The priest shall burn them on the alter as food, an offering made by fire. All the fat is the Lord’s.

Leviticus, “about the priests,” is Moses fully realized as God’s vessel. He’s no longer the timid man by the burning bush, cowering from the role God has for him, but is the spiritual leader of his people, setting forth the Mosaic law that would guide the righteous until Christ established a new covenant.

All the sacrifices under the Mosaic law described in Leviticus are a preview to the perfect sacrifice Christ would make, described in the most famous and loved of all the 3:16s:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

In Leviticus, our 3:16 is in a chapter covering fellowship offerings, first detailing the process of offering cattle as a fellowship offering, then sheep, and finally goats, which is the section that includes this passage. The instructions to the offeror and priest are repeated three times, specific and clear each time. The animal must be without blemish. The priest lays his hands on the animal’s head. The blood is sprinkled over the altar. The inner fat and the kidneys are removed and, as we see in this verse, are to be burned in sacrifice to the Lord.

Why this repetition? Why not say it the first time (3:1-5), then, with each other animal just say, “Repeat steps one through five?” Because God is a good and thorough teacher. He knows us and knows that repetition will be required. People mock the Bible for its many repetitive passages like this, but really,are we that smart? Are we that quick to learn? That ready to accept?

After sacrificing the animal, the directions in Leviticus 3 tell the priest to separate the fat that covers the liver and kidneys and burn it on the alter as:

• An aroma pleasing to God (3:5)
• An offering made to the Lord by fire (3:11)
• A pleasing aroma. (3:16)

God doesn’t ask for much. He doesn’t take the choice cuts. He doesn’t ask us for 90 percent and leave us with 10 percent. He asks us for the fat and the kidneys. Why the fat? Maybe God just likes the smell of it burning. Or maybe he’s showing us his generosity, taking what we would otherwise discard and leaving us with the good cuts. And why the kidneys? I don’t know, but it’s interesting that God took for Himself the organs that filter out the impurities from our blood – the symbolism of Christ taking on our sin couldn’t be more powerful!

Leviticus explains how to conduct other offerings besides fellowship: burnt, grain, sin and guilt. These were mandated offerings required by God, and often were tied to festivals. Fellowship offerings, along with peace (shalom) offerings, were different – they were spontaneous, voluntary and personal.

These offerings have to do with a believer’s relationship with God; then it was through offering up a perfect animal as sacrifice, and now it’s through the perfect sacrifice of the eternal Christ. He became our better door to a closer relationship with God, our example, our advocate, our intercessor … our savior. Or, a little more uncomfortable to consider, our fat and kidneys, sacrificed as a fellowship offering to God.

What shall we sacrifice to improve our relationship with God the Father and Christ the Son? Our cowardice regarding evangelism? Our greediness regarding giving? Our selfishness for “my time” that gets in the way of service? Our long-held grudges that get in the way of forgiveness? Our secret sins that distance us from God? There is so much to give in sacrifice, and too often we give too little.

Thought:  God asks for so modest a sacrifice, and in return, He gives us protection, guidance, peace, salvation and eternal life.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that my offerings and sacrifices to You today will be an aroma that’s pleasing to You. Thank You for all You give me, and forgive me for being too sparing in what I give back. Thank you most of all for Your grace and the gift of salvation – without this kindness from You, I would be lost. In the name of my savior, amen.