Leviticus 5 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a three-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

9. Specific Sins requiring a SIN OFFERING: Lev 5:1-6

1 ‘“If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.

2 ‘“If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty – if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt; 3 or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt – 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.

A. Find Out

1. What is the first failure covered? v.1
2. What is the second failure covered? v.2
3. What is the third one covered? v.3
4. What is the fourth one covered? v.4
5. What is that person first do about it? v.5
6. What must they then do about it? v.6

B. Comment:

What similarity is there between the first and fourth sins? They are sins to do with speech. The first one is a failure to speak up when you should and the fourth is speaking carelessly.

How are the second and third similar? They are both about touching something that is prohibited, and which will make the person ‘unclean’.

Why do we think these particular sins are mentioned? Because the people of Israel were called to be a special people, a holy people and they were holy because of what they DID. Justice was an important issue in maintaining the Law and therefore failure to take responsibility and speak up when you should, undermined justice. But truth was so important that sometimes an oath was required, and so responsibility over making an oath was high. Don’t carelessly make an oath said the Law. But they were also holy because of what they ate and how they kept themselves clean, i.e. there were hygiene laws to promote good health and that, we suggest, is what was behind verses 2 and 3.

When a person became aware that they had failed in one of these ways, there were two things they needed to do. The first was with their lips – they needed to confess their failure. The second was bringing a sin offering. Words can be cheap but bringing an offering cost you, and that drove the point home! These were means of dealing with the very basics of being the holy people of God and maintaining that holiness.   

C. Application:

  I wonder, as Christians, are we aware that we are a holy people and as such we have responsibilities that preclude certain behavior. We may think it is all just a case of ‘believing in Jesus’ but it is also about being children of God – children of a holy God and we care called to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet 1:15,16)

10. SIN OFFERINGS for the Poor: Lev 5:7-13

7 ‘“Anyone who cannot afford a lamb is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for their sin – one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8 They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck, not dividing it completely, 9 and is to splash some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

11 ‘“If, however, they cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 They are to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering.”’

A. Find Out

1. For whom are the following regulations given? v.7a,11a
2. What is to be brought as the first alternative, and for what? v.7
3. How are different offerings brought? v.8-10
4. What is the second alternative? v.11
5. How is it considered? v.11b, 13c
6. How is it to be given? v.12

B. Comment:

  Poverty is not to bar a sinner from coming to God using the sacrificial system and there are two options given. If the person doesn’t have a lamb to bring then they can bring two doves or two pigeons instead (v.7). If they can’t afford those then they can simply bring fine flour (v.11) as their offering – every family would have some of that and that was to be their offering.

  If the offering was two pigeons or two doves, they would be used in different ways. The first was to be seen as a sin offering and was killed and some of its blood shed thus brings cleansing and forgiveness by the giving of a life. (Note only the blood is used – the sign of a life being given). The second was a burnt offering (see 1:14-17) and it is burnt on the altar as an offering to please the Lord (see 1:17c) and acting in an atoning way (5:10) to restore fellowship with the Lord.

  If the offering was flour, it is to be brought without any additives (v.11) and the priest took a handful of it and burnt it on top of the other offerings on the altar as the most simple of the sin offerings. The rest was to be for the priest, part of his support, if you like.   

C. Application:

As we have noted before, no one is excluded from God’s presence because of lack of possessions. In each case it was bring what you can afford. If you were well off, you brought an animal. If you were not so well off and had no animals you just brought two birds. If you were really hard up you simply brought some flour. The concern was to deal with the sin and to re-establish the relationship with the Lord. Today, because of Jesus, the way is always open. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” (1 Jn 1:9) and that is all because Jesus has been our sacrifice and we come to God on that basis.

11. The GUILT OFFERING (1): Lev 5:14-19

14 The Lord said to Moses: 15 ‘When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. 16 They must make restitution for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.

17 ‘If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible. 18 They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of wrongdoing against the Lord.’

A. Find Out

1. Who is to bring what, when, and what is it to be? v.15
2. For what is he to make restitution and add what? v.16a
3. What will the priest do for him? v.16b
4. When will a person be considered guilty? v.17
5. What is he to bring, and why? v.18
6. What is it and why? v.19

B. Comment:

There are the two areas of sin covered in these rules: sins in regard to the Holy things of the Tabernacle (implied v.15) and any specific disobedience (v.17). In both cases there is guilt even though the failures were unintentional.

The aims of the commands given here appear to be a) to impose a penalty or fine (v.15), and b) to provide restitution (v.16) where that has involved loss (e.g., failure to pay a tithe?) and c) to make atonement (v.16,18) for his sin and receive forgiveness and, overall, to declare guilt even when it was unintentional and not realized.

The instructions in respect of guilt offerings continue into chapter 6 in respect of possessions, but initially these offerings considered here in chapter 5 are purely to do with the Lord. When it comes to wrongly handling holy things in the tabernacle or failing to come with required tithe or offering, this is to be clearly seen as a sin against God and the person is answerable to God. Similarly, if there are commands in respect of the Lord which a person breaks, again this is to be clearly seen as a sin against God. In this manner these particular commands declare a specific accountability to the Lord. The person may not have realized   it, be he IS accountable to the Lord and has an unresolved or outstanding issue with the Lord until he deals with it.

C. Application:

These rules declare to us that knowledge of a sin is not the issue. We may not realize we are sinning, but it is still a sin. As we might say today, ignorance of the Law is no excuse!

Many times Christians go blithely through life not realizing that an attitude or action is sinful – but it is and while it remains unconfessed it acts as a hindrance in their life. Once it is confessed it is immediately dealt with by Christ’s work on the Cross.