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Commentary on Leviticus 7 verses 11–34
All this relates to the peace-offerings: it is the repetition and explication of what we had before, with various additions.
I. The nature and intention of the peace-offerings are here more distinctly opened. They were offered either, 1. In thankfulness for some special mercy received, such as recovery from sickness, preservation in a journey, deliverance at sea, redemption out of captivity, all which are specified in Ps. 107, and for them men are called upon to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, Lev 7:22. Or, 2. In performance of some vow which a man made when he was in distress (Lev 7:16), and this was less honourable than the former, though the omission of it would have been more culpable. Or, 3. In supplication for some special mercy which a man was in the pursuit and expectation of, here called a voluntary offering. This accompanied a man's prayers, as the former did his praises. We do not find that men were bound by the law, unless they had bound themselves by vow, to offer these peace-offerings upon such occasions, as they were to bring their sacrifices of atonement in case of sin committed. Not but that prayer and praise are as much our duty as repentance is; but here, in the expressions of their sense of mercy, God left them more to their liberty than in the expressions of their sense of sin - to try the generosity of their devotion, and that their sacrifices, being free-will offerings, might be the more laudable and acceptable; and, by obliging them to bring the sacrifices of atonement, God would show the necessity of the great propitiation.
II. The rites and ceremonies about the peace-offerings are enlarged upon.
1.If the peace-offering was offered for a thanksgiving, a meat-offering must be offered with it, cakes of several sorts, and wafers (Lev 7:12), and (which was peculiar to the peace-offerings) leavened bread must be offered, not to be burnt upon the altar, that was forbidden (Lev 2:11), but to be eaten with the flesh of the sacrifice, that nothing might be wanting to make it a complete and pleasant feast; for unleavened bread was less grateful to the taste, and therefore, though enjoined in the passover for a particular reason, yet in other festivals leavened bread, which was lighter and more pleasant, was appointed, that men might feast at God's table as well as at their own. And some think that a meat-offering is required to be brought with every peace-offering, as well as with that of thanksgiving, by that law (Lev 7:29) which requires an oblation with it, that the table might be as well furnished as the altar.
2.The flesh of the peace-offerings, both that which was the priest's share and that which was the offerer's must be eaten quickly, and not kept long, either raw, or dressed, cold. If it was a peace-offering for thanksgiving, it must be all eaten the same day (Lev 7:16); if a vow, or voluntary offering, it must be eaten either the same day or the day after, Lev 7:16. If any was left beyond the time limited, it was to be burnt (Lev 7:17); and, if any person ate of what was so left their conduct should be animadverted upon as a very high misdemeanour, Lev 7:18. Though they were not obliged to eat it in the holy place, as those offerings that are called most holy, but might take it to their own tents and feast upon it there, yet God would by this law make them to know a difference between that and other meat, and religiously to observe it, that whereas they might keep other meat cold in the house as long as they thought fit, and warm it again if they pleased, and eat it three or four days after, they might not do so with the flesh of their peace-offerings, but it must be eaten immediately. (1.) Because God would not have that holy flesh to be in danger of putrefying, or being fly-blown, to prevent which it must be salted with fire (as the expression is, Mar 9:49) if it were kept; as, if it was used, it must be salted with salt. (2.) Because God would not have his people to be niggardly and sparing, and distrustful of providence, but cheerfully to enjoy what God gives them (Ecc 8:15), and to do good with it, and not to be anxiously solicitous for the morrow. (3.) The flesh of the peace-offerings was God's treat, and therefore God would have the disposal of it; and he orders it to be used generously for the entertainment of their friends, and charitably for the relief of the poor, to show that he is a bountiful benefactor, giving us all things richly to enjoy, the bread of the day in its day. If the sacrifice was thanksgiving, they were especially obliged thus to testify their holy joy in God's goodness by their holy feasting. This law is made very strict (Lev 7:18), that if the offerer did not take care to have all his offering eaten by himself or his family, his friends or the poor, within the time limited by the law, or, in the event of any part being left, to burn it (which was the most decent way of disposing of it, the sacrifices upon the altar being consumed by fire), then his offering should not be accepted, nor imputed to him. Note, All the benefit of our religious services is lost if we do not improve them, and conduct ourselves aright afterwards. They are not acceptable to God if they have not a due influence upon ourselves. If a man seemed generous in bringing a peace-offering, and yet afterwards proved sneaking and paltry in the using of it, it was as if he had never brought it; nay, it shall be an abomination. Note, There is no mean between God's acceptance and his abhorrence. If our persons and performances are sincere and upright, they are accepted; if not, they are an abomination, Pro 15:8. He that eats it after the time appointed shall bear his iniquity, that is, he shall be cut off from his people, as it is explained (Lev 19:8), where this law is repeated. This law of eating the peace-offerings before the third day, that they might not putrefy, is applicable tot the resurrection of Christ after two days, that, being God's holy one, he might not see corruption, Psa 16:10. And some think that it instructs us speedily, and without delay, to partake of Christ and his grace, feeding and feasting thereon by faith today, while it is called today (Heb 3:13, Heb 3:14), for it will be too late shortly.
