“All fat belongs to the Lord. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations, wherever you live: you must not eat any fat or any blood.”
Some days God’s Spirit delivers the heart-encouraging trifecta. Yesterday was one of those days!
I began my morning by entering the land of Leviticus in my 2021 trek through the Scriptures. This is desert territory to some, the place where the wheels come off. Reading chapter upon chapter of instruction about priests and sacrifices, of slaughtered animals, the wringing of bird’s necks, splattering of blood, and the intricate details of the fat surrounding a lambs entrails can be a little tough to stomach.
I was three chapters into a seven-chapter read when I saw that phrase, “All fat belongs to the Lord.” Seriously?! Why would God want the stuff that adds to a cholesterol count? I had to check this out. So I did what I often do when I want a quick reference guide, I turned to my ESV Study Bible. Here’s what the note said:
The fat in ancient Israel represented the very best part of the animal (cf. the “fat of the wheat,” Num. 18:12). The “fat” would be like filet mignon, i.e., the most succulent and savory part of the animal. To present this to the Lord was a way of acknowledging that he was the One worthy of most honor. (When Eli allows his sons, as priests, to eat the fat of the sacrifices, he is rebuked for honoring his sons above the Lord [1 Sam. 2:29].)
Now that made sense! Give God the best, your best! Serve him your Filet Mignon.
While that gave me an entirely new appreciation for the Old Testament sacrificial system, turning to Hebrews provided a compelling reminder of WHY God deserves my best.
So after seven chapters of Leviticus, my reading plan took me to the New Testament corollary, the book of Hebrews. The recurring theme of Hebrews is “hold on to your confidence in Jesus.” Why? Because he is so much S-U-P-E-R-I-O-R to anyone or anything. Don’t hurry through the verses below:
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs (Hebrews 1:1-4, CSB).
The writer of Hebrews urges me to hold onto my confidence in Jesus precisely because He is God in human form, superior to angels, superior to Moses, superior to everyone and everything. He saves. He delivers. He overcomes!
Tommy, this is why Jesus gets your Filet Mignon!
Got it!
But God was not done. My reading plan for the day still included Psalm 27. Turning to this Davidic masterpiece, I read:
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?
David is cloaked in holy boldness because he is “hidden” safe and secure in God. The God to whom David points us is not some celestial “great and powerful Oz” hiding behind fire and smoke who occasionally throws us an ambivalent glance.
Make no mistake, “God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers” (Isaiah 40:22, CSB). He is robed in majesty, enveloped in strength (Psalm 90:1). He rules with a rod of iron and laughs at the rulers of the world who think they can spurn him (Psalm 2). It is His word — not the legislation of earthly superpowers, or the decisions of the captains of big data — that holds the world together (Colossians 1:17).
God is large and in charge. But wonder of wonders, he knows me personally and cares for me deeply.
And it is just this certainty about who God is and how he operates on our behalf that makes David proclaim with holy boldness:
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?
And that is why God gets the Filet Mignon. HE IS the all-powerful One, the One who, by virtue of creation, redemption, and future restoration, is the answer to every problem, the calm for every storm, the joy in every occasion. He could have remained above the circle of the earth, oblivious and ambivalent, but he didn’t do that. Instead, for our sake he chose to leave his glory and move into our neighborhood, the hood of human sin and suffering.
He is not far; he is near.
He is not absent; he is present.
He is not vindictive; he is compassionate.
He is not angry; he is loving.
He is not holding a grudge; he is extending forgiveness.
So with Moses we serve Him our Filet Mignon, and with David we shout, “whom shall I fear?”, and with the writer of Hebrews we hold on and hold out till he rights the wrongs, renews the world, wipes every tear, and reigns in peaceful and just supremacy forever and ever.
Yes indeed, it had been a good morning in the Word! Then I went to make breakfast and it got better.
I turned on my SM Radio app and went to my usual praise station only to decide to change it up. I jumped to Channel 64, Kirk Franklin’s Praise. The very first song turned out to be God’s amen to my morning.
Get comfortable. This is 7 minutes and 36 seconds of manna from heaven.
Of all the things you could serve God today and which he will gladly receive: your hurts, your frustrations, your resentments, your fears, your troubles . . . make sure you serve him your Filet Mignon.
The Best deserves your best!