The beginning of this sounds like the start of a biology lab. Here we have Leviticus; this is one of those books of the Bible that I put off studying.  I will gladly read Romans 5 times consecutively before reading Leviticus.  Let’s be honest, as Christians we don't want to admit that we think this book is boring or old school. But truth be told, we’re all at some level thinking it. We know that it holds valuable insight, we just can’t stay awake long enough to comprehend it or like in this passage, we're too grossed out to keep reading.

 

This morning as I was going over chapter 7, which covers the ever so captivating “further instructions” on guilt and peace offerings, God revealed something to me that was actually captivating. 

 

The first few chapters of Leviticus cover the Old Testament sacrifices that were needed to be made and how they were to be done. One common rule that I saw among the peace, sin and guilt offerings, were that the fat around the internal organs and loins, the two kidneys and the lobe of the liver had to be removed by the priest and place on top of the altar to be burned.  This was done after the priest had slaughtered the animal with no defects and had put its blood on the altar in accordance with the procedure for that offering.  (Ref: Leviticus 3:3, 3:10, 3:15, 4:8-9, 7:3-4, 8:16) Sounds gruesome, yes? 

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Why the liver and kidneys? Why these of all the organs?  I mean, why not the heart?  The heart makes sense, right? I could see that one, making one’s heart right before the Lord, but what is so special about the kidneys and liver to the Lord?  Looking through commentaries, it was customary thought that the loins were the “essence” of the man, so commentators explained it was about putting one’s whole self before the Lord.  While history shows that was a customary thought, I was reminded about the actual functions of the kidneys and liver. Both organs serve a purpose in the process of filtering or purifying the blood. Think about that; God was telling Moses to place the organs used to purify the blood on top of the altar sprinkled with blood, for the purification of sins.  What better representation of the purification than the liver and kidneys! Of course, this whole process was symbolic of what He planned for the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus’ death on the cross was the perfect blood of the Lamb spilt out in atonement for our sins. (John 3:16) His sacrifice was once for all. What He was asking the Israelites to do in the Old Testament meant so much more than the actions themselves.

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God had instructed Moses with these procedures somewhere in arena of 13th-14th century BC. Moses took the instructions and then communicated with the Israelites who then passed the rules down through the generations.  They had no idea back in that time what role the kidneys and liver played.  That scientific knowledge didn’t come into view until around the 2nd -3rd century AD when the first recording of that understanding existed.  God, who created those organs, chose to use them in the instructions to the Israelites over a 1000 years before the Greek physician, Galen found out what they were for! The Bible is the true, Word of God.  I believe that out of faith, but I do find delight in discovering these golden nuggets which are just further evidence that the Bible is inerrant and truly and divinely inspired by God.

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Leviticus also reminds us that the laws of God are not nullified but rather made perfect in Christ and allow us to follow Him.  The Israelites had acted in faith and obedience over the centuries without fully understanding the meaning. In the beginning, that kind of obedience is born from faith and passion and was a pleasing aroma to God.  Over time however, without consideration of the meaning, that obedience gave way to ritual and ritual gave way to frustration and rebellion.  Sound familiar?  It should as the same is true today. We’ve seen throughout time that rituals without any understanding stand in the way of a relationship with God. Jesus spent most of His ministry warning about this and calling out the Pharisees and Sadducees, most of whom spent their life devoted to the rituals rather than to the One whom they were about. Even through all of these procedures and rules in Leviticus, it all was for one purpose-drawing us closer in a relationship with our Heavenly Father.  He longs for that with you; Christ made a sacrifice that none of us could have done, and He did it so you can be made pure to enter into His presence.  Whatever you've done, wherever you are in life; you can be made pure in Christ just by accepting His gift of salvation and allowing Him to be Lord in your life-no longer need to place the liver and kidneys on the altar.