peace offering

Little Is Much When God Is In It

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1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. – 1 Samuel 16:1-13 ESV

Evidently, Samuel was having a difficult time accepting Saul’s demise as the king of Israel. God had officially rejected Saul and communicated His plans to replace him.

“You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” – 1 Samuel 13:13-14 ESV

But years had passed since that pronouncement and Saul remained on the throne of Israel. Yet God had abandoned him and Samuel the prophet had broken off all communications with him. Saul was on his own, operating without God’s presence and the prophet’s counsel. This sad state of affairs left Samuel in a state of perpetual mourning. As an old man, Samuel must have wondered what the future held for the nation of Israel. His days were numbered but he couldn’t help but question what could have been if Saul had only obeyed the word of the Lord. This grand experiment to appoint a king over Israel had turned out poorly and the once-promising Saul had proved to be a huge disappointment.

Samuel had been the one who delivered the news to Saul regarding God’s plans to replace him but he knew nothing about God’s timing or the identity of Saul’s successor. All he could see was the failed reign of Saul and the lingering threat of war because of Israel’s ever-present enemies. Nothing had changed. Israel was no better off with a king than they had been when Samuel served as their judge. But God was ready to intervene and begin the process of transforming the 12 tribes of Israel into the mighty nation He had always planned for it to be.

Samuel was commanded to fill his flash with oil and head to the town of Bethlehem where he would find Israel’s next king among the sons of Jesse, a descendant of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:17, 22). These instructions filled the elderly prophet with fear because he knew that any attempt he made to anoint a new king would be viewed as an act of treason by Saul. From Samuel’s perspective, this journey to Bethlehem was little more than a death march. But rather than addressing Samuel’s concerns, God simply continued His instructions.

“Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.” – 1 Samuel 16:2-3 NLT

God provided Samuel with a cover story for his journey, instructing him to take a heifer for use in a sacrifice. Throughout his life, Samuel had functioned as both a priest and prophet of God and it would have been natural for him to offer sacrifices to Jehovah. So, God gave His reluctant servant a way to disguise the true purpose behind his visit to Bethlehem. Samuel was to present the heifer as an offering to the Lord, inviting all the citizens of Bethlehem to join him in a meal to consume the meat of the sacrifice. This was like a peace or fellowship offering (Leviticus 7:11-21) and was intended to be an expression of gratitude to God for His blessings or deliverance. Unlike a sacrifice of propitiation for sin, the meat of the peace offering was to be eaten by the ones who offered it. In doing so, they “fellowshipped” with God.

Samuel was instructed to invite Jesse and his eight sons to this communal event, and God promised to reveal which of the sons was to be Saul’s replacement. As was required for any sacrifice, all the participants had to be purified before taking part in the ceremony; this included Jesse and his sons. However, the elders of Bethlehem were suspicious of Samuel’s presence and questioned the purpose behind his visit. After hearing what Samuel had done to King Agag, they had every right to fear this elderly but far-from-feeble prophet. This was likely the first time any of them had laid eyes on a prophet of God and Samuel’s sudden appearance frightened them.

As Samuel performed the purification process, he got a good look at each of Jesse’s sons. When he got his first glimpse of Eliab, the firstborn, he immediately assumed he was the one, saying, “Surely the Lord‘s anointed is before him” (1 Samuel 16:6 ESV). But he was wrong. God responded to Samuel with one of the most revealing statements in the entire Bible.

“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

Saul, Israel’s first king, had been chosen based on sight. He was described as “a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2 ESV). But looks can be deceiving, and Samuel allowed himself to be deceived by Eliab’s outer appearance. Yet, when God announced His decision to replace Saul, He told Samuel that He had “sought out a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 ESV).

This was not going to be another beauty contest or a search for the best-looking candidate. On this occasion, the selection process was going to be different. No more kings by consensus. God was looking for a man of good character, not great stature.

So Samuel had Jesse parade each of his sons in front of him but, one after the other, God repeatedly rejected them, forcing Samuel to announce, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one” (1 Samuel 16:8 ESV). The time came when Jesse ran out of sons and Samuel held the flask of anointing oil in his hands – unused. Samuel, a bit perplexed, asked Jesse if he had any other sons, to which the confused father replied, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:11 ESV).

There is a lot of conjecture as to why David was not invited to the festivities to begin with. The passage doesn’t indicate whether Jesse knew the purpose behind Samuel’s visit. But when Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice, David was left out in the fields to tend the flocks. He was the youngest and, therefore, the low man on the totem pole. While all his brothers were being consecrated and prepared to participate in the feast, he was left to care for the family’s livestock.

