Leviticus 3:1-17 NKJV
3 ‘When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. 3 Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire to the Lord. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; 5 and Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood that is on the fire, as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.
6 ‘If his offering as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord is of the flock, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7 If he offers a lamb as his offering, then he shall offer it before the Lord. 8 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar.
9 ‘Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as an offering made by fire to the Lord, its fat and the whole fat tail which he shall remove close to the backbone. And the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 10 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; 11 and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
12 ‘And if his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord. 13 He shall lay his hand on its head and kill it before the tabernacle of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. 14 Then he shall offer from it his offering, as an offering made by fire to the Lord. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 15 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; 16 and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma; all the fat is the Lord’s.
17 ‘This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”
The third of the voluntary offerings is the peace offering. The peace offering established and confirmed peace between God and the one offering the sacrifice. The blood of the animal is sprinkled around the altar, while only the fat of the animal is sacrificed on the altar. The Lord will speak about the rest of the animal—which was not to be burned on the altar but eaten—in chapter 7. For now, the point of the legislation is the perpetual statute that endures as long as sacrifices endure: “You shall eat neither fat nor blood” (17).
The sacrifice’s blood belonged to the Lord since it was what He required to make atonement for sins against Mosaic law. The blood signified the blood of Christ which He would shed on the cross as the sacrifice which atoned for the sins of the whole world. As the peace offering established peace between God and the one offering the sacrifice, peace with God is only accomplished through the blood of Christ. We partake of the peace Christ earned when we believe the gospel that for His sake God forgives all our sins and pronounces us righteous.
The fat of the animal was burnt on the altar “as food,” though the Lord does not eat (Psalm 50:12-13). The fat of the animal was the best and tastiest part of the animal. The one bringing the peace offering wanted to bring His best to God in thankfulness for the peace God established with him. This is what Abel did when he “brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat” (Gen 4:4). Abel’s faith—which was thankful for God’s mercies—brought the best of the flock to the Lord. The fat of the offering signified how those who receive peace with God through Christ’s blood will offer God their best. All our fatness—that is, all that is good in us—we offer to God in thanksgiving. After all, even that goodness is from God and not from us. We give thanks to God, not only with our lips, but with our lives, praising God with our words and with our works. Let us pray: Fill our hearts with thanksgiving and gratitude, O Lord, as we meditate on Your atoning sacrifice for our sins and the peace You earn with God the Father, so that we offer to You this day our best in thought, word, and deed. Amen.