Burning the Fat
For our morning devotions, we have been reading through a series of Bible chapters centered around building altars. This stems from 611 Hong Kong Pastor Joshua’s lead in building strategic altars in the city for city transformation. From Abraham (Abram) in Genesis – building altars to remember where our God of promises has appeared to him, to calling upon the name of our faithful Lord, to offering up his only and beloved Isaac, we have come to Leviticus – a precise, detail-driven guidebook by God for His people, showing us how to worship, serve and obey a holy God.
At GA 611, the reading of Leviticus on peace offering gives insight into the heart of God, which remains true till this day. The peace offering is a thanksgiving offering (Leviticus 7) offered to God. Specifically, God has made this thanksgiving offering special in the following ways: It is an offering that has portions for the people, the priest, and God. And it is an offering that denotes that the portion for the people has to be consumed within two days.
Now, the offering is often either a whole ox, sheep or goat. The portion consecrated for God is specifically the blood and fat. Blood to be sprinkled and the fat burnt for a sweet savory aroma. Imagine now, a massive portion of meat set aside for the people and priest to be finished in two days, with the savory smell of burning animal fat whiffing through the air. This is God wanting His people to gather together for a hearty feast.
At GA611, a predominantly Chinese church, this speaks right to our guts. Having a meal together means that relationships are well, or the meal itself is an effort to mend and build relationships. Having a meal together with the whole community is a sign of peace with all. October last year, we offered up seven whole lambs. This October, no less is planned for, all to be finished on one boisterous evening.
And what does God say about all this fat burning? “And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma; all the fat is the Lord’s.” (Leviticus 3:16) I remember a huge family feast with my father present at the boisterous table, smiling at all his children and grandchildren enjoying the party. He didn’t touch much of the food. He did warn us to keep off the fatty food. And he had a sweet smile on his face.
Put a smile on His face. Make peace with Him and the people around you. Burn some fat, throw a feast. Invite that person you’ve been keeping at a distance for a meal. You don’t have to wait till Thanksgiving next month. Lastly, make sure you invite your pastor to the table. He has rights to some of the best parts of the meal. (Leviticus 7:28-35)
Please pray for Lemuel to eat well and keep his gut inline with his age … under 35 inches in his early thirties is a good guideline.
Lemuel Ng
