Leviticus 3 Devotional

The First Portion Belongs to God

“Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s.”Leviticus 3:16 (BSB)

The peace offering is the most flexible sacrifice so far. It may be male or female, from the herd or the flock (3:1, 6, 12). The worshiper lays his hand on its head, and its blood is splashed against the altar (3:2). But this time the whole animal is not burned. The text lists the fat with care, over the entrails and on the kidneys, and that is what goes up as a pleasing aroma (3:3-5).

A short rule sums it up. All the fat belongs to the LORD, and Israel must never eat fat or blood (3:16-17). The fat went to God first, and a later chapter shows the worshiper then eating the meat (7:15). Peace with God was not a vague feeling but a sacrifice shared at his altar. Paul says those justified by faith now have peace with God through Jesus (Romans 5:1). Because that peace has been made, the first portion of what you have can go to him gladly.

To think about: What would it look like this week to give God the first and best of something, rather than what is left over?