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Scripture Reading: Lev. 3:3-5, 9-11, 14-17; 7:11-21, 28-34
IV. Presenting Christ as the peace offering to the Father:
D. The portions of the peace offering:
1. To God:
а. From the ox — Lev. 3:3-5:
1) The fat upon the inward parts.
2) The two kidneys and the fat on them.
3) The appendage on the liver.
b. From the lamb — vv. 9-11:
1) The same as from the ox.
2) Plus the entire fat tail.
c. From the goat — the same as from the ox — vv. 14-16.
2. To the offering priest:
а. One cake as a heave offering unto the Lord — 7:14.
b. The right thigh as a heave offering unto the Lord — vv. 32-34.
3. To all the priests — the breast as a wave offering — vv. 30-31, 34.
4. To the offerer:
а. The flesh (meat) of the cattle — vv. 15-18:
1) Of the peace offering for thanksgiving — good for eating on the offering day — v. 15.
2) Of the peace offering for a vow or a freewill offering — good for eating for two days — vv. 16-18.
b. Cakes — vv. 12-13:
1) Unleavened cakes — thin cakes with holes — mingled with oil.
2) Unleavened, hollow wafers anointed with oil.
3) Cakes of fine flour saturated and mingled with oil.
4) Leavened bread.
5. To others — vv. 19-21:
а. The flesh of the cattle.
b. Cleanness being required.
Focus: Christ as the peace offering offered by us to the Father is for the enjoyment of God and all the parties participating in the worship in the dispensing of God.
In this lesson we want to continue our fellowship concerning presenting Christ as the peace offering to the Father in the Lord’s table meeting. In particular, we want to see the significance of the portions of the peace offering as seen in Leviticus.
A portion of the peace offering was presented to God from the ox (3:3-5). This portion was the fat upon the inward parts of the cattle. All the fat upon all the inward parts had to be for God. The two kidneys and the fat on them were for God, as well as the appendage on the liver. All this fat and these tender parts within the cattle were to be burned to God as His food to satisfy Him and to please Him.
These items refer to the sweetness and the tenderness of the inward being of Christ. The inward being of Christ can be appreciated only by God. We do not have that much ability in our apprehension. In our apprehension we cannot perceive that deeply. Only God has such an appreciating ability. In Matthew 11:27 the Lord Jesus said that “no one fully knows the Son except the Father.” When He said this, a number of people, including the disciples, were around Him. They saw Him, but they could not perceive what was within His inward being. No human being can fully perceive what is in the Lord’s inward being. Only God can fully evaluate it, appreciate it, enjoy it, and apprehend it.
Leviticus does not say that the heart was offered to God for His portion. Instead, it emphatically mentions the kidneys and the liver when speaking of the portions of the peace offering that were God’s portion. There is no fat around the heart. If there were, that would be terrible. Of course, the heart is a vitally crucial organ, but the liver and kidneys are very tender and very sensitive. This is a picture of what is within Christ that is invisible, or unseen, to human eyes. Only God can perceive what is there.
The fat always indicates sweetness and tenderness. The softest, sweetest, and most tender part in the cattle is the fat, which became food to God through burning. The best part of the cattle for burning was the fat. It would be against the “medical law” for the priests to eat the fat. It is altogether unhealthy for us humans to eat fat, but it is altogether healthy to God. We cannot digest the fat, but God can. Fat gives us trouble, but fat does not give any trouble to God. The divine digestion is different from our human digestion.
This shows us how marvelous the Bible is. They did not have the benefit of modern science in the days of the Old Testament, but God established a dietary ordinance for the priests according to His medical law. Modern science, of course, has discovered that fat is not good for the human body. But in the Bible this principle was there already. God kept all the fat away from the priests.
Many of the Chinese eat all the fat. They treasure the fat and give it to the people whom they respect. But the Jews in the Old Testament offered all the fat to God; only God could digest it. This is very meaningful. Because many of the Chinese do not know God, they give the wrong thing to the wrong persons. But the Jews in the Old Testament knew God according to the Scriptures, so they offered the right thing to the right person, that is, God. The fat of the cattle had to go to God.
The portions of the peace offering that were offered to God were also from the lamb (3:9-11). These portions were the same as from the ox plus the entire fat tail. The fat tail and the fat upon the inward parts again refer to the sweet and tender parts of Christ’s being. No human can apprehend this portion. It can be realized and enjoyed only by the Father.
