Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20071212.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Leviticus: Fellowship With A Holy God
Part I: Acceptable Relationship With A Holy God, Leviticus 1:1-7:38
F. Clarification Of The Offerings, Leviticus 6:8-7:38
5. Clarification Of The Priest's Share: The Need To Trust God's Provisions For Serving Him
(Leviticus 7:7-10)
  1. Introduction
    1. Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission, held that if God called a believer to perform a certain task, God's grace would provide all he needed to complete it.
    2. This concept can be illustrated in various Scripture passages, one of which is Leviticus 7:7-10 as follows:
  2. Clarification Of The Priest's Share: The Need To Trust God's Provisions For Serving Him.
    1. In clarifying the offerings of Israel to the Lord, God emphasized the shares of the offerings the officiating priests were to receive as personal income, Lev. 7:7-10; Bible Knowledge Com., O. T., p. 185.
    2. The passage reveals that God tied the degree of the provisions received to the workmanship the priests invested in preparing the sacrifices, revealing He reimburses His servants according to their workmanship:
      1. The priest who prepared the sin or the trespass offering for the altar was to obtain the priest's share of the offering (Leviticus 7:7) as described below:
        1. Since the entire carcass of a member of one's cattle herd in the sin offering was burned to atone for the sins of a priest or of the congregation (Lev. 4:1-21) the officiating priest received nothing.
        2. However, sins of lesser degrees by others that used smaller animals like sheep or goats (Leviticus 4:22-35) left the officiating priest who prepared them for sacrifice the meat (and skin) of the animal.
        3. In the case of the trespass offering, the priest who prepared the animal for sacrifice received the meat and skin plus the one-hundred-and-twenty percent fee paid to remunerate the Lord in cases where God's holiness had been breached by the sinner, Leviticus 5:14-16.
      2. In the case of the burnt offering where the entire animal was to be consumed by fire (Leviticus 1:1-17), we learn in Leviticus 7:8 that God made an exception with the animal's skin: the skin was to be saved from the fire for the priest who was preparing the animal for sacrifice; it would become his possession!
      3. Then, whatever parts of the other sacrifices that needed to be cooked in some way by the priest, be it meat or grain offering in kind, was to belong to the priest who had thus cooked these items, Lev. 7:9.
      4. Yet, those offerings that were not to be cooked and did not require preparatory work by the priest were to belong to any of the priests, regardless if he officiated or if he did not officiate at the sacrifice, 7:10.
      5. In summary, this Leviticus 7:7-10 section reveals several important principles God incorporates in meeting the livelihood needs of those who serve Him (as follows):
        1. God never pays his laborers for their part in sinning in the ministry as seen in the priest's not getting anything from the animal slain for sin by a spiritual leader, or by the congregation that sinned often due at least in part to the lack of godly leadership in its leaders, Lev. 7:7; 4:1-21 (cf. 1 Tim. 4:16).
        2. Yet, work done by God's servant to address the needs of fellow believers (sin offerings of civil leaders or regular individuals) God would remunerate for His servants, Lev. 7:7; 1 Cor. 9:9-14.
        3. As God let the officiating priest keep the skin of even the burnt offering that was otherwise totally consumed by the altar's fire, God intended for His servants to receive remuneration for their efforts.
        4. For all work performed, the priest performing the work was to be paid accordingly, but if no work was involved, all God's servants were to share in the offerings brought to the Lord, Leviticus 7:9-10.
Lesson: God ordained that none of His servants should profit from his own sins, or by the sins done by the congregation due at least in part to his poor oversight. Yet, in ministering to the needs of fellow brethren, God's servant was to be reimbursed according to his workmanship involved, that he might be motivated to trust God for his remuneration, and function in his calling in accountability to the Lord.

Application: May we serve the Lord with a deep sense of ACCOUNTABILITY to HIM, for HE has ordained that His servants be reimbursed in terms of their livelihood in keeping with the quality of their efforts to HELP and NOT HINDER OTHER BRETHREN in THEIR walk with the Lord!