22The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat. 24The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. 25For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the LORD shall be cut off from his people. 26Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places. 27Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.”–Leviticus 7
A modern student of the Bible is tempted to read back into texts like this one and claim that God was protecting His people from diseases or made regulations that would have kept them healthier. And while those statements make some sense, they ignore the plan reading of Scripture. In all these sacrifices, God got the fatty parts. This meant that the heavily marbled steaks went to Him. The fat that sizzled and smelled really good on the grill went to Him. Blood was poured around the altar and never directly on for God didn’t ‘consume’ blood either. The God of Israel is unique and not like any other object of worship. His people were to be unique, as well. What did God tell Noah after the flood?
But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.” (Genesis 9:4-6)
The temptation is to take the best parts of life for ourselves and not offer in gratitude and obedience to God. The temptation is to live life on our own terms or with what is right in our own eyes. God was deadly serious about those regulations. And while they don’t literally apply to us in the same way anymore, it is a good idea to take a step back and ponder the larger message they carry.–JMB
Joel M Bradshaw 
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