Journal Through the Bible: Week 17 Saturday

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Leviticus 5:14-6:30 

Does God make any promises in this passage?

• God promised forgiveness when the proper procedures for the trespass offering were followed (restitution, interest, then the sacrifice).

Are there any references to Jesus?

• As God, Jesus knew the whole law and fulfilled it. He was not ignorant of the law but took the penalty for us, the ones who break the law intentionally and unintentionally. (The ram of the trespass offering reminds me of the ram caught in the thicket when Abraham went to offer Isaac. He stated that God would provide himself a sacrifice. God did just that.)
• The trespass offering required making restitution to someone who had been wronged prior to making an offering to the LORD. This principle was taught by Jesus when He told His audience to leave their gifts at the altar and go ask the forgiveness of the brother they had wronged before making their offering to God. It was also the sign of Zaccheus' repentance because he told Jesus he would make restitution 4-fold (400%?!)
• Jesus is our priest and Hebrews says that He is adorned as such.
• The bread of the meat offering was a symbol of the body of Jesus that was given for our redemption from sin. The bread was unleavened just as Jesus was sinless. The flour was sprinkled with frankincense which is a burial spice just as Jesus was prepared for death.
• Whatever would be touched by the flesh or the blood of the sin offering would be holy. As our sin offering, Jesus makes us holy when His life touches ours. Because of His sacrificial death we, the unholy, become holy. The earthen vessel was to be broken that held the sacrifice as it was boiling. So must our earthly vessels (our earthly bodies) be broken to become like Him.

Are there any references to future events?

• The shattering of the earthen vessels not only speaks of the submission to Christ through our death to self but it pictures our physical death when this earthly body passes away and we are resurrected with a body that will no longer be susceptible to sin or any other corruption. We will have heavenly bodies (which must also be physical bodies since Jesus was seen in His resurrected physical body) once we are raised with our immortal bodies. 

Does God issue any commands?

• God gave instructions to Moses that the offering given by an individual for the trespass offering when the person sinned ignorantly was to be a ram without blemish as well as a certain amount of silver to compensate for the loss caused by the sin. The person was also to make amends with a penalty of 20% added.
• God also made it clear that ignorance of the law was no excuse. The person would bear their guilt because in trespassing against another person they had also trespassed against the LORD.
• God listed being careless with the possessions of another person, theft, violent theft, deceitfully keeping something found, swearing falsely as grievous trespasses that would require being restored to the rightful owner with the addition of the 20% interest.
• God gave further instructions for the burnt offering including how the priest would dress when offering the burnt offering upon the altar and when he would carry the ashes out to the clean place outside the camp. The fire was also not to go out.
• God gave further instructions concerning the meat offering including how it should be eaten.
• God gave further instructions about the sin offering including where it should be offered, who should eat it, and where it should be eaten.