And all the fat of the bullock of the sin-offering shall he take off from it; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is on the inwards,
In Leviticus 4 the sin offering deals with sin that has broken fellowship with God, and the priest burns most of the animal outside the camp. Yet God first claims the fat for Himself, and it goes on the altar — so why does any part of a sin offering belong on the place of acceptance?
Fat is a symbol in the sacrifices, and other Scriptures show what it stands for.
Next, all the fat, especially the fat of the entrails, was taken and burnt on the altar of burnt offering to the Lord. Fat and blood were alike forbidden to be eaten. The blood was the life, and by its very nature belonged to God. Life came from Him in a special way. Fat too was never to be eaten but burnt, and so offered to God. This symbol, fat, is familiar enough in Scripture. "Their heart is fat as grease." "Jeshurun grew fat and kicked." "They are enclosed in their own fat, with their mouth they speak proudly." It is the energy and force of the inward will, the inward parts of a man's heart.
Those three Old Testament lines follow an older translation's wording.
The verse names the fat of the entrails twice, and that repetition matters.
The part that was burnt was very significant: "the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails." If there is anything wrong with the creature, it is sure to be found in the entrails. There may even be a fair outside, but wherever there is thorough corruption, the more you go within, the more you find the evil core. On the other hand, nothing could show the good condition and the acceptability of the sacrifice more clearly than burning the fat of the entrails on the bronze altar.
The next verse names the kidneys, and the word behind them carries its own meaning.
These, "with the fat on them," were often burned on the altar in the sacrifices… The same word, Kelayoth, is translated "reins" (which means "kidneys") when it stands for the inward feelings and affections.
Applied to Christ, the fat and the kidneys speak of His inner life.
The fat speaks of energy. In man this energy usually shows itself in self-will and rebellion, but in Him it went willingly to the cross… His inward affections, the reins, the exercise of judgment in the refusal of evil — all these He presented to God in His death in unblemished purity.
The rest of the bull went outside the camp. This portion did not.
"The priest shall burn them" — where? outside the camp? No: "the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering" — the altar, where everything for acceptance with Jehovah, everything that was a pleasing aroma to Him, was burnt. So God shows how wrong it would be to think the offering was not acceptable in itself. Part of it was burnt on the altar that speaks of acceptance, just as surely as the rest was burnt outside the camp.
The sin offering pictures what Christ became for others. One rite in it speaks of who He was in Himself.
The intrinsic excellency of Christ is not omitted, even in the sin offering. The fat burnt upon the altar fittingly expresses how God valued the preciousness of Christ's Person, whatever place He might take, in perfect grace, on our behalf or in our stead… But the One made sin was the Lord Jesus Christ — God's elect, His Holy One, His pure, His spotless, His eternal Son. So the fat of the sin offering was burnt on the altar, as proper material for that fire which displayed divine holiness.
Commentators differ on how much weight to put on this altar-portion here. One notes what the text withholds:
Nothing is said about this burning being for a sweet aroma, as it was with the peace offerings. The fat did speak of the excellence of the sacrifice, and that was needed if atonement was to be made for sin. But the point now is the covering of man's sin, not the delight brought to God.
Another points further down the chapter:
In the case of one of the common people it is even said to be for a sweet aroma. This is not said about the first two cases. Still, the word used for the burning on the altar is the ordinary one for that, and it differs from the word used for burning the sacrifice on the ground outside the camp.
The order here carries a lesson for the worshipper.
The fat therefore was God's portion… God must have His part before His people had theirs. This is the secret of all blessing — giving the Lord the supreme place, thinking first of what is due to Him.
- Fat — the symbol of inward energy and force of will; in Christ that energy went willingly to the cross.
- Entrails — corruption would show there first, so burning them declares the sacrifice sound all through.
- Kidneys — the same word as "reins," which stands for inward feelings and affections; God claims the hidden motives too.
- Altar — this portion goes to the place of acceptance, not outside the camp; the sin offering was acceptable in itself.
- Order — God receives His part first; that priority is where blessing for His people begins.
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the net above the liver which he shall take away as far as the kidneys,
This verse continues the list of inner parts the priest takes off the bull offered for sin. They were not burned outside the camp with the rest of the animal but laid on the altar — so why does an offering that deals with sin give God a portion on the altar of acceptance?
One writer explains what the fat stands for.
But it is the fat that gets unusual emphasis… The fat represents the inward energy of the animal, not its life — the life is in the blood, given up to God. The richest part is claimed here as a sacrifice for the altar.
Another writer reads the kidneys as a picture of the Lord's inward judgment. He takes the removal of the lobe above the liver — called "the caul" in older translations — as a statement about the Lord's whole life.
The kidneys get special attention. They stand for our Lord's inward judgment and His refusal of all evil, and could be laid on the altar as a token of His perfect sinlessness. But "the caul above the liver" was taken away and burned. This was perhaps the diaphragm, which divides the lungs from the liver — the line between the nobler vital organs and the lower ones, tied more to earth. Its removal suggests there could be no such line in the holy life of our Lord. With Him, there was no separation between sacred and common.
The hidden parts went to the altar, not the outside of the animal. One writer explains why.
If there is anything wrong with the creature, it is sure to be found in the inward parts. The outside may even look fine. But wherever there is thorough corruption, the further in you go, the more you find the evil core. On the other hand, the point might be to show that a victim was in good condition and acceptable. Nothing could say that better than burning the fat of the inward parts on the bronze altar. So with Christ. Outside He might be treated as the object of God's judgment, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree. But His blood was always fit for God's acceptance… Never was Christ more the object of God's delight than at the moment when God abandoned Him for our sins on the cross.
The sin offering mainly shows what Christ became for us, not what He was in Himself. This one detail says the other thing too.
So even in the sin offering, the excellence of Christ Himself is not left out. The fat burned on the altar fitly expresses how God prizes the preciousness of Christ's Person. That holds whatever place He might take, in perfect grace, on our behalf or in our stead… But it was the Lord Jesus Christ who was made sin — God's chosen One, His Holy One, His pure, His spotless, His eternal Son. That is why the fat of the sin offering was burned on the altar.
Another writer points out where the chapter calls this burning "a sweet aroma" and where it does not.
So the fat here goes on the altar, just as it does with the peace offering. When the offering is for one of the common people, it is even called a sweet aroma. That is not said about the first two cases. Even there, though, the word for the burning on the altar is the ordinary one, and it differs from the word used for burning the victim on the ground outside the camp.
The fat comes off here as it does for the peace offering. One writer draws out why.
The peace offering has fellowship with God in view… God would press on us why He deals with sin. It is to bring back into our souls, and into our enjoyment, that wonderful sense of divine favour — "accepted in the Beloved". And what else can come of enjoying divine favour in our souls, as accepted "in the Beloved", but to be restored to happy communion with God?
The fat belonged to God, and the timing of the ritual teaches something.
The fat, then, was God's portion… For that reason it must not be neglected and left until the morning. It had to be offered at once. God must have His part before His people had theirs. This is the secret of all blessing: giving the Lord the highest place, thinking first of what is due to Him, and losing sight of everything else until that is given.
- Inward. The fat pictures inward energy and the kidneys inward judgment — the hidden parts, where any fault would show first.
- Undivided. The lobe above the liver, removed and burned, leaves no line between sacred and common in the life offered.
- Unspoiled. Even while God judges sin, Christ's own excellence is not left out: the inward parts rise from the altar of acceptance.
- Restored. The fat comes off just as it does for the peace offering: God aims past forgiveness at restored fellowship.
- First. The fat was God's portion, claimed before anyone else had a share — His part comes first.
as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of peace-offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt-offering.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.