Leviticus 3:1-17


Besides the burnt offerings and the grain offerings, there were also peace offerings that the children of Israel could bring.  These were to be spontaneous offerings given out of thanksgiving to God as an act of worship.  We have a tendency to think of the offering of sacrifices only as a means of dealing with sin, and that was certainly a major part of the sacrificial system.  However, there were many other types of sacrifices and offerings that were a part of their worship of God that were simply expressions of praise and thanksgiving.  When we come before God we must always be aware of our sin and confess our sin before the Lord, but we must also come before him with thankful hearts for his many provisions in our lives.
THE PEACE OFFERINGS WERE PRESENTED: There is something about presenting the offering before the altar that was an important part of the expression of worship.  We may know in our hearts that we love the Lord and be very grateful for all that He has done; but we are called to do more than just feel these things, they must be expressed in practical ways.  We may love our spouses very much and be assured of our spouses love for us but we still want to hear and see those expressions of love.  We need to be much more intentional about opening our mouths to speak forth the praises of our Lord.  We must tell others and God of our gratitude for all that He has graciously done in our lives.  God has called us to present our bodies to Him and make offerings of our resources.  These are the true expressions of love that God longs to see in each of our lives.
THE PEACE OFFERINGS WERE PERSONAL: There are times for corporate expressions of thanksgiving, but the peace offerings were made on an individual basis.  These were not mandatory or legislated offerings in the sense that they had to be made by everyone.  However, there were specific instructions as to how these offerings were to be made.  God deals with us as individuals.  Even though we are part of a body of believers and we serve in cooperation with one another for the common goal of God’s glory; we are still individuals before Him.  We must relate with God of a personal level and worship Him is spirit and truth.  Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that there is safety in numbers and we feel comfortable hiding in the crowd.  God sees us all as individual persons and longs that we express our love and thanksgiving to Him as personal, voluntary acts of worship.

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