In the Presence of the Lord

Part 5 of 8 in Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves

Parte 5 de 8 de la serie Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves

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Brian Hunter · March 16, 2025

Scripture Referenced

Recap

Continuing week five of the Leviticus series, Brian turned to the peace offering, also called the fellowship offering, in Leviticus 7. Unlike other sacrifices, this one wasn’t fully burned or reserved only for the priests: it was meant to be shared and eaten in community, with loaves of bread waved before the Lord as a visible, physical act of presenting thanks. Brian pointed out the built-in generosity of the command: because the whole animal had to be eaten within a day or two, worshippers naturally had to invite others to the table, turning a personal sacrifice into a shared celebration.

Reading Deuteronomy 12:7 and 18, Brian highlighted that this eating and rejoicing happened “in the presence of the Lord” and included everyone at the table (sons, daughters, servants, and the Levites in town) a picture of worship that was inherently communal rather than private. He connected the peace offering’s spirit of open invitation to Jesus’s parable of the great banquet, where after the invited guests made excuses, the host sent servants into the highways and hedgerows to bring in anyone who would come, so that the house would be full.

The message closed with an extended worship response built around the image of the turtledoves (the humble offering available to those with nothing else to bring) inviting the congregation to present whatever they had, however small it felt, as their own peace offering of gratitude and closeness with God.

Touch Points

1. The peace offering had to be shared and eaten with others, not consumed alone. Where do you tend to keep your faith or gratitude private instead of sharing it in community?
2. Deuteronomy 12 pictures worship as rejoicing together “in the presence of the Lord”: family, servants, and neighbors all included. Who’s missing from your own table who could be invited in?
3. Jesus’s parable of the banquet has the host go out to the highways and hedgerows to fill the house. Is there someone on the margins you sense you’re meant to invite in?
4. The turtledoves represented the offering of someone who had little else to give. What’s a small thing you could offer God today that still comes from a sincere heart?

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