Leviticus 5

CHAPTER 5THEME: The trespass offering: specific acts of sin committed in ignorance; non-specific acts of sin committed in ignoranceSome expositors treat the first 13 verses of this chapter as part of the sin offering. There is ample justification for this, as the word trespass in verses Lev_5:6 and Lev_5:7 can be translated “guilt” and should be “for his guilt.” In verses Lev_5:6, Lev_5:7, Lev_5:9, and Lev_5:11, the sin offering is required for the trespass because the act of sin is caused by the nature of sin. All sin comes from the same source: the sin nature. You and I inherited it from Adam. The ax must be laid at the root as well as at the fruit. In our discussion here, we shall treat the entire chapter as the trespass offering. The word trespass has very much the same meaning in the King James translation as it does in present-day use of the word. We all understand a “No Trespassing” sign. It means we are not to invade the rights of others. Liberty is a word which is much misused and abused today. Many folk go around parading, burning things, destroying things, and talking about liberty. Friend, you are free to swing your fist in any direction that you please, but your liberty ends where my nose begins. A trespass is the invasion of the rights of either God or man. For example, withholding tithes from God was counted a trespass in Israel. We have the example of Achan who took the accursed thing and this was considered a trespass (Jos_7:1). We must always remember that our trespasses arise out of our sin nature. Man is totally depraved and actually has no capacity for God whatsoever. God makes it very clear that He cannot and will not accept the works of unsaved men to accomplish their salvation. Their righteousness is as filthy rags. He does not save by works of righteousness, but He saves us by His grace. It is impossible for an unsaved man to please God “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom_8:7).

When Jesus was on this earth, religious folk came to Him with this question, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (Joh_6:28-29). The apostles had the same answer, " …Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved …" (Act_16:31).

Leviticus 5:1

SPECIFIC ACTS OF SIN COMMITTED IN IGNORANCEThe list of sins enumerated here is obviously not an exhaustive list but gives us examples of a limitless number which could be named. These are sins of individuals, not of the entire congregation. Most of the section deals with the remedy and not the disease. So we find the emphasis is upon the type of offering and not on the character of the offerer, as it was in the sin offering. Let me say again that the four specific sins listed here are merely examples. I think one could fill up the rest of the Book of Leviticus with specific sins if one named them all. I understand some preacher made up a list of 800 specific sins that he had thought of. He was swamped with letters from people who wanted the list of sins. They thought maybe there was something they were missing since they couldn’t think of 800 sins. Well, here we are given a few examples. “And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing” could be better translated, “if a person sin in this respect that he hears the voice of adjuration.” It has to do with the hearing of an oath and being a witness. If a witness has seen or knows something, but he withholds the truth to the detriment of some individual, then that is a sin of omission. There are sins of omission today. Some folk come into church today thinking their hands are clean because they haven’t murdered or stolen. Listen to James: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas_4:17). Solomon prayed to God concerning this very issue of not telling the truth when a witness ought to tell the truth. “If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house: then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness” (1Ki_8:31-32). Let me give you an example of this. The town gossip is crossing the square of the town and she sees the president of the bank crossing the street. His secretary is also leaving the bank to go to lunch and a car hits her as she is crossing the street. The bank president rushes over and picks her up in his arms and takes her into a doctor’s office. The gossip runs to the telephone to call the wife of the bank president and says, “Do you know, Madge, I saw your husband with another woman in his arms!” Now although that was a fact, it wasn’t the whole truth! She is withholding important information. This is a sin of omission. I was in a meeting of Christian men who were talking about the pastor and they gave certain information that was accurate. But it wasn’t the whole truth. They told only a part of it; they didn’t tell the whole situation. They were willing to let that group of men believe that they had heard the whole story. That is a trespass. It is one of the most vicious sins that can be committed. Notice here that it is Number One on God’s Sin Parade! Over in the Book of Proverbs we find a list of things which God hates and in that list of seven we find “a lying tongue” (Pro_6:17). You remember that Jesus was quiet during most of His trial. We are told that He held His peace. But when He was put under oath, He broke His silence. Then He was no longer dumb like a sheep before her shearers is dumb. “…And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Mat_26:63-64). You see, under oath He did not hold His peace, but spoke out in witness. He told the whole truth.

