The Offering of Fellowship

The Offering of Fellowship

Way back when, they came with goats, bulls, and pigeons.

Now, we come with our song, contribution, and service.

But has it ever been about the object of sacrifice, really?

Or is it about obedience? Wills aligned with God’s?

Isn’t it really about our hearts? Hearts that commune with His.

We come to worship—to bless our God—out of love and gratitude.

We come to Him—anytime, anywhere—to fellowship with our Lord and Maker.

And yet, aren’t we the ones that seem to be blessed for it?

The newly redeemed Hebrew nation was instructed in the way of worship. And the Levitical Law specified the means of a fellowship offering.

A fellowship offering was offered To . The . Lord .

But do you know who got to enjoy it?

The priests making the sacrifice!

Doesn’t sound like much of a sacrifice, now does it?


“When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD,
sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf.
It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day;”
[Lv 19:5-6a {see also Lv 3:1ff}]


The fellowship offering was given in worship by those at peace with God. By those in a right relationship with God (because of His mercy and grace in making a way to right that relationship). The offering was made to God for that fellowship. The priests were then able to enjoy the offering in communion with God.

God shared the meal offered to Him with the worshiper.

Isn’t that indicative of our generous God?

When He asks that we bring an offering of worship, so often we are the ones truly blessed. And when we offer a sacrifice to Him, we are the ones rewarded (hardly qualifying as a sacrifice at all).

Jesus may have changed the practice of the fellowship offering, but don’t we still have cause to celebrate the peace and fellowship with God that He came to fulfill?

And didn’t He proclaim the practice of a shared “meal” in communion with Him and fellowship with one another because of the mercy and grace of God in making a way for our peace?

The offering for the Christian today is to bring our hearts in worship to the One that secured our peace with God, Jesus Christ. We come celebrating our abiding fellowship with Him—in love, thanksgiving, and praise. And we share that offering—as did God—in fellowship with His people.

Now and then, the mechanics may have changed—but doesn’t the heart of the matter remain ever the same?

Prayer:
We come, Lord, offering our hearts, exalting You in the absolute splendor of Your infinite holiness.

Hannah's Prayer of Thanksgiving

In her joy at the birth of her son, Hannah sang a song of thanksgiving which was a prayer to God. [1 Samuel 2.1-10] A millennium later Mary sang a similar song of thanksgiving that has great parallel significance. [Luke 1.46-55]

Looking at the two songs we see that they run with a similar theme until the last few verses. Hannah finishes with a prophecy about God's purpose, including for the first time in the Old Testament, the fact that the anointed Messiah would be a king. Of course, Israel did not have a king other than God at that time. Mary's song finishes with a declaration that God will keep all his promises to Abraham. No doubt she was aware that Jesus was the fulfillment of Hannah's prophecy also.

An outline of the two songs covers the following points:

Rejoice in the salvation of the Lord

Those of low estate rejoice in His favour

God is mighty and Holy is His Name

The proud are to be scattered

God extends mercy to those that fear Him

God puts down rulers and exalts the humble

The final verses of the two songs are quoted so that the differences can be seen:

‘…the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.’ [1Samuel 2.8-10]

Hannah is making a prophecy about the Messiah. Mary follows the same initial six points but then closes with the words:

‘He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.’ [Luke 1.54,55]

Mary is invoking the promises to Israel spoken by God to Abraham. This was a divine covenant to be established through a descendant of Abraham, through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed. The promised seed was Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah and the future king of the whole world.

The record about Hannah and her prayer of thanksgiving forms only a small portion of Scripture, but she was one of those women of faith whose lives were pivotal in the purpose of God. The lesson for us is that God requires faith to be exhibited in our lives too, as we read in the letter to the Hebrews:

‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he (or she) that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ [Hebrews 11.6]