Now if a sacred gift of greeting is his near-offering; if it is from the herd that he brings-it-near, whether male or female, wholly-sound he is to bring-it-near, before the presence of YHWH.  He is to lean his hand on the head of his near-offering, and he is to slay it at the entrance of the Tent of Appointment, and the Sons of Aharon, the priests, are to dash the blood against the slaughter-site, all around.  Then he is to bring-near from the sacred gift of greeting, a fire-offering to YHWH:  the fat that covers the innards and all the fat that is about the innards, the two kidneys, and the fat that is about them, that is on the tendons, and the extension on the liver–along with the kidneys he is to remove it.  And the Sons of Aharon are to turn it (all) into smoke upon the slaughter-site, along with the offering-up that is upon the wood, that is upon the fire–a fire-offering of soothing savor for YHWH.  Leviticus 3:1-5, The Schocken Bible (sacred gift of greeting, marg. note for “slaughter-offering of shalom“)

          The sacred gift of greeting is the very first of the sacrifices for which Moses received specific instructions from YHWH.  As such, it is of primary importance, both to God and to man.

          Most bible translations poorly translate in “peace offering” the literal words used by the Schocken Bible, “slaughter-offering of shalom”.  The common rendering trivializes and minimizes the prophetic significance intended by YHWH.  Without a proper translation of the type, the comprehension of the fulfillment is all but impossible.  Conversely, when the translation reveals YHWH’s mind, His thinking, and His purpose, the Holy Spirit will open to the searching believer the fulfillment of the prophetic type in the believer’s life.

          The translation into the ubiquitous “peace offering” has resulted from a mis-translation of the Hebrew word “shalom”, which can alternately mean well-being or wholeness, peace, and also greeting–as in “hello”.

          Used here, it cannot mean “peace” because in no way have we or the Israelites of old offered YHWH peace–rather, He gives it to us.  Likewise, it cannot mean well-being or wholeness, because we cannot offer to Him what we don’t have and what He doesn’t need.  So the meaning of “greeting” or “salutation” is correct, and we see immediate confirmation in the correct (Hebrew) name of the book of Leviticus:  “Vayikra”, the first word of verse 1 of the book.  Translated into English, it means, “Now He called”.

          Yes, YHWH-Jesus has called (and continues to call), and if you can grasp that the first offering, the sacred gift of greeting, is intended to be every man’s response, the beautiful picture of fellowship with Him in the worshipping heart, where He has chosen to place His name, can joyfully begin to come into focus.

          Each part of the instruction given to Moses gives a clue to the fulfillment intended for mankind universally.  First, there is the emphasis on nearness.  “Come to Me,” Jesus said, “all ye.”  And again, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me.”  And again, “I will draw (lit., “drag”) all men to me.”

          Next, note that the offering can be either male OR female.  In every other instance except one (the red heifer), the animal sacrifice was to be male.  But here, the sacred gift of greeting is welcomed by YHWH-Jesus, from man or woman.  This is the offering Paul was referring to in Romans 12:1, when he said:

I exhort you therefore, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer yourselves for a sacrifice, living and set apart for God.  This will please him; it is the logical “Temple worship” for you.  Complete Jewish Bible, David Stern

          Then, we may see from the organs chosen, and from the setting apart of the fat, that it is believers who are signified in the offering.  The giving of the fat, the liver and the kidneys are highly symbolic, which other verses (were they fairly translated would) make immediately obvious.

          Fat always denotes surplus, extra, extravagance.  It is the equivalent of the alabaster vial and the very costly perfume in Matthew 26.  When offered by the believer, it is an acknowledgment that “my cup overflows” because of You, Lord.  The believer’s extravagance here is almost always viewed critically by others:  “Why this waste?” 

          See and understand; it is a perpetual statute:  the fat belongs to YHWH-Jesus.  Do not eat it yourself, for you are not to be God.  Instead, give it to Him.  Be extravagant in praise; be extravagant in love.  Don’t be stingy in thanksgiving or worship.  “Waste” it on your Lord, if you can.  Let your words create a pleasing fragrance, an aroma of worship, to be savored by the One who called you.

          The text is clear:  God wants all of the fat (not just some of it) around the innards.  He is not referring to an acceptable amount of fat, from this or that area of our lives, in the way we would say, “I need to lose about 10 pounds.”  No, He wants it from every area of our lives, and He wants all of it.

          Keith Green put it this way, in his song “To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice”:

I want more than Sundays and Wednesday night.  But if you can’t come to Me every day, then don’t bother coming at all.

          We should note at this point, in conjunction with the instruction that He wants extravagant giving of each area of our lives, that He wants our very lives as well.  This is the point of slaying the animal and the instruction “to dash the blood against the slaughter-site, all around.”  We know He is not pleased with the blood of bulls and goats (Hebrews 10:4), and so there must be some point to the creation of such a big, bloody mess.  Here is that point:

This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.  Exodus 24:8, Hebrews 9:20

The life of the flesh is in the blood,…  Leviticuas 17:11

          The next symbol we note is the giving of the kidneys.  Here again, we are indebted to Dr. Stephen Jones, who noted that the Hebrew word for “kidneys” is also the word used for “reins”, as in the livery used to steer a horse.  The kidneys are representative of inward guidance, even as reins are used for external guidance.  Here are some of the mis-translated examples we referred to earlier:

Psalm 16:7  I will bless YHWH who has counseled me; indeed, my mind (lit., kidneys) instructs me in the night.

Psalm 26:2  Examine me, O YHWH, and try me; test my mind (lit., kidneys) and my heart.

Psalm 73:21-22  When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within (lit., in my kidneys), then I was senseless and ignorant; I was a beast before You.

Isaiah 11:5  And righteousness will be the belt about his loins, and faithfulness the belt about his waist (lit., kidneys).

          Isaiah’s inward/outward comparison to faithfulness (inward) and righteousness (outward) demonstrates most clearly the role of the kidneys as a conscience.  Much more could be said about the kidneys and the liver.

          The function of the liver is to cleanse the body of germs, toxins and foreign matters that cannot be removed from the body any other way, or when the other discharge systems of the body are not working or unavailable.  The liver takes in the sickness and removes it from the blood, or to say it another way, from the life.  This is its function.  When it is offered with the kidneys, the blood and the fat, the believer is saying, “I was a dirty rag of filthiness, but You took my sin upon Yourself, and cleansed me.”  In the liver is the reminder that though your sins were as scarlet, now they are white as snow.  The cleansing of the liver never stops.

          Thus the sacred gift of greeting Jesus is extravagance of love, freely poured out upon Him.  It is a cleansed life, now free to serve Him, and the submission of our inner man to agreement with His will, in essence handing Him the “reins” of our lives.  YHWH-Jesus promises, by covenant, that this male or female of His flock “shall have no defect.”  Praise You, Lord!

          The fire represents purification, not destruction.  It is a false witness of the most serious degree to equate God’s fire with punishment.  The purpose of fire is always commendable.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God.  Shalom! and welcome to Your resting place, Your throne, high and lifted up in our hearts!  Your throne, O God, will last forever!

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