Leviticus 5:1 ¶ And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
As I read through this chapter, it stood out that it is dealing with both kinds of sin—deliberate and unintentional. Examples of situations are given that illustrate the need for atonement no matter the type of sin.
This verse identifies a deliberate sin. God certainly wants us to understand that righteous judgment should be important to us; therefore, to possess information that speaks to the guilt or innocence of someone who is on trial and not testify before the court is a sin.
I can’t help but think how different would be our court system in America today if everyone involved in it were just seeking the truth. Sadly, it has become a venue for publicity as a platform to profit, for judicial activism, and an arena for winning vs. losing rather than guilt vs. innocence.
Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
Leviticus 5:3 Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.
These two verses address unintentional sins pertaining to touching unclean dead animals or making contact with any uncleanness related to man. Specifics to understanding how to discern between what is clean and unclean will be given in subsequent chapters. The point being made is that it is possible to sin in this manner without knowing it. When, however, one becomes aware of his sin, he is accountable to acknowledge his sin and seek forgiveness.
I am reminded that God is very aware of our human weaknesses and our susceptibility to deception. That is one of the reasons that the Lord encourages us to study His word and make it a part of our being. We are encouraged to hide it in our hearts to help keep us from sin. The more the word is a part of us, the more likely it is that we will exercise better discernment and make better choices that will keep us from unintentional sins.
Deuteronomy 6:5–9 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”
Psalms 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Leviticus 5:4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.
With this verse the LORD wants to impress upon His people the importance of the words we say. Our words are much more powerful than we realize, and the LORD holds us accountable for thoughtless vows—whether for good or evil—spoken in the passion of the moment. Again, when one becomes aware of his sin, he is accountable to acknowledge his sin and seek forgiveness.
I can certainly look back on my own life and identify times when I made “good” promises to God in an emotional state. Too many times I have had to seek His forgiveness in light of those promises. The desire to want to do the things that honor Him is ever present, but the discipline to be consistent in my actions in light of that desire is a constant struggle.
In view of “bad” vows uttered in the heat of the moment, it is important that we acknowledge our sin and seek forgiveness. Jesus emphasized that sin is rooted in the attitude of our heart. (See Topical Study on Sermon on the Mount.)
Leviticus 5:5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:
Leviticus 5:6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.
Once a person recognizes that he is guilty in any of the ways illustrated above, he is responsible to confess that sin before the LORD. He is to bring a sin offering of a female lamb or kid of the goats to the priest so that he can make atonement for the sin as outlined previously.
Leviticus 5:7 ¶ And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.
Leviticus 5:8 And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:
Leviticus 5:9 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 wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.
Leviticus 5:10 And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him.
If unable to bring an offering from the flock, he is to bring two turtledoves or young pigeons—one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. The one designated as the sin offering is to be sacrificed first. The head is to be wrung off, but the body left in tact. Blood from the bird is to be sprinkled on the side of the altar and the rest drained out at the bottom of the altar. The second bird is then to be offered as burnt offering as outlined in chapter one. The first one seems to picture an acknowledgement of one’s guilt, and the second the need for forgiveness.
I am reminded of the words of John.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Leviticus 5:11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put anyfrankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering.
Leviticus 5:12 Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it is a sin offering.
Leviticus 5:13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest’s, as a meat offering.
The LORD is sensitive to the needs of every person—no matter how poor they may be in the eyes of this world. If unable to bring turtledoves or pigeons, one may bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour without oil or frankincense for a sin offering. The priest will take a handful of the flour (representative of the person’s sin) and burn it on the altar as a sin offering. The priest is then given the remainder of the flour as a meat offering as detailed in chapter two.
Leviticus 5:14 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
Leviticus 5:16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.
I think this section should start the next chapter. It seems to be referencing the things associated with the sacrifices made at the temple and one’s integrity and respect for others.
At issue in these verses is unintentional sin regarding “the holy things of the LORD.” Context requires that one recognizes his sin, and with that recognition he is to seek forgiveness and make restitution. Only a ram, a male sheep, without blemish is acceptable for this trespass offering. The wording is difficult, but it seems that the ram is to serve as a trespass offering and the amount of money determined appropriate by the priest plus 20% given to the priest to make restitution for harm done and loss incurred.
Leviticus 5:17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
Leviticus 5:18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
Leviticus 5:19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD.
These verses seem to address unintentional sin in general in light of God’s commandments concerning the holy things. Again, ignorance is not excusable. Context would seem to require that the person be made aware of his sin, though no statement is made to that effect. This offering is also to be a ram without blemish and appropriate monetary restitution.
Implied is that it is important to know the revealed law of God.
Emphasis is made on the truth that this sin is “against the LORD.”
Leviticus 6:1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
This phrase is used continually to preface the instructions being recorded in this book. It’s easy to read over it without taking note that God is emphasizing that these are His instructions—not Moses’.
Leviticus 6:2 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;
Leviticus 6:3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
Leviticus 6:4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,
Leviticus 6:5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
Leviticus 6:6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:
Leviticus 6:7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
These verses address the need for a trespass offering for sins against ones’ neighbor regarding…
things entrusted to your protection
theft
deceit with intent to deprive, embezzle or cheat
lying about finding lost property and swearing to support your lie.
“because he hath sinned, and is guilty (v4)” – sounds like it is the guilty conscience of the person causing them to acknowledge their sin, but the original language seems to include being proven guilty.
