OFFERING: A STUDY OF LEVITICUS
The Sin Offering:
God’s Remedy for Our Failures
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
DRAWING NEAR
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar” (1
John 1:10). We may indeed sin through ignorance. But we
cannot claim ignorance of the sin nature inherent within each
of us.–Jon Courson
THE SIN OFFERING
Imagine a complex, well-ordered society such that in
every area of life there are actions that make a person dirty
and further prescribed actions that make that person clean.
When you get up in the morning, you wear clothes of certain
kinds of fabric, but not others. There are clean foods and
unclean foods. If a spot of mold appears on the wall of your
house, there are procedures for treating it. Men must adopt a
certain course after a wet dream, women in connection with
their periods. Some unclean things must not even be touched.
In addition there is a complex religious and sacrificial system
each person is supposed to observe, and failure to observe it at
any point brings its own uncleanness. And all of this fits into a
still broader set of constraints that include what we normally
call moral categories: how we speak, truth-telling, how we
treat others, questions of property, sexual integrity, neighborly
actions, judicial impartiality, and so forth. Understand, too,
that in this society the rules have been laid down by God
himself. They are not the results of some elected Congress or
Parliament, easily overturned by a fickle or frustrated public
eager for something else. To ignore or defy these rules is to
defy the living God. What kinds of lessons would be learned
in such a society?
Welcome to the world of Leviticus. This, too, is part of
the heritage from Mount Sinai, part of the Mosaic Covenant.
Here the people of God are to learn that God prescribes what
is right and wrong, and that he has a right to do so; that
holiness embraces all of life; that there is a distinction between
the conduct of the people of God and the conduct of the
surrounding pagans, not merely a difference in abstract
beliefs. Here the Lord himself prescribes what sacrifices are
necessary, along with confession of sin (Lev. 5:5), when a
person falls into uncleanness; and even that the system itself is
no final answer, since one is constantly falling under another
taboo and returning to offer sacrifices one has offered before.
One begins to wonder if there will ever be one final sacrifice
for sins.
But that is down the road. Here in Leviticus 4-5, Christian
readers delight to observe that while God trains up his
covenant people in elementary religious thought, he provides
means such that even the poorest in society may regain
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Winter 2011
This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Offering: A Study of Leviticus” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this
series are available at www.firstfamilyministries.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
January 29/30, 2011
cleanness. The person who cannot afford a sacrificial lamb
may bring a pair of doves or a pair of pigeons; the person who
cannot afford these may bring a small amount of flour. The
lessons continue; always there is hope and a way of escape
from the punishment that rebellion attracts. [For the love of
God: A daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s
Word by D.A. Carson.]
UNINTENTIONAL SIN
Does God hold Christians responsible for their
unpremeditated and unconscious sins?
For a believer, unconscious sins are a serious concern, but
they shouldn't be a cause for fear of abandonment or judgment
by God. Because we are all sinners by nature, born into a
fallen world, we are all guilty of unintentional sin. We would
be in a hopeless situation, however, if God required us to be
aware of every specific sin in our life and then confess it in
order to maintain our fellowship with Him. This would be
impossible for us in our limited, fallen state.
Old Testament law indicates that God looks upon
unconscious sin differently from conscious sin. The law
prescribed sacrifices for sins done in ignorance or weakness
and without willful intent ( Leviticus 4:2-3, 13-14 ). However,
Old Testament law provided no sacrifice for conscious sin:
Anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or
alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut
off from his people. Because he has despised the LORD's
word and broken His commands, that person must surely
be cut off; his guilt remains on him (Numbers 15:30-31
NIV).
The New Testament also distinguishes clearly between
willful and unconscious sin:
That servant who knows his master's will and does
not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be
beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know
and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with
few blows. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be demanded; and from the one who has been
entrusted with much, much more will be asked (Luke
12:47-48 NIV).
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not
be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for
their sin (John 15:22 NIV).
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a
persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because
I acted in ignorance and unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13 NIV).
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 Although the Bible distinguishes between conscious and
unconscious sin, when we first put our faith in Jesus Christ,
He declared us "justified." He forgave us in a legal and
judicial sense. He did this once and for all, forgiving us of any
and all sins: past, present, and future; conscious and
unconscious.
On the basis of this legal standing, God has accepted us
once and for all into His eternal family (Romans 5:1). Now,
even when we sin (either consciously or unconsciously) we
are in a new relationship to Him. No longer must we fear
God's condemnation and judgment. Christ has enabled us to be
God's sons and daughters, no longer facing damnation because
of sin. However, although we need no longer fear judgment
because of sin, sin still interferes with our relationship with
God and other people, and sometimes makes it necessary for
Him to discipline us as a firm but loving Father.
