Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Chris Katulka, your host and teacher. Hey, can I ask you, have you been to foiradio.org yet? Because if you haven't, I want you to get there as soon as you can, because that's where you can connect with us at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. We have over a decade of great biblical teaching and amazing interview guests that are all focused on showing the biblical value of Israel and the Jewish people. Why God loves his Chosen People and the plans that he has for them. Again, if you would like to connect with us more, you can go to foiradio.org. Now, we're wrapping up a series that we've been doing on the ancient sacrifices of the Israelites that can be found in Leviticus chapters one through seven. We've already looked at the sin and guilt offerings that would've been offered and the whole burnt offering as well from Leviticus chapter one.

Well, today we're going to wrap up our series on probably a sacrifice that most people don't think about that much, but it's actually a very important part of Israel's worship to God in the book of Leviticus, and that's the fellowship offering. But before we get to that, let's look at what's happening in the news. Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe” after police declared an antisemitic stabbing attack in London's Jewish community a terrorist incident, leaving two Jewish men hospitalized. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Jews in Britain are now afraid to go to synagogue, school, work, and even publicly identify as Jewish, calling it “another vile reminder of the rising hatred facing Jewish people today.” Well, here's my take, the United Kingdom has an import problem. Yeah, an import problem. Much of the antisemitism has been imported into their country through mass migration of people from countries that actually harbor deep anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments. So don't be surprised when the very small Jewish community of England actually begins to pack up and leave and immigrate to Israel where they'll actually find it safer to live, even during war.

As we continue our series on the sacrifices from the book of Leviticus, now we're going to come to one of the most beautiful and deeply relational offerings in Israel's worship life. It's the fellowship offering. In our first episode, we looked at the whole burnt offering and saw that sinful people approach God through a sacrifice that made atonement and opened the way for total consecration and dedication to the Lord. In our second episode, we looked at the sin offering and the trespass offering, and we saw that sin—it defiles, it damages, it creates guilt, and must be answered through God's appointed means of purification, atonement, and even restitution. But see, now we're going to come to an offering that really emphasizes something wonderfully positive here. See, the fellowship offering shows us not only how sin is dealt with, but what restored relationship with God is meant to look like.

It brings us into the joy of communion, thanksgiving, peace, and shared life in the presence of the Lord. And that's why this offering matters so much, because if the burn offering teaches us that we must come through atonement and the sin and trespass offering teaches that guilt and defilement must be removed, then the fellowship offering shows us the goal toward which all of that is moving. See, God doesn't merely want to cleanse his people so that they can stand away at a distance from him. He doesn't atone for sin only to leave them outside of his joy. See, he brings them near for communion. He restores peace. He invites the Israelites into fellowship. The fellowship offering, sometimes called the peace offering or shalom offering, is a sacrifice of shared joy in the presence of God. And we find the basic instructions for this offering in Leviticus chapter three, and then in even more detail in Leviticus chapter seven.

The offering could come from the herd or the flock, and unlike the burnt offering, it could actually be a male or a female, so long as this particular offering is without blemish. It has to be perfect. Again, the principle of holiness remains. What is brought before the Lord must be accepted. The worshiper lays a hand on the head of the animal, identifying with it, and then the animal is killed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The priests throw the blood against the side of the altar. So right away, we were reminded once again that even this offering of fellowship and peace is grounded in sacrifice and blood. Communion with God is never disconnected from atonement. Fellowship is not casual spirituality. It's peace made possible through sacrifice. But here's what makes this offering so distinct. Unlike the whole burnt offering, which was consumed entirely on the altar, the fellowship offering was divided.

See, part of it was burned to the Lord. Certain fatty portions of the animal considered the best parts were placed on the altar as an offering to the Lord by fire. It was given to him. A portion of the animal was given to him. Part of it was given to the priests, and then the other part was given to the worshiper and his household in a sacred meal. And see, that shared meal is at the heart of the offering, and that's why it's called a fellowship offering. And this isn't merely sacrifice as surrender. This sacrifice is communion. This is the worshiper eating in the context of a sacrifice that has been offered to God in fellowship with the Lord and with those gathered in his presence. And it's really just a remarkable image because in the fellowship offering, the worshiper doesn't simply bring something to God and then walk away.