3.But the flesh, and those that eat it, must be pure. (1.) The flesh must touch no unclean thing; if it did, it must not be eaten, but burnt, Lev 7:19. If, in carrying it from the altar to the place where it was eaten, a dog touched it, or it touched a dead body or any other unclean thing, it was then unfit to be used in a religious feast. Every thing we honour the holy God with must be pure and carefully kept from all pollution. It is a case adjudged (Hag 2:12) that the holy flesh could not by its touch communicate holiness to what was common; but by this law it is determined that by the touch of that which was unclean it received pollution from it, which intimates that the infection of sin is more easily and more frequently communicated than the savour of grace. (2.) It must not be eaten by any unclean person. When a person was upon any account ceremonially unclean it was at his peril if he presumed to eat of the flesh of the peace-offerings, Lev 7:20, Lev 7:21. Holy things are only for holy persons; the holiness of the food being ceremonial, those were incapacitated to partake of it who lay under any ceremonial uncleanness; but we are hereby taught to preserve ourselves pure from all the pollutions of sin, that we may have the benefit and comfort of Christ's sacrifice, Pe1 2:1, Pe1 2:2. Our consciences must be purged from dead works, that we may be fit to serve the living God, Heb 9:14. But if any dare to partake of the table of the Lord under the pollution of sin unrepented of, and so profane sacred things, they eat and drink judgment to themselves, as those did that ate of the peace-offerings (Lev 7:20) and again (Lev 7:21), that they pertain unto the Lord: whatever pertains to the Lord is sacred, and must be used with great reverence and not with unhallowed hands. "Be you holy, for God is holy, and you pertain to him."
4.The eating of blood and the fat of the inwards is here again prohibited; and the prohibition is annexed as before to the law of the peace-offerings, Lev 3:17. (1.) The prohibition of the fat seems to be confined to those beasts which were used for sacrifice, the bullocks, sheep, and goats: but of the roe-buck, the hart, and other clean beasts, they might eat the fat; for those only of which offerings were brought are mentioned here, Lev 7:23-25. This was to preserve in their minds a reverence for God's altar, on which the fat of the inwards was burnt. The Jews say, "If a man eat so much as an olive of forbidden fat - if he do it presumptuously, he is in danger of being cut off by the hand of God - if ignorantly, he is to bring a sin-offering, and so to pay dearly for his carelessness." To eat of the flesh of that which died of itself, or was torn of beasts, was unlawful; but to eat of the fat of such was doubly unlawful, Lev 7:24. (2.) The prohibition of blood is more general (Lev 7:26, Lev 7:27), because the fat was offered to God only by way of acknowledgment, but the blood made atonement for the soul, and so typified Christ's sacrifice much more than the burning of the fat did; to this therefore a greater reverence must be paid, till these types had their accomplishment in the offering up of the body of Christ once for all. The Jews rightly expound this law as forbidding only the blood of the life, as they express it, not that which we call the gravy, for of that they supposed it was lawful to eat.
5.The priest's share of the peace-offerings is here prescribed. Out of every beast that was offered for a peace-offering the priest that offered it was to have to himself the breast and the right shoulder, Lev 7:30-34. Observe here, (1.) That when the sacrifice was killed the offerer himself must, with his own hands, present God's part of it, that he might signify thereby his cheerfully giving it up to God, and his desire that it might be accepted. He was with his own hands to lift it up, in token of his regard to God as the God of heaven, and then to wave it to and fro, in token of his regard to God as the Lord of the whole earth, to whom thus, as far as he could reach, he offered it, showing his readiness and wish to do him honour. Now that which was thus heaved and waved was the fat, and the breast, and the right shoulder, it was all offered to God; and then he ordered the fat to his altar, and the breast and shoulder to his priest, both being his receivers. (2.) That when the fat was burnt the priest took his part, on which he and his family were to feast, as well as the offerer and his family. In holy joy and thanksgiving, it is good to have our ministers to go before us, and to be our mouth to God. The melody is sweet when he that sows and those that reap rejoice together. Some observe a significancy in the parts assigned to the priests: the breast and the shoulder intimate the affections and the actions, which must be devoted to the honour of God by all his people and to the service also of the church by all his priests. Christ, our great peace-offering, feasts all his spiritual priests with the breast and shoulder, with the dearest love and the sweetest and strongest supports; for his is the wisdom of God and the power of God. When Saul was designed for a king Samuel ordered the shoulder of the peace-offering to be set before him (Sa1 9:24), which gave him a hint of something great and sacred intended for him. Jesus Christ is our great peace-offering; for he made himself a sacrifice, not only to atone for sin, and so to save us from the curse, but to purchase a blessing for us, and all good. By our joyfully partaking of the benefits of redemption we feast upon the sacrifice, to signify which the Lord's supper was instituted.
