vs. 6: if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the lord is from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish
I live in Uganda and the president of this country, together with his historicals, pride in having liberated Uganda from tough times, and they brought peace, tranquillity and freedom which the former regimes had robbed from Ugandans. In fact, this has been key in all campaigns that actually have kept President Museveni together with his historicals (not the new 317 of the 102B event) in power for 30+ years.
The government of President Museveni has never faced any strong opposition until two recent changes:
- The generation that had a clue and experience of the former oppressive regimes is rapidly phasing out being replaced with a new generation that has nothing to do with the past but the present and future.
- The Security that this government has always prided in has now proven to be a full arsenal that cannot provide safety since the recent killings and robbery that has resulted in reshuffles.
Why this politics, I will tell you why: As we found in chapters 1 and 2, so in chapter 3 the regulations for the peace offering are divided into three very similar paragraphs, each describing how the offering is to be brought depending upon what kind of animal is to be sacrificed: cattle, sheep, or goats. In each case, the tasks of the worshipper and the priest are specified, though this second time around all the details of chapter 1 regarding animal sacrifice are not repeated. In both cases the worshipper killed and butchered the animal, the priest then splashed the blood on the altar and cooked specified parts of the carcass on the altar fire. Three times in this chapter we are reminded that the peace offering was a “food offering” to the Lord.
The peace offering was different from the burnt offering, though the regulations governing all the animal sacrifices were similar in many ways. The peace offering was optional; it was not part of the regular daily offerings of the temple liturgy. Only at the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost among the feasts of the liturgical calendar was it required that a peace offering be made. Normally, this offering would be brought when someone thought it important to do so.
The term “sacrifice of peace,” literally zeveḥ shelamim, “shelamim” being derived from the same root as shalom, the Hebrew term for “peace” or “well-being,” has been translated variously. The NIV rendered it “fellowship offering,” perhaps because it resulted in a festive meal that was eaten by people together. (according to Wenham’s book on Leviticus, 76; Ross, 114-115) While the burnt offering had to be a male, the peace offering could be a male or female animal.
The peace offering was offered because an Israelite remembered his past and compared it with his present. He/she knew that there was no peace in a civilised economy like Egypt with mansions, public service centres, and all the infrastructure but to his dismay, there was peace in the wilderness, a place naturally without basic needs like water, and soil for farming to begin with.
The peace stemmed from the undeniable truth that, we were not free in a free world like Egypt, but now we have peace in a hazardous place like the wilderness.
For a peace offering to be offered in the wilderness, it was not about anything but a THANKSGIVING (Leviticus 7:11-34; 22:29-30; 19:5-8). People thanked Yahweh through this offering for no other reason but the peace they had… I don’t know whether we understand this but in the New Testament peace is not made but born. It is not manufactured but it grows as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
Some people go out in search of peace but when you look at them in disco halls, theatres, vacations etc, all you see are troubled souls. People are in mansions but grieving…there is no peace…
I ride a bicycle on my way to work but in traffic, I see sad people in posh cars as I sing along on my bike. God wants you to have peace and you cannot access it through too much money, not renting, marrying or divorcing, power ambitions etc, peace is something that only GOD CAN GIVE AND WILL GIVE IF YOU ASK HIM.
That is what Leviticus 3 teaches us through the peace offering…we recognise our past, evaluate our present in the eyes of the past and the assumption of the future, and when we realise we have no power on all (past, present and future), we seek God, become STILL and PEACE grows.
Israelites new where they had come from, they also understood no human being would survive in such a place like they were, they did not know where they were going, all was in the hands of God. What they were left with, was to just appreciate the peace in such an unlikely place…
Let me ask you: Do you remember where you have come from? Do you know where you are? Do you really know what will happen tomorrow? I don’t care the answer you give (Be it NO or YES) all am asking you is DO YOU HAVE PEACE?
God bless you, I invoke TRUTH, REASON and FAITH
Pr. ITM White
The Gospel Hawker
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 