Leviticus 7:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is evident that we cannot serve God genuinely, as highlighted by the repeated assertion: “And when a priest presents someone’s burnt offering, the skin of the burnt offering that he presents belongs to the priest; every offering of bread baked in the oven and every offering prepared in a pot or a pan belongs to the priest who offers it; and every offering of bread mixed with oil and dry belongs to all the children of Aaron, both to one and to the other” (Lev. 7:8-10). This principle is upheld within the churches, ensuring fairness among the priests by allocating the gifts from the unbloody sacrifice equally to each without favoritism. Understanding this, Paul states: “Do you not know that those who minister at the altar partake of the altar?” (1 Cor. 9:13-14). Additionally, he notes that those who offer sacrifices “are not partakers of the altar,” as he expresses in another passage (1 Cor. 10:18). Palladius affirms this truth.