Monday, May 31, 2010

The Lord's Supper

Dr. Couch, is the Peace Offering of Leviticus 7:11 equated with the Lord's Supper? And, what about the Meal with God that the seventy elders had in Exodus 24?

ANSWER:  No, the Peace Offering is separate from the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper as the Church does it is Passover abbreviated. However, Unger says that the Peace Offering looks forward to thee Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 10:16-11:32) and it recalls the blessings of salvation. He also adds that the Peace Offering was the only one of the sacrifices (outside of Passover) of which the offerer was permitted to partake, for it represented all the benefits of one's salvation.

   The Rabbis say the Peace Offering has three divisions. (1) Thanksgiving for deliverance from sickness or danger (Psa. 107), (2) Those in fulfillment of a vow made in time of distress (Psa. 16), (3) Free-will Offerings, when the heart is moved at the remembrance of God's tender mercies (Psa. 103:1-5).

   Exodus 24:9-18 speaks of the seventy elders of Israel going up on a mountain with Moses and Aaron. There they "Saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire ..." (v. 10). The text also says "they beheld God, and they ate and drank" (v. 11b). I'm not sure this implies they ate and drank with the Lord but that is not impossible. The Lord ate and drank in the story of His appearance to Abraham. They saw the Angel of Jehovah, or God in bodily form.

   Abraham and many of the patriarchs also saw the Angel of Jehovah, for example in Genesis 18:1-22. The "Lord appeared to him ..." (v. 1). Abraham "saw" the Angel and two other angelic persons (v. 2). They "washed" (v. 4) and food was set before them (v. 8). One of the persons was clearly the Lord (v. 17), for it says He, the Lord "heard the outcry" of those suffering in Sodom and Gomorrah (vv. 20-21).

   The Angel of Jehovah is Christ in bodily form, the Pre-incarnate Christ.

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch (5/10)