God’s requirement for quick consumption and respectful disposal of sacrificial leftovers reminds believers that He desires wholehearted devotion.
In this passage of Leviticus, the law continues its detailed guidance on handling sacrificial offerings. When the verse says, “But what is left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire” (v.17), it highlights the strict boundary God set for reverently treating the remains of an offering. This was part of a broader system of purity laws that applied to the nation of Israel while they were journeying from Egypt and living under the leadership of Moses around the mid-1400s BC. Moses, who received these instructions at Mount Sinai, served as the mediator of God’s covenant with Israel and conveyed the Lord’s commands during a formative period in Israelite history.
By the time we reach “on the third day shall be burned with fire” (v.17), the emphasis is on ensuring that no sacred offering is left in a state that would dishonor its purpose. The remaining portion was not to be consumed any further but was to be wholly destroyed. This act underscores the seriousness with which worship was to be continued and guarded. In that era, the burnt offering was a symbolic way to present something entirely to God—holding nothing back and keeping nothing for personal use beyond the authorized timeframe.
This principle carries forward in a spiritual sense—pointing to the purity and completeness of any sacrifice made to God. In the New Testament, we see how Jesus’s once-for-all sacrifice accomplishes the fullness of these earlier requirements (Hebrews 10:12). While believers today do not practice the same ritual offerings, the heart of set-apart worship and holy living remains relevant.
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Leviticus 7:17 meaning
In this passage of Leviticus, the law continues its detailed guidance on handling sacrificial offerings. When the verse says, “But what is left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire” (v.17), it highlights the strict boundary God set for reverently treating the remains of an offering. This was part of a broader system of purity laws that applied to the nation of Israel while they were journeying from Egypt and living under the leadership of Moses around the mid-1400s BC. Moses, who received these instructions at Mount Sinai, served as the mediator of God’s covenant with Israel and conveyed the Lord’s commands during a formative period in Israelite history.
By the time we reach “on the third day shall be burned with fire” (v.17), the emphasis is on ensuring that no sacred offering is left in a state that would dishonor its purpose. The remaining portion was not to be consumed any further but was to be wholly destroyed. This act underscores the seriousness with which worship was to be continued and guarded. In that era, the burnt offering was a symbolic way to present something entirely to God—holding nothing back and keeping nothing for personal use beyond the authorized timeframe.
This principle carries forward in a spiritual sense—pointing to the purity and completeness of any sacrifice made to God. In the New Testament, we see how Jesus’s once-for-all sacrifice accomplishes the fullness of these earlier requirements (Hebrews 10:12). While believers today do not practice the same ritual offerings, the heart of set-apart worship and holy living remains relevant.