Day 31: Leviticus 4-6

(The previous post covered voluntary offerings concerned with offenses towards God. The progression went from atoning for sins (Leviticus 1: God alone), recognizing what God had given (Leviticus 2: God and priests), sharing with God (Leviticus 3: God, priests, giver). Salvation, Reward, eternal life: The Gospel.)

(The first three chapters dealt with the individual and God. Next, God spoke about other people. Chapters 4-7 covered mandatory offerings concerned with offenses towards man.)

Leviticus 4

(Verses 1-2: the purpose of the Sin Offering.)

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any one shall sin unwittingly, in any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of them:

(The stage was set that this chapter concerned sinning without knowing. The implication was that the person later found out they had sinned, either through guilt or confrontation.)

(Verses 3-12: the sin offering for a priest.)

³ if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto Jehovah for a sin-offering.
⁴ And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the bullock, and kill the bullock before Jehovah.
⁵ And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bullock, and bring it to the tent of meeting:
⁶ and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before Jehovah, before the veil of the sanctuary.
⁷ And the priest shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Jehovah, which is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bullock shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting.
⁸ And all the fat of the bullock of the sin-offering he shall take off from it; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
⁹ and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away,
¹⁰ as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of peace-offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt-offering.
¹¹ And the skin of the bullock, and all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, and its inwards, and its dung,
¹² even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall it be burnt.

(God told Moses the details for how a priest should handle their sin. Notice, God began with the leader: young bull (male), lay hand, sprinkle blood before Lord seven times, put some blood on horns of altar, burn fat/kidneys/etc (like peace offering), and take the rest of the bull outside the camp to a clean place to burn with wood. God wanted the sin offering not burned on the altar.)

(Verses 13-21: the sin offering for the whole congregation of Israel.)

¹³ And if the whole congregation of Israel err, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and are guilty;
¹⁴ when the sin wherein they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a sin-offering, and bring it before the tent of meeting.
¹⁵ And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before Jehovah; and the bullock shall be killed before Jehovah.
¹⁶ And the anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting:
¹⁷ and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Jehovah, before the veil.
¹⁸ And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before Jehovah, that is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting.
¹⁹ And all the fat thereof shall he take off from it, and burn it upon the altar.
²⁰ Thus shall he do with the bullock; as he did with the bullock of the sin-offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.
²¹ And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bullock: it is the sin-offering for the assembly.

(God covered the details for how a priest should handle the sin of the whole congregation. It was basically the same as for the priest. However, it was spelled out that this offering happened only once the sin was known.)

(Verses 22-26: the sin offering for a ruler of the people.)

²² When a ruler sinneth, and doeth unwittingly any one of all the things which Jehovah his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty;
²³ if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, be made known to him, he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a male without blemish.
²⁴ And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt-offering before Jehovah: it is a sin-offering.
²⁵ And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering.
²⁶ And all the fat thereof shall he burn upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

(God covered the details for how a priest should handle the sin of a ruler/leader. He brought a kid of the goats (male). Otherwise, it was handled the same as the sin offerings except it did not mention burning the animal outside the camp. It did not mention burning anything other than the fat.)

(Verses 27-35: the sin offering for a common man or woman.)

²⁷ And if any one of the common people sin unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and be guilty;
²⁸ if his sin, which he hath sinned, be made known to him, then he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
²⁹ And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill the sin-offering in the place of burnt-offering.
³⁰ And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and all the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar.
³¹ And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor unto Jehovah; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
³² And if he bring a lamb as his oblation for a sin-offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.
³³ And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill it for a sin-offering in the place where they kill the burnt-offering.
³⁴ And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and all the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar:
³⁵ and all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, upon the offerings of Jehovah made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven.

(God explained the details for how a priest should handle the sin of a common person. He could bring a kid of the goats (female) or a lamb (female). It was handled like the ruler/leader. However, it was mentioned that the fat of the goat was burned for a sweet savor to the Lord.)




Leviticus 5

(This chapter continued the theme of chapters 4-7 which covered mandatory offerings concerned with offenses towards man.)

(Verses 1-13: Specific occasions requiring the sin offering.)

¹ And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
² Or if any one touch any unclean thing, whether it be the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and it be hidden from him, and he be unclean, then he shall be guilty.
³ Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever his uncleanness be wherewith he is unclean, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.
⁴ Or if any one swear rashly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter rashly with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these things.

(God identified specific sins: not testifying, touching an unclean animal, touching an unclean human, not fulfilling their vow.)

(Verses 5-13: How to make the sin offering.)

