Eating with God

There’s nothing better than eating good food with really good friends. It’s one of life’s great joys. We’ve just come through Christmas, and for many of us that joy was on full display—shared food, shared fellowship, shared time with people we love. Of course, that same closeness can also make things difficult. Intimacy with the people we love can be bliss… but being at close quarters with strained or broken relationships can be deeply painful.

It’s striking, then, that in Leviticus chapters 2–3—two passages many people skip—we are given (in a sense) a glorious invitation to “dinner”. These chapters are about food and fellowship of the very best kind: with God himself. If we grasp what’s going on here, we should be astonished and delighted by the thought of a God who wants to share fellowship with his people.

But that immediately raises the central question of Leviticus: how can sinful people be with a holy God?

1. Being with God

Leviticus is often misunderstood because it’s read in isolation, like a technical manual we’d rather avoid. But it belongs firmly within the grand story of the Pentateuch—the creation of all things, humanity’s fall into sin, and God’s rescue plan through Abraham and Israel. By the time we reach Leviticus, Israel has already been saved from slavery in Egypt by God’s power and grace. Leviticus is not about earning salvation; it’s about living with a holy God.

That’s the dilemma. Israel is saved—but not perfect (the sordid incident of the Golden Calf makes that point all too clearly). And yet God declares that he will dwell among them in the tabernacle. How can that be? Exodus describes God’s terrifying holiness—thunder, smoke, fire—so much so that the people beg Moses to mediate for them lest they die.

Leviticus opens with God speaking from the tent of meeting. By the beginning of Numbers, God is speaking with his people in the tent. Something has changed. Leviticus shows us how God begins to make a way for sinful people to draw near without being utterly destroyed.

Through sacrifice, God graciously provides a means for sinners to be with him. At heart, Leviticus is all about restored access to God.

2. Honouring God

Leviticus 2 introduces the grain (or tribute) offering. This offering is voluntary. There is no mention of sin or atonement here. Instead, this is an act of gratitude, worship, and honour. In the ancient world, tribute was brought to a king as a recognition of his worth. That’s what’s happening here. God’s people bring their finest flour and valuable oil, acknowledging that everything they have comes from him.

These offerings declare: “Lord, you are worthy of my best.” They reflect costly worship, not leftovers. That principle still stands today. Though Christ has fulfilled the sacrificial system, the call to honour God with our best remains. When we give our time, resources, and energy to the service of Christ—especially when it costs—we echo this same posture of grateful devotion.

The careful instructions also remind us that God is to be worshipped on his terms, not ours. God’s holiness means we don’t decide how to approach him. We listen, obey, and trust his wisdom—even when we don’t understand every detail. Far from being harsh, this reveals a God who invites worship while safeguarding his people.

3. Eating with God

Leviticus 3 moves from tribute to fellowship. The fellowship offering is exactly what it sounds like: a shared meal celebrating restored relationship. Part of the animal is offered to the Lord, part goes to the priests, and the rest is eaten by the worshipper and others. This is joyful, communal worship.

What looks like a list of regulations is actually a description of a celebratory feast. God, his priests, and his people all share in the offering. This is fellowship in the fullest sense—relationship restored and enjoyed.

Seen this way, Leviticus points both backward and forward. It echoes Eden, where fellowship with God and one another was lost through sin. And it anticipates the gospel, where that fellowship is restored through Christ. Jesus perfectly honoured his Father, bore our sin on the cross, and was forsaken so that we might be welcomed home.

And you thought Leviticus was just a list of instructions.

You can watch the whole sermon below, read the full text, download the service sheet (with outline).