See, he participates in the offering. He eats the meal. He eats from the offering in the holy setting of the tabernacle. And that meal becomes a sign of peace. It becomes a sign of restored relationship and a joyful communion. See, the altar is central. Blood is still central. Holiness is still central, but now we see where all of it leads. The table fellowship in the presence of God. In fact, it's one of the reasons why I believe the prophet Malachi calls the altar of the Lord the “table of the Lord”, because that's where you would go to meet the Lord and commune with him. And that's why this name matters. This offering is often called the peace offering because it's bound up with the idea of shalom. And shalom is richer than the mere absence of conflict, you know, peace. It actually carries the sense, the word itself carries the sense of wholeness and wellbeing and harmony and completeness and even right relationship.

So the fellowship offering is not simply a meal, a ritual meal. It's a celebration of peace and thanksgiving. It testifies that because God has provided atonement, the worshiper may now rejoice and restored relationship with him. Leviticus also tells us that the fellowship offering could be brought for different reasons. It could be brought as an offering of thanksgiving simply to say thank you to God. That was called the todah offering. It could be brought in connection with a vow that one made, or it could just be a free will offering if you just wanted to offer a fellowship offering to the Lord. That tells us something important. The fellowship offering had room for gratitude. It had room for joyful response and a spontaneous devotion as well. The worshiper might bring it because he wanted to thank the Lord for a deliverance or for blessing or provision or answered prayer.

He might bring it because he had made a vow and was now fulfilling it with gladness, or he might simply bring it as a voluntary act of worship flowing from love and gratitude. In all of those cases, the offering is marked not by fear alone, but by joy. And it's not mainly an offering of distress. It's an offering of communion. And that doesn't mean it should be taken lightly or casually. In fact, Leviticus places very serious boundaries around the fellowship offering. The meat, it had to be eaten within an appointed time. It was not to be treated like ordinary leftovers that you keep in your refrigerator. Like after Thanksgiving, when you save up to eat those turkey sandwiches, no. This is something that was to be eaten within an appointed time. And anyone who was ceremonially unclean was not able to eat of the meal as well.

The blood and the fat were reserved for the Lord alone. So even in this celebratory offering, holiness, again, it remains central. Fellowship with God is joyful, but still holy. Peace with God is a gift, but it's not common. It's not a common gift or a secular gift. It's a holy gift. The table is a place of communion, but it is still the Lord's table. See, that combination is important because it helps us avoid two opposite errors at the same time. On the one hand, we must not think of God as so distant and severe that a restored relationship with him has no joy in it. On the other hand, we must not think of fellowship with God as something that's casual or flippant or self-defined that you get to make up the rules. No, the fellowship offering teaches us that communion with the Lord is both joyful and reverent simultaneously.

It is the gladness governed by holiness. It is celebration grounded in sacrifice. See, there's also a communal dimension here that should not be missed. The fellowship offering was not a private inward feeling. It often involved family and community. The worshiper ate the meal with others in the context of a sacred celebration. That means fellowship with God overflowed into fellowship with God's people. Peace with God created a shared table. I love this. This is such a powerful truth that biblical worship is never something that's individualistic—just for me. When God restores his people to himself, he also creates a people who share life together in his presence. This also helps us understand the emotional tone of the fellowship offering. The burnt offering has a solemn intensity to it. The sin offering and trespass offering confront us with defilement and liability. But the fellowship offering carries a note of joy. Simcha in Hebrew.

It's still holy, it's still sacrificial, still structured by God's command, but it is marked by celebration. Thanksgiving appears explicitly. Free will devotion appears explicitly. It is, in many ways, the offering of restored delight in God. And what a needed reminder that is for us because it's possible to speak about sacrifice in such a way that worship sounds only heavy and painful and fearful. But Leviticus won't allow us to do that. Yes, God is holy. Yes, sin is serious. Yes, blood is necessary, but God's purpose in all of this is not endless dread. His purpose is restored communion with his people. The fellowship offering shows that sacrifice leads somewhere glorious. It leads to peace with God and joy before him. And just as with the other offerings, the fellowship offering ultimately points beyond itself. As meaningful as it was in Israel's worship life, it was never the final reality.

