“And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the Lord’s” (Leviticus 3:16 ESV).
The priests were to burn the fat off of the offering as a sweet aroma to the LORD. Although a portion of the offering belonged to the priests for their food, the fat was not to be eaten, for it belonged to the LORD.
Anyone who has smelled bacon cooking, knows the sweet aroma of frying fat. The LORD wanted His people to offer their best. Perhaps He wanted them to offer the sweet-smelling fat because it represented them giving their best to HIm. Or perhaps it was because fat represented the surplus energy that an animal stored for winter, therefore God wanted them to know He gave them surplus to share. Whatever the reason, all the fat was the LORD’s.
Later, during the time of Samuel, among the many blasphemies of Eli and his sons, was that they did not burn off the fat. Instead, they kept it for themselves, fattening themselves on the LORD’s offering (See 1 Sam. 2). The LORD warned them and finally removed them from the priesthood for taking that which belonged to Him and to His Tabernacle. It wasn’t enough that He had provided plenty for them to eat, they wanted the LORD’s portion too.
We no longer live under the law, but under grace. For Christ has fulfilled the law and set us free to live by faith. Yet there are timeless principles found in the law. Perhaps when God blesses us with more than we need, instead of fattening ourselves on the surplus, we should give tithes and offerings to Him and help meet the needs of others in His name.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are thankful that we have been set free from law-keeping by faith in Your Son. Yet, we are still thankful for Your law. For the law is good. Give us strength and wisdom to live in a way that pleases You. And when You give us surplus, help us to remember to whom it belongs. In Jesus’ name, amen.