February 17th

Today's readings from the One Year Chronological Reading Plan are Leviticus 4:1-6:30.

Today's passage continues to describe the purpose and the process of two more offerings - the sin offering and the guilt offering.

The purpose of the sin offering was to make payment for unintentional sins of uncleanness, neglect or thoughtlessnes. The sin offering restored the sinner to fellowship with God, it showed the seriousness of sin and it was mandatory - once the Israelites became aware of their sin, they had to bring a sin offering.

Something important to remember is that sin is whatever God says it is. It does not matter if society thinks it's ok (abortion and homoesexuality come to mind), it doesn't matter if you or I think something is ok or no big deal. If God says it is sin, it is sin.

Sometimes we sin intentionally and sometimes we sin unintentionally. Even when we sin unintentionally, we are still sinning, and we are still guilty. Ignorance is not an excuse.

Sin results in defilement and guilt, is very costly and can only be atoned for by blood sacrifice.

This is why only the blood and the fat was used in the sin offerings. The fat was considered the best portions and therefore dedicated only to God. By requiring the Israelites to throw out the perfectly good meat, God was showing that only the blood atoned for sin, that forgiveness could only be found through the shedding of blood.

The NIV Life Application Bible also indicates that...

Because blood was the river of life, and life was God's gift and his alone, blood had to be returned to God and not used by people.

Other symbolism in some of the previous sacrifices: the oil used in the grain offerings symbolized God's presence; the absence of yeast symbolized the absence of sin.

From the NIV Life Application Bible....
Why was no yeast allowed in the grain offerings? Yeast is a bacterial fungus or mold and is, therefore, an appropriate symbol for sin. It grows in bread dough just as sin grows in a life. A little yeast will affect the whole loaf, just as a little sin can ruin a whole life. Jesus expanded this analogy by warning about the "yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6, Mark 8:15).....

The offerings were seasoned with salt as a reminder of the people's covenant (contract) with God. Salt is a good symbol of God's activity in a person's life, because it penetrates, preserves, and aids in healing. God wants to be active in your life. Let him become part of you, penetrating every aspect of your life, preserving you from the evil all around, and healing you of your sins and shortcomings.....

What did sacrifices teach the people?
(1) By requiring perfect animals and holy priests, they taught reverence for a holy God.
(2) By demanding exact obedience, they taught total submission to God's laws.
(3) By requiring an animal of great value, they showed the high cost of sin and demonstrated the sincerity of the people's commitment to God.
(4) By their nature, sacrifices required the use of all the sense in worship, encouraging a whole-person response to God. Some sacrifices were voluntary while others were required. The sacrificial system taught a combination of requirement before God, but also presented opportunities for heartfelt voluntary response to God.

The purpose of the guilt offering was to make payment for sins against God and others, similar to the sin offering, but it also included compensating the injured parties.

Of course the sin offering is only fulfilled completely and perfectly with the shedding of Jesus' blood on Calvary. He died once and for all, satisfying the wrath of our Holy God, assuring us of God's forgiveness - a most precious gift. He was the perfect offering, He is the only way to fellowship with God. His death restores our fellowship with God and takes away the deadly consequences of our sin.

I found some additional interesting information in my old NIV reference edition....
When more than one kind of offering was presented (as in Numbers 7:16, 17), the procedure was usually as follows (1) sin offering or guilt offering, (2) burnt offerings, (3) fellowship offering and grain offering (along with a drink offering)....First, sin had to be dealt with (sin offering or guilt offering). Second, the worshiper committed himself completely to God (burnt offering and grain offering). Third, fellowship or communion between the Lord, the priest and the worshiper (fellowship offering) was established.

This commentary on bible.org had some good thoughts on these chapters, especially chapter 4. From the above commentary...

The teaching of Leviticus on the Sin Offering has something very important to say to the Christian about personal sanctification. Whenever we sin, we need to remember that it is the shed blood of Christ which God has provided for our forgiveness. Repentance and confession is the means for experiencing that forgiveness and cleansing on a daily basis.

Knowing the high price which Christ has paid for our forgiveness should also cause us to take sin very seriously. Every sin, no matter how insignificant it may seem, required the blood of Christ to be shed. Let us never forget that while forgiveness is free, it was not obtained cheaply. Here is a motivation for godly living.

Then, too, let us be reminded of the seriousness of sin. God takes sin very seriously. God takes unintentional sin more seriously than we take willful sin. And God takes willful sin even more seriously than we wish to think about:

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:26-29).

I am not for a moment suggesting that Christians are not eternally saved and secure, but I am suggesting that the willful sin of a wayward saint is a very sobering matter, and one which will not allow that wayward believer to sense any safety and security in what he or she is doing. Let us learn from both the Old and the New Testament how much God hates sin.

Finally, I must say to you that “ignorance is not bliss,” in spite of those who would have you think so. The Israelites were held accountable for the sins they committed ignorantly. Many contemporary Christians seem to think that if they don’t study their Bibles, if they don’t familiarize themselves with the standards and principles God has given in the Bible, they will not be responsible for their sins committed in ignorance. Not so! The Sin Offering strongly suggests that we had better become careful students of the revealed Word of God, for it is disobedience to His word that constitutes sin.

Today, because of Jesus' death on the cross, we no longer have to sacrifice animals. But we still need to confess sin. Genuine confession and repentance shows a realization of our sin, a recognition of God's holiness, humility before God, remorse for our sin, and willingness to turn away from this sin - all of which is required for true reconciliation and fellowship with God to be restored.

Tomorrow's readings: Leviticus 7:1-8:36.