Leviticus 4 Commentary: Sin Offering for Unintentional Sin.
Priest = Bull. The whole community = Bull. Leader = Male goat. Individual = Female goat.
Notice the descending order in terms of size. It doesn’t mean the sin of one is bigger than the other. It simply means that the bigger the responsibility the higher the stakes!
This is what we notice even in everyday life. A toddler’s mistake results in a couple of broken plates. A teenager’s mistake results in failure at school and delayed progress. A man’s mistake affects the entire family both in the present and in the future. A sin by a national leader plunges the entire nation into trouble. The Bible wants us to see this concept.
All of these sacrifices for unintentional sin! Think about intentional sin – when you deliberately plan to sin, your eyes open and all your faculties awake!
These sacrifices here are not fines. They are a means to obtain grace. Indeed, a scene of crime is a place of punishment under normal circumstances. But in the scripture, the LORD wants us to remember a moment of sin as a moment of grace. This appears to be the key line in these pages.
Forgiveness is available.
When a priest sins, his sin brings guilt to the people. It points to the fact that the sin of the saint has community-wide consequences. There is never sin which is a private situation.
By laying hands on the animal, the priest transfers his sins onto the animal. But interestingly the fat and blood of the now sinful and guilty animal are treated differently.
By burning the flesh outside, the LORD makes the point that the guilty will be punished while the part that belongs to the LORD will enjoy a restored relationship. Importantly, in the LORD Jesus, both are achieved. The bad is burned and destroyed. But the redeemed of the LORD is preserved and treated differently in the Holy Place.
Splashing the blood seven times against the curtain of the Most Holy place reconnects us to the Creator God. The blood on the altar of incense opens a prayer line for the saint. Now your prayer can be heard!
Upon repentance, part of the sinner is destroyed while part of the sinner is preserved and all of this is fully achieved at Calvary.
When the community sins, the elders of the people must repent on behalf of the people. This goes for men who are leaders of families. Yes, use the rod on your mischievous son, but also repent on his behalf!
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