Leviticus 7
These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord: “If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering they are to offer thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with oil, and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast. They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning. If, however, their offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up. If any meat of the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, the one who offered it will not be accepted. It will not be reckoned to their credit, for it has become impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible.” Leviticus 7:11-18 NIV
The peace offering was sometimes given as an expression of thankfulness. King David expressed his thankfulness beautifully: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever” (Psalms 107:1). God commands us to “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Thankfulness is a great way to remain joyful. Remaining thankful in all circumstances keeps us from criticizing and complaining. When we are in a mode where we criticize and complain, it becomes a downward spiral that makes us lose our peace and joy. Even in the worst of circumstances, we can still be thankful that God loves us and He has already saved us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. We should all name 10 things that we are thankful for to start each day right!
The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the Lord must be cut off from their people. And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from their people.’” Leviticus 7:22-27 NIV
Why did God command that the Israelites not eat any fat? The fat was considered the best portion, and was dedicated to God. For us today, there is something even better we can offer to God. “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). This, and other similar verses in the Bible, tell us that we should dedicate the best portions of our time, money, and talents, to learn more about God and His ways, and submit to what He asks us to do. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote “in view of God’s mercy, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).
“The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution. The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have the right thigh as his share. From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and the thigh that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as their perpetual share from the Israelites. This is the portion of the food offerings presented to the Lord that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the Lord as priests. On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their perpetual share for the generations to come.” Leviticus 7:31-36 NIV
These verses describe the part of the food that was to be given to the priests. The apostle Paul would later write “Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). It is clear from scripture that there are some members of the body of Christ that are gifted as pastors and ministers. We should give generously to and support those who dedicate their lives to ministering to us.