We shouldn't worry about our unconscious sin. Although
it has destructive effects in our lives, there is so much sin
dwelling within us that we can't expect to be instantly
delivered from its influence. We need to be humbled,
however, by the fact that we sin in many ways that we don't
detect, and be willing to confess and renounce any sin that the
Holy Spirit brings into the light of our awareness. Our Father
in heaven is ready to remedy the loss of communication and
personal separation that occurs when we resist Him and go our
own way (1 John 1:7,8). But to enjoy the full benefit of
relationship with Him, we need to agree with Him about our
sin. And it would be wise to follow King David's example by
praying, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and
know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).
[by Dan Vander Lugt]
KEYS TO THE TEXT
(From the MacArthur Study Bible)
4:1–5:13 The sin offering atoned for sins committed
unknowingly where restitution was impossible. This was a
required sacrifice, as was the guilt offering (5:14–6:7).
Unintentional sins of commission (4:1–35) and unintentional
sins of omission (5:1–13) are discussed. Leviticus 4:1–35
indicates the person committing the sin: 1) the High-Priest
(vv. 3–12); 2) the congregation (vv. 13–21); 3) a leader (vv.
22–26); and 4) an individual (vv. 27–35). Leviticus 5:1–13
unfolds according to the animal sacrificed: 1) lamb/goat (vv.
1–6); 2) bird (vv. 7–10); and 3) flour (vv. 11–13).
4:2 unintentionally. The intended meaning is to stray
into a sinful situation, but not necessarily to be taken
completely by surprise. Nu 15:30, 31 illustrates the defiant
attitude of intentional sin. not to be done … commits any.
Sins of commission.
4:3–12 Sacrifices for the sin of the High-Priest are given.
4:3 the anointed priest. See Ex 29:29 and Lv 16:32,
which defined this person as the High-Priest. bring guilt on
the people. Only the High-Priest, due to his representative
position, was capable of this type of guilt infusion. For
example, Achan had brought about the defeat of Israel when
he held back the spoils, but the entire nation was not executed,
as was his family (cf. Jos 7:22–26).
4:5 to the tent of meeting. He actually went into the
Holy Place.
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Winter 2011
This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series “Offering: A Study of Leviticus” by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this
series are available at www.firstfamilyministries.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
4:6 seven times. The number of completion or perfection,
indicating the nature of God’s forgiveness (Ps 103:12). the
veil of the sanctuary. The veil marked the entry into the very
presence of God in the Holy of Holies.
4:7 altar of fragrant incense. See Ex 30:1–10. This altar
was in the tabernacle proper before the veil. It was so close to
the ark that Hebrews speaks of it as actually being in the Holy
of Holies (Heb 9:4). This altar was also sprinkled with blood
on the Day of Atonement (Ex 30:10). Altar of burnt offering.
The altar in the courtyard on which blood was normally
splashed.
4:11 refuse. This term identifies the major internal organs
of an animal, including the intestines’ waste content.
4:12 bring … outside the camp. This was a symbolic
gesture of removing the sin from the people (cf. Heb 13:11–13
in reference to Christ).
4:13–21 Sacrifices for the sin of the congregation were to
follow essentially the same procedure as that for the sin of
priests (4:3–12).
4:22–26 These are sacrifices for the sin of a ruler. The
blood of the sacrifice was not sprinkled in the Holy Place, as
for the priest or congregation (4:6, 17), but only on the altar of
burnt offering.
4:27–35 These are sacrifices for the sin of an individual.
Either a goat (4:27–31) or a lamb (4:32–35) could be
sacrificed in much the same manner as the offering for a ruler
(4:22–26).
5:1–13 Dealing with unintentional sins continues with an
emphasis on sins of omission (vv. 1–4). Lambs/goats (v. 6),
birds (vv. 7–10), or flour (vv. 11–13) were acceptable
sacrifices.
5:1–5 This call to confession named a few examples of
violations for which penitence was the right response: 1)
withholding evidence (v. 1); 2) touching something unclean
(vv. 2, 3); and 3) rash oath making (v. 4).
5:1 public adjuration … witness. A witness who did not
come forward to testify was sinning when he had actually seen
a violation or had firsthand knowledge, such as hearing the
violator confess to the sin.
5:4 swears. “Speaking thoughtlessly” suggests a reckless
oath for good or bad, i.e., an oath the speaker should not or
could not keep.
5:5 he shall confess. Confession must accompany the
sacrifice as the outward expression of a repentant heart which
openly acknowledged agreement with God concerning sin.
Sacrifice minus true faith, repentance, and obedience was
hypocrisy (cf. Ps 26:4; Is 9:17; Am 5:21–26).
5:11 ephah. About 6 gallons. not put oil … incense.
Contrast the grain offering (2:2).
ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION
1. What does a sin of ignorance reveal about human
nature?
2. Are we forgiven for intentional sins of rebellion or
defiance against God?
3. What does the church need to learn about being a
confessing community?
4. Why do unbelievers call Christians hypocrites?
5. How can we create an atmosphere of love,
acceptance and forgiveness?
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