Leviticus 3

‘They that now, with a charitable heart, deal out their bread to the hungry, and provide for the necessities of those destitute of daily food;” and that, when they “Seat the fat and drink the sweet themselves, send portions for them for whom nothing is prepared; these, if accompanied with proper motives, offer unto God an acceptable meat-offering.” Chap. III. Ver. 1—17. The law of peace-offerings.—These were voluntary oblations, either in return for blessings received or in supplication of mercies desired. The offerer laid his hand upon the sacrifice, as in other cases, for all the forms of worship appointed by God begin with the confession of sins: we can approach God only as sinners, and, as sinners, only through faith in the great atonement.

‘These peace-offerings (fees for that reason did not include pigeons) were to be divided into three parts: the first, to implore peace with God; the second was to be eaten by the offerer, as implying peace derived in his own conscience; and the third given to the priest, as the mediator and peace-maker in this concern. “Christ is our peace, who by his blood, hath made both one, (that is, reconciled God and man,) and broken down the wall of partition” erected by our sins. ((Ephesians 2:14-15).) The chapter concludes with a prohibition against eating fat or blood; the latter has been already noticed, as a and is often repeated, and strictly enjoined; but it is thought the former is to be understood with some limitation, as the fat could not entirely be separated from the lean: but it was prohibited in masses, and the richest parts, as the fat of the kidneys and the tail, which, in the Eastern sheep, is so rich that it can only be eaten as mixed up with lean meat; and might be forbidden on the same principle as swine’s flesh, which is confessedly unhealthy in hot countries, and to persons subject to cutaneous diseases, as the Jews notoriously were.

The offering of these parts, the richest and the best, to God, might also be designed to inculcate this important moral lesson, that, as we owe every thing to God, we ought to render to him the first and best of our services or possessions. It was upon this principle that the law of the firstlings and of the first-fruits was founded. So under the New Testament, St. Paul exhorts Christians—‘* I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, Which is your reasonable service.’ ((Romans 12:1).)

Notes on the verses

Chap. III. Ver. 9. The whole rump.—On the tails of the Eastern sheep see note on (Exodus 29:22).—[To what has already been said of the Eastern sheep, we may add the testimony of Ludolf, who states that they are so very large, some of them weighing from twelve to fourteen pounds, “* that the owners are obliged to tie a little cart behind them, whereupon they put the tail of the sheep, as well for the convenience of carriage and to ease the poor creatures, as to preserve the wool from dirt, and the tail from being torn among the bushes and stones.” The same is testified by Dr. Russel who says, “In some other places where they feed in the fields, the shepherds are obliged to fasten a piece of thin board to the underpart of the tail, to prevent its being torn or part; and some have small wheels to facilitate dragging;” [Aero coe el ee.] as _ is not ph rie rs tag = thick wool, like board after them.] —Bagster.

Ver. 11. It is the food of the offering.—That is, it fed the fire upon the

Ver. 17. Neither fat nor blood.—On the latter, see Exposition of (Genesis 9:5); been said on the tails of and note on ver. 4. In support of what is said in the Exposition respecting fat, see Michaelis’ Commentaries on the Mosaic Laws, (by Smith.) [That is, neither the blood which is contained in the larger veins and arteries, nor the fat or suet which is within the animal, which exists in a separate or unmixed state, as the omentum or caul, the fat of the mesentery, or fatty part of the substance which connects the convolutions of the alimentary canal or small intestines, the fat of the kidneys, and whatever else of the internal fat was easily separable, together with the whole of the tail already described; for the blood which assumes the form of gravy, and the fat which is intermixed with the other flesh, might be eaten. This law not only related to the sacrifices, but to all the cattle which the Israelites slaughtered for food.]