Wed.’s Devo - The Peace Offering

Read: Leviticus 7:28-9:6; Mark 3:31-4:25; Psalm 37:12-29; Provers 10:5 The peace offering was a voluntary gift anyone could give to the Lord. The breast and the thigh was to be given to the priest to eat as a gift. The breast stood for the heart since this offering was given voluntarily.. The thigh was where oaths were made, so they stood for the treasures of the heart. Both pieces were choice meats to eat. These pieces were commanded to be given to the priests when they were first anointed to serve. We must begin our walk as his priests by offering God our heart as well as our intentions and dreams. *** In Chapter 8, God had Moses call the congregation together and had Aaron and his sons to stand before them. He announced to the people that this is what the Lord has commanded us to do, then he proceeded to dress Aaron and his sons and wash them with water. He was demonstrating to them the process we all must go through to serve the Lord. *** First, he washed them with water like we are cleansed by the waters of repentance through baptism. Then Moses began by putting the garments on the priest which all had their meaning. (Ephesians 6). He gave Aaron the Urim and the Thummim to discern the heart of God for the nation. He put the turban on Aaron’s head that had the seal of holiness on it. *** Then Moses anointed the Tabernacle and everything in it, making them holy. He anointed the altar seven times. He anointed Aaron’s head with oil, dressed his sons and anointed them. *** Moses prepared the sin offering and acted as God. He had Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the head of the bull before he killed it. He also presented the ram of ordination and had Aaron and his sons lay their hands on it. Moses applied blood from it on the priest’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. He sprinkled the rest of the blood on the sides of the altar. *** Moses then took the kidneys and liver and fat from the right thigh and topped it with a cake of unleavened bread spread with oil. He put all this in the hands of Aaron and his sons and lifted these gifts to the Lord. This represented the heart and future of Aaron and his sons. They were presenting all their heart and dreams to the Lord in front of them and God. These were then burnt on the altar as a gift to the Lord. *** Moses also sprinkled some of the blood of the priest’s offering on their own robes to make them holy because Jesus’ blood makes us holy. Moses told Aaron and his sons to boil the rest of the meat and eat it with the unleavened bread at the entrance of the Tabernacle. They were to stay for for seven days and then the ordinations ceremony would be completed. If they didn’t stay for seven days, they would die. *** This “week” they were to stay at the entrance of the Tabernacle represents a persons completed life. We are always a priest and cannot leave this calling to walk away or we will die eternally. It also represents the end of the 7,000 years on the earth. We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We are to stay righteous, doing God’s work till the end. *** On the eighth day, Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel together. He told them to take a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering and present them to the Lord. He told the people to give a male goat for a sin offering and a lamb for a burnt offering. Then to take a bull and a ram for a peace offering and a grain offering. He told them to do all these offerings because he was going to appear before them in his glory. *** This speaks of the eighth day after the last Feast of Tabernacle when Jesus has come again and set up his kingdom. That eighth day is the eighth millennium. That is when God will appear and we will see his glory. *** In Mark, Jesus is in a crowd when someone comes to tell him that his mother and brothers are asking for him. He says that those who do his will are his mother, his brother and his sister. *** Then Jesus told them the parable that was key to understanding all the other parables. The parables gave the secrets to the Kingdom of God. It explained that the condition of the heart determined if the seed of God’s kingdom could bear fruit in the person’s life. He told his disciples that they had the light and they needed to let it shine. If they listened closely with the right hearts, they would grow in their understanding. *** Lord, may we grow in our understanding of You and your kingdom. May we walk all the days of our lives with You.