Leviticus 7
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1Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy.
CHAPTER 7
Le 7:1-27. The Law of the Trespass Offering.
1. Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering--This chapter is a continuation of the laws that were to regulate the duty of the priests respecting the trespass offerings. The same regulations obtained in this case as in the burnt offerings--part was to be consumed on the altar, while the other part was a perquisite of the priests--some fell exclusively to the officiating minister, and was the fee for his services; others were the common share of all the priestly order, who lived upon them as their provision, and whose meetings at a common table would tend to promote brotherly harmony and friendship.
Vers. 1 — 6. — Further ritual of tlie trespass offering (see note on ch. v. 14). It is to be noted that the blood of the trespass offering is not to be placed on the horns of the altar, as was the rule in the ordinary sin offering, but cast against the inner siile of the altar, as in the burnt offering and peaee offering. The romp in ver. 3 should be translated totZ, as in ch. iii. 9.
2In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.
3And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,
4And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away:
5And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering.
6Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.
7As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.
Vers. 7 — 10 contain a general precept or note as to the priests' portion in the sin offering, trespass offering, burnt offering, and meat offering. The officiating priest WM to have the flesli of the trespass oflering and of the sin offering (except the fat burnt on the altar), and the skin of the burnt offering and the cooked meat offerings (except the meiiiorittl burlit on the altar), while the meat offerings of flour and of parched grains, which could be kept longer, were to be the property of the priestly body in general, all the sons of Aaron, . . . one as much as another. The skins of the peace offerings were retained by the offerer (' Mishna, Sebach,' 12, 3).
8And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered.
8. the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered--All the flesh and the fat of the burnt offerings being consumed, nothing remained to the priest but the skin. It has been thought that this was a patriarchal usage, incorporated with the Mosaic law, and that the right of the sacrificer to the skin of the victim was transmitted from the example of Adam (see on Ge 3:21).
9And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it.
10And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.
11And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.
11-14. this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings--Besides the usual accompaniments of other sacrifices, leavened bread was offered with the peace offerings, as a thanksgiving, such bread being common at feasts.
Vers. 11 — 21. — Further ritual of the peace oflFering (see note on ch. iii. 1). There are three sorts of peace offering,- — thank offerings (
12If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.
13Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
14And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.
15And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.
15-17. the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings ... shall be eaten the same day that it is offered--The flesh of the sacrifices was eaten on the day of the offering or on the day following. But if any part of it remained till the third day, it was, instead of being made use of, to be burned with fire. In the East, butcher-meat is generally eaten the day it is killed, and it is rarely kept a second day, so that as a prohibition was issued against any of the flesh in the peace offerings being used on the third day, it has been thought, not without reason, that this injunction must have been given to prevent a superstitious notion arising that there was some virtue or holiness belonging to it.
16But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten:
vers. 16 — 18). Of these, the thank offeringfs were made in thankful memorial for past mercies ; votive offerings were made in fulfilment of a vow previously taken, that •uch offering should be presented if a oertnin condition were fullilled. Voluntary ollerings differ from votive offeiinj,'B liy not having been previously vowed, and from thank offerings by not having reference to any special nierey received. The tliank offering must be eaten by the offerer and his friends, on the same diiy that it was ollered ; the votive and the voluntury offerings, which were inferior to tlie thank offering in eancti(y, on the same day or the next. The reason why a longer time was not given probably was that the more the meal was delayeii, tlie less would a religious character be attached to it. The necessity of a quick consumption also took away the temptation of acting grudgingly towards those with whom the feast might be shared, and it likewise precluded the danger of the fle.-<h becoming corrupted. If any of the flesh remained till the third day, it was to be burnt with fire; if eaten on that day, it shoulil not be accepted or imputed unto him that offered, that is, it should not be regarded as a sacrifice of sweet savour to God, but an abomination (lit^-rally, a stench), and whoever ate it bhould bear his iniquity, that is, should be guilty of an offence, requiring, proliably, a sin otfering to atone for it. The bread gift nccompanying the animal sacrifice was to consist of three kinds of unleavened cakes, and one cake of leavened bread, and one out of the whole oblation, that is, one cake of each kind, was to be offered by heaving and then given to the officiating prie-t, the remaining cakes forming a part of the offerer's fe.stive meal. If any one took part of a feast on a peace offering while in a state of Levitical uncleanness, he was to be cut off from his people, that is, excommunicated, without permission to recover immediate communion by offering a sin offering. St. Paul joined in a votive offering (Acts xxi. 26).
17But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.
18And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.
18. if any of the flesh of the sacrifice ... be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither ... imputed--The sacrifice will not be acceptable to God nor profitable to him that offers it.
19And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof.
Ver. 19. — That which ia itself unclean makes whatever it touche$ unclean also. So in the moral sphere, "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. xv. 33"), and " a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump " (I Cor. v. 6), and so with respe ;t to the sj^read of heresy, "Their word will eat as doth a canker (or gangrene)" \^2 Tim. ii. 17). On the other hand, that which is itself holy makes that which it touches to be holy (ch. vi. 18). Therefore, when the Holy One was on the earth, " the whole multitude sought to touch him : for there went virtue out of him, and healed them " (Luke vi. 19) ; and they " brought unto him all that were diseased ; and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole " (Matt. xiv. 35, 36). Thus the woman with an issue of blood " came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately ^''' issue of blood stanched. ... And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, find ra'liricr down before him, she declaied unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately " (Luke viii. 44—47). CM. vn. 1—38.] THE BOOK OF LEVITICUa 108 Hence, when mankind had fallen in Adam, for the restoration of the race a new Head was found in Christ Jesus, into whom each person is baptized, and bj a mystical contact with whom he may be sanctified.
