101 Uses for Animal Fat

Leviticus 7:22-27

Short section. So God tells Moses to tell the Israelites to hold off on the fat consumption- in fact don't eat any of it. If you eat the fat from an offering, you're to be cut off from your people. I wonder if all these people who were cut off from their own people formed their own club: the ex-Israelites, Unclean Fat-eaters Anonymous. What happened to these people who could no lunger be part of the tabernacle clan? Were they pointed to lives of misery and wandering? Were they necessarily cut off from God- or just from their people?

They are also not to eat any blood. Same consequence... picture Laurence Olivier... "I have no son".

They are, however, permitted to use the fat of dead animals for other purposes. Like what? pillow stuffing? food fights? arts and crafts? Jana suggests oil for lamps and soap. She's so practical.

Anyhow- no fat, no blood- which makes those earlier passages about eating the offerings a little clearer- apparently they didn't eat the fat offerings.

The "why" of it all isn't specified. Could be a health issue. Could be a purity issue. I think, in part, it is to show reverance for the blood that did for them and will for others bring the forgiveness so desperately needed. It's got a use...and it's not a beverage.