04.04. THE SIN OFFERING
THE SIN OFFERING
for Sins of Ignorance (Leviticus 4:1-35).
Leviticus 4:1-2. “And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of Jehovah concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them.” IN is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), or, more literally, “sin is lawlessness”; it is as the original term implies, a missing of the mark, or a coming short of the divine requirements, either as to the whole or in any one of its particulars, for he that offendeth in one point is guilty of all (James 2:10). According to this, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The sentence of the law is, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20); but God, in the riches of His grace, has provided a remedy. He has given the blood of His own spotless Lamb upon the altar to make an atonement for the soul, and that blood “cleanseth from all sin” (1 John 1:7). But it is for sins of ignorance that the provision here is made. So said the Apostle Paul, “I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13); and it is for such that Jesus made intercession on the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). For willful continuance in sin after the truth is known there is no remedy, for “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin” (Hebrews 10:26). It is the sin-stricken, penitent soul that pleads the sacrifice and obtains a full salvation.
Leviticus 4:3. “If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto Jehovah for a sin offering.”
Here provision was made for the whole PRIESTLY FAMILY, including the high priest, for Aaron and his house; for the law made men high priests which had infirmity, who needed to offer sacrifice, first for their own sin, and then for the people (Hebrews 7:27-28). in contrast to the “High Priest of our profession” (Hebrews 3:1), who was sinless, but who, when made sin f or us, once for all, offered up Himself. And thus the high priest, on the great day of Atonement, presented a young bullock for a sin offering, and brought its blood within the veil to make an atonement for himself and for his house (Leviticus 16:1-34 :).
Leviticus 4:4. “And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle [tent] of the congregation before Jehovah; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before Jehovah.” The door of the tent of the congregation was the place of communion with God (Exodus 29:42-43). There stood the altar, and there stood the layer; and the personal act of the priest in killing the victim was typical of Christ when He offered up Himself; and the laying on of hands on the head of the sacrifice was expressive of the identification of the offerer with his offering.
Leviticus 4:5-7. “And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood, and bring IT to the tabernacle [tent] of the congregation: and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before Jehovah, before the veil of the sanctuary. And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Jehovah, which is in the tabernacle [tent] of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom [foundation] of the altar of the burnt offering [ascending offering], which is at the door of the tabernacle [tent] of the congregation.” As it was only on the great day of Atonement the blood could be carried within the veil, and sprinkled before and on the ark of the covenant, on other occasions that which came nearest to it was to be done: the blood was to be sprinkled seven times before Jehovah before the veil of the sanctuary. As it was against Jehovah that the sin was committed, satisfaction was made first, and above all, to Him. The blood was also to be put upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense, as on the day of Atonement. The remainder of the blood was to be poured out at the bottom [foundation] of the brazen altar, teaching us that atonement by blood lies at the foundation of all our approach to God, our worship of God, and our communion with Him.
Leviticus 4:8-10. “And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he takeaway, as it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn [burn as incense] them upon the altar of the burnt offering [ascending offering].”
Reminding us, as in the peace offering, that when Jesus presented Himself on the cross “an offering and a sacrifice to God as a sweet-smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2), the inward experiences of His soul were infinitely precious in the sight of God, who alone could fully know and adequately appreciate them.
Leviticus 4:11-12. “And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung, even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn HIM on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.” With the exception of the blood, which was sprinkled and poured out, and the fat of the inwards, which was burnt as incense on the altar, the whole bullock was carried forth without the camp, and there consumed or burnt up on the wood with fire; so Jesus, who suffered for us without the gate, by that one offering has forever and entirely put away sin, and to them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation (Hebrews 13:11-13; Hebrews 9:27-28). The ashes which were left after the consuming of the burnt offering were to be taken and put beside the altar, and then carried forth to a clean place (Leviticus 6:10-11). This was typical of the taking down from the cross the sacred remains of the Lord Jesus, and the burial of the body in Joseph’s tomb, where never man before had laid, and hence undefiled by death. The connection between the place of Sacrifice and of burial is beautifully expressed in the words of John 19:41-42 : “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet lain. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.”