20But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
20. cut off from his people--that is, excluded from the privileges of an Israelite--lie under a sentence of excommunication.
21Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
21. abominable unclean thing--Some copies of the Bible read, "any reptile."
22And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
22-27. Ye shall eat no manner of fat--(See on Le 3:17).
Vers. 22— 27.— Eepetition of the prohibition of eating the fat and the blood, addressed to the people in the midst of the instructiona va [cH. vu 1 — 38 to the priests. Ye shall eat no manner of fat moBt be taken to mean none of the fat already sjiecified, that is, the internal fat, and, in the case of the sheep, the tail. It is uncertain whether the law as to fat was regarded as binding upon the Israelites after they had settled in Palestine. Probably it was silently abrogated ; but the prohibition of blood was undoubtedly perpetual (Deut. xii. 16), and it is based on a princijile which does not apply to the fat (ch. xvii 11).
23Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.
24And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.
25For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.
Ver. 25. — To eat of the fat of which men offer an. offering made with fir« unto the Lord, is to rob God of his chosen offerin.;. The injunction condemns sacrilege in all its forms. Whoever Uikes to his own use things do<licatcd to God, " eau tliu lUi ; " and " the soul that eatelh it shall be cut off from his people."
26Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
27Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
28And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Vers. 28—34. — Continuation of the ritual of the peace ofiferings (see note on ch. iii. 1). The equal dignity of the peace offerings with the other offerings is vindicated by the command that the offerer shall bring it with his own hands, whereas it might have been regarded as merely the constituent part of a feast, and so sent by the hand of a servant. The breast and the right shoulder were to be waved and heaved (for " heaved " does not merely mean " taken off," as some liave said). The waving consisted of the prit-st placing his hands beneath those of tlie offerer who held the piece to be waved, and moving them slowly backwards and forwards before the Lord, to and from the alfar ; the heaving was performed by slowly lifting the pieces heaved upwards and downwards. The movements were made to show that the pieces, though not burnt on the altar, were jet ia a special manner consecrated to God's service. The right shoitlda was most pi;nhiibly the hind leg, perliafis the haunch. The Hebrew word is generally translated "l^g" (Deut. xxviii. 35; Ps. cxlvii. 10). This part was the perquisite of the officiating priest ; the waved breast was given to tlie priests' common , stock. Afterwards an addition was made to the priests' portion (Deut xviiL 3 ; see 1 Cor. ix. 13).
29Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.
Le 7:28-38. The Priests' Portion.
29-34. He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord--In order to show that the sacrifice was voluntary, the offerer was required to bring it with his own hands to the priest. The breast having been waved to and fro in a solemn manner as devoted to God, was given to the priests; it was assigned to the use of their order generally, but the right shoulder was the perquisite of the officiating priest.
30His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.
31And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.
32And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
33He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.
34For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
Ver. 34. — The wave breast and the heave shoulder were to be the priests', as well as the meat oflering (ver. 10) and other portions. Thus is taught the lesson enforcid by St, Paul (1 Cor. ix. 13, 14), "Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live oi tlie thinj^s of the temple? and thi-y which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which prtach the gos|Hjl should live of the gosiKil." The adequate maintenance of the Levitical priesthood was carefully provided for under the old dispensation by means of offerings and of tithes; and "the labourer is worthy of his hire " (Luke x. 7), and *' let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things " (GaL vi. 6), are principles of the new dispen&ition likewise.
35This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest’s office;
35-38. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron--These verses contain a general summing up of the laws which regulate the privileges and duties of the priests. The word "anointing" is often used as synonymous with "office" or "dignity." So that the "portion of the anointing of Aaron" probably means the provision made for the maintenance of the high priest and the numerous body of functionaries which composed the sacerdotal order.
in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord, &c.--that is, from the day they approached the Lord in the duties of their ministry.
Vers. 35, 36.— Conclusion of the section. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, may be translated simply, TTiis is the portion of Aaron, and the portion of his sons, as the word " mischah " will bear the meaning of portion as well as of anointing. This rendering, however, is not necessary, as it was the anointing of Aaron and his sods that entitled them to these portions. Vers. 37, 3S. — Conclusion of Part L The law of the burnt offering is contained in ch. i. 1 — 17 ; vi 8 — 13 : of the meat offering, in ch. ii. 1 — 16; vi. 14 — 23 : of the sin offering, in ch. iv. 1—35 ; v. 1—13; vi. 24—30 : of the trespass offering, in ch. v. 14 — 19; vi. 1 — 7 ; vii. 1 — 6 : of the consecrations, in ch. ▼i 19 — 23, supplementing Exod. xxix. 1 — 37 : of the sacrifice of the peace offerings, in ch. iii. 1-17; vii. 11—21; 2S— 34. Together, the sacrifices teach the lessons of self-surrender, loyalty, atonement, satisfaction, dedication, peaoe. E0MILETIC3. Ver. IS. — Leavened bread was not to be ofFered on the altar, ftar • teason before assigned ; but, though not offered on the altar, it may yet be consecrated to God, not by burniiit'.'but by heaving. Thus there are lives which cannot be wholly devoted to God and his active service, and yet can be consecrated to him. Leavened bread was the bread commonly used, and the secular life of a man engaged daily in the occupations of politics, or of business, or of labour, may be sanctiiaed, and, being sanctified, may be accepted by God as freely and fully as are those directly given up to his especial service.
36Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.
37This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
38Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.
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