레위기 Chapter 7

Translation: ESV

1

"This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy.

Key Message

God's way of dealing with sin is holy and solemn; the forgiveness and restitution of sin are not matters to be taken lightly.

▸Leviticus 7 opens with instructions for executing the guilt offering.

Leviticus 7 opens with instructions for executing the guilt offering. By designating the guilt offering as 'most holy,' the text underscores the solemnity of this sacrifice. The guilt offering deals with atonement and restitution for sin; its classification as most holy teaches that God's manner of addressing sin is sacred and grave.

Related Verses

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days.
2

In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown against the sides of the altar.

Key Message

The core principle of atonement—the shedding of blood—applies uniformly across all sacrifices, pointing to the one truth of Christ's blood.

▸The location for slaughtering the guilt offering and the handling of its blood are identical to those of the burnt offering and peace offering.

3

And all its fat shall be offered, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,

Key Message

The best of life must always be given to God; this principle does not change even in situations of seeking forgiveness for sin.

▸Offering the fatty portions of the guilt offering to God follows the same principle as the peace offering.

4

the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.

Key Message

True repentance and restitution must be accompanied by transformation at one's deepest interior; external acts alone do not accomplish full atonement.

▸Presenting the kidneys and the liver lobe to God is repeated in the guilt offering just as in the peace offering and sin offering.

5

The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.

Key Message

Even the sacrifice for sin is an act of worship to God; God graciously accepts the repentance and atonement of sinners.

▸Burning the fatty portions of the guilt offering on the altar confirms that it is a food offering to the LORD.

6

Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.

Key Message

An intercessor bears the role of carrying the sins of others; Jesus is the only mediator who completely bore our sins.

▸The guilt offering, like the sin offering, was to be eaten by the male priests in a holy place.

7

The guilt offering is just like the sin offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.

Key Message

God's way of dealing with sin has a consistent principle, and its core is the one truth of substitution and the shedding of blood.

▸The declaration that the guilt offering and sin offering follow the same law confirms their essential similarity.

8

And the priest who offers any man's burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered.

Key Message

God provides for those who serve him in various ways; it is God's command that the community support his spiritual ministers.

▸The hide of the burnt offering became the portion of the priest who performed it.

9

And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it.

Key Message

The diverse service of God's ministers is equally valuable; the community should be grateful and supportive of all their service.

▸Grain offerings prepared in various ways also become the portion of the priest who performed the sacrifice.

10

And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be shared equally among all the sons of Aaron.

Key Message

God's provision is just; it is God's will that support for ministers within the community be distributed equitably.

▸Dry grain offerings not mixed with oil were distributed equally among all of Aaron's sons rather than going to one specific priest.

11

And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the LORD.

Key Message

The peaceful relationship with God must be celebrated in various ways in diverse contexts; faith is sharing life's various circumstances together with God.

▸A section begins in which the administration of the peace offering is explained anew from the priest's perspective.

12

If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.

Key Message

Thanksgiving worship is a joyful celebration of remembering and sharing the salvation and grace God has given.

▸When offering a thanksgiving sacrifice (todah), three kinds of unleavened bread were brought along.

13

With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread.

Key Message

Thanksgiving worship includes recognizing even the ordinary things of daily life as God's grace and giving thanks for them.

▸In the thanksgiving offering, leavened bread (bread with yeast) was also brought along with the unleavened bread.

14

And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a contribution to the LORD. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings.

Key Message

Worship is both an act of offering to God and a communal act of sharing that supports ministers.

▸One of each of the various breads was presented as a contribution for the priest.

15

And the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.

Key Message

Gratitude for God's grace must be expressed immediately and completely; do not delay joy and sharing.

▸The meat of the thanksgiving offering had to be eaten entirely on the day it was offered.

16

But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten.

Key Message

The joy of vows and freewill dedication to God should become a celebration shared together with the community.

▸Vow offerings and freewill offerings could be eaten over a longer period than the thanksgiving sacrifice—over two days, the day offered and the following day.

17

But what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned up with fire.

Key Message

What has been offered as holy to God must not be left to decay but completely disposed of; this is the principle of maintaining spiritual freshness and holiness.

▸Any offering meat remaining on the third day had to be burned.

18

If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

Key Message

If God's prescribed worship regulations are not kept, the worship itself becomes invalid; God requires worship conducted according to his own way.

▸This is a severe regulation that eating any remaining peace offering on the third day renders the entire sacrifice invalid.

19

Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned up with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh,

Key Message

To receive what is holy, one must make oneself clean; Christ's blood cleanses us, qualifying us to receive God's holy things.