Thus we see the wonderful coincidence between the type and the antitype. FOR THE WHOLE CONGREGATION, OR FOR THE ASSEMBLY.
Leviticus 4:13-14. “And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of Jehovah concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty; when the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation [assembly] shall offer [bring near] a young bullock for the sin [sin offering], and bring him before the tabernacle [tent] of the congregation.”
“The WHOLE CONGREGATION of Israel” is typical of the entire Church of God, composed of all God’s people, everywhere on earth. “THE ASSEMBLY” is typical of a portion of the Church in any locality. In Leviticus 4:13 both terms, CONGREGATION and ASSEMBLY, are correctly employed as in the Hebrew, though in the Authorized Version they are often misplaced. “Sin through ignorance.” Something in Church order or practice which may be contrary to the Word of God and the commandments of the Lord Jesus. The universality of a practice is no excuse if it be contrary to the Word of God; it “should not be done.” When the sin is known, then the local assembly have to deal with it as the sin of the whole, yet recognizing their own part in it. For the putting away of the sin, the obedience of Christ the perfect Servant, who never transgressed God’s Word, and His atoning sacrifice, must be realized by faith, and pleaded in prayer, in the presence of God, and where He meets with His people.
“THE ELDERS” (Leviticus 4:15) confess the sin and plead the sacrifice; the HIGH PRIEST of our profession (Leviticus 4:16) presents before God His own blood, which makes perfect reconciliation and full atonement. As the BLOOD was to be poured OUT at the bottom, or FOUNDATION, of the altar (Leviticus 4:18), so the blood of atonement lies at the very foundation of all our worship and communion with God, whether individual or collective.
Leviticus 4:19-21. The internal preciousness of Christ gives its value to His atoning sacrifice, and the offering of Him who suffered without the camp has entirely and forever put away the sin He bore. THE SIN OFFERING FOR THE RULER.
Leviticus 4:22-26. There are those whom the Lord has made RULERS over His household, to give them their portion of meat in due season; for such to do anything contrary to the commandments of the Lord and Saviour, even though done through ignorance, it is sin which can only be forgiven on the ground of atonement. But for this sin provision is made through faith in Him who, though made in the likeness of sinful flesh, was Himself sinless, and offered Himself a sacrifice for sin, combining in Himself that which was typified by the sin offering (Leviticus 4:24), the burnt or ascending offering (Leviticus 4:25), and the peace offering (Leviticus 4:26). As the communion of the assembly in this case was not affected as in the two former instances, the blood of the sin offering is not brought into the sanctuary, nor put on the altar of incense, nor sprinkled before the veil; but upon the HORNS of the BRAZEN altar and poured out at the FOUNDATION (Leviticus 4:25), the place of INDIVIDUAL communion with God. THE SIN OFFERING FOR ONE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE, OR ONE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND.
Leviticus 4:27-35. This is similar to the sin offering for the ruler, with this exception that the GOAT was to be a FEMALE, whilst that for the RULER was to be a MALE. In the case of the ruler, though his sin was in ignorance, he was culpable, for he ought to have known the will of the Lord, arid what was commanded or prohibited in His Word; but in regard to one of the people of the land he might have acted more under the influence of others, or have been led astray by erroneous teaching. The MALE offering contemplates the ACTIVE character, the FEMALE more the PASSIVE aspect of the offence. The OFFICIATING PRIEST is CHRIST, who was in life the OFFERER, in death the SACRIFICE, in resurrection the PRIEST, in ascension the HIGH PRIEST entered within the veil. When faith pleads His person and work, and He Himself makes intercession for us, the assurance comes concerning any sin confessed before God with the stamp of immutable truth upon it “it shall be forgiven him.” The GOAT for a sin offering, whether male or female, was typical of Christ, who was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, and who made atonement for sin in the flesh, whether active or passive, Himself sinless. The LAMB (Leviticus 4:32) represents Christ in the meekness and lowliness of His character, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, the Lamb of God, without a blemish and without a spot.