These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the LORD
Leviticus 7:11 NIV
I suspect that most people who try to read Leviticus find it bewildering and either just skim through it or give up. And in no place is this truer than the opening chapters with all the regulations for sacrifices. Many believers today lump all these sacrifices together and express gratitude that, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we no longer have to offer animal sacrifices.
But these sacrifices are not all the same. And Jesus’ death on the cross did not replace all of them. Indeed, the sin and guilt offerings are no longer needed–Jesus has fulfilled them. But I believe that the fellowship offering (peace offering in many translations) still has application to us today.
This sacrifice was not about making peace with God. Instead, it was a voluntary offering made by the worshipper, expressing gratitude to God. It was a fellowship offering.
A Fellowship Meal with God
In a sense, this sacrifice was a meal where you have invited God to join you. A portion of the sacrifice was offered to God. A portion went to the priest who facilitated the sacrifice. The rest was eaten by the one offering the sacrifice, along with anyone who was ceremonially clean.
It would be impossible for me today to offer this sacrifice as described in Leviticus. But I can still participate in the spirit of the fellowship offering. The fellowship offering was:
- Voluntary, beyond what was expected of me.
- It was given out of gratitude or thanksgiving to God.
- A fellowship meal attended by God, the priests, the one making the offering, and anyone else they invited.
We can, at least in part, follow the spirit of the fellowship offering when we share meals together as a community of believers. Especially when we recognize and celebrate God’s presence and participation in the meal with us.
How else might believers today make a fellowship offering to God?
