Leviticus 5:7-19 comments: rules for offerings

 

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. 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: 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. 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. 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 any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. 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. 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.

 

Allowance is made for the meager resources of the poor here. As Matthew Henry said man’s poverty is never a barrier to pardon for sin. Before the burnt offering was made the sin offering was required. Before we give glory to God our sin must be dealt with. Philistines, Assyrians, and suffering great men in the tribulation at the end of human history give glory to God without any repentance of their sin. Sin must be dealt with and the only way we can deal with it is to trust in Christ, believe He was God walking in flesh, in His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary for our sins, and in His Resurrection for our justification. The only way to deal with sin, the only access that humankind has to the God who created them is through Himself in human form, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do we come to church to worship God, to give Him praise and glory, with unconfessed sin on our hearts? What do you think you will achieve out of that?

Leviticus 5:14 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 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: 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. 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. 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. 19  It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD.

 

Specifically, regarding a trespass committed through ignorance regarding the things set apart by God;

 

Leviticus 22:14  And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing. 15  And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD; 16  Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

 

As Hebrews confirms, to hold the Law in light regard, contemptuously, including abusing sanctified things of God, merited death.

Hebrews 10:28  He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

 

We have this written during the time frame of these passages.

 

Numbers 15:29  Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. 30 ¶  But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31  Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

 

To be cut off can mean to be killed in context.

 

Genesis 9:11   And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

 

2Kings 9:8   For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:

 

Ezekiel 25:7   Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

 

One possible understanding of this is that for a Jew to be cut off from his people was for him to be lost forever. To disregard God’s Law was to hold not only His Law but His very person in contempt, not believing. Note the euphemism for death and dying here;

 

Genesis 35:29   And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

 

Genesis 49:33   And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

 

This is also referenced in Genesis 25:17 regarding Ishmael, in Numbers 20:24 & 26 & Deuteronomy 32:50 regarding Aaron. Therefore, to be cut off from one’s people carried with it the pain of death and the loss of fellowship in eternity if you look at it from that viewpoint.

But to commit a sin out of ignorance was not unpardonable as God provided a way back to Him as He did with Christ. Even then as to deny Christ was a damnable act the evidence surrounding Peter’s denial showed that there was forgiveness possible.