The animal on the altar could symbolize peace, but it could not finally establish everlasting peace between God and man. The sacred meal could celebrate a communion with God, but it could not restore it forever. It was temporary. Like other offerings, this one too was anticipatory. It looked forward. It pointed ahead to a greater sacrifice and a greater peace, and that's going to bring us to Jesus. And when we come back, we're going to see how Jesus is our fellowship offering, our thanksgiving offering, our free will offering. So stick around to find out more.

Steve Conover: Chris, we talk a lot about sharing our faith here, but sometimes it can feel discouraging when people just aren't open to hearing about Jesus.

Chris Katulka: So true, Steve, that's exactly the reason why our friends, Tom and Lorna Simcox, wrote the powerful story called That You May Know. It tells the story of Saul Greenberg, who's a man who wanted nothing to do with Jesus or Christians, but see, God had other plans.

Steve Conover: So glad he did. Through faithful friendship, real life trials, and consistent love, God slowly softened Saul's heart to the truth of Jesus. It's a reminder that God is always at work, even when we don't see it. And I think that's what makes this story so impactful. It encourages us to keep going, to keep sharing the gospel and trusting the Lord with the results.

Chris Katulka: See, Steve, you never really know when God might awaken someone's heart.

Steve Conover: If you've ever felt hesitant or discouraged in sharing your faith, this book will strengthen and encourage you. You can find out more or order your copy of That You May Know today at foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back, everyone. We're wrapping up our series on the sacrifices of the Old Testament that can be found in Leviticus chapters one through seven. And we're wrapping up here with the fellowship offering, which is all about peace, shalom with God, joyful communion, thanksgiving, and shared life in the presence of the Lord. And then something amazing happens. Jesus becomes the fulfillment of that offering in the deepest and fullest sense. See, Jesus is the One who brings true peace. Jesus is the One through whom fellowship with God is finally secured. He is the One who doesn't merely symbolize restored communion. He accomplishes it. See, the New Testament makes this very clear. Romans tells us that we have been justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians says that He himself is our peace, that through his blood, those who were far off have been brought near.

The cross of Christ is not merely the removal of guilt. It is the establishment of peace. It's reconciliation. He reconciles sinners to God. He makes fellowship possible. He opens the way for communion. And this is where the fellowship offering becomes such a rich lens for understanding the gospel. In Christ, God doesn't simply cancel our debt and leave us standing outside the door. He welcomes us in. He brings us to the table. He gives us peace and shalom, not only just as a legal status, but as a restored relationship with him. The fellowship offering celebrated shalom in a temporary sense. It's a temporary peace. Jesus gives peace, shalom, in reality. Through Him, sinners are reconciled, welcomed, and brought near forever. This is why the table imagery becomes so important in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus eats with sinners. He welcomes the outcast. He speaks of the coming kingdom as a banquet.

On the night before his crucifixion, he gives his disciples a fellowship meal. The Passover, the Passover was a fellowship meal. Notice it was his disciples and all the peoples of Israel that ate from the meat of the lamb. And it tells them that the cup in this Passover Seder is the New Covenant in His blood. All of that is deeply fitting for us to understand this amazing fellowship offering because the One who will secure peace with God now gives his people a meal of remembrance and communion, the Lord's supper. The fellowship offering was always pointing in this direction. And there's an application here for everyone. First, the fellowship offering reminds believers that salvation is not only a rescue from wrath, incredibly important, but it's also incredibly important to remember that it's a restoration of a relationship with God. It is peace with God. It is communion with the living Lord.

So believers shouldn't think of the Christian life merely as just being spared judgment. It's also being welcomed into fellowship. The gospel doesn't leave us in the outer court. It brings us near, right into the Holy of Holies. Second, this offering calls us to gratitude. Thanksgiving or in Hebrew, todah, was one of the central expressions. And that means life reconciled to God should be marked by joy, praise, and thankful worship. We are not merely forgiven people. We are welcomed people. We are not merely spared people. We are brought to the table of grace. Third, the communal nature of the fellowship offering reminds us that peace with God should overflow into peace with one another. Those reconciled to God should be a people marked by love, generosity, shared joy, and yes, even table fellowship. The church should reflect the reality that in Christ, God is gathering a people to himself.

