The Great Peace Offering
Absent in Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther is any mention of peace offerings. There are a lot of burnt offerings. If it wasn’t enough of a statement of dedication that they left the life they’d built in Babylon to start over again in Israel, the un-friendlies in the area pushed them to consecrate themselves fully to the Lord. Burnt offerings said, “All we are is Yours, Lord, help us.”
Peace offerings differed from burnt offerings. The peace offering was cooked over fire but not consumed. It was put on the altar but just for a bit, then it was removed and the offerer partook. It represented peace and fellowship between the Lord and the offerer.
The Lord’s Supper is the great peace offering. We eat the offering, flesh and blood. Jesus didn’t come off the altar, not alive, though He didn’t stay dead either. But His flesh is true food, and His blood is true drink (John 6:55 bibrefjohn6 bibrefjohn6v55). So there are differences, but by faith “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 bibrefromans5 bibrefromans5v1).