The Peace Offering (Leviticus 3)

In this chapter of Leviticus, the peace offering described is a voluntary offering. There were three other occasions when a peace offering was prescribed: the investiture of the priests (Lev. 9:18, 22), the feast of weeks (Lev. 23:19-20) and the occasion of completing a Nazarite vow (Num. 6:17-20). The peace offering was usually offered with a burnt offering (Lev. 3:5).

The details of the peace offering here differ to some extent from those of the burnt offering in Leviticus 1. For example, only a male animal could be sacrificed as a burnt offering whereas male and female could be used in the peace offering. Further, in the burnt offering the entire animal was consumed by the fire of the altar whereas only the fat, the kidneys and a piece of the liver, as well as the tail if a sheep was offered, were placed on the altar as a peace offering. A third difference was that the fat of the animal was specified as the Lord’s portion, and in Leviticus 7 we are told that the priests and the offerers also ate part of the sacrificed animal.

Other aspects of the peace offering were analogous to those of the burnt offering. The animal had to be free from blemish and the ritual order for worshippers and priests was similar. Each worshipper had to lay his hand on his animal’s head before killing it, the priest threw its blood against the altar, then each worshipper cut up his animal and separated its parts, and the priests then offered the fat and other items on the altar.

The Hebrew term for peace found in the peace offering is connected to the word shalom, which has become part of our language, although it is generally used without any understanding of what it meant. Usually peace is interpreted to mean absence of trouble and a sense of tranquillity whereas shalom also included the concepts of prosperity, security and joy. The peace offering was not a sad occasion; instead it was designed to be a celebration marked by thankfulness for the divine blessings received and for the assurance that they would be permanent possessions. Since others shared in the occasion, some prefer to call this offering the fellowship offering.

One other difference between the specified details for the burnt offering and for the peace offering was the absence of a peace offering by the poor. A poor person could offer a dove as a burnt offering, but there was not a similar provision in the peace offering. One possible explanation for the omission is that wealthier worshippers were expected to invite poor Israelites to the meal that followed the peace offering. Or perhaps the inclusion of female lambs and kids made it possible for poorer Israelites to use them.

In future readings, we will consider the peace offering from three perspectives – that of an Israelite worshipper, some lessons for Christian worship, and how the peace offering depicts the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Meanwhile, we can thank God for bringing foretastes of the eternal shalom into our experiences now.