Topical Bible: Priest: Benefits of Portions of Sacrifices and offerings

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In the Old Testament, the role of the priest was central to the religious and communal life of Israel. Priests were responsible for performing sacrifices, maintaining the sanctuary, and acting as mediators between God and the people. One of the significant benefits afforded to priests was the portion of sacrifices and offerings allocated to them, which served both as sustenance and as a symbol of their sacred service.

Biblical Foundation

The Levitical priesthood, established through Aaron and his descendants, was granted specific portions of the sacrifices and offerings brought by the Israelites. This provision is outlined in several passages throughout the Pentateuch. In Leviticus 7:31-34, the peace offerings are described, and it is stated, "The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. You are to give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from your peace offerings."

Similarly, in Numbers 18:8-9, the Lord speaks to Aaron, saying, "Behold, I have given you charge of the contributions made to Me. All the holy offerings of the Israelites I have given to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute. This portion of the most holy offerings, reserved from the fire, will be yours."

Types of Offerings and Portions

1. Burnt Offerings: While the burnt offering was wholly consumed on the altar, the skin of the animal was given to the priest (Leviticus 7:8).

2. Grain Offerings: A portion of the grain offering was burned on the altar, and the remainder was for the priests to eat (Leviticus 2:3, 10).

3. Sin and Guilt Offerings: The meat of these offerings, except for the fat and certain organs, was given to the priests (Leviticus 6:26, 7:6-7).

4. Peace Offerings: As mentioned, the breast and right thigh were given to the priests (Leviticus 7:31-34).

5. Firstfruits and Tithes: The firstfruits of the harvest and the tithes of the people were also given to the Levites and priests (Numbers 18:12-13, 24).

Purpose and Significance

The portions of sacrifices and offerings served several purposes:

· Sustenance: The priests and Levites did not have a territorial inheritance like the other tribes of Israel (Numbers 18:20-21). The portions of sacrifices provided them with necessary food and resources.

· Holiness and Separation: By partaking in the offerings, the priests were reminded of their holy calling and separation unto God. The consumption of these portions was a sacred act, reinforcing their role as intermediaries between God and the people.

· Community Support: The system of offerings ensured that the community supported those who ministered on their behalf. It was a tangible expression of the people's commitment to God and His appointed servants.

· Symbolic Participation: By receiving portions of the sacrifices, priests symbolically participated in the atonement and reconciliation processes, underscoring their role in the spiritual life of Israel.

The benefits of portions of sacrifices and offerings highlight the unique and vital role of the priesthood in ancient Israel, providing for their needs while emphasizing their sacred duties and responsibilities.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 29:27-34
And you shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:
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Leviticus 2:2,3,9,10
And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take out of there his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it on the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet smell to the LORD:
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Leviticus 5:12,13,16
Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire to the LORD: it is a sin offering.
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Leviticus 6:15-18,26
And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is on the meat offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a sweet smell, even the memorial of it, to the LORD.
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Leviticus 7:6-10,31-34
Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.
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Leviticus 10:12-14
And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remains of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy:
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Leviticus 14:12,13
And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
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Numbers 6:19,20
And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven:
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Numbers 18:8-19
And the LORD spoke to Aaron, Behold, I also have given you the charge of my heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; to you have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, by an ordinance for ever.
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Deuteronomy 18:3-5
And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.
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1 Samuel 2:13,14
And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a meat hook of three teeth in his hand;
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Ezekiel 44:28-31
And it shall be to them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
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Ezekiel 45:1-4
Moreover, when you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an oblation to the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about.
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1 Corinthians 9:13
Do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
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Library

Of Prayer --A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits ...
... be prepared to receive all his benefits with true ... and thereafter unite their prayers
with the priest. ... thing, founded their hopes on sacrifices, because they ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 20 of prayera perpetual.htm

The Incense of Prayer
... is considerably later in date than the prior portions of the ... and twice a day there
came the priest with his ... I render to the Lord for all His benefits?'"it is ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/the incense of prayer.htm

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
... to enjoy, from engaging in it, benefits which cannot ... to establish,) that occurs in
the portions quoted, is ... an acceptable sacrifice; and as a priest, he makes ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter vi covenanting provided for.htm

Concerning the Lord's Supper
... partake of the mass, are good works or benefits, which we ... forth to all men by the
hand of the priest. ... mass, were accustomed to bring with them portions of food ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/concerning the lords supper.htm

A Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity: Or, an Exhortation to ...
... at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning ... of applying
to himself his benefits, and as ... clothe the naked, and send portions to them ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a holy life the beauty.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... was to take place, and there the priest, wearing the ... the head, and divided it into
portions, which he ... and sometimes even this was omitted.* Sacrifices were of ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

Period iv. The Age of the Consolidation of the Church: 200 to 324 ...
... which has abolished the pristine sacrifices.{HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS ... The chief priest
(summus sacerdos), who is the ... brethren, are the divine benefits wherewith the ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iv the age of.htm

The Sibylline Oracles.
... eat or drink, and offer no bloody sacrifices, living honestly ... From the remaining
portions of this poem we obtain some ... of the whole world in the benefits of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the sibylline oracles.htm

Appendix.
... into the soul of many a faithful priest in those ... Those benefits are the Episcopate
and the Eucharistic Office"the ... at the joints of the ebony portions of the ...
/.../various/the sermons and addresses at the seabury centenary/appendix.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3. <. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm