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THE PEACE-OFFERING

JT The instruction connected with the offerings refers to the present period rather than to the time of the Lord’s sojourn here. The priesthood is seen in Aaron’s sons more than in Aaron himself. It is noteworthy that the priests are not so prominent in this offering. The “law of the burnt-offering” (Leviticus 6:9) is addressed directly to them, whereas here in chapter 7:12 it says, If he offer it; the offerer is more in evidence. I mention this as helping to elucidate the subject.

When priesthood is mentioned we are disposed to connect it exclusively with the Lord; that, of course, is right in certain connections; but here it is more in connection with the sons of Aaron than with Aaron himself, showing that the saints are in view. At times Aaron is mentioned with his sons. In these instances Christ and the saints are typified.

BTF What is the thought in the peace-offering?

JT It refers in type to what we enjoy together; it is collective, our mutual enjoyment of Christ and His things.

In the “law” of the offering much is said of what was to be eaten and what was not to be eaten.

BTF It is not exactly that peace has been made by the blood of the cross; but rather what would flow from that?

JT Yes. It is what we enjoy together. “I leave peace with you”, the Lord said. This was to be enjoyed. The Holy Spirit engages our hearts with Christ; we make progress in this way, and as we come together there is mutual enjoyment in what we bring.

FL Peace with God is more the result of the burnt-offering. Here we are brought into a ^[p. 128] sphere of reconciliation where things are enjoyed together and where the Lord has His portion.

JT The Lord is apprehended in His relation to the saints. He said, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer”, Luke 22:15. This offering sets before us the thought of a company enjoying Him. Prominence is given to the blood. It was to be sprinkled “on the altar round about”. In the peace-offering it is not approach to God exactly; it is “fellowship with one another”, 1 John 1:7. If we walk in the light as God is in the light we have fellowship one with another, the fellowship of Jesus Christ His Son.

In the law of this offering it is said that blood and fat were not to be eaten. These represent what are exclusively for God. Christ’s life was devoted to God; all His motives and hidden energy were for God. Death brought out their full fragrance. There is to be a correspondence with this in us.

FL In the law of the offering we are also enjoined not to eat what is unclean. This involves evil associations, and corresponds with the teaching of 1 Corinthians 10 as to the Lord’s supper. On the other hand, there is the privilege of sharing together the love of Christ and the precious things of Christ.

Ques Why is the female admitted as an offering here as well as the male? The burnt-offering admits of the male only.

JT However feeble, or however strong we may be, all are to be together on common ground. To apply it to ourselves. Our meetings do not exclude any Christian; the fellowship is open to all Christians provided, of course, that they are clean and apart from wrong association. But though the youngest or weakest believer has part in the peace-offering, the male in the burnt-offering refers rather to strength and intelligence, seen perfectly in Christ, but reflected in the offerer. Thanksgiving is a characteristic of this offering, “giving thanks at all times for all things to him [who is] God and [the] Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”, Ephesians 5:20.

BTF Would you connect the peace-offering with the Supper?

JT It has just been remarked that 1 Corinthians 10 and 11 fit in here. No one can partake of it in uncleanness; that is, we must be apart from evil associations, otherwise we come under the discipline of God.

JS There must be self-judgment if we partake of the Lord’s supper.

ANW There seems to be a great searching of the inwards suggested in these offerings, especially in this one. We must be right in “the inward parts”.

JT God feeds, as it were, on what of Christ is in your heart; the saints get what comes out. In Christ all was perfect, and He is before us here. While together we recognise that there is that which is for God, as well as a portion for each of us; chapter 3:9.

FL So that really contemplates that the will is devoted to God. Death brought this out fully in Christ.

JT Our spiritual prosperity is for God. If you connect it with yourself, as something added to you as a man here, it makes you proud, and that is an abomination to God. We are apt to pride ourselves on our spiritual attainments.

BTF We all get together, and then there are offerers.

