And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying… These words again begin our text, so let us pause to consider them. Each section of our text begins by saying that it is the law, which as we observed last week is perfect and revives the soul. The second half of Psalm 19:7 is equally applicable: “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”

The Scriptures are called the testimony of Yahweh because they are how He has chosen to reveal Himself to us. Yes, He spoke audibly to some prophets like Moses, but He testifies to Himself before all His people through the words that the Holy Spirit inspired men like Moses to write down. And that written testimony is sure; it is faithful and trustworthy.

God’s word is also able to make the simple wise. In wisdom literature of the Bible, simple has a particular meaning. The simple are all who stand between wisdom and folly. They have a tendency toward foolishness, but through fearing Yahweh, the simple can grow in wisdom and flee folly. In other words, you and I are the simple, the ones who each day must choose between wisdom and folly, life and death, heaven and hell. How can we who have no wisdom keep from walking into the destruction of folly? Thanks be to God that His testimony makes wise the simple!

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Last week we concluded Leviticus’ presentation of the five basic offerings that the ordinary Israelite could bring to Yahweh. Again, the word offering is the noun form of the verb for drawing near, so these offerings are how God’s people could draw near to Him for fellowship in His holy tent, Eden remixed. In the section before us, we are given the laws for the five offerings. While it may seem repetitive, there are notable differences; the most significant being that these commands are not given to the people of Israel as 1:1-6:7 were. Instead, these laws are given to Aaron and his sons, that is, the priests. So, the first section (1:1-6:7) gave us the worshiper’s perspective, but this passage gives us the priestly perspective. For this sermon, we will pass briskly through the text, recapping the offerings and considering them here. We will then conclude by considering the text as a whole.

THE BURNT OFFERING // VERSES 8-13

The first section, verses 8-13, deals with the burnt offering. Remember that the purpose of the whole burnt offering was atonement for sin, not for specific sins but for sinfulness in general. Whenever an Israelite brought a burnt offering, he or she was acknowledging themselves to be a sinner in need of a Savior. It was also the only offering that was entirely given to Yahweh through being turned to smoke (only the skin was given to the priests, which we see in 7:8).

Interestingly, these verses do not speak to an ordinary Israelite’s burnt offering–we already have enough details about the ritual in chapter one to know what was expected of the priest. Instead, Jay Sklar writes:

This does not refer to whole burnt offerings in general but to the continual burnt offering in particular… The continual burnt offering consisted of two lambs together with their grain and drink offerings (Exod 29:38-42; Num 28:3-8). One was offered in the morning and the other in the evening. This was one of seven “continual” rites performed in the tabernacle that emphasized the LORD’s continual presence in the Israelite’s midst and their continual need of his favor and help. (189)

Thus, this was a specific kind of burnt offering that the priests made each day. There are two details that we should point out. First, notice that the priest needed to put on clean garments for taking the ashes of the burnt offering outside the camp. “Since the burnt offering was given to God,” Kenneth Mathews notes that “even the residual ashes from the roasting were considered holy” (66). Thus, they had to be clean for even handling the burnt offering’s ashes. Ross also points out that “the meaning behind this symbolism is that to function at the altar the priests had to be holy. No one was permitted to live in defilement of God’s holiness while helping others come near to God” (159).

Second, notice the triple repetition in verses 9, 12, and 13 that the fire must be kept burning. This is obviously a significant command, but what does it mean? Commentators make plenty of suggestions, and since we are not told explicitly that is all they are: suggestions. However, because the burnt offering is about atonement, it seems best to take it as a continual reminder of Israel’s need to have their sins dealt with. Of course, within that meaning, it could also point to other meanings. As Sklar suggested above, it was likely a reminder of God’s continual presence. Bonar is also probably correct that it reminded God’s people of God’s righteous and wrathful judgment against sin. But it seems best to see it, primarily, as testament that Israel’s sin needs to be continually dealt with or God cannot continually dwell among them. Hebrews 10:11-14 gives us the beautiful contrast of the new covenant in Christ:

And every priest daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

THE GRAIN OFFERING // VERSES 14-23

As we noted, the grain offering is also called the tribute offering because it was given for the purpose of acknowledging Yahweh’s kingship. Verses 14-23 give us the priestly law for the grain offering. The ESV divides these verses into two paragraphs for good reason. The first paragraph (vv. 14-18) gives instructions for what the priests could eat of the grain offering, while the second (vv. 19-23) describe the grain offering that was likely alongside the ordination offering (8:22-29) and continuously after that.