And finally, the fellowship offering reminds us that holiness and joy belong together. Too often people imagine that they must choose one or the other. But see, in Leviticus, the Holy God provides a way for joyful communion. And in Christ, that becomes even more glorious. The nearer we come to God through his appointed sacrifice, the deeper our joy becomes. So as we close this third and final episode on the sacrifices, those ancient sacrifices from the book of Leviticus, the fellowship offering leaves us with a beautiful truth. God's goal is not merely to remove guilt. That's incredibly important. But when he removes guilt, he also brings us the joy of a restored communion and relationship with him. That through sacrifice, he brings his people into peace, that through atonement, he opens the way for fellowship. And in Christ, that peace becomes final, it's full, and it's everlasting.

He is our peace. He is the One who brings us near. And because of Him, we don't only bow before God as forgiven sinners, we rejoice before him as holy saints.

Steve Conover: Now, Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life and ministry of Holocaust survivor, Zvi Kalisher.

Mike Kellogg: Recently on the bus, I met a rabbi who knows I believe in Jesus. I greeted him, “Shalom, rabbi. How are you feeling?” He did not answer, but stared at me for a long time. Then he asked, “Is that your business?” I quickly said, “I am sorry if I offended you.” He responded, “I do not want to talk to an apostate like you.” I replied, “I am a Jew who believes in the living God and all He has done for us.”

“What has He done for us?” he asked.

I answered, “The Lord has done the same for you and me. He gave His Son to be crucified. He taught us to love and forgive our enemies.” “That is impossible!” said the rabbi. “We cannot believe in the Lord and hate people,” I replied. “Even you I can consider to be my friend.” “No! No! No!” he shouted. I said, “Many like you have said that to me, and now they come to my home as friends.”

“And do they believe the same as you?” he asked. I replied, “Come to my home and ask them.” He then warned, “I will come to your home soon, but be ready for trouble if I learn they believe because of you.”

“People do not believe because of me, but because of the Bible. Whether you want to believe or not, the time will come when you will acknowledge our Savior,” I said. Others on the bus were quietly listening. They were surprised when the rabbi asked, “Where does the Bible speak about the Lord?” I was happy to show him.

Then he said, “I am sorry I do not have with me my books. Then I could show you he is wrong.” I replied, “All other books have no value—except the Book which has been inspired by the Holy Spirit.” At this, the rabbi said to those listening, “Aha! You see, he is against all of our great books!”

I said, “It is written, ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge’ [Prov. 1:7]. True wisdom comes from God, but you spend all of your time studying superstitions. You try to make your point through hatred and force.”

He replied, “Only the use of power and force can stop apostates like you!” Then someone on the bus said, “You are wrong, rabbi. You cannot be a good representative of our people when you cannot even answer questions in your own profession, as we have just seen.” Many on the bus agreed.

The rabbi replied, “I can see this apostate has greatly influenced you. This I call danger!” From the other side of the bus someone said, “Rabbi, can we go against the Torah?”

“No, of course not,” he replied. The other man continued, “Then there is no danger, because what this man is saying is in the Torah.” I did not feel alone anymore. There were many who had received the truth about the Lord, and they asked for my address and received it without

fear. Then the rabbi said, “Now I know where you live, and I even know your telephone number.” 

“You are welcome to visit or call anytime,” I told him. The next day he came to my home. I showed him what it means to be a Jew who has received his Savior.

He said, “If I hate someone, I will never open my door to him.” I said, “The Lord has told us to pray for those who hate us and to open our homes to them. The Lord can take away your stony heart and give you a heart of flesh [Ezek. 36:26].”

The rabbi replied, “We are friends. I do not hate you anymore.” Please pray that the Lord would truly open this rabbi’s eyes and show him the way to salvation and peace through our Savior.

Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today radio program. Hey, listen, don't forget to get your copy of Tom and Lorna Simcox's book, That You May Know. You can do that by going to our website, foiradio.org. Join us next week as we welcome Dr. Randall Price for an in- depth conversation on his Israel My Glory article, Iran's Islamic Crusade. You won't want to miss this one. 

As mentioned, our website is foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org. Our mailing address is FOI Radio, PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio, PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099. You can call our listener line. That's 888-343-6940. Again, that's 888-343-6940. Today's program was engineered by Bob Beebe. Edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Our executive producer is Lisa Small. Our associate producer is Sarah Fern. The late Mike Kellogg read Apples of Gold. Steve Conover is the executive director of The Friends of Israel. And I'm your host and teacher, Chris Katulka. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.