The Peace Sacrifice From The Herd (Leviticus 3:1-5).
‘And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace-offerings; if he offer of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before Yahweh.'
A sacrifice of peace offerings could be either male or female, but it was to be without blemish. Later it will be accepted that a voluntary free-will offering could have a slight ‘natural' deformity, but not any other kind of imperfection (Leviticus 22:23). This did not apply to an offering made in connection with a vow. However even such a slightly imperfect sacrifice must still be generally without blemish. Here the sacrifice is of oxen.
The relaxing of the restriction about males was clearly practical, otherwise the large feasts would have mopped up the males and left a huge surplus of females which could not be eaten. The females, however, were required in larger numbers for they provided milk, and replacements. The males provided life, the females nurtured it.
And we should note that while Israel were living ‘in the camp' and therefore within easy reach of the tabernacle, no ox, sheep or goat, apart from those offered as offerings, could be killed either in or out of the camp without it being brought to the door of the tabernacle and dealt with as a peace sacrifice (Leviticus 17:1-7). It was therefore necessary that peace sacrifices could be of either sex. This principle of bringing all within the camp was in order to prevent the danger of surreptitious sacrifices in the wilderness to demons (Leviticus 17:7). It kept everything above board.
‘And he shall lay his hand on the head of his oblation, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on the altar round about.'
The same general procedures follow as for the whole burnt offering. The laying on of the hand, the killing at the door of the tent of meeting (in the court of the tabernacle), and the sprinkling of the blood on the altar round about, as with the whole burnt offering where it was for atonement. Here we have identification with the sacrifice, the shedding of the blood, and its application for atonement. In this lay the atoning aspect. For the fact of recognised atonement in the peace sacrifice see Exodus 29:33 with Exodus 29:28. (It will be noted throughout that it is apparent that certain things are assumed in each differing offering and sacrifice, the details being carried over from other offerings and not stated in all cases. To get the whole picture we have to combine the differing descriptions, while noting the explicit differences and positively stated exceptions. Note how the detail here concentrates on only one aspect of the peace sacrifice, its Godward element. The partaking of the sacrifice by the laity will be dealt with later under ‘the law of the sacrifice of the peace offering' (Leviticus 7:11-21)
‘And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace-offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh, the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the covering of fat (or covering membrane) on the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away.'
Note the details of what is to be burned on the altar. Instead of all the sacrifice being cut up and placed on the altar it is the fat that covers the vital parts, together with those vital parts; the fat surrounding the innards, the fat that covers the innards, the two kidneys with the fat that surrounds them, and the covering of the liver. The kidneys and the liver represented, in their eyes, the seat of the emotions and the will. They represented how it lived, and moved and thought. They were thus not to partake of the beasts essential living being, nor of its protecting fat. The life in the blood, the fat and the vital sources of being were all therefore forbidden. There must be no thought of man drawing on the beast's essential life and strength. The meat of the animal was not a part of the offering, for it was not seen as part of the animal's essential life. It could therefore be eaten by participants.
‘And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on the whole burnt-offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire. It is an offering made by fire, of a pleasing odour to Yahweh.'
What has been selected out is now to be burned on the altar ‘on the whole burnt offering'. The assumption is made in this example that the sacrifice is made after a whole burnt offering. In that case the whole burnt offering is offered first and the peace sacrifice placed on top. Possibly when an ox was being offered as a peace sacrifice it was recognised that it would be part of such a combination of offerings, or possibly this is like the north side of the altar in Leviticus 1:11, mentioned once but intended to be seen as having wider application.
Others see the reference as to the morning whole burnt offering which would already have been offered on the altar, so that the peace sacrifice is laid on top of it. It does not require new preparation. It is a subsidiary sacrifice.
Again the offering is a fire-offering and a pleasing odour to Yahweh, as with the whole burnt offering and the grain offering, (but not so much with the sin and guilt offering). They deal with sin generally but not specifically, for their central purpose is dedication, tribute, gratitude and the demonstration of love, and in the case of this sacrifice the making of peace with God and men. The only point being that even with these atonement is necessary for their acceptance. In this case the meat is man's (shared with the priests and their families) but the vital life of the animal is God's.
While this was the least of the offerings, to those who are in Christ it speaks of the most glorious of experiences, a side which no other offering speaks of. For Ephesians tells us that He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). He has made His people one with each other by reconciling us to Himself in one body on the cross having slain both the enmity between God and man, and the enmity between all men when they come to Him, whether Jew or Gentile. All are made one in Christ.
And as men came to the tabernacle with joyous hearts to offer their peace offerings, together with their other offerings, (all of which point us to Christ), and to rejoice together in fellowship both with God and with one another, partaking of the meat of their peace sacrifices with joy, so can we find peace through Him and through His death on the cross for us, rejoicing together with all who come to partake of Him and feasting on Christ, looking to Him as the bread of life (John 6:35), feasting on Him by coming to Him daily in faith and eating and drinking of Him through His word, and receiving of His life and His fullness as we allow Him to live His life through us (John 4:10; John 4:13-14, see also Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:17-20).