In verses 14-18, notice that the priestly portion could only be eaten. Indeed, the final phrase of verse 18 is probably better translated as Sklar suggests: Whoever touches them must be holy. The ESV’s reading–whatever touches them shall become holy–makes it sound like holiness is contagious, just like defilement. But Haggai 2:11-13 blatantly says that is not the case, which is what makes Jesus’ cleansing touch so miraculous. No, defilement and impurity are contagious; holiness must be chosen and carefully maintained. This is still true today, which is why the author of Hebrews tells us not to drift away. The Christian life is like paddling a boat upstream. If you are not consciously striving toward God, you are drifting away from Him.

In verses 19-23, notice that this is an offering that the priest himself offered to God. It was given ‘on the day when he is anointed,’ which suggests a connection to the ordination offering, but it is also called a regular grain offering, which suggests that it was given each day as well. Indeed, notice that it is called a grain offering, but also it is said to be like the grain offering. Since, like the continual burnt offering, it was made morning and evening, we should find it significant that the priests themselves needed to offer tribute to Yahweh. It was not enough for them to mediate for others before Yahweh, while personally being estranged from Him. No, the priest needed to model what was expected of every Israelite. This reminds us today that leaders must also personally worship and be devoted to God. How tragic that there will be many on the last day who say to Christ, “Lord, Lord, did I not preach in Your name… lead a community group in Your name… serve in ____ ministry in Your name?” And He will say, “Depart from me; I never knew you.” Especially given the pressures of leadership, leaders need to be reminded over and over again that only one thing is necessary: communion with God.

THE PURIFICATION OFFERING // VERSES 24-30

Verses 24-30 are about the sin or, as we have been called it, purification offering. Remember that this offering differs from the burnt offering in that it was made in response to specific sins, particularly unintentional sins. Mathews writes that “the sin offering was God’s provision for the guilty person by which his or her sin was purged and by which he or she received divine forgiveness” (44).

Notice here the emphasis that is given to blood in the purification offering. This makes sense. We called this the purification offering because it is addressing sin as a contagion that needs to be disinfected, as a stain that needs to be purged clean. And according to Hebrews 9:22 that could only be done with blood: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Notice also the care with which the priest handled the blood. Vessels or clothing that were splattered with blood needed to be thoroughly washed or destroyed because the blood was being used for the sacred purpose of cleansing impurity. Whatever was not put to that use needed to be respectfully cleaned. I can think of at least two present-day applications.

First, Hebrews 10 warns us that “if we go on sinning deliberately” (v. 26), we can become guilty of profaning “the blood of the covenant” by which we have been sanctified (v. 29). If it was a serious matter to dishonorably handle the blood of animals when used for an offering, how much worse whenever anyone tramples upon the blood of God’s own Son?

Second, although the cup of the Lord’s Supper is a sign of Christ’s blood, to drink it in an “unworthy manner” is to be guilty concerning His blood. That is why we read that warning passage each Sunday and why we take time to hear God’s law and confess our sin. It is both a wonderful and dreadful thing to have communion with God. Wonderful because knowing God is eternal life. Dreadful because the Holy One cannot tolerate sin and “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).

Notice that what only the priest was permitted to eat is called most holy, which is why whoever touched it needed to be holy. At the Lord’s Supper, we are all partaking of what is most holy because we are all in Christ “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). In Exodus, Moses repeatedly warned the priests to follow God’s law so that they do not die when standing in Yahweh’s presence. We should not be surprised then to find Paul saying that many in Corinth were sick and even dead because of how they failed to honor the Lord’s Supper.

THE GUILT OFFERING // VERSES 1-10

In verses 1-10 of chapter seven, we find the guilt offering. Like the purification offering, the guilt offering was made for specific sins, particularly sins of fraud. It emphasized how the worshiper could make reparation for his sin and be restored to fellowship with both God and the neighbor whom he wronged. If the purification offering taught that only God can cleanse us of our sins, the guilt offering emphasizes the need for obedience as evidence of true repentance.

Notice that the ritual of the guilt offering is described here, even though it was not in last week’s text. Why is that? Again, this is the priestly perspective. For the worshiper, the ritual itself was not as important as the financial compensation and restitution that he was making. The ritual, however, is described here because the priest needed to know what to do with the ram.

