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114_The sin offering

Lev 4: 1-12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally[a] in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, 3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering. 4 He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord. 5 And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting, 6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the Lord that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall remove from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys 10 (just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings); and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung— 12 all the rest of the bull—he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and shall burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it shall be burned up.

Once a little boy broke a precious vase in his home. He had not meant to do it; he had been playing and carelessly bumped into it. Fearful of punishment, he tried to hide the broken pieces. But as the days passed, guilt gnawed at him. Finally, he confessed to his parents. To his surprise, they forgave him. Yet they allowed him to feel the consequences. They used the incident to teach him a lesson about responsibility and restitution. Like the little boy, we often sin unintentionally through a moment’s carelessness or a hasty decision. Yet we remain guilty until we come to God in repentance.

The Book of Leviticus, particularly chapter 4, helps us understand sin and atonement. The first three chapters of Leviticus describe various types of sacrifice. In chapter 4, only one type of offering is described – the sin offering – but with differences based on the person involved. This could range from the high priest, the entire congregation, a leader, or an individual. This change in structure emphasizes that no one is exempt from the guilt of sin. The repetition of words like “guilt” and “atonement” underscores the problems that come in the wake of sin, and the need to resolve it. While the offerings in the previous chapters were often described as a “soothing aroma” to the Lord, the sin offering focuses on only one thing: forgiveness.

Leviticus 4 describes the atonement offering for each category of people. In all cases, the prescription remains the same—an unblemished animal must die, its blood must be shed. The fat is burned on the altar, and sometimes the rest of the body is taken outside the camp to be completely burned in a clean place.

The sin offering highlights key aspects of sin and atonement.

Firstly, the sin offering was for specific sins. These were sins committed in ignorance, unintentional but still carrying guilt. Ignorance of wrongdoing does not mean we do not cause harm, or absolve us of guilt. Even in this world, if we unknowingly break a law, we are still liable to the legal consequences. All sin—whether intentional or not—confers guilt on the sinner, a sense of being wrong and of deserving punishment. .

Secondly, sin makes both the sinner and the land filthy. God told Israel in Jeremiah 2:7, “I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.” Sin is not just an offense against an individual or group, but a spreading corruption born of self-centeredness and the negation of God’s love. Only the animal’s death and the sprinkling of blood in the Tabernacle could provide even external cleansing.

Thirdly, the consequences of sin are costly. Each sin required a valuable sacrifice. For those with fewer resources, smaller animals were permitted. Yet the principle remained: sin is never trivial. It destroys and breaks our peace of mind, our joy, our relationships, our very lives.

Fourthly, God set apart the blood of certain animals to make atonement for the sin of his people. There was no place under that covenant for forgiveness of sin without an animal sacrifice to make atonement. Thus, Hebrews 9:22 states, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” The blood of the sacrificed animal represented its death. God thus prophesied through these pictures the final and all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ, the sin offering for the sins of the whole world. Through one offering he cleanses all those who come to him and follow him in faith and obedience.

Interestingly, the Old Testament law provided no sacrifice for intentional, willful sin. This raises an important question: What happens when we knowingly sin and refuse to heed the conviction of the truth? When David was confronted by Nathan for his sin with Bathsheba, David did not resist the truth. He instantly allowed the truth to humble him and threw himself on the mercy of God. He pleaded, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51). He came with utmost contrition and with a broken heart to beg forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration to the path of righteousness, to the only one who mattered – God. His own life was no longer precious to him. He did not beg that he might continue to live with Bathsheba, purchased at such a great price to his own soul. This showed his true repentance and horror of himself, which led to complete humility before God.

The tax collector in Jesus’ parable in Luke 18 also prayed with a similar heart of contrition, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” He found mercy, and went home justified. This is the heart of the gospel—God’s mercy extended to those who humbly acknowledge their sin and seek His grace.

Hebrews 13:10-13 reveals that Christ was foreshadowed by the sin offering: “The bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood.” Just as the sin offering was burned outside the camp, Jesus suffered for sin outside the city. But in His rejection, He brought us before God.

Today, the sin offering continues to teach us the weight of sin. Even our unintentional sins separate us from God. Second, it calls us to confession and repentance. We cannot excuse our sin; we must acknowledge it before God. Third, it assures us of forgiveness through Christ. No sin is beyond His mercy when we come to Him in true repentance.

Psalm 32:1-2 declares, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” This is the blessing we have in Christ.

Let us live in this reality. Let us not take sin lightly. Yet, when we sin, let us not despair. Let us humble ourselves and confess our unfaithfulness. Then we will be cleansed and continue to walk with the Lord. This is our confidence: not in our righteousness, but in the finished work of Christ, our perfect sin offering. Let this be our boast and our hope as we live for Him. God bless.