Leviticus 5:2

This is the law concerning uncleanness. A man might become polluted by contact with a dead animal without being aware of it while others witnessed it. A dead carcase caused uncleanness by contact. Why? Probably for health reasons. This also speaks to Christians today. We can’t be out in the world without becoming unclean by seeing things and hearing things and thinking things. We are unclean. We may not even realize that we have come into contact with the unclean. It may be hidden from us so we are not even aware of it. But we are not to rush into God’s presence until we are cleansed. This is why the psalmist says, “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults” (Psa_19:12). We should not only pray for forgiveness in general, we are to name our specific failures to God and ask Him for forgiveness. But more than that, we should pray for forgiveness of sins that we may be unaware of. Sometimes we are unclean and do not realize it.

Leviticus 5:3

This is similar to the case of the unclean animal, yet God makes a distinction between man and beast. The penalty for this is more severe than for touching the beast (Lev_11:24 and Num_19:11-16). Apparently there were other distinctions of uncleanness concerning man other than death.

Leviticus 5:4

Careless speech is involved in this instance. Sometimes we promise to do something, and then we don’t do it. We promise that we will serve the Lord. Jephthah is an example of a man promising to do something very rashto offer his daughter. Simon Peter boldly declared that he would not deny Christ, but would die defending Him. Today I hear people making some very rash promises. In fact, I think some of our songs are dynamite, to tell the truth. In our songs we promise to give all to Him, to follow Him, to die for Him. We sing them so glibly that we don’t even know what we are singing. Also I think it is careless speech and presumptuous when we try to demand of God an answer to our prayers. We need always to remember that our prayers are to be in accordance with His will. If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Where did we get the idea that we could demand anything of God? “Then he shall be guilty in one of these” refers to the four things which have been listed. Many more could have been included.

Leviticus 5:5

Confession is commanded for the first time. The other offerings were an open admission of guilt. This one has to do with secret sins. They were hidden sins even though they were against God and man. You remember in Joshua 7, when Achan took the wedge of gold and the Babylonish garment, that trespass had to be dealt with publicly because it was that kind of sin. The laying on of hands in the other offerings was evidently an admission of sin. Here confession must come first, then the offering. In the sweet savor offerings, the offerings preceded any thought of confession. The opposite is true here. I think this is what our Lord had in mind in the Sermon on the Mount. “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Mat_5:23-24). The believer today is to confess his sin to God privately but he is to make restitution to the injured party. The trespass offering simply means the offering of guilt. It was a sin offering, since all sin stems from the sin nature. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners with a sin nature. Since this offering is for an act of sin which is one of the many facets of the sin nature, the value of the offering was not as great as the value of the sin offering in chapter 4.

Leviticus 5:7

The emphasis in the trespass offering is not in the character or position of the offerer, but in the sacrifice itself. Two turtledoves were required, as one was for a sin offering and one was for a burnt offering. The person and the work of Christ are represented in the poorest of offerings. This was the sacrifice of the poor. Christ preached glad tidings to the poor. Notice that it is labeled a sin offering because it arises from the sin nature.

Leviticus 5:8

Blood must be shed, though the head of the bird was not removed from the body.

Leviticus 5:10

The sinner has complete forgiveness even with the little bird. All of this points to Christ as the one sacrifice.

Leviticus 5:11

The poorest of the poor was not left out. If one could not bring a bird, he could bring what amounted to a piece of bread. This sacrifice was still a substitute for him.

Leviticus 5:14

NON-SPECIFIC ACTS OF SIN COMMITTED IN IGNORANCEThese trespass offerings emphasize the fact that there has been an invasion of the rights of both God and man. Harm to others is the feature which requires that reparation had to be performed. The principal had to be restored plus a fifth part. This must be what Zacchaeus had in mind when he told the Lord that he would give half his goods to the poor and restore fourfold what he had taken from any man by false accusation (Luk_19:8). The chief wrong committed through ignorance seems to apply to robbing God in connection with tithes and offerings. We find this again in Malachi: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation” (Mal_3:8-9). The Lord promises them blessing if they will bring their tithes, such blessing that there shall not be room to receive it. Ecc_5:5 warns, “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” For this kind of neglect, this trespass against God, the offering must be valuable. It must be a ram. This points us to Christ, who is precious. “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Pe_1:19). Through this offering there was forgiveness for the sinner who committed the trespass in ignorance.

Leviticus 5:17

This apparently had to do with breaking any of the commandments of God in ignorance. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. This is also true in civil law. In spite of the lack of knowledge of the commandment, the offender was guilty and was held liable. Here again, the ram is given as the only animal for the trespass offering. This offering in its ritual followed the pattern of the sin offering, except in the sprinkling of the blood, which followed the pattern of the burnt and peace offerings. We will see this in more detail in chapter 7.