And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will.
Leviticus 19:5 KJV
In the old covenant, the priests and the people had five offerings they could offer to the Lord, two of which were compulsory: the sin offering and the whole burnt offering. However, the peace offering was an offering given at will. It is a sign of friendship. The one who offered this was moving beyond the requirements for simply being a part of God’s congregation. He was showing a deeper commitment. The fact that it was an offering at will however, did not mean that God did not have specific instructions for this. It had to be pure and without blemish. God gave instruction for this offering in Leviticus 3:1-17 and Leviticus 7:11-21. For this offering the main ingredients are the fats and the kidneys. They were to be taken out and burnt on the altar as an offering made by fire unto God.
What does it mean to offer our fat and kidney to the Lord? We first of all need to know their function in the body. Fat acts as the body’s energy reservoir. It is a storage for excess food, which can be used later to produce energy. This fat is usually stored in areas of the body that makes a person look more attractive, especially in females. Fat also helps to absorb and store certain key vitamins: A, D, E, K, all of which are essential to proper functioning of the body. It is also one of the main structural components that make up the brain, it helps to maintain body temperature, and is also stored as a layer under the skin. It helps to protect the vital organs of the body from shock due to sudden movement or hard impact. Fat is also responsible for making hormones which put one in a ‘love mood’.
The Kidney on the other hand, is generally understood among the Hebrews as the metaphorical seat of emotions, and figuratively, the mind. The interpretation of the original Greek word “kilyah” shows this. Knowing this, we see how the peace offering is a full on commitment. Offering the peace offering means that we give Him our energy [serve Him with our strength], all the things that make us feel secured [all the things we feel we can always fall back on if something happens], which may include our money, our skills, and even our time. He wants us to give Him all the things that make us attractive or admirable, which may include our talents and more. He also wants our virtues [our vitamins: the things that make us function as the people we are] and our mind [our understanding and intellect]. That is, God wants us to use them for Him [to think on Him and His Word, and to communicate Him and His gospel to all around us]. He also wants our emotions and our desires. He wants us to have deep feelings for Him and tenderly desire Him above all else.
The man Abraham was a man who gave this peace offering regularly to the Lord. He gave up everything, comfort, inheritances of his fathers house and even the son of his love and was called a Friend of God. The beauty of being a friend is that the friend of God knows what God is doing and is brought into a place where he can speak with God face to face. Their say in a matter counts, like in the case of Abraham and Sodom, Genesis 18:17-33. Looking throughout the new covenant, we see that while the basic requirement to being saved is to believe the gospel, John 3:16, Jesus told a rich man who asked, that if he would be an inheritor of the Kingdom, he must give up everything and follow Jesus as His disciple, Mark 10:17-31. This was a commitment. One who refused this level of commitment, will have their sins forgiven and escape the wrath of God, but will gnash their teeth when they see their mates in glory and they, shut out from these blessings. For this reason Paul suffered the loss of all things, Philippians 3:7-10. The Lord Himself gives His strength that we may make peace with Him as Isaiah 27:5-6 says. For all who make peace with Him, He causes a blossoming in their lives, that they may be full of beautiful fruits for all to see and enjoy. Beloved, it is a choice to make, but all who will partake of the fullness of God must give all!
Prayer for today: Father, I thank you for Your word and Your commitment to me. Father, today, I decide to love You with all my heart, soul, strength and mind. I want to be a Your friend Lord, I take hold of Your strength and make peace with You. Father, help me to do Your will always, in Jesus name. Amen.
{You are making a commitment to God, speak openly and freely to God to express your desire and commitment. He hears you}
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