Leviticus 6

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:32:10utc

The Guilt Offering (continued) 6:1-7.

The sins mentioned in these seven verses deal with human relations. The first cause of this kind of sin, however, is the same is in the preceding category. Sin against a neighbor begins with a decline in our relationship with God; therefore, when we are unfaithful to God, we become unfaithful to men. Our relationship with God determines our relationship with men.

The sins in this section are not committed in ignorance or in good faith. They are deliberate sins, such as lying, stealing, extortion, and taking a false oath. There is no excuse for these acts. The person who commits these sins knows what he does and he knows he is guilty. That is why we do not read, as in previous cases, what he should do when he discovers his sin. There is nothing to discover; he knew all the time what he did. There should, however, be a moment of awakening, of realization of the seriousness of the act; otherwise, the sinner would not make restitution or bring a sacrifice to the Lord. This moment of repentance and brokenness is not specifically mentioned here; yet, it is an important factor in the process. Without the presence and conviction of the Holy Spirit, man's eyes will never be opened to the reality of what he is. It is only in the presence of the Lord, as when Zacchaeus, who "stood up and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount,' "[ 1 ] that the desire to set things straight will become a natural response.

Reconciliation consists of two parts: Restitution to the person who has been wronged by the sin committed is mentioned first. This, probably, means that there should be reconciliation with men before reconciliation with God. At least, Jesus favors this interpretation when He says: "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."[ 2 ] After reconciliation with man, reconciliation with God takes place. The Bible considers both acts to be part of the same matter so that both have to be carried out on the same day. The guilt offering is the same for all cases: a lamb without blemish, foreshadowing the Lamb of God who carries away the sin of the world. Jesus died for our sins; sins committed in ignorance, sins committed unintentionally as well as deliberate sins. By means of this sacrifice we are forgiven. "He will be forgiven for any of these things he did that made him guilty" (vs. 7).

2. The Role of the Priests in All the Sacrifices 6:8-7:38

a. The Role of the Priest in the Burnt Sacrifice 6:8-13.

These verses belong to the sacrifice of ch. 1:1-17. They deal specifically with the fire and the ashes of the altar. The sacrifice has to be completely consumed by fire. In order to guarantee this, the ashes of the burnt sacrifice could only be removed the next morning. For a sacrifice that had been brought in the morning of the previous day, this meant a period of twenty-four hours. The minimum would be twelve hours if it had been killed the night before.

Man was not allowed to eat any part of this sacrifice; there was nothing that remained of it. The sacrifice belonged to God exclusively. It was irrevocable; it meant death twice over: first, the death of the sacrificial animal and then this complete decomposition. Three times the commandment is given that "the fire must be kept burning on the altar." In practice, this must have meant that the priest who served at night could not sleep. He had to keep watch over the sacrifice.

Obviously, this has a deep spiritual meaning. It is man's responsibility to keep the fire burning in providing the fuel. Most of the work of the Holy Spirit in this world depends upon our watchfulness and zeal. Isn't that the point in the parable of the five virgins?[ 3 ]

The removal of the ashes was a sacred matter, for which the priest had to wear special garments. The burnt offering expresses God's agape love. It constitutes the highest form of sacrifice. and it lays the basis for all the other sacrifices. We read that the sin offering and the guilt offering had to be killed at the same place as the burnt offering (6:25; 7:2). All sacrifices are aspects of the cross of Christ Jesus.

b. The Grain Offering 6:14-23

This section consists of two parts: vs. 14-18 detail what the priest has to do with the grain offering brought by the Israelites, and vs. 19-23 give instructions for the grain offering the priest brings on the day of his consecration.

For the ordinary grain offering a handful of flour and part of the oil with all the incense had to be burned on the altar. The rest of the flour and oil was to be made into unleavened cake; for the priests who had to eat it in the courtyard of the tabernacle.

This sacrifice, in which man gives himself as a creature, made of the dust of the earth, to his Creator, serves mainly as food for the priest. The person who surrenders his life to the Lord supports the work of the Lord in supporting those who serve the Lord.

God considers this grain offering as sinless. The cakes that are baked are without yeast, symbolizing a life that is pure and not influenced by sin. It is called "most holy." Because it is dedicated to the most holy God, it exhibits God's characteristics. That is why it is also contagious, in the good sense of the word, and influences all that it touches. As such, it is an image of the human nature of Jesus. "All who touched him were healed."[ 4 ]

The verses 19 - 23 mention a particular grain offering which is only used at the anointing ceremony of a priest. It seems that it would have been more logical if this section had been inserted in ch. 8 or 9, but, as it appears here, it emphasizes more directly the anointing of Jesus Christ to the priesthood. The dedication of a man to God was academic in as far as there was no one who was far enough from the pollution of sin to be able to be represented by this sacrifice. Only Jesus could say: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come-- it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.' "[ 5 ] Or, as the author of Hebrews puts it: "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: 'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am-- it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.' First he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them' (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, 'Here I am, I have come to do your will.' He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."[ 6 ]

There is also a reference to the resurrection in the acceptance of the priesthood. If I understand Heb. 5:5-10 and other parts correctly, Jesus' priesthood is connected to his resurrection from the dead. He became priest at the day of His resurrection. In that sense ch. 6:19-23 deals with a sacrifice that lies beyond our horizon.

c. The Sin Offering 6:24-30.

The fact that both the sin offering and the burnt offering foreshadows of the cross of our Lord Jesus is confirmed by vs. 25, which says: "The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the LORD in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy." Both are brought before the Lord, both are most holy. With the exception of the bull that was sacrificed for the sin of the priest or for the sin of the whole community, the part of the sacrifice that was not burned on the altar was for the priest. This meat was not to be considered as ordinary meat. We read in vs. 28, "The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water." The priest ate holy food in a world that is polluted by sin. And he had to see to it that what was polluted would not be sanctified by that which was holy!

We get the impression from what the prophet Haggai says that the opposite was true. We read: "'If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?' The priests answered, 'No.' Then Haggai said, 'If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?' 'Yes,' the priests replied, 'it becomes defiled.' Then Haggai said, 'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.' "[ 7 ] In the case which Haggai mentions, the contact is indirect. It was not the meat that touched other food, but the garment in which the meat was wrapped. The fact remains that we live in a world in which unholiness is contagious and holiness is not. This is due to the fact that we, as men, are fallen and that the world in which we live is corrupt. The declaration of ch. 6:27, therefore, is just as much a declaration of the resurrection as the vs. 19-23 are. In the midst of the corruption to which creation is subjected, God announces a reversal of the process.

We saw already that Jesus was not susceptible to pollution, but that everything He touched became pure and whole. We should never underestimate the sanctifying influence of the Word of God.

There is a paradox in that this principle did not apply to the first two sacrifices, of which the blood was brought into the sanctuary. In the Old Testament two sacrifices were necessary to portray all the aspects of the sacrifice of Christ.

[ 1 ] Luke 19:8

[ 2 ] Matt. 5:23, 24

[ 3 ] Matt. 25:1-13

[ 4 ] Mark 6:56

[ 5 ] Ps 40:6-8

[ 6 ] Heb. 10:5-10

[ 7 ] Hag. 2:12-14