LEVITICUS

Week 3

Chapters 3, 7  Peace Offerings

Chapters 4-7 Sin and Guilt Offerings

Chapters 8-9 Preparation of priests and offerings

Discuss Study Questions Week 2

1. Read. 1Pet. 17-19 and John1:29. Has this picture of physically bringing an animal you have raised, a perfect animal and killing and skinning it with your own hands changed your wonder of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God? Describe how, if it has.

2.

2. God describes here the sacrifices of cattle, lambs and goats, turtle doves and pigeons and grain.  What does this tell you about God’s demands/expectations of us?  What do you have that is a true sacrifice, one you will thankfully, repentantly be willing to sacrifice?  What will that involve?

3.  These chapters highlight that God pays attention to the details.  Some think  this is knit picky, like the child having to listen to the mother telling him/her exactly the way the bed should be made.  Others are relieved that God has let us know to the last detail how we should live our lives and give our offerings.  This is like someone cooking from a recipe and is relieved that the writer included exactly the amounts of the different ingredients and the products that should be used.  No guess work.  How does knowing God knows and pays attention to the smallest detail of your day affect the way you live?  Give examples, how would you be different if you thought He didn’t know or card about the little things?

Chapter 3, 7 PEACE OFFERINGS

    Peace offering were always a part of God’s plan.  In context, before describing the commandments of ch. 20, this is 3 months after the Israelites left Egypt. They have crossed over the Red Sea, complained and God provided when they didn’t have enough to drink or enough to eat and had He preserved them when the Amalekites attacked them. Under the advice of his father-in -law, Jethro, Moses set up a judicial system for settling disputes between the people. Moses and Arron are to be the people’s representative before God. Before Christ, we officially had intermediaries between the people and God, although God always wanted the people hearts individually.

    God is establishing His covenant with the people. In Ch. 19 vs. 2-8, before they even hear the terms of the covenant, they accept it. Yet, when things got scary, when things got hard, they didn’t trust God.

    - Read Ex. 20.  The peace offerings are one of the offerings God expected.

    - Read. Ch. 3 As we read through Ch. 3 about the Peace offerings, notice

      similarities and differences to other offerings.

Differences:

    -For every group, if from the herd, a lamb or goat, only the fat, the 2 kidneys

     and an appendage on the liver are to be burnt, not the whole animal.  

    -Peace offerings can be either male or female. vs. 6.

Similarities:  

    -The animal is to be without defect defect.

    -The owner must bring the animal and kill it himself.

    -The priest must sprinkle the blood.  

Chapter 7 vs. 11-38

Several points emerge from these verses.

Read vs.11-14  

-Unlike any other offerings, some of these are to be leavened. The cake(s) with leavening are not to be burned on the altar, but given to the priests to eat.  Of the unleavened cakes, one is to go to the Lord and the rest to go to the priests.

    -Read vs. 15  If the sacrifice is an animal and an expression of

     thanksgiving, the flesh goes to the priests (not the fat or other parts

     prohibited in the earlier chapters), and must be eaten the same day.  This led

     to the priests sharing it with the others who were there, if they and their

     families couldn’t finish it that day.

    -Read vs. 16--18

        -”Freewill”, or “Votive” offerings. These are offerings for no specific

        reason. Just out of sheer happiness, I guess. For these the flesh could be

        eaten the next day, but not the day after.

-This brings us to a important point regarding time.  Notice, vs. 18 says it cannot be eaten on the third day.  But that day is just literally, the day after tomorrow.  That is, the day of sacrifice is the first day.  This is important because Christ rose on the third day.  Did you ever wonder about that?  He died on Friday and rose on Sunday, how is that 3 days with only one day in between?  He died and was put in the tomb before sundown Friday, day 1, was in the tomb on the Sabbath, Saturday, day 2, and rose Sunday, day 3.

Read vs. 19-18-25.  

    -If the sacrifice touches anything unclean, it becomes unclean.  Likewise, do

    not defile yourselves with filling your mind with anything unclean.

    -If it is a sacrifice, it cannot be an animal that was dead before it was

    brought for sacrifice.  It is no longer without defect if it died of diseases or

    was torn apart by other animals.

    -Punishment was to be cut off from their people.  That is STILL the worst

    punishment.  this is the punishment Christ bore, the worst of it, being cut off

    for a time from His Father. Ponder that. Heaven is to be in the constant

    presence of God.  To be cut off from Him is Hell. Even in this life, to be cut

    off from one’s people is hard. For a while I was cut off from my family

    when I accepted Christ. It was hard.  

vs. 26-27 repeats the rule about not eating the blood and the punishment of being cut off from the people, if someone disobeys.  

vs. 28-30 repeats that the offering is to be brought by the person and he is to do the killing and cleaning.

vs. 31-38 describes the distribution of the meat to Aaron and His families.

Chapters 4-7 SIN and GUILT OFFERINGS

-Very confusing. Ch. 4 specifies that all of the animal, except the blood, that will be sacrificed, is to be taken to “a clean place outside the camp”.  Yet, ch. 6 and 7  says the animal is to be burned completely and the ashes taken out. Also we are told that Aaron and his sons are to eat what is left.  That’s simply one I cannot explain.

-The importance of these chapters to me is NOT what and how sacrifices are to be made, but the definition of sin God gives.  Lets look:

    -4:2 UNINTENTIONALLY.  It is still a sin.

    -4.27, 5:17 Unintentionally and unknowingly.  “When it is made known to

                      him.”

    -4:3 If the priest sins, it brings guilt on all the people.  Our leaders bear

           HUGE responsibility!  I pray for our leaders, both government and for

           believing clergy.

    -Read 5:4 Swears thoughtlessly, to do evil OR GOOD.  Even to speak

     thoughtlessly in an oath and not even realize it.

Chapters 8-9 Preparation of priests and offerings

    Ch 8 Preparation of the priests.  It emphasizes the importance of those leading the worship to be mentally, physically, and spiritually prepared.

    Ch. 9 Provides for the offerings needed on behalf of the priests  They sin too.  We need to remember that.  Also, the offerings for the people.  In this chapter, it repeats the sacrificial procedure described earlier.

    Read Lev.: 22-24 They had presented all the sacrifices exactly as the Lord had instructed and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. We will not see the glory of the Lord until we get to heaven.

Study Questions

Leviticus Week 3

1. Read 6:1-7 Make restitution. Discuss the relevance in relation to Matt. 5:23-24 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

2.In Lev. 7:11-14 These are sacrifices thanking God for the peace we have.  Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  Gal. 5:22.  When you feel His peace, do you thank Him? How do you show you are thankful? Does your thanksgiving extend to giving to the church over and above your tithe?

3.  To whom are our pastors accountable?  What happens when either they don’t hold him accountable or he rejects their counsel?  

4.Read Lev. 9:3-24. What did the people do?  Think of the song, “I Can Only Imagine.”  What do you think you will do when you see the glory of the Lord?