Leviticus 7

1 "These are the instructions for the Compensation-Offering. It is most holy.

2 Slaughter the Compensation-Offering in the same place that the Whole-Burnt-Offering is slaughtered. Splash its blood against all sides of the Altar.

3 Offer up all the fat: the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails,

4 the two kidneys and the fat encasing them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver that is removed with the kidneys.

5 The priest burns them on the Altar as a gift to God. It is a Compensation-Offering.

6 Any male from among the priests' families may eat it. But it must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

7 "The Compensation-Offering is the same as the Absolution-Offering - the same rules apply to both. The offering belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.

8 The priest who presents a Whole-Burnt-Offering for someone gets the hide for himself.

9 Every Grain-Offering baked in an oven or prepared in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who presents it. It's his.

10 Every Grain-Offering, whether dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

11 "These are the instructions for the Peace-Offering which is presented to God.

12 If you bring it to offer thanksgiving, then along with the Thanksgiving-Offering present unraised loaves of bread mixed with oil, unraised wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour, well-kneaded and mixed with oil.

13 Along with the Peace-Offering of thanksgiving, present loaves of yeast bread as an offering.

14 Bring one of each kind as an offering, a Contribution-Offering to God; it goes to the priest who throws the blood of the Peace-Offering.

15 Eat the meat from the Peace-Offering of thanksgiving the same day it is offered. Don't leave any of it overnight.

16 "If the offering is a Votive-Offering or a Freewill-Offering, it may be eaten the same day it is sacrificed and whatever is left over on the next day may also be eaten.

17 But any meat from the sacrifice that is left to the third day must be burned up.

18 If any of the meat from the Peace-Offering is eaten on the third day, the person who has brought it will not be accepted. It won't benefit him a bit - it has become defiled meat. And whoever eats it must take responsibility for his iniquity.

19 Don't eat meat that has touched anything ritually unclean; burn it up. Any other meat can be eaten by those who are ritually clean.

20 But if you're not ritually clean and eat meat from the Peace-Offering for God, you will be excluded from the congregation.

21 And if you touch anything ritually unclean, whether human or animal uncleanness or an obscene object, and go ahead and eat from a Peace-Offering for God, you'll be excluded from the congregation."

22 God spoke to Moses,

23 "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, Don't eat any fat of cattle or sheep or goats.

24 The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals can be put to some other purpose, but you may not eat it.

25 If you eat fat from an animal from which a gift has been presented to God, you'll be excluded from the congregation.

26 And don't eat blood, whether of birds or animals, no matter where you end up living.

27 If you eat blood you'll be excluded from the congregation."

28 God spoke to Moses,

29 "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them: When you present a Peace-Offering to God, bring some of your Peace-Offering as a special sacrifice to God,

30 a gift to God in your own hands. Bring the fat with the breast and then wave the breast before God as a Wave-Offering.

31 The priest will burn the fat on the Altar; Aaron and his sons get the breast.

32 Give the right thigh from your Peace-Offerings as a Contribution-Offering to the priest.

33 Give a portion of the right thigh to the son of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the Peace-Offering as his portion.

34 From the Peace-Offerings of Israel, I'm giving the breast of the Wave-Offering and the thigh of the Contribution-Offering to Aaron the priest and his sons. This is their fixed compensation from the People of Israel."

35 From the day they are presented to serve as priests to God, Aaron and his sons can expect to receive these allotments from the gifts of God.

36 This is what God commanded the People of Israel to give the priests from the day of their anointing. This is the fixed rule down through the generations.

37 These are the instructions for the Whole-Burnt-Offering, the Grain-Offering, the Absolution-Offering, the Compensation-Offering, the Ordination-Offering, and the Peace-Offering

38 which God gave Moses at Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the People of Israel to present their offerings to God in the wilderness of Sinai.

Leviticus 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

Concerning the trespass-offering. (1-10) Concerning the peace-offering. (11-27) The wave and heave offerings. (28-34) The conclusion of these institutions. (35-38)

Verses 1-10 In the sin-offering and the trespass-offering, the sacrifice was divided between the altar and the priest; the offerer had no share, as he had in the peace-offerings. The former expressed repentance and sorrow for sin, therefore it was more proper to fast than feast; the peace-offerings denoted communion with a reconciled God in Christ, the joy and gratitude of a pardoned sinner, and the privileges of a true believer.

Verses 11-27 As to the peace-offerings, in the expression of their sense of mercy, God left them more at liberty, than in the expression of their sense of sin; that their sacrifices, being free-will offerings, might be the more acceptable, while, by obliging them to bring the sacrifices of atonement, God shows the necessity of the great Propitiation. The main reason why blood was forbidden of old, was because the Lord had appointed blood for an atonement. This use, being figurative, had its end in Christ, who by his death and blood-shedding caused the sacrifices to cease. Therefore this law is not now in force on believers.

Verses 28-34 The priest who offered, was to have the breast and the right shoulder. When the sacrifice was killed, the offerer himself must present God's part of it; that he might signify his cheerfully giving it up to God. He was with his own hands to lift it up, in token of his regard to God as the God of heaven; and then to wave it to and fro, in token of his regard to God as the Lord of the whole earth. Be persuaded and encouraged to feed and feast upon Christ, our Peace-offering. This blessed Peace-offering is not for the priests only, for saints of the highest rank and greatest eminence, but for the common people also. Take heed of delay. Many think to repent and return to God when they are dying and dropping into hell; but they should eat the peace-offering, and eat it now. Stay not till the day of the Lord's patience be run out, for eating the third day will not be accepted, nor will catching at Christ when thou art gone to hell!

Verses 35-38 Solemn acts of religious worship are not things which we may do or not do at our pleasure; it is at our peril if we omit them. An observance of the laws of Christ cannot be less necessary than of the laws of Moses.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 7

The several things contained in this chapter are the law of the trespass offering, Le 7:1-7 the portion the priests had in the burnt offerings and meat offerings, Le 7:8-10 the law of the peace offerings, whether by way of thanksgiving, or a vow, or voluntary oblation, Le 7:11-21 the prohibition of fat and blood, Le 7:22-27 the parts the priests should have in the peace offerings, the breast and right shoulder, Le 7:28-36 and the chapter is concluded with a recapitulation of the various things contained in this and the preceding chapters, Le 7:37,38.