Interestingly, verses 8-10 moves away from the guilt offering and describe the portion given to the priests in the burnt and grain offerings. We will discuss the provision for the priests at the end of this chapter, but I will note that I find a structural significance to placing a word on the priestly portions here.

THE PEACE OFFERING // VERSES 11-36

The peace or fellowship offering is shelamim in Hebrew, which comes from the word shalom meaning peace, wholeness, or well-being. While Leviticus 3 only emphasized the portion given to Yahweh, we discover here that a portion was also given to the priests and the rest was eaten by the worshiper. This large text can be divided into four smaller sections.

In these verses 11-18, we are told the three occasions for presenting a peace offering. It could be made for thanksgiving, which might also be translated as confession or praise. Thanksgiving is probably best because it is not necessarily a confession of sin but a confession of belief and praise. We are called to do this whenever we confess the name of the Jesus. Thus, Ross notes that “when people brought peace offerings for praise, they were expected to declare to the congregation what God had done for them” (181).

They could also be given upon the completion of a vow. Hannah did this in 1 Samuel 1:24.

It could also be a freewill offering, which just meant that the worshiper wanted to give it. He or she wanted to have a fellowship meal with God and perhaps wanted the assurance of having peace with Him.

As glorious as that communion meal was, verses 19-21 emphasize the danger. Even though the peace offering was a celebration, the worshiper–as well as whomever he or she wanted to share the meal with–still needed to be ritually clean before entering the presence of Yahweh and sharing the altar/table with Him.

If verses 19-21 emphasize purity, verses 22-27 remind us that the fat and blood restrictions still apply. Again, the fat represented the best portion, while the blood represented life. Both belong exclusively to Yahweh. Of course, we could also ask why these two restrictions are put within the law of the peace offering? As we noted whenever the fat and blood were also mentioned alongside the peace offering in chapter three, a connection is being made between the tabernacle and each Israelite household. Whether at the altar, which could also be called the covenant meal table, or at home around the dinner table, the law was the same. Thus, every household meal functioned as a kind of miniature peace offering meal.

Finally, in verses 28-36, we see that even though the worshiper was commanded to bring Yahweh’s portion with his own hands, only the priest could actually give it to the LORD through turning it into smoke upon the altar. Verses 33-36 then command the priestly portion to be given to Aaron and his sons from the people. Twice it is called a perpetual due.

And that is true, for the New Testament directly applies this principle to gospel ministers. In 1 Corinthians 9:13-14, Paul says,

Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

Given two current factors (first, the impending retirement boom of pastors and, second, the increased cost of living), churches would do well to consider pastoral compensation. What I mean is that churches will increasingly need younger men to step into pastoral positions, but young men often require greater compensation because they have little mouths to feed.

While the most common answer is simply to be bi-vocational (anecdotally, I do not know a single pastor under 40 who is fulltime and his wife is able to be a fulltime homemaker), I agree with Mark Dever that it is short-sighted and can lead to long-term theological damage. Do not misunderstand me. I have the utmost respect for faithful bi-vocational pastors, but I also know that nearly all of them would love to be sufficiently compensated, as the 1689 says, “so that they may have a comfortable income without becoming entangled in secular concerns and may also be capable of exercising hospitality toward others” (26.10).

Bi-vocational ministry is often necessary, but it is not ideal. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Just as individuals reveal our hearts through our finances, so too do whole congregations. Churches that value the proclamation of the gospel will invest their finances accordingly.

WHAT EMPHASIS DOES THE STRUCTURE REVEAL? // VERSES 37-38

The Simeon Trust has a preaching principle that says, “Every text has a structure. This structure will reveal an emphasis. The emphasis must shape our message.” They liken the structure to finding the skeleton of the text. Now that we have brisk-walked through this text, I want us to consider its structure and through its structure, its emphasis.

Let’s begin by comparing this text with how the offerings were originally presented in 1:1-6:7. The five offerings presented us with a pattern for worship. Notice the logical flow. Worship begins with atonement, which is represented by the burnt offering. After having our sins atoned for, worship then moves into tribute (the grain offering), which acknowledges God as God and gives thanks to Him as our true King.

Together, these two offerings establish our peace and fellowship with God that was fractured by sin. This peace and fellowship is represented by the peace offering, the only offering where the worshiper ate of the sacrifice and thus shared in fellowship.