It’s interesting to note that when Jesse informed Samuel about David, he said, “he is keeping the sheep.” The Hebrew word is ra`ah and it can literally be translated as “he is shepherding the sheep.” David was faithfully caring for and protecting the flocks of his father. He was doing his job to feed, guide, and nurture those who had been placed in his care. In Psalm 78, we are given a glimpse into the shepherd’s heart of David, the one who was about to be anointed the next king of Israel.

He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his inheritance.
With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with his skillful hand. – Psalm 78:70-72 ESV

God was going to choose David because of his heart, not because he was handsome. God was going to anoint this young boy as the next king of Israel, not because he was famous, but because he was faithful. Yes, he was the last in line of all the sons of Jesse, but he was far from the least in the eyes of God.

There is a song written by Kittle L. Suffield that sums up the situation with David quite nicely.

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem too small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.

Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown—and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ Name.

David was left in the field by his father. But he was not left out of God’s plan for the future of Israel. David was an afterthought in his father’s mind, but he was worthy to be chosen by God to become the shepherd of the flock of Israel. David was unknown and insignificant, shepherding sheep in the fields of Bethlehem, but God was about to do something that would radically change the trajectory of his life – forever.

Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. – 1 Samuel 16:13 NLT

The transition of power had begun but the timing would prove interesting. God had anointed His future king but Saul remained on the throne. The replacement had been revealed and the future of Israel had been affirmed, but God had plans for David that no one could have ever imagined.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Food For Thought

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11 “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord. 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. 13 With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. 14 And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten. 17 But what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned up with fire. 18 If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

19 “Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned up with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh, 20 but the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the Lord’s peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people. 21 And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the Lord’s peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people.” – Leviticus 7:11-21 ESV

God turns His attention once again to the peace offerings for thanksgiving. These types of offerings were covered in chapter three and followed God’s exposition on the sin and guilt sacrifices. Those two types of offerings involved atonement and cleansing, whereas the peace offering was designed as an opportunity for the formerly guilty party to enjoy his restored relationship with God by providing the appropriate gift. This was intended to be a time of worship as the one who had received atonement partook of a meal with the Lord.

One of the things that set this particular offering apart from all others it that a portion of the meat that was sacrificed was to be shared by the giver. This section of chapter seven clarifies who could eat what part of the sacrifice. Any grain offering or bread was to be the property of the priest, but a portion of the meat was reserved for the one who offered up the animal as a peace offering.

“This peace offering of thanksgiving must also be accompanied by loaves of bread made with yeast. One of each kind of bread must be presented as a gift to the Lord. It will then belong to the priest who splatters the blood of the peace offering against the altar. The meat of the peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the same day it is offered. None of it may be saved for the next morning.” – Leviticus 7:13-15 NLT

The worshiper was allowed to eat any of the leftover meat but it had to be consumed according to God’s parameters. The one who gave the offering was required to eat it on the same day. Any attempt to preserve the meat for the following day was strictly prohibited. This meal was to be enjoyed by the giver and anyone else he chose to join him. It was the priest’s job to ensure that God’s commands were carried out.

In the case of a vow offering, God extended the time for consuming the meat a second day.

“If you bring an offering to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, the meat must be eaten on the same day the sacrifice is offered, but whatever is left over may be eaten on the second day.” – Leviticus 7:16 NLT

God provides no explanation for this slight variation between the two offerings. What distinguished the various types of peace offerings was the motivation behind the gift. The category of peace offering contained three subtypes: The thank offering, the vow offering, and the freewill offering. The first of these three was really a praise offering. The Hebrew word translated as “thanksgiving” is תּוֹדָה (tôḏâ) and might better be translated as “acknowledgment” or “praise.” This offering was given in recognition of God’s providential care and faithful provision. The giver was expected to declare to the entire congregation what God had done for them. In giving his gift, the giver would be accompanied by friends and family members to whom he would express the ways in which God had richly provided for all his needs. These invitees would then join him in consuming the sacrificial meal as a form of worship to Yahweh for His goodness and generosity.

“It was an integral part of the public act of thanksgiving. The ceremony concluded with a joyful communal meal, involving the worshiper, family, priests, Levites, and the poor (Psalm 22:25, 25).” – Kenneth A. Matthew, Leviticus: Holy God, Holy People

From the time the Israelites departed Mount Sinai to the moment they entered the land of Canaan, they would have plenty of reasons and opportunities to praise God for His provision of all their needs. The “praise” offering was instituted as a means of expressing gratitude to God for all He had done, and because it was to be a public confession of God’s goodness and greatness, it was meant to encourage the entire community to place their trust in Him for all their needs.

