We move on into Chapter Three this morning to take a look at a third type of offering that was to be made at the tabernacle: the fellowship offering.
The fellowship offering was also known as the peace offering. It could be made as a freewill offering to God as an acknowledgment that He provides the means for making peace between Himself and man. It could be brought when a person fulfilled a vow to God. Or it could be made as a solemn occasion of observing thanks to God. The fellowship offering is not what makes peace between God and man; it celebrates the fact that the person bringing the offering has peace with God. The person is enjoying fellowship with God when he brings his offering and symbolically it's as if he eats a meal with the Lord. With the exception of specific parts that are offered on the altar, the bringer of the offering and the priests share the meat in the presence of the Lord.
"If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect." (Leviticus 3:1) We are going to see some similarities between the fellowship offering and the burnt offering and we are going to see some differences. Right away we learn from verse 1 that, unlike with the burnt offering, a person could offer either a male or a female animal from among his cattle. But like with the burnt offering, the animal could not be sick or have any deformities.
"You are to lay your hand on the head of your offering and slaughter it at the tent of meeting." (Leviticus 3:2a) The person who brought a burnt offering had to do the same thing. He identified himself with the animal before giving it to the Lord.
"Then Aaron's sons the priests shall splash the blood against the sides of the altar. From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the Lord: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. Then Aaron's sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood; it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord." (Leviticus 3:2b-5) Only certain internal organs and the fat attached to them are offered to the Lord. The rest is for the bringer of the offering and the priests to divide up, at which time a meal is prepared and shared.
In our churches today we often refer to a meal in which we all partake as a "time of fellowship". We primarily think of it as a time for church members to enjoy and build upon their relationships with each other. This is a very important thing because it strengthens the body of Christ. But a shared meal like this is also a way of enjoying fellowship with the Lord. We are gathered together in His name, as His people, in an attitude of thankfulness and prayer to enjoy the blessing of food which He has provided.
Even when eating a meal alone I believe we can think of it as an opportunity to "fellowship" with the Lord. We can humbly bow our heads in prayer before beginning the meal and thank God for providing the food our bodies need. We can think on the Lord's goodness while we consume the meal. We can talk to the Lord throughout the meal, and I think it's a beautiful thing if we slowly enjoy our food while telling the Lord about our day or about our concerns or about how much we appreciate all He has done for us. Of course the Lord already knows all about our day and about whatever is in our hearts and minds, but He wants to hear about it anyway. Those of you who have had small children, even when you knew everything that had gone on in your child's day, didn't you still enjoy having your child tell you about it? Wasn't it a way of building and strengthening your relationship with your child? Wasn't it a precious time of fellowship with your child? The Lord feels the same as an earthly parent in this regard. He wants us to talk to Him about anything that interests or concerns us. He enjoys having us share our lives with Him in this way, and isn't that the most precious thing? Almighty God, who created the universe and everything in it, who is so holy we can't even comprehend it, wants us to sit down and talk with Him about whatever is on our minds. What an opportunity this is! What a privilege! Let's not neglect it.
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