eat of it. But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the Lord, while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people. Moreover the person who touches any unclean thing, such as human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from his people. (Leviticus 7:19-21 NKJV)
Blood & Fat
What about blood and fat, could they be eaten?
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. You must never eat fat, whether from cattle, sheep, or goats. The fat of an animal found dead or torn to pieces by wild animals must never be eaten, though it may be used for any other purpose. Anyone who eats fat from an animal presented as a special gift to the Lord will be cut off from the community. No matter where you live, you must never consume the blood of any bird or animal. Anyone who consumes blood will be cut off from the community.” (Leviticus 7:22-27 NLT)
What was the priest’s portion of the peace offerings?
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to Yahweh shall bring his offering to Yahweh out of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. With his own hands he shall bring the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before Yahweh. The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. (Leviticus 7:28-31 WEB)
What other portion of the peace offering was to be given to the priests?
You will give the right thigh of your communal sacrifice of well-being to the priest as a gift. The right thigh will belong to the son of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the well-being offering. I have taken the breast of the uplifted offering and the thigh that is given by the Israelites from their communal sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a permanent portion from the Israelites. This is what Aaron and his sons are allotted from the Lord’s food gifts once they have been presented to serve the Lord as priests. The Lord commanded that these things be given to the priests by the Israelites, following their anointment. It is their permanent portion throughout their future generations. (Leviticus 7:32-36 CEB)
What is a good summary of various reasons for giving offerings?
These are the ceremonies for sacrifices to please the Lord, to give him thanks, and to ask for his blessing or his forgiveness, as well as the ceremonies for those sacrifices that demand a payment and for the sacrifices that are offered when priests are ordained. While Moses and the people of Israel were in the desert at Mount Sinai, the Lord commanded them to start offering these sacrifices. (Leviticus 7:37-38 CEV)
Do any of these things still apply? Should Christians eat blood sausage or blood pudding?
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:19-20 ESV)
Are there more instructions expanding the various offerings? Is a fuller understanding often found in various passages scattered throughout the Bible? You decide!
