Leviticus 7:22-27 - The LORD said to Moses, "Say
to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. The fat of an animal found dead or
torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose,
but you must not eat it. Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from
which an offering by fire may be made to the LORD must be
cut off from his people. And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood,
that person must be cut off from his people.' "
Moses is told once again the particular
instructions for the guilt and fellowship offerings. It seemed just a repeat of
God’s earlier instructions at first glance…then my eyes and heart caught on
verse 22. This is no ordinary repeat…just
to make sure they are listening…just to make sure they really understand….this
repeat is special….for he tells them to never eat fat or blood…he tells them
that violating these instructions could lead to being cut off from the people.
They had been told before in Genesis 9:4…not
to eat blood. The blood of the animal
represented its very life…it had to be drained…so that it could be offered on
the altar. The blood had to be spilled
into a basin…part of it sprinkled onto the altar….and in different instances
the rest was sprinkled on the person sacrificing the animal…like in Exodus 24:6…or
poured out at the base like in Leviticus 4:7. The blood could not be eaten…the
life had to be drained…so that it could be completely sacrificed and offered to
God.
But as far as I can research…this is the
first warning from God not to eat fat. And this is just one of those directions
that comes without the details that explain why. It’s like when I was a child…and my mom would
tell me to do something…and I would ask why…and she would say, “because I said
so.” It was as simple as that…you did it…without asking why again…or there was
a consequence for not being obedient.
We can conjecture any number of reasons….maybe
it was a pure obedience thing….maybe fat was God’s favorite and he wanted it
all to himself because he loved the smell…and sound of all that fat sizzling on
the altar.... maybe God knew how unhealthy fat was for our bodies and wanted to
help us prevent the diseases that are associated with high Cholesterol…or maybe
it was a mixture of all of these.
Funny thing again….I know that most of these
Mosaic laws were negated after Jesus died on that cross… because the veil that
separated us from the holy presence of God was torn in two. But I do not think
it is an accident that I read this chapter right after I got my first blood work
back …ever…that indicated I had any problems with fat…aka high cholesterol. And I don’t think I am alone when I say that
over the last few years I have adopted an ‘I don’t care attitude’ about my
health. I was the first to defend my few
pounds over the healthy limits by saying, “God loves me just the way I am….why
should I lose weight…or think about what I eat if it is not a health issue for
me. Guess God has a reason for reminding me today that my body has always been
his temple…and I should have taken better care of it.
Father…thank you for the reminder that I
need to maintain the health of this temple you live in. Help me to embrace this lifestyle change
simply because you said you loved me…and wanted the best for me. Help me to learn to eat healthier foods…to
not miss or complain about the foods I need to cut from my diet. Help me to make your temple a place where you
can live and empower me with all the things I need to carry out your will.
Amen.
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