▸The meat of a peace offering that has touched something unclean was not to be eaten but burned.

20

But the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD's peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people.

Key Message

Taking God's holy things in an unclean state is a grave sin; this connects with the New Testament warning about partaking of the Lord's Supper unworthily.

▸Eating from the peace offering while in an unclean state was subject to the extreme penalty of being cut off from one's people.

21

And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the LORD's peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people."

Key Message

We must examine our own state before approaching God's holy things; we can only be cleansed by the blood of Christ.

▸Specific examples of what causes uncleanness are listed as the same warning is repeated.

22

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

Observing the boundaries God has set is an expression of faith that acknowledges his sovereignty.

▸The important regulation not to eat fat or blood begins with a new word from God.

23

"Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat.

Key Message

The principle that life's best belongs to God must also be expressed in the choices made at the table.

▸This is the regulation not to eat the fat of ox, sheep, and goat—the three main animals offered as sacrifices.

24

The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it.

Key Message

God's regulations are reasonable, providing concrete guidelines for faith life by clearly distinguishing the scope of what is prohibited and what is permitted.

▸The fat of animals that died naturally or were torn by wild animals could be used for other purposes—lamp fuel, leather processing, etc.

25

For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the LORD shall be cut off from his people.

Key Message

Taking what belongs to God as one's own is a challenge to his sovereignty and a grave spiritual violation.

▸This is a powerful warning that eating the fat of an animal offered as a food offering results in being cut off from one's people.

26

Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places.

Key Message

The blood prohibition, which acknowledges God's sovereignty over life, is an absolute command transcending place and circumstance.

▸The prohibition against eating blood is extended to all kinds of birds and animals.

27

Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people."

Key Message

Life belongs to God; acknowledging this is the core of the blood prohibition. Christ's blood is the only path that gives us this life.

▸The expression 'whoever eats any blood' emphasizes the absolute nature of the blood prohibition.

28

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

God directly institutionalizes the meeting of his ministers' material needs, making clear that communal support is his will.

▸An additional regulation concerning the priest's portion from the peace offering begins with a new word from God.

29

"Speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

Key Message

Worship is not something delegated to the priest but a personal act of approaching God oneself; every believer is a royal priest.

▸The one who offers a peace offering was not simply to entrust the sacrifice to the priest, but had to participate personally in the act of presenting to the LORD.

30

His own hands shall bring the LORD's food offerings. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD.

Key Message

While worship is our act of giving to God, it is ultimately returning what God first gave us, and God returns it to us as blessing.

▸The 'wave offering (tenufah)' ritual is described, in which the offerer personally waves the fat and breast before the LORD with his own hands.

31

The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons.

Key Message

God cares for the families of his ministers; through the sacrificial system he took responsibility for the livelihood of the entire Levitical community.

▸Of the waved offering, the fat was burned on the altar for God, while the breast became the portion of the priestly family.

32

And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings.

Key Message

It is God's just principle that appropriate compensation goes to the one who has served.

▸The right thigh was presented as a contribution and went to the specific priest who performed the sacrifice.

33

Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion.

Key Message

The one who bears greater responsibility in God's ministry receives fitting compensation; this is God's just principle.

▸The fact that the priest who offers the blood and fat receives the right thigh shows the principle that the one who performs the most holy rituals receives the most valued portion.

34

For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel.

Key Message

God directly takes responsibility for his ministers' needs; it is God's eternal ordinance that the community support ministers.

▸The expression 'I have given' emphasizes that the portions priests receive are given directly by God, not by the Israelites.

35

This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the LORD's food offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of the LORD.

Key Message

From the moment God calls, the provision needed for that calling also begins; God never leaves his ministers without provision.

▸These portions belong to the priests from the day they are anointed—that is, from the day they begin their priestly service.

36

The LORD commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel from the day that he anointed them. It is a perpetual due throughout their generations."

Key Message

Materially supporting God's ministers is God's command; this is an eternal principle the community must observe across all ages.

▸It is emphasized once more that this regulation is the 'LORD's command.

37

This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering,

Key Message

Israel's sacrificial system is a complete worship system systematically instituted by God; all of it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

▸This is the closing declaration summarizing the entire sacrificial regulations of Leviticus 1–7.

38

which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

Key Message

Israel's worship system is based on God's revelation; Jesus Christ who fulfilled it reveals the true meaning of all sacrifice.

▸This is the final declaration confirming that all the sacrificial regulations of Leviticus 1–7 were commanded by God to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai.