What is the meaning of Leviticus 4:31? Remove all the fat Leviticus 4:31 opens, “Then he is to remove all the fat…”. The fat was considered the richest part of the animal, and God claimed it exclusively for Himself (Leviticus 3:16-17). By literally separating the fat, the offerer acknowledged: • God’s right to the best portion (Proverbs 3:9). • The seriousness of sin: even the choicest parts must be surrendered. • A picture of complete consecration, foreshadowing Romans 12:1, where believers present their bodies “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” As it is removed from the peace offering The removal was done “just as it is removed from the peace offering” (Leviticus 3:3-5). Linking the sin offering to the peace offering reminds us that: • The same God who provides fellowship (peace offering) also provides forgiveness (sin offering). • The method mattered; obedience to God’s precise instructions (Deuteronomy 12:32) showed trust in His revealed way of approach. Cross-reference: 1 Samuel 15:22—“To obey is better than sacrifice.” Burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD The priest “is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” Smoke rising symbolized the offering ascending to God (Genesis 8:21). The aroma pleased Him because: • It represented faith-filled obedience (Hebrews 11:6). • It foreshadowed Christ’s self-offering, described in Ephesians 5:2 as “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Bullet points of significance: – God’s holiness satisfied. – The worshiper’s relationship restored. – A public witness that sin carries a cost. The priest will make atonement for him “In this way the priest will make atonement for him.” Atonement means covering or reconciliation. The priest acted as mediator (Leviticus 16:15-16), pointing ahead to Jesus, our great High Priest (Hebrews 9:11-12). Key thoughts: • Bloodshed was essential (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). • The offerer’s guilt was transferred to the substitute (Isaiah 53:6). • Peace with God is never achieved by human merit but by God’s appointed means. He will be forgiven The verse concludes, “and he will be forgiven.” God’s promise was immediate and certain (Psalm 32:1-2). Forgiveness here is: • Personal—applied to “him,” the individual sinner (1 John 1:9). • Complete—the debt is lifted (Psalm 103:12). • Covenant-based—rooted in God’s unchanging character and fulfilled ultimately in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). summary Leviticus 4:31 pictures a sinner bringing the best part of his sacrifice, obeying God’s specific pattern, and watching the priest place it on the altar where it rises to God as a pleasing aroma. Through this act God declares the sinner atoned for and forgiven. The verse underscores God’s holiness, the need for a substitute, and the certainty of forgiveness offered on God’s terms—truths perfectly realized in Jesus Christ, the final and perfect sin offering. |
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