Commentary - Leviticus 7:28-36

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Leviticus, God lays out the fine print for the peace offering, but we must not mistake this for mere bureaucratic regulation. This is the divine economics of fellowship. The peace offering was a meal shared between God, the priest, and the worshiper, a picture of restored communion. What we have here are the rules for how the ministers of God's house are to be provided for. Their sustenance comes directly from the worship of God's people. This is not a tax, and it is not a salary negotiated with a board of deacons. It is a portion assigned by God Himself, taken directly from the offerings brought to Him. In short, this passage establishes that God feeds His ministers from His own table.

The principles here are foundational. Worship is not an ethereal, abstract activity; it is tangible and costly. It involves the worshiper's own hands. And the provision for the ministry is not an afterthought or a necessary administrative burden; it is part of the very fabric of worship. God takes His portion, and from that portion, He provides for His servants. This is a perpetual statute, and while the animal sacrifices have been fulfilled in Christ, the principles of worship, fellowship, and ministerial support remain firmly in place.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

Leviticus is the great book of holiness and access. How can a sinful people dwell in the presence of a holy God? The sacrificial system is God's answer. Having detailed the ascension offering, grain offering, sin offering, and guilt offering, the law now returns to the peace offering. This offering is unique because it culminates in a communal meal. It is about fellowship, thanksgiving, and communion with God. This particular section (7:28-36) concludes the instructions for the priests regarding the sacrifices (which began in chapter 6) by focusing on their own provision. It is fitting that their sustenance is detailed in the context of the offering that most clearly depicts fellowship. A minister who has no fellowship with God is a minister who will spiritually starve, and a people who do not provide for their minister are a people whose fellowship with God is stunted.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

28 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 29 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘He who brings the sacrifice of his peace offerings near to Yahweh shall bring his offering to Yahweh from the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

The instruction begins, as all true worship must, with a word from God. Yahweh speaks to Moses. Worship is not something we invent; it is something we receive by revelation. The worshiper who brings a peace offering is to bring his offering from that sacrifice. This seems redundant at first, but the point is that the specific portions for the Lord and His priests are part of the whole animal being dedicated. You don't bring one animal for your meal and a separate, lesser cut for the priest. The priest's portion comes from the very best of what you are offering in fellowship to God. It is an integrated act.

30 His own hands are to bring offerings by fire to Yahweh. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before Yahweh.

Here we see the personal, physical nature of true worship. "His own hands" must bring the offering. This is not a transaction you can delegate to a servant or handle through an automated payment. The worshiper is actively, physically involved. He presents the fat, which represents the best, the energy, the richness of the animal. This is what belongs to God and will be turned to smoke on the altar. Along with the fat, he brings the breast. This prime portion is designated for a specific ritual: it is to be a wave offering. This action, a side-to-side motion before the altar, was a formal presentation to God. It was a way of saying, "This belongs entirely to You." God receives it, and then, as we will see, He gives it to His priests.

31 And the priest shall offer up the fat in smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons.

Now the duties are divided. The priest takes the fat, God's designated portion, and burns it on the altar. This is the "food of the offering," and its aroma is a pleasing savor to the Lord. But God does not keep everything for Himself. The breast, which was just waved and presented to Him, is now assigned to Aaron and his sons. This is their food. God's ministers are fed from God's altar. Their sustenance is a direct result of the worship of God's people. This creates a beautiful symbiotic relationship. When the people are faithful in their worship, the priests are provided for. When the priests are faithful in their ministry, the people are led in that worship.

32 And you shall give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 The one among the sons of Aaron who brings near the blood of the peace offerings and the fat, the right thigh shall be his as his portion.

Another prime portion is set aside: the right thigh. This is called a "contribution" or, in some translations, a "heave offering." The motion was one of lifting up, again signifying a dedication to God before it was given to the priest. Verse 33 adds a crucial detail. This specific portion, the right thigh, goes to the officiating priest. The breast was for the priesthood in general ("Aaron and his sons"), but the thigh was for the man who did the work of sprinkling the blood and burning the fat. This is the principle Paul would later articulate: the laborer is worthy of his wages (1 Tim. 5:18). But notice that it is not a wage paid by the worshiper, but rather a portion given by God.

34 For I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a perpetual statute taken from the sons of Israel.

This verse is the theological anchor for the entire passage. God Himself declares the basis for this provision. "For I have taken... and I have given." This is a divine prerogative. The priests do not take this portion for themselves, nor do the people give it out of their own discretionary generosity. God requisitions it. He takes it from the offerings of Israel and He gives it to the priests. This establishes the priests' provision not as a matter of charity, but of divine right. And this is not a temporary arrangement; it is a "perpetual statute." The Levitical forms have passed away, but the underlying principle that God provides for His ministers out of the worship of His people is permanent.

35 ‘This is the share for Aaron and the share for his sons from the offerings by fire to Yahweh, in that day when he brought them near to minister as priests to Yahweh. 36 These Yahweh had commanded to be given them from the sons of Israel in the day that He anointed them. It is a perpetual statute throughout their generations.’ ”

The passage concludes by summarizing and reinforcing the point. This provision is the "share" or the "anointing portion" of the priests. Their livelihood is directly connected to their ordination, their being set apart for ministry. The command for their provision was given on the very day they were anointed. This was not an afterthought. You cannot have a priesthood without providing for the priests. To be anointed for ministry is to be set apart for a living that comes from the altar. And for the third time in this short section, God emphasizes that this is a "perpetual statute throughout their generations." God is serious about this. The principle does not expire.

Application

While we no longer bring animal sacrifices, the principles embedded in this text are timeless and directly applicable to the New Covenant church. First, our giving to the Lord and for the support of the ministry must be personal and tangible. It should be brought with "our own hands," not as a detached, impersonal transaction. It is an act of worship.

Second, we learn how God provides for His ministers. Pastors are not employees of the congregation; they are servants of God who are fed from His table. The tithes and offerings brought to the church are first and foremost offerings to God. From that which is given to Him, God provides for those who labor in the Word and doctrine. This should shape how both pastors and congregations view ministerial support. It is not a salary, but a holy portion, a "share" from the offerings made to God.

Finally, the "perpetual statute" should weigh on us. The principle of a ministry supported by the worship of God's people is not an Old Testament relic. It is a permanent fixture of God's design for His people. A church that is stingy toward its pastor is a church whose fellowship with God is likely suffering. A people who joyfully and generously bring their offerings to God will find that this act of worship not only pleases God but also provides for the shepherds He has appointed to feed them.