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SUMMARY
Leviticus 7:27, a crucial verse within the detailed regulations governing the peace offering, issues a severe prohibition against the consumption of blood, establishing a foundational principle of the Mosaic covenant: the sanctity of life and the sacred nature of blood as belonging exclusively to God. This command underscores the gravity of disobedience, stipulating that any individual who partakes of blood "shall be cut off from his people," highlighting the profound spiritual and communal consequences of violating divine decrees concerning life and atonement.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Leviticus 7:27 employs several literary devices to convey its profound message and enforce its divine authority. The most prominent is Legal Language, characteristic of the entire book of Leviticus, which uses precise and unambiguous terms to establish divine statutes and their corresponding penalties. The phrase "shall be cut off from his people" is a fixed legal formula, emphasizing the non-negotiable nature of the command and the certainty of its consequence. This formula also functions as a form of Emphasis through Repetition, as the prohibition against consuming blood and the "cut off" penalty appear multiple times throughout the Pentateuch (e.g., Leviticus 17:10, which reiterates the prohibition on blood consumption and its penalty and Genesis 9:4, an early prohibition on blood). This repetition underscores the critical importance of the law and its underlying theological principle. Furthermore, the stark contrast between the act of consumption and the severe consequence creates a sense of Foreshadowing, subtly pointing to the ultimate significance of blood as a sacred element reserved for atonement, a theme that will find its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The prohibition against consuming blood in Leviticus 7:27 is not merely a dietary restriction but a profound theological statement about the sanctity of life, the holiness of God, and the unique role of blood in atonement. Life, represented by blood, is understood as belonging exclusively to God, the Creator and Sustainer of all existence. To consume blood was to usurp God's prerogative over life and to desecrate that which He had set apart for a sacred purpose: the making of atonement for sin. This command served to instill in Israel a deep reverence for life and a clear understanding of God's holiness, distinguishing them from the pagan nations around them who often treated blood with irreverence or used it in idolatrous rituals. The severity of the "cut off" penalty underscored that this was a fundamental covenant requirement, violation of which severed one's relationship with the holy God and His people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Leviticus 7:27, while part of the Mosaic ceremonial law, carries enduring spiritual principles that resonate deeply with believers today. The foundational truth that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11) compels us to recognize that all life is sacred and belongs to God. This instills in us a profound reverence for human life, from conception to natural death, challenging us to champion its dignity and protection in all spheres. Furthermore, the severity of the "cut off" penalty for disobedience highlights the absolute importance of obedience to God's clear commands, reminding us that even seemingly minor transgressions against His revealed will can have significant spiritual consequences, impacting our relationship with Him and His community. Ultimately, this verse serves as a powerful backdrop against which to appreciate the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament's sacredness of blood, reserved for atonement, points forward to the precious, sinless blood of Christ, which alone provides perfect and eternal atonement, cleansing us from all sin and granting us access to God. Understanding the gravity of the Old Covenant prohibition deepens our gratitude for the New Covenant, where Christ's shed blood fulfills all righteousness and offers complete redemption.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was the consumption of blood so strictly forbidden in the Old Testament?
Answer: The prohibition against consuming blood was strictly forbidden for several profound theological and practical reasons. Primarily, it was because "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (as stated in Leviticus 17:11, where it explains that blood makes atonement for the soul). Since life belongs to God alone, blood, as the essence of life, was considered sacred and reserved for Him. It was explicitly designated as the means of atonement, to make propitiation for sins on the altar. By prohibiting its consumption, God ensured that His people recognized His sovereignty over life and understood the unique, sacred purpose of blood in the covenant. Additionally, this command served to distinguish Israel from surrounding pagan nations who often consumed blood in idolatrous rituals, marking Israel as a holy and set-apart people. This prohibition, first given to Noah in Genesis 9:4, an early command against consuming blood, underscored a universal principle that became a cornerstone of the Mosaic Law.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Leviticus 7:27, with its stern prohibition against consuming blood and its severe penalty, finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament's insistence on the sanctity of blood, reserving it exclusively for atonement, powerfully foreshadows the singular and perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus Christ. His blood, unlike that of bulls and goats, is not merely a symbolic covering but the very substance of the new covenant, poured out "for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28, referring to the blood of the new covenant). Where the Old Covenant demanded blood as the means of atonement, and prohibited its consumption to emphasize its sacredness and the cost of sin, the New Covenant invites us to spiritually partake of Christ's shed blood through faith, symbolizing our complete identification with His atoning death and our reception of eternal life (John 6:53-56, where Jesus speaks of eating His flesh and drinking His blood). The penalty of being "cut off" for violating the blood prohibition in Leviticus finds its counterpoint in Christ; through His precious blood, we are not cut off but are instead brought near to God, reconciled and made righteous (Ephesians 2:13, explaining that we are brought near by the blood of Christ, Romans 5:9, stating we are justified by His blood). Thus, the very strictness of Leviticus 7:27 serves to magnify the infinite value and efficacy of Christ's once-for-all sacrifice, through which we receive not judgment, but life and inclusion into God's eternal family.