JT As we are gathered, if there is one who has an offering he thinks of the Lord’s people. He thinks of Christ and loves Christ; but thinks of Him in this connection, “Assemble the people, and I will give them water”, Numbers 21:16. One who has a peace-offering is on that line. He is not a scatterer, he is a gatherer of the people. That is the idea in a peace-offering ^[p. 130] and as together we have that whereof to enjoy and feed upon. The inwards, “the food of the offering” (Leviticus 3:16) was for God, All the motives and inward energy of Christ were for God.

BTF So that in the Supper the Father gets His portion: the food of the offering is there, and we also have our portion in it.

JT The Lord’s supper is related to this offering. “The breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’”, Leviticus 7:31. Christ and the assembly are typified here. The love of Christ is our food at the Supper. Then there was also the heave-shoulder; this was also for Aaron and his sons. The principle of the peace-offering is seen in 1 and 2 Corinthians. The apostle laboured that the saints should be together in the light of the Lord’s supper, and he was himself in accord with the teaching of it. John 17 speaks about the Lord’s support of the disciples; He had supported them and kept them. John 13 shows how His love and care had been manifested. In chapter 17 He tells the Father how He had kept them.

FL “Having made peace by the blood of his cross ... to present you holy and unblameable and irreproachable before it”, Colossians 1:20,22.

JT “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not [the] communion of the blood of Christ?”, 1 Corinthians 10:16. That comes in in connection with associations. We are to be together as clear of evil associations. Then we are to be together as loving one another. “Peace [be] to you” (John 20:19) involves that there should be no shadow on their spirits in any way.

Another point which is of immense importance is that “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin”, 1 John 1:7. It is not only sin committed, but all sin. The conscience is free; one is not hampered before God by the presence of sin in virtue of the blood, though the flesh is still in us. To say we have no sin would be to deceive ^[p. 131] ourselves; but God maintains us free from it through the blood of Christ and the work of the Spirit which produces self-judgment.

FL Although sin exists in us it does not act if we judge it, and the blood cleanses us from all effects of it.

WB-w The “backbone” is spoken of here.

JT That is no doubt what a great many of us lack. The backbone, I suppose, denotes that the general character is marked by spiritual strength; the shoulder is more specific.

ANW Do you think that the absence of mention of the pigeons here, though all the other animals are mentioned as in chapter 1 except pigeons, would suggest such a simple appreciation of the death of Christ that is hardly sufficient for fellowship?

JT I do not know that the state suggested by the pigeon belongs to the gathering together it may belong to an individual, but the fact that it is not mentioned here may point to the individual rising to a higher level in the company. I only suggest that.

FL God in infinite grace is prepared on His side to receive the smallest appreciation of Christ; but when it comes to a question of what is to characterise the assembly things are on a different footing. Still the youngest in the faith has a place there. If such an one comes with even a small appreciation of Christ, he is on right lines, and so shares in the food of the whole company.

JT They belong to the family, as it were, and so share in all the good things of the house.

Our brother raised the question of the man who offered a pigeon for a burnt-offering. It may be that most of us have not gone beyond that; but being in fellowship we have part in all that is ministered in the assembly. It might be assumed that some Christians would be omitted from the fellowship;

^[p. 132] on the contrary, the weak are to be received. “Him that is weak in the faith receive”, Romans 14:1. I think that in many, especially young believers, there is a state which corresponds with the pinching off the head of the bird offered as a burnt-offering, Leviticus 1:15. The will is not wholly judged; still God accepts them in grace.

This offering, which may be regarded as a prosperity offering, provides for those that are not prosperous. They get gain by being with the company; they get it otherwise than by their own exercise. God provides it for them. When young people come to the meeting, God takes account of it, although they may not be marked by exercise. In identifying themselves with the meeting they are committing themselves. So long as you do not turn away God owns and helps you. Keeping with God’s people is a committal of yourself in a certain way, and God sees to it that you get benefit. I am sure that this is the experience of many. God graciously takes account of our committal of ourselves to the company though we may be spiritually feeble. God has great consideration for young people, notwithstanding the small measure they may have, for there is some appreciation of Christ, otherwise they would have no offering at all, and God takes account of that.

