The sixth and seventh chapters of Leviticus give further discussion of the types of offerings described in chapters 1-5, this time focusing mainly on the responsibilites of the priests with each type of offering.
Burnt offerings are discussed first in chapters 1-5, and they are discussed first in chapters 6-7. In Lev 6:8-13, the priestly responsibility to keep a fire burning on the altar of burnt offering at all times is emphasized. Commentator Jay Sklar observes that this was like a continual prayer that praised God and requested favor and forgiveness. He also sees here the principle that spiritual leaders must be faithful to their duties so that worship can continue.
Verses 14-18 give the rules for handling grain offerings. Sklar notes that when the priests respected God's property, they modeled this respect for all of Israel As with Exodus 29:37, verse 18 ("whoever touches them becomes holy") does not mean that someone unholy can become holy by touching a grain offering. Rather, it means that the only ones who could touch a grain offering were those who were already holy.
Verses 19-23 instruct the priests to give a continual grain offering. Sklar explains that this would be a continual reminder of God's presence and the priests' need for his favor. This would protect the priests from pride and also sent the message that God was serious about helping them to help God's people.
In chapters 1-5, fellowship offerings are mentioned third, while in chapters 6-7, they are mentioned last. Sklar points out that here "most holy" offerings (ones that could only be eaten by priests) are dealt with before the ones that are merely "holy", the fellowship offerings that any ritually clean Israelite could eat.
There is an unusual detail in Lev 6:28. An earthenware vessel in which a purification offering was boiled was to be destroyed afterward, while a metal vessel was washed and could be reused. Earthenware vessels are porous and could absorb liquid from a most holy offering. They were destroyed so that they would not subsequently be used in the realm of the nonholy. Metal pots, on the other hand, are not absorbent.
The offerings provided food and clothing for the priests (7:8-10). Here we see the principle that a congregation should see to the physical needs of its spiritual leaders, a principle repeated in the New Testament (in 1 Cor 9. e.g.).
One kind of fellowship offering was the thanksgiving or praise offering, given for example to thank God for deliverance from trials (Ps 107:17-22). This kind of offering had to be eaten in one day, perhaps as a way of encouraging the offerer to include as many people as possible in the celebration. Requiring that the offering be eaten promptly also lessened the chances that it would become defiled.
Another type of fellowship offering was one given to fulfill a vow. Here the offerer may have promised God to give such an offering if a particular important prayer was answered (Ps 66:13-16).
A third type of fellowship offering was a freewill offering. These may have been general expressions of thanks, not tied to a specific incident or answer to prayer.
Priests had an opportunity, if they chose to pursue it, to become fairly wealthy. Lots of gifts came their way. So it was important for them to keep things in balance and prioritze the "weightier matters" of the Torah. Kyle Kettering spoke on this topic at Church of the Messiah on Nov 13, 2021, using Mark 7:10-13 as an example.
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