Leviticus 7: Laws for Offerings and Priestly Portions

Pentateuch

Jul 28

Short answer: Leviticus 7 continues instructions on offerings, specifying the trespass offering, peace offerings, and the priests' share. It also forbids eating fat and blood, emphasizing holiness and obedience.

What Leviticus 7 says

The chapter opens with the law of the trespass offering, which is most holy. The animal is killed where the burnt offering is killed, and its blood is sprinkled around the altar. All the fat, the fat tail, the fat covering the innards, the two kidneys with their fat, and the cover on the liver are burned on the altar as an offering made by fire to Yahweh. Every male among the priests may eat of it in a holy place. The same law applies to both the sin offering and the trespass offering; the priest who makes atonement with them shall have them. The priest who offers a burnt offering receives the skin, and every meal offering baked, pan-prepared, or griddle-cooked belongs to the priest who offers it. Every meal offering, mixed with oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron equally.

Next, the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings is given. If offered for thanksgiving, the offerer brings unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil, along with cakes of leavened bread. One of each offering is presented as a heave offering to Yahweh and belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood. The flesh of the thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten on the day it is offered, with none left until morning. If the sacrifice is a vow or a free will offering, it may be eaten on the day offered and the next day, but what remains on the third day must be burned. If any is eaten on the third day, it is not accepted and becomes an abomination; the one who eats it bears his iniquity.

The chapter then addresses purity in eating the peace offerings. Meat that touches any unclean thing must not be eaten but burned. Anyone who is clean may eat the meat, but a person who eats the peace offering while unclean shall be cut off from his people. This applies also to anyone who touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean abomination, and then eats the peace offering. Yahweh then speaks to Moses, forbidding the eating of fat from bull, sheep, or goat. Fat from animals that die naturally or are torn by beasts may be used for other purposes but not eaten. Whoever eats the fat of an animal offered as a fire offering shall be cut off. Likewise, no blood may be eaten in any dwelling, and whoever eats blood shall be cut off.

Finally, instructions are given for the peace offerings regarding the priests' portion. The one who offers the peace offering must bring it himself, bringing the fat with the breast so the breast may be waved as a wave offering before Yahweh. The priest burns the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. The right thigh is given to the priest as a heave offering. The priest who offers the blood and the fat receives the right thigh as his portion. Yahweh has taken the waved breast and the heaved thigh from the children of Israel and given them to Aaron and his sons as a permanent portion. This is the consecrated portion for Aaron and his sons from the offerings made by fire, commanded to be given to them on the day they were anointed, as their portion forever throughout their generations. This concludes the law of the burnt offering, meal offering, sin offering, trespass offering, consecration, and peace offerings, which Yahweh commanded Moses on Mount Sinai.

Verses that carry the chapter

““ ‘This is the law of the trespass offering: It is most holy.” (Leviticus 7:1) — This verse introduces the trespass offering as most holy, setting the tone for the entire chapter's emphasis on holiness and the seriousness of approaching God.
““ ‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer to Yahweh:” (Leviticus 7:11) — This verse marks a transition to the peace offerings, which are central to the chapter and highlight the fellowship aspect of sacrifice.
“Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,” (Leviticus 7:22) — This verse begins a new section where Yahweh speaks directly, emphasizing the importance of obeying His commands regarding fat and blood.
“This is the law of the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecration, and the sacrifice of peace offerings” (Leviticus 7:37) — This verse summarizes all the offerings discussed, showing that they are part of a unified system given by Yahweh to Moses.

Gospel connection

The offerings in Leviticus 7 point forward to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The trespass offering, which dealt with guilt, foreshadows Christ who bore our sins. The peace offerings, which celebrated fellowship with God, find their fulfillment in Christ who reconciled us to God. The prohibition against eating blood underscores the sacredness of life, ultimately pointing to the blood of Christ shed for many. The priests' portions remind us that those who serve the altar should receive their sustenance from it, a principle echoed in the New Testament. All these laws were shadows of the good things to come, fulfilled in Jesus who is our great high priest and perfect offering.

Application

This chapter calls believers to approach God with reverence and obedience. While we no longer offer animal sacrifices, the principles of holiness, gratitude, and fellowship with God remain. We are to give thanks to God, not just in words but in how we live, offering our lives as living sacrifices. The strictness about fat and blood teaches us that God cares about details and that obedience matters. The peace offerings, eaten in fellowship, remind us of the joy of communion with God and with one another. The priests' portions encourage us to support those who minister the Word. Ultimately, we look to Christ, who fulfilled all these laws and enables us to live in grateful obedience.

Biblical fidelity check

The chapter does not claim to be a complete manual for all sacrifices; it focuses on specific offerings and regulations. It does not explain the symbolic meaning of the fat or blood, nor does it give historical context beyond the wilderness of Sinai. It does not mention the role of the offerer's heart, though other passages do. It does not specify penalties for all violations, only that certain offenders shall be cut off. It does not describe the exact procedure for waving and heaving beyond the basic actions. It does not claim that these laws are eternal in the sense of never changing, but they were commanded for Israel's generations. It is silent on how these laws apply after Christ, which the New Testament addresses.

Questions for study

What does the phrase 'most holy' in verse 1 teach us about how God views the trespass offering?
Why do you think the peace offering for thanksgiving had to be eaten on the same day, while the vow or free will offering could be eaten the next day?
What is the significance of the prohibition against eating fat and blood in verses 22-27?
How do the priests' portions in verses 28-36 demonstrate God's care for those who serve Him?
In what ways do the offerings described in this chapter point us to Jesus Christ?

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FAQ

What is the difference between the sin offering and the trespass offering?

Leviticus 7:7 says there is one law for both, but the trespass offering often involved restitution, while the sin offering dealt with unintentional sins.

Why were the Israelites forbidden from eating fat and blood?

The fat was burned on the altar as a pleasing aroma to Yahweh, and blood represented life, which was reserved for atonement.

What does it mean to be 'cut off from his people'?

It likely meant being excluded from the community and its privileges, possibly even death, as a severe penalty for disobedience.

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