How does Leviticus 7:4 connect to New Testament teachings on sacrifice? Leviticus 7:4 in its own setting “the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys.” • These inner parts and fat were placed on the altar, set apart exclusively for the Lord (vv. 3-5). • The instructions underscore that the best, most vital portions belong to God. • By removing and burning them, the worshiper acknowledged that guilt was fully transferred and consumed before the Lord. Foreshadowing the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ • Hebrews 13:11-12 draws a direct line from the treatment of sacrificial animals to Jesus: “The bodies of those animals … are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people by His own blood.” • The “inner parts” offered wholly to God anticipate Christ’s complete inward and outward obedience (Hebrews 10:5-10). • Fat symbolized richness and value; Jesus, the “precious blood-sacrifice, a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19), gave God the absolute best. The inner life surrendered • Kidneys in Hebrew thought were seat of emotion and conscience (Psalm 26:2; Jeremiah 11:20). Their removal pictures God’s claim on the worshiper’s deepest affections—fulfilled perfectly in Jesus, who said, “I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:30). • Believers, united to Christ, are called to the same wholehearted devotion: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). Continuing New Testament echoes • Complete consecration: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20—our bodies are temples, bought at a price. • A fragrant offering: Ephesians 5:2—Christ “gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God,” mirroring the pleasing aroma of the burned fat in Leviticus. • Cleansing from guilt: 1 John 1:7—the blood of Jesus “purifies us from all sin,” accomplishing what repeated guilt offerings only prefigured. Takeaway connections • Leviticus 7:4’s meticulous removal of the choicest inner parts highlights God’s demand for total, costly surrender. • Jesus fulfills that demand perfectly, offering His entire self—body, soul, and will—so that guilt is decisively dealt with. • In Christ, believers now live out the principle behind the verse: giving God the best of our inward affections and outward actions as ongoing spiritual sacrifices (Hebrews 13:15-16). |
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