The purification and guilt offerings display restoration of peace and fellowship that has been broken by specific sin. The purification offering represents cleansing because sin–even unintentional sin–makes us unclean before God. The guilt offering dealt with fraudulent transgressions against God and neighbor (the very opposite of tribute). It is about having the debt of our sin forgiven and making restitution. It restores communion both with God, and with our neighbor.

Notice then how the guilt offering implicitly flows back into the peace offering. This is the beautiful pattern of worship still today: our peace and communion with God is built upon our confession of Christ as our Savior (burnt offering) and Lord (grain offering). Yet we still must repeatedly seek forgiveness for our ongoing sins (purification offering) and make things right with God and others (guilt offering) in order to walk in the fullness of that peace and fellowship with God.

What about our present text? Notice that the order has changed. The burnt, grain, purification, and guilt offerings are still in the same order, but the peace offering has been moved from the center to the end. Why that change?

There is a practical explanation. They are likely moving from most to least frequently given. They are also moving in gradations of holiness. The burnt offering is entirely holy because the whole animal is given to Yahweh. The grain, purification, and guilt offerings all have most holy portions that could only be eaten by the priests. The peace offering is the least holy because most of it was eaten by the worshiper and his or her friends and family.

But if that makes us think that the peace offering was being belittled, take a better look at the text. First, the discussion of the peace offering is almost as long as the text for the other four offerings combined. Second, there is a parallel structure to the 6:8-7:10 and 7:11-36, dividing both into four sections. 6:8-13 parallels with 7:11-18 as both are procedural descriptions. In fact, both focus on the time of the offerings, which must be continual for the burnt offering and eaten within three days for the peace offering. 6:14-23 parallels with 7:19-21 since they both emphasize the necessity of holiness and cleanliness in order to eat from the offering. 6:24-30 focuses largely on the blood of the purification offering, which parallels with the command against consuming blood in 7:22-27. Finally, 7:1-10 divides into two smaller sections, the first detailing how the priest must offer the guilt offering on the worshiper’s behalf and the second explaining the portion given to the priests. 7:28-36 parallels that section, first by detailing how the priest must offer Yahweh’s portion on behalf of the worshiper and second by commanding the portion to be given to the priests. Thus, structurally, the peace offering is being set apart as equally important as the other four offerings combined.

All that said, here is my theological and structural proposal for why the peace offering is placed last in this text: peace and fellowship with God is the goal of worship. In 1:1-6:7, the peace offerings centrality communicated that communion with God is the heart and center of worship. It is as if God is saying to the worshiper, “Everything you do in the tabernacle revolves around peace and fellowship with Me.”

Here in 6:8-7:38, the peace offering is the climax and conclusion of the offerings. It is as if God were saying to the priests here, “All your duties culminate in bringing my people into peace and fellowship with Me.”

If this is the case (and I believe it is), here is a final thought to consider. Since in Christ all believers are priests, we can think through the pattern of these offerings for how we interact with one another. As the first four offerings indicate, our interactions must necessarily revolve around sin much of the time, but the goal of our interactions ought always to be to lead others toward fellowship with God in Christ. Whenever we are with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be conscious of whether or not we are encouraging one another into further and deeper communion with the Lord. And when we are with anyone who does not confess Christ, we should be in prayer for how we might be ministers of reconciliation, leading them to peace with God.

We see this pictured wonderfully in John the Baptist’s response to everyone being baptized by Jesus instead of him:

A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:27–30)

John was displaying the purpose of the Old Testament priesthood through his role of pointing people to the Christ. May the Spirit empower us to share that same aim.

Indeed, just as the priests in Leviticus brought the worshiper into fellowship with God, so now our Great High Priest, Jesus, invites us to His table, a table that is not covered in the blood of animals but instead summons us to meditate in awe upon the blood of Lord. If you are clinging only to the atonement that Christ has worked upon the cross, then this is the greater burnt offering. If you come confessing that Jesus is Lord, then this is the greater grain offering. If you look only to Christ to be forgiven and cleansed of your sins, then this is the greater purification offering. If you are coming as a repentant sinner with a debt of sin so big that only God Himself can pay it, then this is the greater guilt offering. And if you are coming in thanksgiving to share a meal with the Maker of heaven and earth, then this is the greater peace offering.

As we come to the bread and up before us, may we taste and see the goodness of our God who welcomes us into His presence for communion with Him through Jesus our great high priest.