XVI. THE RIGHT THIGH OF THE PEACE OFFERING GIVEN TO THE PRIEST AS A HEAVE OFFERING
“The right thigh you shall give to the priest as a heave offering from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. He from among Aaron’s sons who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat, he shall have the right thigh for a portion” (vv. 32-33). This signifies that the part of strength of Christ (the right thigh) in His ascension is given to the serving one as a portion for his enjoyment.
Verses 29 through 33 reveal that the top part, the fat, goes to God and that the loving part, the breast, and also the part of strength, the right thigh, go to the serving ones. The more we minister Christ as the peace offering and the more we offer Christ as the peace offering to God, the more we will have the loving capacity and the strengthening power of Christ. In this way, we become stronger and more loving.
XVII. JEHOVAH HAVING TAKEN THE BREAST OF THE WAVE OFFERING AND THE THIGH OF THE HEAVE OFFERING OUT OF THE PEACE OFFERINGS AND HAVING GIVEN THEM TO THE PRIESTS AS THEIR PERPETUAL DUE
“I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering from the sons of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their perpetual due from the sons of Israel” (v. 34). This signifies that God has allotted, in our enjoyment of Christ as the peace offering, the loving capacity and the strengthening power of Christ to us, the New Testament priests, as our eternal portion for our enjoyment in serving God.
XVIII. THIS BEING THE PORTION OF THE ANOINTING OF AARON AND HIS SONS FROM THE OFFERINGS OF JEHOVAH BY FIRE IN THE DAY WHEN THEY WERE BROUGHT TO SERVE JEHOVAH AS PRIESTS
“This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron and of the anointing of his sons from the offerings of Jehovah by fire, in the day when they were brought to serve Jehovah as priests. These Jehovah commanded to be given to them from the sons of Israel in the day when he anointed them; it is their perpetual due throughout their generations” (vv. 35-36). This signifies that the enjoyment of Christ’s loving capacity and strengthening power is related to God’s anointing of us for our priesthood.
We have been anointed by God to be priests, and God has allotted to us Christ’s loving capacity and strengthening power. Hence, we can love and stand to serve God as priests.
XIX. THIS BEING THE LAW FOR THE BURNT OFFERING, THE MEAL OFFERING, THE SIN OFFERING, THE TRESPASS OFFERING, THE CONSECRATION, AND THE SACRIFICE OF PEACE OFFERINGS
“This is the law for the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecration offering, and the sacrifice of peace offerings, which Jehovah commanded Moses at Mount Sinai, in the day when He commanded the sons of Israel to offer their offerings to Jehovah, in the wilderness of Sinai” (vv. 37-38). This signifies that our consecration for the priesthood must be with the all-inclusive Christ as all the five offerings and according to their regulations.
Our text (v. 37) uses the term “the consecration offering.” Actually, this should simply be “the consecration.” There is not here a sixth offering called the consecration offering. Rather, the five offerings are for the consecration. At the time of consecration, God assigned these offerings, in different aspects, for the priests’ enjoyment.
We have seen that in chapters one through five, the offerings are in a particular sequence: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. This record is not according to doctrine but according to our practical experience. But in giving the laws of the five offerings, the sequence has changed greatly. Here the law of the burnt offering is first, followed by the law of the meal offering, of the sin offering, of the trespass offering, and of the peace offering. This latter sequence is according to the total picture of God’s economy. In God’s heart and in His desire, God would have Christ to be four kinds of offerings to us—the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. The burnt offering is the qualification for the sin offering, and the meal offering is the qualification
for the trespass offering. With these four offerings, two are for the qualification, and two are for the result. The sin offering and the trespass offering are for a particular result. When these four offerings are in action, the result is peace. This peace is what God desires. God’s heart is that we would enjoy His economy around His Son, Christ. Christ is our burnt offering, meal offering, sin offering, and trespass offering so that we may enjoy Him as peace. In our thanksgiving, in our vows, and in our freewill offerings, we enjoy Christ as our peace with God. This is the record of the totality of God’s economy.
In Leviticus 1—7 we have two records: a record according to experience and a record according to God’s economy in its totality. The four offerings—the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—are all for us to enjoy Christ as our peace with God in every way.
(Life-Study of Leviticus, Chapter 27, by Witness Lee)
