They
shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship
offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the
Lord. In this way the priest will
make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. Leviticus
4:31
The “fat” of an animal (humans too)
stores the excess calories that are processed in the body (from carbs and
sugars). This fat is back-up energy when
the body needs more calories.
The priests removed the fat from the
sacrifices. They were not allowed to eat
it, but burn it. That burning created a
smell. When you smell hamburgers on the
grill, that smell is the fat burning.
That aroma was pleasing to God.
Why?
The priest shall burn them
on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s.
Leviticus 3:16
The fat represented the excess, the
best tasting, the fuel of the land. By
surrendering it to God in a sacrifice, you are acknowledging where the
abundance, the best, and the motivation/drive really comes from—God, not the
land.