God outlined two additional fellowship offerings that were closely related to the peace offering. One was the votive or vow offering and the other was the freewill offering. The first of these was an offering given to celebrate or commemorate the successful completion of a vow. Having fulfilled a commitment made to God, the worshiper offered a gift to celebrate the occasion. The freewill offering was a voluntary gift given to God as an expression of praise and gratitude. It was not tied to a vow or associated with the confession of a particular sin. This gift was given willingly and gladly as a public display of one’s gratefulness to God. And each of these offerings included a communal meal so that others could celebrate Yahweh alongside the giver.

But these meals had restrictions as well. While these offerings were not given for the purpose of confession or atonement, they were still required to be holy and pure before God. No shortcuts or concessions could be made. Unclean or defiled meat was not allowed. Any violation of God’s commands regarding the timeline for consuming the meat would render the gift unacceptable. God had a reason behind His regulations concerning the timely consumption of sacrificial meat. These rules were not arbitrary.

“Any meat left over until the third day must be completely burned up. If any of the meat from the peace offering is eaten on the third day, the person who presented it will not be accepted by the Lord. You will receive no credit for offering it. By then the meat will be contaminated; if you eat it, you will be punished for your sin.” – Leviticus 7:17-18 NLT

God was protecting His people from incurring guilt and His wrath. In the process of offering their praise to Him, the people of God could actually end up contaminating themselves and negating the efficacy of their gift.

It was the job of the priest to ensure that none of these rules were broken. If the meat of the sacrifice inadvertently touched something unclean, it was to be burned with fire. The priest was not to allow anyone to consume the contaminated meat. He was also to regulate the participation of all those who gathered to partake in the communal meal. It was essential that the sacrificial meat be consumed only by those who were ceremonially clean. If someone had come into contact with an unclean person or object and then attempted to partake in the communal meal, they would be held guilty and punished for their action.

“If you are ceremonially unclean and you eat meat from a peace offering that was presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community. If you touch anything that is unclean (whether it is human defilement or an unclean animal or any other unclean, detestable thing) and then eat meat from a peace offering presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community.” – Leviticus 7:20-21 NLT

Since these offerings were built around the idea of a celebratory meal, you can see how the Israelites might treat them with less seriousness than the sacrifices for sin and atonement. In their eagerness to enjoy a meal together, they might make unnecessary concessions that would taint and disqualify the sacrifice. Rather than focusing on the offering’s primary purpose of worshiping God, the meal might become the focus. And people might be tempted to cut corners to enjoy a quality meal with their friends. But God wanted all sacrifices to be treated with a soberness and seriousness that reflected a respect for His holiness.

The one thing the people of Israel needed to understand was that each of these sacrifices was to be dedicated to God. And the peace offerings were especially important because they each involved a meal eaten in communion with God. He was allowing the giver to partake of part of the meat that had been sacrificed and dedicated to Him. He was graciously sharing a meal with His people, and He expected them to treat that special occasion with the proper dignity and decorum it deserved.

Centuries later, the apostle Paul would warn the believers in Corinth against taking the Lord’s table in an unworthy manner. This too was a meal eaten in celebration of God’s graciousness and goodness. It was a communal meal commemorating God’s gift of His Son and intended to express gratitude for the undeserved atonement provided by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. But Paul’s audience was guilty of misusing this meal. It had lost its original significance and become just another opportunity to satisfy their own fleshly desires.

When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. – 1 Corinthians 11:20-21 NLT

So, he warned them to realign their priorities and treat the Lord’s Table with the reverence it deserved.

So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. – 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Blessed and a Blessing

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1 “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar. 3 And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 5 Then Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

6 “If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7 If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the Lord, 8 lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron’s sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 9 Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food offering to the Lord its fat; he shall remove the whole fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 11 And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering to the Lord.

12 “If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord 13 and lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 14 Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for a food offering to the Lord, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 16 And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the Lord‘s. 17 It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.” – Leviticus 3:1-17 ESV

The peace offering was a voluntary sacrifice that came in three different forms. First, it could be given as a freewill offering as an expression of gratitude to God for His gracious provision and protection. The seventh chapter of Leviticus describes the second kind of peace offering. This one was also a freewill offering but it was associated with the fulfillment of a vow or commitment made to God. An example of this kind of peace offering is found in the book of 1 Samuel where we see a woman named Hannah making a vow to God. Unable to bare children, Hannah pleaded with God to intervene on her behalf.

Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” – 1 Samuel 1:10-11 NLT

And God fulfilled her request.

…the Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.” – 1 Samuel 1:19-20 NLT

In response to God’s gracious provision of a son, Hannah offered a peace offering as an expression of her gratitude for His goodness.

When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. – 1 Samuel 1:24 NLT

And Hannah clearly articulated the purpose behind her offering to God.

“I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” – 1 Samuel 1:26-28 NLT

Not only did Hannah offer the bull, a grain offering, and some wine to God, but she also dedicated her son to His service. In gratitude for God’s answer to her prayer, Hannah consecrated her infant son to Yahweh – for life. As far as she was concerned, Samuel belonged to God and would spend his life ministering on Yahweh’s behalf.

The third type of peace offering was to be given as an expression of thanksgiving for God’s gracious deliverance from a difficult situation. This voluntary gift to God was a way of saying, “Thank you” for His providential activity in one’s life. Having experienced God’s divine intervention in his life, the giver willingly offered his gift as a way of expressing his gratitude. God had delivered him from trouble, and the least he could do was thank God for His undeserved intervention in the affairs of his life.

One of the things that set the peace offering apart from all the other sacrifices was that a portion of the meat that was offered was made available to the giver.  The actual sacrificial ceremony followed the same basic pattern as that of the burnt offering. The individual brought his sacrifice to the priest, slaughtered it, then the priest sprinkled some of its blood on the altar. The one presenting the gift was expected to “remove the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that surrounds the entrails, the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (Leviticus 3:3-4 NLT). This portion of the sacrificial animal was then burned upon the altar “as a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 3:5 NLT).

The remaining meat was made available to the one who presented the offering, but it was to be consumed according to strict guidelines and a regimented schedule. For the peace offering of thanksgiving, the meat was to be eaten on the same day it was sacrificed.

“The meat of the peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the same day it is offered. None of it may be saved for the next morning.” – Leviticus 7:15 NLT

But the timeline for the peace offering given as part of the fulfillment of a vow could be extended one day.

“If you bring an offering to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, the meat must be eaten on the same day the sacrifice is offered, but whatever is left over may be eaten on the second day.” – Leviticus 7:16 NLT

While the fat and blood of the sacrificial animal were strictly prohibited. the rest of the meat was made available so that the one making the sacrifice could share a meal with God. Evidently, this was a communal meal shared between the priests, the congregant, and Yahweh. But certain portions of the meat were reserved for Aaron and his sons.

“When you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a gift to the Lord. Present it to the Lord with your own hands as a special gift to the Lord. Bring the fat of the animal, together with the breast, and lift up the breast as a special offering to the Lord. Then the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. Give the right thigh of your peace offering to the priest as a gift.  The right thigh must always be given to the priest who offers the blood and the fat of the peace offering.” – Leviticus 7:29-33 NLT

God explained that these special portions of the sacrifice were the rightful property of Aaron and his sons because they had been set apart for His service.

“The special gifts presented to the Lord have been reserved for Aaron and his descendants from the time they were set apart to serve the Lord as priests.” – Leviticus 7:35 NLT

God would provide for His people, and He expected them to respond by offering their freewill peace offerings as a tangible expression of their gratitude. When they did so, they would also receive the blessing of enjoying fellowship with God in the form of a meal. And their voluntary expression of thanksgiving would also provide for the needs of the priests. God’s goodness, when responded to with gratitude, would end up blessing all those involved. In blessing God for His goodness, the giver would be blessed and a blessing to others.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The People of God

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1 Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. 2 And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. 3 And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4 And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; 6 you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”

9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.” – Deuteronomy 27:1-10 ESV

Moses finally concludes his recitation of the law to the people of Israel. And having completed this important task, he provides them with a final set of instructions. First, he adds one last command to the long list he has given them: That they obey every one of the laws. And to help them keep that commitment, Moses instructs them to build a memorial and an altar to God. The memorial would be made of stones covered in plaster, on which they were to inscribe every single one of the laws God had given them. We’re not told if this was simply a synopsis consisting of only the Ten Commandments or if it included the entire code found in the book of Deuteronomy. But the important point is that the law given to them by God was to be permanently recorded in stone and placed on Mount Ebal, where all could see it.

This site would become a symbol of Israel’s sacred covenant relationship with God. He had set them apart as His own and given them His law as their official code of conduct. Even the Canaanites living in the land would see this memorial and know that the Israelites were a different kind of people who lived according to a distinctively different set of rules. And they worshiped one God. That is why Moses also instructed the Israelites to build an altar to God right next to the memorial. And we know from the book of Joshua, that they followed Moses’ instructions to the letter.

