Temple Work of the Old Testament
The Fellowship Offering
The offering of animal sacrifices at the temple was usually a somber occasion. There were times, however, when an
Israelite wanted to give thanks in having a loving and gracious God who provided for him in so many ways. One way of giving thanks was to
make a voluntary fellowship offering. It was quite different from the rest. Instead of being serious and somber, a festive mood surrounded
the fellowship offering. Typically, fellowship offerings
() were;
(a) those brought to express thanksgiving to God for a special blessing, (b) those brought in connection with a vow or fulfilling some
major task; or (c) those brought simply from a general sense of thanksgiving to the Lord. Sometimes, a fellowship offering was given in
conjunction with a request for God’s help, a spontaneous act of thanksgiving at harvest time, or other blessings recently realized. In
each case, there was a spirit of joy, peace, and celebration.
The fellowship offering, like other offerings, involved the sacrifice of an animal. Depending upon the wealth of
the worshipper or the type of thanksgiving, a bull, ram, or dove could be used. There were a few unique aspects with this sacrifice that
differed from a sin or burnt offering. All the fat from the animal was forbidden to be used since it belonged to the Lord. All the blood
was drained since it was only used for the atonement of sins. If the Israelite’s fellowship offering was one of thanksgiving, then it would
usually be accompanied with a grain offering. When the sacrifice was complete, friends and family would join together to eat the meat not
offered in the sacrifice. It was the only offering where people outside the priesthood could actually eat the meat of a sacrificed animal.
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