PHP How great a thing it is to be a priest, as we learn from these types! Such an one is qualified to handle divine things.

JT This is within the reach of each one of us. The priest considers for God and also for His people. In regard to the sin-offering, the priesthood is more emphasised; it is “the priest that is anointed”, Leviticus 4:3.

PHP Any believer can bring the offering; but only the priest can present it. When we apply the type to a Christian the offerer really merges into a priest.

JT The offerings contemplate us in type as ^[p. 133] we are here on earth. John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves”, 1 John 1:8. This is met by the sacrifice of Christ. “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin”, 1 John 1:7. We are thus perfectly restful in the presence of God and with each other.

AJP This takes cognisance of us as we are here.

JT In the “law of the offering” in chapter 7:10 - 13, we see this clearly. The “unleavened cakes mingled with oil” refer to Christ Himself. But then it is said, “Besides the cakes, he shall present his offering of leavened bread with the sacrifice of his peace offering”. This denotes the presence of sin in us. So that both the unleavened idea and the leavened idea are present.

FL Verse 12 is really that which is perfect according to Christ, and verse 13 is what we must admit is the truth as to ourselves.

JT The apostle said, “as ye are unleavened”, 1 Corinthians 5:7. Abstractly, as in and of Christ, the saints are unleavened, but as in flesh and blood condition sin is in us. The two things are recognised in 1 Corinthians 5:7. To the Corinthians the apostle says, “Purge out the old leaven”, and at the same time he adds, “according as ye are unleavened”.

BTF Is the peace-offering for worship?

JT I think it is more a question of God’s people being together in the enjoyment of their portion in Christ collectively; but it may indeed go on to worship; for if God has His place in our hearts, there is worship.

FL In Luke 22 the Lord expresses His desire to eat the passover with His disciples. Then the Supper is introduced; this sets forth His love for them. Connecting this passage with John 13, we see how Christ’s love was to regulate them, how they were to love one another.

JT When we are together Christ is to have ^[p. 134] His place in our midst, and He becomes our joy and bond.

WB-w What do you say about chapter 7:15 - 17?

JT Communion with one another must not be too far separated from the altar. We are always to maintain our relation with the altar, the judgment of sin in the light of Christ’s death.

BTF The ground of being together is the death of Christ.

JT We can never separate ourselves from that. We should not assume because it is Monday or Tuesday that we can be less separate; we assume that very often. We do things during the week that we would not do on the Lord’s day; but this “third day” in verses 17, 18, will prevent that. The more you value spiritual things, the nearer you keep to the altar.

ANW In the systems the Supper is celebrated at intervals of a month or even longer.

JT It shows how far they have departed from the Lord’s thought in it.

ANW The weekly coming together is to keep us near the altar.

AP Are not all the offerings voluntary?

JT Yes. But you can hardly be regarded as on Christian ground if you do not recognise the necessity of coming together with the Lord’s people. But there is excess as “a vow, or a voluntary offering”, verse 16. It is not simply that one is breaking bread; there should be exercise as to contribution, the evidence of spiritual prosperity.

PHP You cannot attend the assembly by a representative; you must come yourself, “his own hands shall bring Jehovah’s offerings”.

FL Chapter 7:37 is different from the order in which the sacrifices are given in the earlier chapter. It is the moral order no doubt. The peace-offering, which typifies the fellowship of the saints, comes last.

^[p. 135] When we come together in the assembly it is in appreciation of what comes forth in this moral order; we have reached it in this way.

JT Verse 35 shows the place the priests have in relation to all these offerings; the law is generally connected with them.

BTF In what way does that apply to us?

JT The priests are responsible to see that the “law of the offering” is carried out. Christendom is marked by lawlessness, whereas the priests have the law and adhere to it; it was given to them.

BTF All believers should be conscious of their privileges and responsibilities as priests.

JT God’s priests consider for Him and look out for His law.

FL In John 13 Christ takes a priestly character: “A new commandment I give to you, that ye love one another”, John 13:34. That was a law, as it were; it is for us to maintain it.

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