Offering the choicest portions to God expresses a heart wholly devoted to Him.
“Then he shall offer from it all its fat: the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails,” (v.3)
This verse appears in the midst of instructions regarding certain sacrifices in the book of Leviticus, traditionally attributed to Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt around the mid-15th century BC. According to the biblical narrative, Moses received these laws from the LORD while at Mount Sinai, located in the Sinai Desert, a region of rugged wilderness to the southwest of the Promised Land. The emphasis in Leviticus 7:3 on offering the animal’s fat points to the special significance of giving the richest and most inward parts wholly to God. In the sacrificial system, the act of setting aside this vital portion was a tangible demonstration of reverence for God’s holiness and ownership over all things. Elsewhere in Leviticus, we see that sacrifices were burned to produce a pleasing aroma as an act of obedience, revealing the heart of worship as giving our best in complete dependence on the LORD.When the Israelite worshiper brought the offering, the priest was to take the fat tail and the fat covering the entrails and place it on the altar. By dedicating these central parts of the animal, the worshiper acknowledged that all life and sustenance come from God, and that it is fitting to honor Him with the most treasured elements. This principle reflects the broader Mosaic Law, which strove to form a community centered on loving God and neighbors—showing devotion to the One who rescued them from bondage. Sacrificial worship thus served as a physical expression of humility and gratitude, reminding the Israelites that only through God’s provision and mercy could they continue to flourish.
The command also served to distinguish Israel’s practices from those of neighboring cultures that often misused sacrificial rituals for selfish ends or manipulative rites. Instead, God’s people were called to a covenant of faithful obedience. Giving the superior portion of the sacrifice symbolized the priority of spiritual fidelity over mere ritual and reminded Israel that their relationship to the LORD was grounded in transformed hearts and mutual commitment (see also the theme of wholehearted obedience and a “soothing aroma” of true devotion).
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Leviticus 7:3 meaning
“Then he shall offer from it all its fat: the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails,” (v.3)
This verse appears in the midst of instructions regarding certain sacrifices in the book of Leviticus, traditionally attributed to Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt around the mid-15th century BC. According to the biblical narrative, Moses received these laws from the LORD while at Mount Sinai, located in the Sinai Desert, a region of rugged wilderness to the southwest of the Promised Land. The emphasis in Leviticus 7:3 on offering the animal’s fat points to the special significance of giving the richest and most inward parts wholly to God. In the sacrificial system, the act of setting aside this vital portion was a tangible demonstration of reverence for God’s holiness and ownership over all things. Elsewhere in Leviticus, we see that sacrifices were burned to produce a pleasing aroma as an act of obedience, revealing the heart of worship as giving our best in complete dependence on the LORD.When the Israelite worshiper brought the offering, the priest was to take the fat tail and the fat covering the entrails and place it on the altar. By dedicating these central parts of the animal, the worshiper acknowledged that all life and sustenance come from God, and that it is fitting to honor Him with the most treasured elements. This principle reflects the broader Mosaic Law, which strove to form a community centered on loving God and neighbors—showing devotion to the One who rescued them from bondage. Sacrificial worship thus served as a physical expression of humility and gratitude, reminding the Israelites that only through God’s provision and mercy could they continue to flourish.
The command also served to distinguish Israel’s practices from those of neighboring cultures that often misused sacrificial rituals for selfish ends or manipulative rites. Instead, God’s people were called to a covenant of faithful obedience. Giving the superior portion of the sacrifice symbolized the priority of spiritual fidelity over mere ritual and reminded Israel that their relationship to the LORD was grounded in transformed hearts and mutual commitment (see also the theme of wholehearted obedience and a “soothing aroma” of true devotion).