At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. – Joshua 8:30-32 ESV

As the book of Deuteronomy comes to a close, it mirrors the life and legacy of Moses. He has been denied the privilege of entering into the land of promise. And knowing that his days are numbered, Moses is beginning the handoff of his ministry and leadership to Joshua, God’s chosen successor for Moses. It was important to Moses that with their entrance into the land of promise, the people of Israel got off on the right foot. He knew that the key to their success would be their adherence to the law which would be dependent upon their reverence for God. The memorial, made from plaster-covered stones inscribed with the law, would remind them of God’s expectations of them. The altar of uncut stones would remind them that their God was holy and righteous.

One of the very first things they were to do after crossing over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, was to offer sacrifices to God. And the altar upon which those sacrifices were to be made was to be distinctively different from the altars of the pagan nations that filled the land. It was to be constructed with whole stones, untouched by iron tools. The focus of the altar was to be God, not the beauty of the well-crafted stones or the handiwork of the stone-carver. Moses didn’t want the people to be impressed with the structure. He wanted them to be attracted to the holiness of God.

God requires the obedience of His people. But obedience is only possible when God’s people love and worship Him for who He is. Without the motivation that reverence for God produces, obedience will become nothing more than a self-manufactured adherence to a set of religious rules and regulations. It turns heartfelt submission to God’s will into little more than legalistic, fear-based adherence to a list of dos and don’ts. And that kind of behavior has a short shelf-life.

It is important that we recognize Moses’ instructions for building a memorial and a place of worship. They were to keep God’s law in mind at all times, but they were also to maintain a healthy reverence and respect for God. Otherwise, they would find themselves forgetting who God was and why His law was worthy of being kept.  God had told the people of Israel, “You must be holy because I, the LORD, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own” (Leviticus 20:26 NLT). Their holiness would be based on their obedience to God’s laws. But the motivation behind their keeping of the law was to be the holiness of God. Because He was holy, they were to be holy, and the law was a black-and-white description of what holy behavior was to look like.

A law to remember and a God to reverence. The two were to go hand in hand. They were inseparable and interdependent. And God provided a description of what obedience divorced from true worship looked like.

“These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” – Isaiah 29:13 NLT

Heartless obedience is ultimately nothing more than self-effort masquerading as worship of God. It is insincere and wrongly motivated. It is not based on an accurate view of God and so, it ends up creating a false form of worship that is based more on self-merit than the worthiness of God.

The law was to be a constant reminder of God’s expectations for mankind. But the altar was where men came to express their love for and dependence upon God. They were to bring their burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. A peace offering was also known as a fellowship offering, and was intended as a means for the people of Israel to offer praise to God for His goodness, mercy, and grace. It was not associated with sin but was tied to the generosity and compassion of God. It was a voluntary sacrifice and the book of Leviticus provides a description of what it entailed.

This is the law of the peace offering sacrifice which he is to present to the Lord. If he presents it on account of thanksgiving, along with the thank offering sacrifice he must present unleavened loaves mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers smeared with olive oil, and well soaked ring-shaped loaves made of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil.  – Leviticus 7:11-12 ESV

The sacrifice was to be eaten by the one who gave it. So, it was offered as a form of thanksgiving to God, but the giver was allowed to enjoy in the blessing God had bestowed.

The burnt offering was typically tied to sin and man’s need for forgiveness. It involved the complete destruction of the animal, which served as a stand-in or substitute for the one making the offering. The smoke that ascended from the offering was to be “a soothing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9), propitiating or satisfying the righteous anger of a holy God for the sins committed by the one making the offering. It was intended to renew the relationship between Holy God and sinful man.

The altar was to be a place marked by confession, forgiveness, and rejoicing. And Moses reminds the people that, when they come to the altar, they were to rejoice before the Lord their God. They were to find joy in His provision for all their needs and His forgiveness of all their sins. He would provide them with food to assuage their hunger and a sin-substitute to satisfy His righteous judgment. God was going to give them plenty of reasons to rejoice, but it would begin with their adherence to His law, which would be based on their reverence for His holiness.

Which is why Moses cautions the people: “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today” (Deuteronomy 27:9-10 ESV). This statement is associated with the completion of the reciting of the law. God’s expectations have been clearly communicated. Their first responsibilities upon entering the land have been articulated. The covenant has been ratified and renewed, once again setting apart the people of Israel as God’s chosen possession. They belonged to Him and they were to live like it – from that day forward.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson