Leviticus - Trespass Offering
Timeline: 1451 BC
Leviticus 1:1-7; Leviticus 2:1-16; 4:1-35; 5:1-19; 6:1-7; 6:8-13; 6:14-30; 7:1-8; Numbers 5:5-10)
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Israelite Journeys Rameses |
In the previous study, three specific sins were addressed: concealing the truth, contamination by touching and careless talk. The law made no excuses for forgetting or neglecting these things. Unless the offering accompanied confession and humble prayer for pardon, his offering was not accepted. There were provisions for everyone in the guilt offerings, from the Priest down to the poorest of poor citizens. Everyone had a way to obtain atonement and forgiveness. Leviticus 5:5-6 'And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing; and he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin. The type of offering varied depending upon the individual's wealth. A less expensive female animal could be offered since those sins were committed in ignorance or forgetfulness however the sacrifice had to be without spot or blemish and the blood was necessary so that the priest might make atonement for him on account of his sin. Leviticus 5:7-10 'If he is not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord, for his trespass which he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. And he shall bring them to 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 completely. Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on 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. And he shall offer the second as a burnt offering according to the prescribed manner. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him. The offering of fowl was handled somewhat differently from the animal sacrifices. The fat parts of the bird could not be separated, two doves or pigeons were brought, one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. The digestive tract and the feathers of the birds are tossed onto the east side of the altar. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord for the one to be cleansed. Leviticus 5:11-13 'But if he is not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring for his offering one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. It is a sin offering. The priest shall make atonement for him, for his sin that he has committed in any of these matters; and it shall be forgiven him. The rest shall be the priest's as a grain offering.'" Poverty was not to prevent the Israelite from receiving atonement and forgiveness; God made exceptions even for the poorest of the poor. They were given the option to offer about 2 quarts of fine flour as a sin offering. This offering and could not be embellished with oil nor the fragrance of frankincense. The flour was placed on the sacrificial altar where blood was shed so that God would count it as a blood sacrifice.
The trespass offering was offered in cases where the wrongdoing involved money or things of monetary value and therefore could be measured. The primary purpose of the trespass offering, also known as guilt offering, is to make reparations. If a person causes injury against God or man and then realizes he made that mistake, he must bring his trespass offering to the Lord. When God was sinned against, the sacrifice came first, since blood had to be applied to atone for the sin. For sins against his fellow man the restitution is made to the individual first, then the sacrifice is offered. Transgressions Against the Holy Things of God Leviticus 5:14-16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "If a person commits a trespass, and sins unintentionally in regard to the holy things of the Lord, then he shall bring to the Lord as his trespass offering a ram without blemish from the flocks, with your valuation in shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary, as a trespass offering. And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. If a person had no intention of evil deceit or fraud but either withheld or personally used those things which involved a sacred covenant made with God, he was guilty and therefore required not only a sin offering but also a trespass offering to atone for the offense. The holy things of the Lord refers to anything that was dedicated to God such as tithes, firstborn animals, offerings, or anything else specifically set apart for divine use. These offenses were looked upon as robbing God. In this case a male sheep was required for the offering. In addition, restitution was also required. The priest would put a value on the crime and the offender would pay that price plus one fifth, or twenty percent. The specific type of shekel used in the tabernacle was made of silver and was slightly heavier than a regular shekel. It has been estimated that a regular shekel weighed about 8.333 grams and a sanctuary shekel was 10.0 grams. Leviticus 5:17-19 "If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity. And he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him. It is a trespass offering; he has certainly trespassed against the Lord." Sins of omissions violate the "Thou shall not..." commandment and is liable for punishment. Even though the offender may not have been aware of his trespass, he was still guilty. When he became aware of his sin or even suspected he may have sinned, he needed to confess and make full restitution in order to find full forgiveness and restoration. This offering removed the guilt of certain sins that involved trespassing against God. Leviticus 7:1-8 'Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering (it is most holy): In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the trespass offering. And its blood he shall sprinkle all around on the altar. And he shall offer from it all its fat. The fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; and the priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a trespass offering. Every male among the priests may eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. The trespass offering is like the sin offering; there is one law for them both: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. And the priest who offers anyone's burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. The instructions for the trespass offering differ from the sin-offering in which the blood of which was to be put upon the horns of the altar. In the trespass offering, the blood was to be sprinkled round about it like the burnt offering. Part of the sacrifice was burnt on the altar and the priests were to eat their share in the holy place in the tabernacle. The trespass offering was wholly devoted for sacred use, the offeror had no share.
Trangressions Against His Fellow Man Leviticus 6:1-7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "If a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely—in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins: then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering. And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses." Galations 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Loving your neighbor is one of the greatest commandments in God's Word. Individuals are expected to support and care for one another, making any act of harm against a fellow member particularly significant. When a person commits a sin against his fellow man, they are demonstrating a lack of commitment or loyalty to God's teaching. Everyone and everything belongs to God and therefore when they trespass against their neighbor, they sin against the Lord.
Neither men nor women were to be excluded from this command. The guilty party must confess their sin and give what he/she took plus 20 percent to the victim. If that person has died, the payment goes to his nearest relative. If no relatives are found, the offender was still obligated to pay back what was taken, but it was to be made to the priest. |
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