The portions of the peace offering offered to God from the goat were the same as from the ox (vv. 14-16). All these portions, signifying the tender, sweet, and delicious parts of Christ, are for God. They are God’s portion.
The portion for the offering priest was the second category of the portions of the peace offering. The first was the portion to God, and the second was the portion to the offering priest.
When the children of Israel offered a peace offering according to God’s requirements, they did not need to offer any cakes. God required only the cattle for the peace offering. But if the offerer was thankful to God and offered it for a thanksgiving, he had to add something to the required peace offering. This portion was composed not of the cattle but of the cakes. According to Leviticus 7:14, out of the many cakes offered, one had to be set apart and heaved unto God as a heave offering. This became the portion of the offering priest, the conducting and serving priest, the priest who offered the blood and the fat.
Leviticus 7:13 and 14 say, “With cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving. And from it he shall present one out of each offering as a heave offering to Jehovah; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.” Every time the serving priest offered a peace offering for thanksgiving, he had to take out one cake for a heave offering. If he offered an offering, he had to take out one piece from all the cakes and heave it unto the Lord. Then this piece would become his portion.
The right thigh of the peace offering was also given to the priest for a heave offering out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings (vv. 32-34). The one cake and the right thigh were for nourishing and strengthening the serving priest. The cake was for nourishing, the thigh was for strengthening, and both were heave offerings. This refers to the enjoyment of the ascension of Christ, the enjoyment of Christ as the ascended One, the heaved One. This shows that the offering priests, the conducting priests, get the highest enjoyment. The more we serve, the higher the portion of Christ we enjoy.
The breast as a wave offering was a portion of the peace offering to all the priests, including Aaron and all his sons (vv. 30-31, 34). The wave offering is not as high as the heave offering, and the breast is not as strong as the thigh. Thus, all the priests share a portion that is not as high or as strong as that which the serving priests share. The highest and strongest portion is for the serving priests, not for the general priests. The general priests share only a kind of general portion. They share the wave breast, not the heave thigh. The wave offering signifies the resurrected Christ. The heave offering signifies the exalted Christ. The exalted Christ, of course, is higher than the resurrected Christ. Until we experience Christ in ascension, we have not reached the goal. We are still on the way.
The breast does not signify strength; it signifies love. This indicates that as long as the church is still in the stage of love, it is not so strong and is somewhat low. The church must go on from the stage of love to the stage of strength, that is, from the breast stage to the thigh stage. If there are many general priests among us and few serving priests, our church life will be weak. We need some particular serving ones to enjoy the right thigh as a heave offering.
A portion of the peace offering also went to the offerer.
The flesh (meat) of the cattle was the portion to the offerer (vv. 15-18). The flesh of the peace offering for thanksgiving was good for eating on the offering day (v. 15), whereas the flesh of the peace offering for a vow or a freewill offering was good for eating for two days (vv. 16-18). This shows that the offering for a vow was stronger than the offering for thanksgiving. Thus, the offering for thanksgiving was good to eat for only one day. But the offering for a vow or a freewill offering was stronger, so it could last for two days.
We need to see the difference between the peace offering for thanksgiving and the peace offering for a vow. The offering for a vow is stronger. Today we may consecrate ourselves to God with thanksgiving. We may pray, “Lord, I love You, so I consecrate myself to You.” This is for thanksgiving, but this is too general. On the other hand, we may offer ourselves to God with a vow. We may pray, “Lord, I come here to make a vow to You. I give myself to You and marry myself to You. I want to be solely for You always, regardless of what happens or of how I feel.” A vow is something voluntary.
A number of saints may consecrate themselves to Christ and the church, but five years later they may leave the church. This means that they did not have a vow. A vow is like a marriage tie. The offering for thanksgiving, though, is based upon our feeling. We may stay with someone because of our feeling of love for them, but a vow goes beyond our feeling. It is a tie that binds us regardless of feeling or circumstance. All of us need to be ones who are married to Christ for His recovery. Then regardless of what happens or of how we feel, we will always remain with the Lord for His recovery. I am grateful to the Lord that many saints are really bound to Christ by a marriage vow. To make such a vow is to be a real Nazarite according to what is revealed in Numbers 6.
The offering for thanksgiving is emotional and superficial, but the offering for a vow is determined and deeper. Thanksgiving is mostly related to the emotion, but a vow is related to the will. Some saints’ consecrations are out of thanksgiving, whereas others’ consecrations are out of a vow. In order to follow the Lord, we need a vow. Marriage involves a vow with no change, no variation, no alteration. The Lord treasures our vow to Him.
