A butcher should know the various cuts of meat; a preacher should know the lessons intended.
It’s common in the West to ask someone to give you their heart, especially in mid-February. We understand what is actually meant by this. It isn’t an organ transplant we’re desiring, but an exchange of affection. We think of the heart not as the pump in our chest but as the core of a person, hopefully where true love resides. The Hebrews also had such an understanding, for example, “My son, give me your heart” (Prov 23:26). But they went further, ascribing some characteristic of the soul to each part of the body. The rest of that verse reads, “And let your eyes observe my ways.” Again, it wasn’t the eyes themselves, but what they stood for: the organs of evaluation. When Jesus told the story of a man who wanted to be generous with his servants, He had the man ask, “Is your eye evil because I am good?” (Mt 20:15). Some were evaluating his decision in the light of their own selfishness. In a similar way, we read the King James version of Psalm 7:9, “The righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” In an attempt to help us with the word reins, modern translators use “minds,” but note the similarity of “reins” to the Latin word for kidneys, renes, as in renal artery or adrenal gland. The Great Physician not only tests our hearts; He also checks our kidneys! The kidneys, the organ of purification, were considered a good fit to illustrate the seat of our motives—whether they were pure or clouded. So we will see, with each sacrifice “cut…into its pieces” (Lev 1:6), there is a sensible and stimulating link between the various body parts and different aspects of human personality and behavior, both in the believer and in Christ Himself. So lend me your ears and give me a hand by keeping your eye on this exciting theme!