Lev. 3: The Fellowship Offering

At first glance, the fellowship offering in Leviticus 3 appears to be a lot like the burnt offering. However, there are subtle differences. I can't imagine how Aaron kept these various sacrifices and offerings straight. But then I realized that he has to do hundreds a day probably. All year, is my guess. This fellowship offering didn't have to male. It could be female as well. The similarities are that the sacrificer had to put his hands on the head, slaughter it outside the Tent of Meeting, have Aaron's sons, the priests sprinkle the blood on the altar, etc.

This offering was also burned. They had to remove all the fat from the inner parts, both kidneys, and the covering of the liver and burn that on the altar, and, you know...pleasing aroma and all that.

A lamb was "done" the same way, except it additionally had to have the the tail cut off close to the backbone.

As for a goat, same way as an animal from the herd.

So why the kidneys? They function as waste removal units. I don't have to tell you that this is similar to this sacrifice removing the waste of Israelite sin. Maybe it's not that simple. Maybe its that kidneys are a dirty organ, and if they are punctured, then nasty filth gets all over God's sacrifice. Maybe its something beyond what my feeble brain comprehends at this point in my reading. What about the covering of the liver, the peritoneum (I'm no doctor)? This protects the liver, the body's filter and producer of bile. Gross stuff. Not stuff you want to sacrifice to God.

Then at the end of verse 16, it says "All the fat is the LORD's." Um. The fat should be sacrificed. It probably had a lot uses. Its function in the body is for warmth...to help prevent disease...Not sure why that all had to belong to God. I'd like to know. I'm curious.

I get a clue from 3:17. God makes a lasting ordinance in that wherever people live, they are not to eat any fat or any blood. Both are critical life essences, and should not be eaten.