Lev. 6:8-7:36, Additional regulations for the offerings

In the first chapters of Leviticus, the Lord communicated what should be offered, and when. He now gives the priests some more specific directions.

The Burnt Offering – the fire on the altar must be kept burning continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Directions are given for the clothing the priest must wear, and when, and where to dispose of the ashes.

The Grain Offering – the grain offerings of the people are to be dealt with differently than the grain offerings of the priests. Whatever of the people’s offerings is allowed the priests must be eaten there, and only by males of Aaron’s line, and always without yeast. Whatever touches these offerings will become holy. That means whatever touches these offerings belongs to the Lord entirely, either for use in the Temple or as something dedicated to destruction. This section also contains the directions for the offering to be made at Aaron’s ordination.

The Sin Offering – the priest who offers it has the right to eat it, but it must be eaten there in the Temple courtyard. Other males in his family may also eat it. Whatever touches the flesh of this offering is then holy to the Lord. The exception regarding eating is when the blood of a sin offering “is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place.” It must be completely burned, not eaten.

The Guilt Offering – the fat and kidneys must be fully burned, the blood sprinkled on the altar, and the meat belongs to the priest. At the end of the directions for the guilt offering is a general direction:

The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them. The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself. Every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who offers it, and every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron..

The Fellowship Offering – this one may be combined with cakes made with yeast. It may also be eaten by anyone who is clean, both the meat and the grain parts. Directions on either eating it all on the day offered or within the first two days are given and rules regarding ceremonial cleanliness and uncleanliness in regard to partaking of this offering are reviewed. It is interesting to note that anyone who is ceremonially unclean or touches anything ceremonially unclean “and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord, that person must be cut off from his people.”

Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden – fat may be used for any purpose other than eating (such as candles or skin creams, etc.). Anyone eating fat or the blood of any bird or animal must be cut off from his people.

The Priests’ Share – because anyone clean could eat of the fellowship offering, a specific share was allotted the priest officiating: the right thigh. The breast meat was to go to Aaron and his sons. These portions are commanded to be given to the priests “for the generations to come.”

NOTE: I have not tried to repeat what the Bible says. The Bible is to be read completely by each person and any notes from this study or any other study are only to be used to draw attention to a bit, or to help explain it in accord with the rest of the Bible or possibly the culture of the time, but these studies are not to replace reading the Bible. For this reason, clear passages are not even mentioned, or only mentioned briefly. For instance, the blood of the sacrifices is subject to definite rules and regulations and these are important in understanding the sacrifice of Christ for us later. So it is important to read every verse in the Bible and not take any Bible study as somehow ‘vicariously’ studying the Bible. That would be cheating yourself of God’s Word to you.