Liver כָּבֵד

We are in chapter seven of Leviticus with our word for today. כָּבֵד liver, liver-divination. It is used 14 times in the Old Testament. We see our word used as a means to invoke false gods for guidance or divination. Ezekiel 21:21 For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults the idols; he looks בַּכָּבֵֽד [literally looks in the liver] at the liver. We also see our word in reference to intense grieving from one’s inner most self. Lamentations 2:11 My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; כְּבֵדִ֔י my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city. 

Most of the uses of our word are in the sense of the large and complicated reddish-brown glandular organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity. Our word is used a lot in reference to the various sacrifices as part of the tabernacle worship. This is how our phrase is used in our chapter today. Leviticus 7:1-6 This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy. In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown against the sides of the altar. And all its fat shall be offered, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of הַכָּבֵ֔ד the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering to the LORD; it is a guilt offering. Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. It is interesting that part of this guilt offering has to do with the inner part of the animal as a sacrifice for guilt. The tabernacle worship was set up so people could connect with God from their inner part. There are many ways our heart can be turned away from God. We see this happen several times in the Bible. This definitely happened to Solomon. 1 Kings 11:2-8 Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. What is interesting is that the man that God used to write the book of Proverbs that warns against such things ends up later in his life falling into them himself. The good news is that the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible so regardless of the sinfulness of the people God used he still used them to record his true and powerful words. Let’s look at this warning from God in Proverbs. Again God’s motive for all his warnings is for us to be connected to him and enjoy all his blessings. I’ll close with this passage that contains our word. Proverbs 7:1, 4-7, 10-11, 13, 17-23 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live … call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words … I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense … And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward … She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him … I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.” With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces כְּֽבֵד֗וֹ its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.