Fatty Offerings

Leviticus 3:16-17

The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord's. "'This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.'"

The fat and the blood of the Old Testament offerings belonged to God. The fat was to be burned on the altar for a sweet savor to God. The burning process reflects the judgment, the grace, and the mercy of God. The same fire is used for the praise offering and for the sin sacrifices. It is this same fire that burns on the altar of God where the prayers of the saints are offered up; under this altar the saints killed during the tribulation in the name of the Lord wait for judgment in Revelation 6:9. This same fire will judge the world. In Revelation 8:3-5, we see the process of offering on the altar of God when the angel fills a bowl with fire from it and hurls it into the earth. In the end, you sacrifice your all to God as the one from whom you came and to whom you must return; your communion with God is the thing that he uses in 2 Corinthians 13:14. We should not view the church as a hospital, an emergency department for the wounded, a battlefield, or even a therapist's office to curl up in on an as needed basis even though these may be needed; this is the place that is the outward expression of a life lived for Christ. Such a life is marked by continued daily communion with God. This prevents the abuses of the Lord's supper seen in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. Thus, the judgement of God will not come upon the individuals, the families, and the church. In the fat of the offering we see the communion of God. Whether in blessing or in testing, God's heart towards his people remains good. He is a good God who delights in providing for his people. We pray God give us our daily bread, not because he will not or that he needed convincing but because we can be sure that he will. Even so, God is still your portion as in Psalm 73:26.