Leviticus

Leviticus 7: Thanksgiving and the priests' portion

Begin in prayer

Before you open Leviticus 7, where God sets out the law of the trespass offering, the thank offering, and the portion given to the priests, bow your heads together. Ask the Lord to make us thankful for the blood of Jesus.

The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Proverbs 15:8

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that we must handle Your holy things with care and never eat the blood You gave for atonement. Lead us to trust Jesus and thank You through Him. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

Leviticus 7 continues the instructions for the priests and the people. First, it gives the law of the trespass offering, whose blood is sprinkled on the altar and whose meat is eaten by the priests. Next, it gives the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings. For a thanksgiving peace offering, the worshipper brings unleavened and leavened cakes, and the meat must be eaten on the same day. For a vow or freewill offering, the meat may be eaten for two days, and any left on the third day is burned. Anyone who eats the peace offering while unclean, or who eats fat or blood, is cut off from his people. Finally, the waved breast and the heaved right thigh are given to Aaron and his sons.

As you read Leviticus 7, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God provides for His priests, receives glad thanksgiving, and sets apart the blood that makes atonement.

Leviticus 7 brings the five offerings of chapters 1 to 7 to a close. In verses 1 to 10 the priests receive the trespass offering meat, the burnt offering skin, and the meal offerings. God provided for them in this way because the priests had no land of their own in Israel (Numbers 18 verse 20). Then verses 11 to 21 explain how the worshipper's family ate the peace offering. A peace offering for thanksgiving had to be eaten on that same day, encouraging the worshipper to share freely (verse 15). Vow and freewill offerings could be eaten for two days, yet eating any on the third day was “an abomination” (verses 16 to 18). Eating the holy meat while unclean, or eating fat or blood, meant being “cut off from his people” (verses 20, 25 and 27). The worshipper brought the offering “with his own hands,” and God gave the breast and right thigh to the priests (verses 30 to 34). All six laws of verse 37 pointed to Jesus, through whom believers now offer a sacrifice of praise to God (Hebrews 13 verse 15).

How does Leviticus 7 show us that God provides for His priests, receives glad thanksgiving, and sets apart the blood that makes atonement?

The priest who makes atonement receives his share of the most holy offerings.

In the trespass offering, blood was sprinkled around on the altar and the fat was burned (verses 2 to 5). Every male priest ate the meat in a holy place, for “there is one law” for both offerings (verses 6 and 7). The priests also received the skin of the burnt offering and the meal offerings (verses 8 to 10). Paul points to this in 1 Corinthians 9 verses 13 and 14 to show that gospel preachers should be cared for.

A thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten the same day, and never while unclean.

With a thanksgiving peace offering, a worshipper brought unleavened cakes, wafers, and cakes of leavened bread (verses 12 and 13). Its meat was eaten that day, and vow offering meat left on the third day was burned (verses 15 to 17). Anyone who ate the LORD's peace offering while unclean was “cut off from his people” (verses 20 and 21). God's holy feast could never be treated carelessly.

Israel may never eat fat or blood, and priests receive breast and thigh.

Verses 23 to 27 forbid anyone in Israel to eat the fat of ox, sheep or goat, or any blood. Then verse 30 says the worshipper must bring the offering “with his own hands,” waving the breast before the LORD. God gave “the waved breast and the heaved thigh” to Aaron and his sons (verse 34).

Memorise

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.

Leviticus 7:15

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, do I thank God through Jesus, or treat His holy things carelessly?

In Leviticus 7, a worshipper who brought a peace offering brought it “with his own hands.” The priest sprinkled the blood and burned the fat, the priests received the breast and thigh, and the clean worshipper ate in glad thanksgiving. Yet if anyone ate the holy meat while unclean, or ate the blood, God said, “that soul shall be cut off from his people.”

By nature we are all unclean in heart, and our sins deserve for us to be cut off from God forever. No thank offering or vow of ours could ever pay for our guilt. That is why Jesus Christ came as both our Priest and our Sacrifice. He went to the cross, carried His people's sin, and shed His own blood so they would never be cut off. God raised Him on the third day, and His one offering is enough for all time.

Do not bring thank offerings to earn God's favor. Come to Jesus with empty hands today. Turn from your sin and put your trust in Him. Everyone who trusts Christ is washed clean, forgiven, and given a heart full of thanksgiving.

Parent's note

Tell your children that thanking God cannot pay for our sins, because only Jesus' blood keeps sinners from being cut off. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for giving His Son so that sinners may be washed clean and bring Him grateful praise, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

Every priest indeed stands day by day serving and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins,

Hebrews 10:11

Heavenly Father, thank You that where the old priests stood day by day offering sacrifices that could never take away sins, Jesus offered Himself once for all. Please forgive us for being ungrateful and for treating Your Word lightly. Wash our hearts through Jesus' blood and fill our home with thankfulness this week. Amen.