Besides the meat of the cattle, the offerer also enjoyed three kinds of cakes as his portion (Lev. 7:12-13).
First, there were unleavened cakes mingled with oil. Darby points out in a note on Leviticus 2:4 that these cakes were very thin with holes. Their being thin and perforated made them easier to eat and digest. This is a type of Christ as the One who is easy to eat and digest. He is mingled with the Spirit, and He is unleavened, without any sin.
The second kind of cake was the unleavened, hollow wafers anointed with oil. These wafers were also easy to eat, digest, and enjoy because they were empty, hollow, within. The unleavened cakes were mingled with oil, whereas the unleavened, hollow wafers were anointed with oil.
Christ was always “hollow” within; to be hollow means to be poor in spirit. Furthermore, He was pierced on the cross; that is, He was “perforated.” Many Christians today are like a cake twelve inches thick, without one hole. No one can eat of them. But Christ was not that thick. Christ made Himself so humble. He was hollow, poor in spirit, and perforated, pierced, for our enjoyment.
The third kind of cake was of fine flour saturated and mingled with oil. To be mingled is one thing, to be saturated is another thing, and to be anointed is still another thing. For the cake to be mingled with oil was something within. For the cake to be saturated with oil was for it to be soaked with oil. For the cake to be anointed with oil was for the oil to be poured upon it.
These cakes were to be offered with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, which is something that we add to what God requires. God is satisfied with the required ox, the required sheep, the required lamb, or the required goat. But when we are so grateful for what we have enjoyed of Christ, we have something to give to God for our thanksgiving. This is an experience of Christ in addition to what God requires and is initiated by us. Because we are so grateful to God for Christ, we bring something additional of Christ to God.
Of course, what Christ has done for us in His redemption is altogether included in the cattle. We cannot add anything to this. But still the cattle do not include Christ’s behavior, Christ’s human life. We need to read the four Gospels to realize Christ’s human living on this earth. He is typified by the cakes of the peace offering, which were thin and hollow. When we are grateful to God, we bring something of Christ in the aspect of His human living as our gratitude to God.
Leviticus 7:13 says, “With cakes of leavened bread he shall present his offering with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving.” The other items are for appreciation and enjoyment, whereas the leaven reminds us that we, the offerers and enjoyers of such a holy Christ, are still unholy; we are still leavened. Whatever God does is absolutely pure and holy. But whatever we initiate still has some leaven in it. The leavened bread reminds the offerer that he is still sinful. Whenever we offer Christ at the Lord’s table, we need to be reminded that we are still unclean, still leavened.
There were five parties participating in the five portions of the peace offering. One portion was to God, one portion was to the conducting priest, one portion was to all the priests, one portion was to the offerer, and the last portion was to others, that is, to the rest of the congregation who were worshipping God (vv. 19-21). The last portion to others was the flesh of the cattle. Of course, no offerer by himself could eat all the offerings, so some “eating helpers” were needed. This is why we all come together at the Lord’s table to enjoy the unsearchably rich Christ.
Today we ourselves must be the conducting priests, the serving priests. In the Old Testament worship, there were the serving priests and the ones who came to them to offer something. But in the New Testament there are no clergy and laity. Today we must be all four parties: the offerers, the conducting priests, the general priests, and the congregation. Only certain portions of the peace offering, mostly the inward parts, are for God; the rest are for us.
Some among us, however, may come to the meeting merely as a part of the congregation and not as offerers. Others may be offerers, but they are not that strong, and there is not the real serving priesthood with them. Doctrinally speaking, there are no clergy and laity among us. But actually, some may offer a “layman’s” prayer, whereas others may offer a serving one’s prayer. We can discern the difference. We are all priests, but some may be lazy and will not serve. These ones can enjoy only the wave breast, not the heave thigh. This typology in Leviticus presents a full picture of today’s situation.
Anyone who wants to eat the peace offering must be clean, without sin. This is fully dealt with in 1 Corinthians 11, which points out that it is possible for us to partake of the Lord’s table in an unworthy manner (v. 27). First Corinthians 5 tells us what kinds of persons are unclean and should be excluded from the fellowship of the Lord’s Body.
The focus of this lesson is as follows: Christ as the peace offering offered by us to the Father is for the enjoyment of God and all the parties participating in the worship in the dispensing of God.