Obviously, the sin must be acknowledged, but the offender is to restore the principal plus 20% interest to the one wronged. This is to be done on the same day that he brings a trespass offering to seek God’s forgiveness; note the order—restitution first, then offering to God. It is to be a ram without blemish as approved by the priest and offered according to the instructions given previously.
Leviticus 6:8 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Leviticus 6:9 Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.
Leviticus 6:10 And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
Leviticus 6:11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
Leviticus 6:12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.
Leviticus 6:13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
This section seems to give further instruction to the priests—Aaron and his sons—regarding burnt offerings. These instructions would seem to apply to the daily morning and evening offerings that were offered on behalf of the people as instructed in Exodus 29. The offering is to burn on the altar all night.
In the morning the priest is to put on his linen garments to gather the ashes from the offering and put them in the designated place beside the altar. He is then to change into other clothes to take the ashes outside the camp to the appointed place. The fire on the altar for burnt offerings is never to be allowed to go out. He is to put fresh wood on it every morning. It is also on this altar that the fat of the peace offerings is to be burnt.
Exodus 29:38–42 “Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.”
The fact that the fire was never to be allowed to burn out paints a picture to me of the truth that the LORD is always available to the repentant sinner and that the sacrifice of Jesus would be sufficient forever.
Another important picture of instruction in this section is the difference in clothes worn by the priests when serving in God’s presence; they are to identify them as separate from the world. Purity and holiness are everywhere pictured in God’s instructions as to what pleases Him and is according to His will. This was in stark contrast to the practices associated with the worship of false gods.
I remember from my study of Ezekiel that linen was specifically chosen so as not to cause the wearer to sweat. Following is a pertinent excerpt from that journal.
“The emphasis seems to be that the garments do not cause the priest to sweat. This, I believe, is a statement regarding our position before the Lord. Nothing that we have done contributes to our salvation in any way. Jesus has done all the work required for our redemption. Our service before Him is a privilege and not a burden. The priests are to picture that truth as they serve before the LORD in the millennial temple.
The linen also represents purity. Although the word for linen used here is not specific, the Hebrew for the word “linen” used in Exodus regarding the garments for Aaron and his sons indicates “bleached stuff, i.e., white linen.” This also emphasizes the holiness and purity that the LORD imputes to each of us as part of a “holy priesthood.”
1Peter 2:5 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” [end excerpt]
Leviticus 6:14 ¶ And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.
Leviticus 6:15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD.
Leviticus 6:16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it.
Leviticus 6:17 It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering.
Leviticus 6:18 All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.
Instructions to the priests continue in this section regarding the meat offering (chapter 2). Here we learn that the priests are to be allowed to eat from the remainder of these offerings from the people; however, it was to be eaten without leaven in the holy place in the court of the tabernacle. Even the male children—future priests of Israel—were allowed to eat from this offering. Emphasis is given that this offering was only to be touched by those that had been set apart or consecrated to God as priests.
Leviticus 6:19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Leviticus 6:20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.
Leviticus 6:21 In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Leviticus 6:22 And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt.
Leviticus 6:23 For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.
This section provides instruction for the meat offering made by the priests beginning on the day of their anointing for service. This offering is to consist of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour and cooked in oil in a pan over the fire. When it is cooked, it is to be broken into pieces; half is to be offered in the morning and half in the evening (probably in connection with the evening and morning sacrifices made for the people). The sacrifice is to be totally consumed by fire; none is to be eaten by the priests. This sacrifice is to be made daily during the time of service of the priest.
Leviticus 6:24 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Leviticus 6:25 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 the LORD: it is most holy.
Leviticus 6:26 The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Leviticus 6:27 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 the holy place.
Leviticus 6:28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.
Leviticus 6:29 All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.
Leviticus 6:30 And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
This section provides further instruction for the priests concerning the sin offering (discussed in chapter 4). It is to be sacrificed on the altar similar to the burnt offering. We learn here that the priest that makes the offering is given the remains to eat in the holy place like the meat offering detailed above. This is considered a most holy offering, since it is another type of the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sin. Anything that touched the flesh of this offering was considered holy. If blood from the sacrifice splattered on a garment, it was to be washed in a designated place set apart for that purpose. If an earthen pot is used to cook it, the pot is to be destroyed afterward. If it is cooked in a metal pot, the pot is to be scoured (thoroughly and carefully washed) and rinsed in water. All male priests are allowed to eat meat cooked from this sacrifice. If, however, the offering made required that the blood be taken into the holy place, the whole offering was to be burned; none of it was to be eaten.
It continues to stand out that God is sovereign and alone establishes the standards for what is acceptable and holy before Him. It is very obvious that He demands holiness in His presence. Were it not that we are imputed the very righteousness of God in Jesus we could have no hope of future fellowship with God in His presence as part of His family.
2 Corinthians 5:17–21 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
As I was looking for help in understanding this section, I ran across these thoughts from Adam Clarke that are well worth considering.
“Does the perpetual fire burn on the altar of thy heart? Art thou ever looking unto Jesus, and beholding, by faith, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world? And dost thou feel the influences of his Spirit, at all times witnessing with thy spirit that thou art his child, and exciting thee to acts of gratitude and obedience? If not, of what benefit has the religion of Christ been to thee to the present day?”