⁵ And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned:
⁶ and he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin.
⁷ And if his means suffice not for a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass-offering for that wherein he hath sinned, two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, unto Jehovah; one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering.
⁸ And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin-offering first, and wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it asunder:
⁹ and he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar: it is a sin-offering.
¹⁰ And he shall offer the second for a burnt-offering, according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin which he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven.
¹¹ But if his means suffice not for two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his oblation for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering: he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering.
¹² And he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as the memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, upon the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: it is a sin-offering.
¹³ And the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in any of these things, and he shall be forgiven: and the remnant shall be the priest's, as the meal-offering.

(God covered the details for how the person should handle these sins. They first confess: female lamb or goat, two turtledoves or pigeons if he cannot afford flock animals, flour with no oil and no frankincense if he cannot afford birds. One was a sin offering and the other was a burnt offering.)

(Verses 14-19: the Guilt Offering, including its procedure.)

¹⁴ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
¹⁵ If any one commit a trespass, and sin unwittingly, in the holy things of Jehovah; then he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass-offering:
¹⁶ and he shall make restitution for that which he hath done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering, and he shall be forgiven.

(God covered sinning in the holy things of the Lord: ram and restitution for damage plus 20%.)

¹⁷ And if any one sin, and do any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
¹⁸ And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing wherein he erred unwittingly and knew it not, and he shall be forgiven.
¹⁹ It is a trespass-offering: he is certainly guilty before Jehovah.

(God covered the details for sins done against things the Lord had forbidden and the person was not aware of it. Again, this was a guilt or trespass offering. The ram was a symbol of power. The sins against the "things of the Lord" were atoned for by an animal that symbolized power. Some people say the ram was also a symbol of "reproducing," so it got tied to things that had monetary value.)




Leviticus 6

(This chapter continued the theme of chapters 4-7 which covered mandatory offerings concerned with offenses towards man.)

(Verses 1-7: More situations that required the guilt offering.)

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
² If any one sin, and commit a trespass against Jehovah, and deal falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbor,
³ or have found that which was lost, and deal falsely therein, and swear to a lie; in any of all these things that a man doeth, sinning therein;
⁴ then it shall be, if he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he hath gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found,
⁵ or any thing about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto: unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it, in the day of his being found guilty.
⁶ And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest:
⁷ and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah; and he shall be forgiven concerning whatsoever he doeth so as to be guilty thereby.

(The Lord explained sinning between people. They needed to bring restitution plus 20% to the person. The offering was a ram which could be due to the issue having had monetary value.)

(Verses 8-30: Specific instructions for the priests regarding the offerings.)

(Verses 8-13: the burnt offering, mentioned in Leviticus 5:5-13.)

⁸ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
⁹ Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt-offering: the burnt-offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night unto the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning thereon.
¹⁰ And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes whereto the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
¹¹ And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
¹² And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereon, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall burn thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.
¹³ Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.

(Offering: remained on the altar all night and kept burning, directions for what the priest wore and how to handle the ashes.)

(Verses 14-23: the meal-offering, mentioned in Leviticus 5:5-13.)

¹⁴ And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before Jehovah, before the altar.
¹⁵ And he shall take up therefrom his handful, of the fine flour of the meal-offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meal-offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor, as the memorial thereof, unto Jehovah.
¹⁶ And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.
¹⁷ It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as the sin-offering, and as the trespass-offering.
¹⁸ Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as his portion for ever throughout your generations, from the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: whosoever toucheth them shall be holy.

(Offering: fine flour, oil, frankincense, burnt on the altar as a sweet savor, Aaron and sons could eat the rest as long as it was not baked with leaven and eaten in the tent of meeting. It was interesting that the priests actually gained from this offering. Would this have motivated the priests to confront people on the sins from Leviticus 5:1-4?)

¹⁹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
²⁰ This is the oblation of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto Jehovah in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening.
²¹ On a baking-pan it shall be made with oil; when it is soaked, thou shalt bring it in: in baken pieces shalt thou offer the meal-offering for a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
²² And the anointed priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons shall offer it: by a statute for ever it shall be wholly burnt unto Jehovah.
²³ And every meal-offering of the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.

(God covered the offering from Aaron and his sons on the day when one was anointed/consecrated: meal-offering that was wholly burned and not eaten.)

(Verses 24-30: the sin offering.)

²⁴ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
²⁵ Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin-offering: in the place where the burnt-offering is killed shall the sin-offering be killed before Jehovah: it is most holy.
²⁶ The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.
²⁷ Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in a holy place.
²⁸ But the earthen vessel wherein it is boiled shall be broken; and if it be boiled in a brazen vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water.
²⁹ Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.
³⁰ And no sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt with fire.

(The priest who offered it where the burnt offering was offered should eat it. Whoever ate of this must have been dedicated and made clean. Directions were given for how to handle garments and vessels touching the offering. No sin offering that was meant to make atonement in the Holy Place was to be eaten. This would be something that was intended to cleanse the entire nation of Israel. It must be wholly burned with fire because this was completely given to God.)

(This post covered mandatory offerings concerned with offenses towards man.)

Day 32