OT Sacrifices: The Meal & Peace Offering
Thoughts on Sacrifice and Sacraments/Mysteries:
One of the things that I have mentioned is that all the sacrifices represent ultimately the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Everything in Scripture points to the cross. The OT was preparation for the Cross, and the NT explains the Cross.
We have talked about how we enter the sacrifice of Christ through the Eucharist. However, this is the basis for all sacraments or mysteries. All sacramental acts are us participating in the Cross or the Sacrifice of Christ.
Eg, Baptism, Confession, Marriage, etc. Not just the standard Sacraments but all sacramental activities such as prayer, veneration of icons, almsgiving, fasting.
Grain or Drink Offering:
Lev. 2
- usually accompanied other sacrifices (peace or burnt)
- 1. fine flour (priest would take and mix with oil, incense and salt and place on top of whatever other sacrifice was being offered) 2. baked cakes (flat bread mixed with oil, salt, & incense) 3. boiled as a dumpling (w/ salt, oil, & incense)
- if brought as a drink offering it was always wine. (Num 15)
Meaning:
- bringing to God the fruit of man’s labor
- you could also bring to God roasted first fruits
- to be accepted it had to be placed on another sacrifice (burnt or peace) because for man’s to be pure it has to be part of the sacrifice
- Who is our sacrifice? Christ.
- because of sin we can’t offer anything pure to God but our works are offered to God in Christ.
- Our works are as filthy rags.
- Psalm 90:16
- Oil: Holy Spirit; works must be accompanied by the HS
- Incense: prayer
- Salt: guarantee of a covenant; a sign that we will fulfill His promises and that you will keep God’s covenant “we are the salt of the earth”
- there is a sense of thankfulness here as well and God’s provision; God offered to us and we are offering it back to Him.
Phil 2:17ff: Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
-Paul is the drink offering being poured out on the whole burnt offering of the Philippians in an act of worship to God.
Liturgy:
- we are offering our works in song, prayer, candles, other actions, the making of bread and wine, money, etc.
- “thine own of thine own we offer unto thee" We are making an offering to God, but the offering is Christ, and ultimately the one making the offering is Christ.
Peace Offering:
Lev. 3; 7:11ff
- offering from a cow, sheep or goat
- without defect
- once again the offerer would have to law his hand on the head of the animal
- the fatty portions would be given to God as a burnt offering
Meaning:
- by peace it means an offering which harmonizes or makes perfect (Reardon)
- the rest was eaten by the priest and the offerers; Lev 7:15 “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.”
- (1) the thank offering, or sacrifice of thanks (Lev. 7:12; 22:29); (2) the votive offering, or sacrifice which accompanied the taking of a vow (Num. 6:14; 15:3,8); and (3) the freewill offering
Christ:
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Eph 2:13-17 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
The typology of the Eucharist is clear. In fact, the Eucaristic picture may be clearer here than any of the other offerings. We bring the unblemished sacrifice of Christ to God in thanksgiving, and this as a family we partake together and commune with God.
John 6:56 – There is communion in partaking of the body and blood of Christ.
Liturgy:
Great Litany: “In peace let us pray to the Lord” For the peace of God and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord. For peace in the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
The priest as an icon of Christ says more than once "Peace be with you”. The people as the body of Christ respond back, "and to thy spirit". There is no peace outside of Christ. To experience peace one must be united to Christ through His body.
Also:
Priest: For a perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless day, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For forgiveness and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For all that is good and beneficial to our souls, and for peace in the world, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For the completion of our lives in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For a Christian end to our lives, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good account before the awesome judgment seat of Christ, let us ask the Lord.
Peace is a consistent theme throughout the Liturgy, because in the Liturgy we enter into the Kingdom of God where communion exists between man and God and therefore peace reigns in our hearts.
One of the things that I have mentioned is that all the sacrifices represent ultimately the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Everything in Scripture points to the cross. The OT was preparation for the Cross, and the NT explains the Cross.
We have talked about how we enter the sacrifice of Christ through the Eucharist. However, this is the basis for all sacraments or mysteries. All sacramental acts are us participating in the Cross or the Sacrifice of Christ.
Eg, Baptism, Confession, Marriage, etc. Not just the standard Sacraments but all sacramental activities such as prayer, veneration of icons, almsgiving, fasting.
Grain or Drink Offering:
Lev. 2
- usually accompanied other sacrifices (peace or burnt)
- 1. fine flour (priest would take and mix with oil, incense and salt and place on top of whatever other sacrifice was being offered) 2. baked cakes (flat bread mixed with oil, salt, & incense) 3. boiled as a dumpling (w/ salt, oil, & incense)
- if brought as a drink offering it was always wine. (Num 15)
Meaning:
- bringing to God the fruit of man’s labor
- you could also bring to God roasted first fruits
- to be accepted it had to be placed on another sacrifice (burnt or peace) because for man’s to be pure it has to be part of the sacrifice
- Who is our sacrifice? Christ.
- because of sin we can’t offer anything pure to God but our works are offered to God in Christ.
- Our works are as filthy rags.
- Psalm 90:16
- Oil: Holy Spirit; works must be accompanied by the HS
- Incense: prayer
- Salt: guarantee of a covenant; a sign that we will fulfill His promises and that you will keep God’s covenant “we are the salt of the earth”
- there is a sense of thankfulness here as well and God’s provision; God offered to us and we are offering it back to Him.
Phil 2:17ff: Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
-Paul is the drink offering being poured out on the whole burnt offering of the Philippians in an act of worship to God.
Liturgy:
- we are offering our works in song, prayer, candles, other actions, the making of bread and wine, money, etc.
- “thine own of thine own we offer unto thee" We are making an offering to God, but the offering is Christ, and ultimately the one making the offering is Christ.
Peace Offering:
Lev. 3; 7:11ff
- offering from a cow, sheep or goat
- without defect
- once again the offerer would have to law his hand on the head of the animal
- the fatty portions would be given to God as a burnt offering
Meaning:
- by peace it means an offering which harmonizes or makes perfect (Reardon)
- the rest was eaten by the priest and the offerers; Lev 7:15 “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.”
- (1) the thank offering, or sacrifice of thanks (Lev. 7:12; 22:29); (2) the votive offering, or sacrifice which accompanied the taking of a vow (Num. 6:14; 15:3,8); and (3) the freewill offering
Christ:
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Eph 2:13-17 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
The typology of the Eucharist is clear. In fact, the Eucaristic picture may be clearer here than any of the other offerings. We bring the unblemished sacrifice of Christ to God in thanksgiving, and this as a family we partake together and commune with God.
John 6:56 – There is communion in partaking of the body and blood of Christ.
Liturgy:
Great Litany: “In peace let us pray to the Lord” For the peace of God and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord. For peace in the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
The priest as an icon of Christ says more than once "Peace be with you”. The people as the body of Christ respond back, "and to thy spirit". There is no peace outside of Christ. To experience peace one must be united to Christ through His body.
Also:
Priest: For a perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless day, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For forgiveness and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For all that is good and beneficial to our souls, and for peace in the world, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For the completion of our lives in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Priest: For a Christian end to our lives, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good account before the awesome judgment seat of Christ, let us ask the Lord.
Peace is a consistent theme throughout the Liturgy, because in the Liturgy we enter into the Kingdom of God where communion exists between man and God and therefore peace reigns in our hearts.
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