“They brought the ark of Adonai in and put it in its place inside the tent that David had set up for it. David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Adonai. When David had finished offering the burnt offering and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Adonai–Tzva’ot.”-2 Samuel 6:17-18
So we’re told that David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
The phrase “before Adonai” means these offerings took place where the Ark was present.
Alrighty, so let’s have a little quiz here.
Do remember what these sacrifices are called in the original Hebrew?
The “Burnt Offering” is called the OLAH...
And the “Peace Offering” is called the ZEVAH SHELAMIM.
The Olah is the highest kind of sacrifice.
All the meat is cut up and burned completely on the altar until it’s just ashes.
Nothing is kept—it’s all given to God.
On the other hand, the Zevah Shelamim was a different kind of offering.
With this sacrifice, only a little of the meat was burned up on the Altar.
Most of it went back to the worshippers and the Levites.
Back in the day, people couldn’t eat meat unless it came from a sacrifice (this rule was later relaxed).
So, if someone wanted meat for a meal, they’d pick a Shelamim sacrifice.
Why?
Because they’d get most of the meat back to use for a feast.
That’s why Shelamim sacrifices were way more common than ‘Olah sacrifices, where all the meat was burned up.
Now the takeaway for today is pretty inspiring.
If you recall from our studies way back in the Book of Leviticus, the OLAH or “Burnt Offering” was the first step towards remedying the corrupt nature of man before a Holy God.
Its purpose was to first get the Lord’s attention and pave the way for God to look upon the worshipper favorably.
Or to put it another way, via the OLAH, the worship became acceptable enough to the Lord so he could approach Him.
The Hebrew sense of the word OLAH is “come-near”.
Onward.
The ZEVAH SHELAMIM or “Peace Offering” was built upon what the OLAH accomplished.
The ZEVAH established SHALOM or a peaceful fellowship between YHVH and the worshipper.
Are you grasping the pattern here?
Peace could not be accomplished until the worshipper was first made acceptable to God via the OLAH sacrifice.
The lesson to be learned is that we just can’t approach God without first being made acceptable to Him.
Alrighty, let me close with one more pattern established in the Torah.
Remember when God tested Abraham by commanding him to offer up his one and only son Isaac?
Wanna know what that “offering” is called in the original Hebrew?
That’s right folks…
It was an OLAH or a “Burnt Offering.”
“Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering (עֹלָה) on a mountain I will show you.”-Genesis 22:2
Is the pattern clear now?
See ya all next time!
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting life.”
-John 3:16
The sacrificial system has 5 steps:
1. You must sin (no need for forgiveness if you haven’t sinned- DUH!);
2. You must confess your sin (you need to recognize you have done wrong);
3. You need to repent of your sin (if you aren’t sorry, there can be no forgiveness);
4. You bring your sin sacrifice to where God placed his name (this is the step that Yeshua’s sacrifice replaced, making it possible for us to be forgiven any time, any where);
5. You ask forgiveness by means of the innocent blood that was shed.
The sacrifices were also performed in a specific order:
1. the sin sacrifice, to provide forgiveness, allowing you to come into God’s presence;
2. the wholly burned sacrifice, to represent your t’shuvah (turning) away from sin and completely back to God;
3. The friendship/thanksgiving sacrifice, the only one where you are allowed to share the meat of the sacrifice, but it must be eaten there, in a holy place.
Amen, Steven. Sincere repentance is a key part of this process. One can’t just go through the motions.