Leviticus chapter 6
Three sins that require a guilt offering, continued. How to do burnt offerings, grain offerings, ordination offerings, and sin offerings.
THREE SINS THAT REQUIRE A GUILT OFFERING, CONTINUED
VERSE 1. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
VERSE 2. “If anyone sins, and commits a trespass against the LORD, and deals falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or has oppressed his neighbor,
The unintentional violation of property rights is one of the three sins that require a guilt offering:
- unintentional violation of sacred property (Leviticus 5:15)
- suspected transgressions of divine commands (Leviticus 5:17)
- violation of property rights (verse 2 and verse 3)
The first two pertained to violations against “the Lord’s holy things” (5:15) and “the Lord’s commands” (5:17).
But this third relates to defrauding another person, though it is also recognized as being unfaithful to the Lord.
Verses 2 to 3 list individual ways to defraud another person, such as embezzlement, theft, extortion, and failure to return lost property.
VERSE 3. or has found that which was lost, and lied about it, and swearing to a lie—in any of these things that a man sins in his actions—
VERSE 4. then it shall be, if he has sinned, and is guilty, he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he has gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found,
he shall restore that which he took. The distinctive feature of the guilt offering was the restitution payment (verse 4) and fine (verse 5)
VERSE 5. or any thing about which he has sworn falsely: he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth part more to it. He shall return it to him to whom it belongs in the day of his being found guilty.
and shall add a fifth part more. The Guilt Offering calls for more than restitution. The offending person must restore 120 percent.
In our day, we call that a “fine.”
VERSE 6. He shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest.
VERSE 7. The priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he does to become guilty.”
HOW TO DO A BURNT OFFERING
This begins a section for priests. It provides them with instructions for the sacrifice rituals. It goes from Leviticus 6:8 to Leviticus 7:38.
VERSE 8. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
VERSE 9. “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: the burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.
VERSE 10. The priest shall put on his linen garment, and he shall put on his linen trousers upon his body; and he shall remove the ashes from where the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
VERSE 11. He shall take off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
VERSE 12. The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning. He shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
VERSE 13. Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.
Fire shall be kept burning. The Old Testament fire was to burn perpetually. It would burn up the sacrifices.
During the days of exile into Babylon, in order to keep the fire burning continuously, the priests had to conceal it:
2 Maccabees 1:19. For indeed when our fathers were about to be led into the land of Persia, the godly priests of that time took some of the fire of the altar, and hid it secretly in the hollow of a well that was without water, where they made sure that the place was unknown to anyone.
In our day, the fire that burns perpetually is the indwelling fire of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit burns within us, but does not consume us. Thank God for the Fire Within!
HOW TO DO A GRAIN OFFERING
VERSE 14. “ ‘This is the law of the meal offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.
VERSE 15. He shall take from there his handful of the fine flour of the meal offering, and of its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the meal offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma, as its memorial portion, to the LORD.
fine flour of the meal offering, and of its oil. This is a recipe. It is for flour that has bee well-kneaded and fried in fat.
It seems like pancakes.
On “Fat Tuesday,” Episcopalians eat bacon and pancakes.
VERSE 16. That which is left of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They shall eat it in the court of the Tent of Meeting.
Aaron and his sons shall eat. Was the eating of bread mandatory for Jewish people? Or optional? The Bible seems to say it is mandatory. But what if they are gluten-intolerant? Read more »
VERSE 17. It shall not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire. It is most holy, as are the sin offering and the trespass offering.
VERSE 18. Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as their portion forever throughout your generations, from the offerings of the LORD made by fire. Whoever touches them shall be holy.’ ”
Every male among the children of Aaron. Maybe this was God’s way of getting men to show up!
Check the attendance statistics for just about any major world religion and you’ll notice something. Men don’t show up nearly as much as women.
Whoever touches them shall be holy. That is, whoever touches an oblation shall be holy.
HOW TO DO AN ORDINATION OFFERING
VERSE 19. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
VERSE 20. “This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer to the LORD in the day when he is anointed: one tenth of an efah of fine flour for a meal offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening.
one tenth of an efah. One efah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel.
VERSE 21. It shall be made with oil in a griddle. When it is soaked, you shall bring it in. You shall offer the meal offering in baked pieces for a pleasant aroma to the LORD.
VERSE 22. The anointed priest that will be in his place from among his sons shall offer it. By a statute forever, it shall be wholly burned to the LORD.
VERSE 23. Every meal offering of a priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten.”
HOW TO DO A SIN OFFERING
VERSE 24. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
VERSE 25. “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the LORD. It is most holy.
VERSE 26. The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the Tent of Meeting.
shall eat it. In ancient days, for atonement to be effective, Aaron or his descendants had to eat the sacrifice. If they didn’t, the atonement was no good. Read more »
VERSE 27. Whatever shall touch its flesh shall be holy. When there is any of its blood sprinkled on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place.
blood sprinkled on a garment. The blood of the sin offering made a cloth sacred.
According to tradition, a woman named Veronica offered a cloth to Jesus Christ on the way to the cross. He wiped his face on it.
Her cloth was made sacred by the blood of the sin offering of Jesus Christ.
VERSE 28. But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; and if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water.
VERSE 29. Every male among the priests shall eat of it. It is most holy.
VERSE 30. No sin offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be eaten. It shall be burned with fire.
LEVITICUS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, The Scapegoat, Female Sacrificial Animals
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.