The Tabernacle Enters Service

Leviticus 7-9

            In Leviticus 7, we learn the purpose of the fellowship offering. It is offered either in thanksgiving, in fulfillment of a vow, or as a freewill offering, presumably without a specific occasion. It’s larger purpose is to share one’s joy both with the Lord and with others in a holy meal. That is, unlike the other offerings, this offering is eaten by regular people, not just priests and offerers.

            I’m reminded that meals are more than just a moment for fueling the body. They are, at their best, social occasions as well. Sharing a table is a profound act of fellowship. That’s why restaurant remain important social places; it’s why we should reconsider the importance of hospitality in our homes. It touches something deep within our humanity and binds us together in important ways that go beyond food.

            In Leviticus 8-9 we see the tabernacle officially coming into service. Moses, God’s man, offers the first sacrifices on behalf of Aaron and his sons, then, Aaron and his sons begin their ministry on behalf of the people. We’ve seen it already in the instructions about sacrifice, but it stood out for me again today how very bloody the whole thing was. Later on, in Leviticus 17, we’ll read that the life is in the blood of a creature. Animal sacrifice was about blood because it was about life: the wages of sin is death, Paul will say in Romans 6, so something has to die to pay the price of sin. The book of Hebrews will tell us that all of these sacrifices looked forward to the one sacrifice that matters, that endures, that covers all sins, the death of Jesus on the cross. I’m working on a sermon about Jesus’ beating in Pilate’s palace, and I’ve been seeing in my mind’s eye scenes from Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ all week. It’s a horrifying, but accurate, portrayal of the bloody mess that is the cross. The wages of sin is a mess. Thanks be to God, we are freed from enduring that mess for ourselves!