Lesson #06

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Leviticus

September 21, 2015

Introduction

May 13, 2010

Leviticus Lesson #02

May 13, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

LEVITICUS 4:1-12
Lesson #06
THE SIN OFFERING (For the Sin Nature)

• Memory Verse: Psa 19:12

• This is the first of the non-sweet savor offerings in the book of Leviticus.
  • That means it is a compulsory offering.
  • That means it is going to tell us about the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
• There are two offerings in Leviticus for sin. Why do we need two offerings for sin?
  • One is for the sin nature.
  • The other is for personal sin.
• Because this offering is the longest of the 5 offerings, it is most important for us to fully understand it. A person that really understands this offering will seek God and His forgiveness.
  • However, man does not understand that he is by nature a sinner.
  • This is why the Bible tells us in Rom 3:11, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”
• Background:
  • Before studying this offering, we need to know what is the sin nature and from where it came.
  • Read Gen 2:9
    • The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the source of the sin nature.
    • If Adam and Eve had never eaten from this tree they would have never known sin.
      • Sin is evil.
      • The moment that man ate of this tree, his nature changed.
        • Before the sin of Adam and Eve, man had a close relationship with God. Therefore, man’s spirit was the predominant part of man’s being. The next dominant part was man’s soul. Man’s body was least important.
        • How do we know this?
          • Adam and Eve were naked but they were not ashamed until after the sin.
          • They had not been aware of their bodies until after the sin.
    • After the sin of Adam and Eve, man’s fellowship with God was broken. He now had a relationship with Satan.
      • As a result, man’s spirit became less aware of God and was no longer the most dominant part of man’s being.
      • Instead man’s spirit became the least important. Now the physical body, its desires and needs became the most important part of man.
      • The spirit of man that once was the highest part of man’s complex nature, no longer dominated man’s nature after the fall into sin. It fell below the level of the soul, so that now it is difficult to discern the difference between soul and spirit. (Heb 4:12)
      • The body and the soul now dominate man’s nature.
  • Man is more closely linked to Satan than to God after the fall of Adam and Eve.
    • Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” (Joh 8:44)
    • Therefore, after the fall of Adam and Eve, man’s nature became a sinful nature linked to Satan, the father of sin and subject to both physical and spiritual death.
      • Read Gen 2:17
      • Read Rom 5:12
  • The sin nature inherited from Adam makes man a sinner by nature.
    • Man’s personal sins come from man’s sin nature.
      • In other words, because man is more tied to Satan than to God, he cannot help but do the will of Satan.
      • Man’s lusts spring from his basic sinful nature.
    • Because of man’s sinful nature, he cannot help but sin, and he cannot please God.
• The Sin Offering as given here in Leviticus is a new offering.
  • Other nations and cultures did not have an offering like the Sin Offering.
  • Before the days of Moses, the Jews had no such offering as this one.
    • Why?
    • If the sin nature existed from Adam and Eve to Moses, why was there no sin offering until the Law of Moses?
      • The purpose of the Law of Moses was to reveal to man that he was a sinner.
      • Until man realized that he was a sinner, there was no need for an offering to take care of this sin problem. (Man was like a child before the age of accountability because he did not know the difference between good and evil.)
• The burnt offering and the sin offering compared:

The Burnt Offering	The Sin Offering
It tells us who Christ is.	It tells us what Christ did.
Christ meets the demands of God’s high standard of holiness.	Christ meets the demands of man’s deep need of forgiveness.
We see the precious nature of Christ.	We see the hateful nature of man in sin.
A voluntary offering.	A compulsory offering.
This offering went up to God.	This offering was poured out

 

• The Sin Offering ( Non-Sweet Savor Offering) (Compulsory)

 

• Read Lev 4:1-2 Sins of ignorance:
  • The definition of sins of ignorance:
    • These are the sins that we do when we do not know they are sin.
      • Usually we do not think about the sins that we do when we do not know they are sins.
      • However, to God all these sins of ignorance are equally destructive to man’s soul as much as intentional sins.
        • Read Heb 10:26-27
        • This sacrifice had no effect for a person that knew the truth and willfully committed that sin.
    • These are the sins that we do by accident, without motivation or intention of doing wrong.
      • Remember the cities of refuge that God established as a refuge for manslaughter. (Num 35:11)
      • Manslaughter is a sin of ignorance for which this offering was supposed to provide a refuge.
      • There are many times when we hurt people by a word, a look, by negligence, or just by accident.
      • Much of the time we do not even know we have done these sins. That is why this offering is so important.
  • The example of sins of ignorance:
    • Paul tells us he was the chief of sinners because when he was persecuting Christians, he thought he was doing the right thing. He was zealous for God. He did not know this was a sin.(1Tim 1:14-15)
    • He was so misguided and self-deceived that he committed persecution and murder in ignorance and unbelief.
• Read Lev 4:3-12 Sins of the priest:
  • The sin of the priest is dealt with before the sin of the congregation.
  • It is because the priests stand between God and the congregation. They must be the example.
    • Read Jam 3:1
    • Privilege carries with it a greater responsibility for which the individual must answer to God.

 

• “…according to the sin of the people…”

 

(3)
• God looks at the people and sees that they sin because the priests demonstrated that sin to the people by example. It is like a father demonstrates that sin to his son.
• The offering and its significance:
  • A young bull without blemish.
    • This animal is the most expensive animal in the sacrifices.
    • Because the sins of the priests were serious because of their position as examples of holiness to the people, the cost of the sacrifice was higher.
  • The bull is killed and identified with the person making the offering by the laying on of hands at the door of the tabernacle.
    • The blood must be sprinkled 7 times before the veil.
      • The number seven is God’s complete number indicating that all of this person’s sin is completely covered by the blood of this animal.
      • The veil is the curtain that divided the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle called the Holy of Holies.
        • Only the priests could go into the Holy Place.
        • Only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies.
      • The veil of the tabernacle represents the flesh of Christ that was bruised and torn on the cross.
        • Read Heb 10:20
        • Read Mat 27:51
        • The blood before the veil looked forward to the day of the crucifixion when the veil was torn by God to open man’s access to God through the crucifixion of Christ.
    • The blood of the bull was applied to the horns of the altar of incense.
      • The altar of incense represented prayer to God.
      • The blood of Christ, the final sacrifice, makes our prayers effective.
        • Read Joh 14:13-14
        • The horns of the altar represent authority that the believer has in Jesus Christ.
    • The rest of the blood was poured at the foot of the altar of burnt offering. Why?
      • The altar of burnt offering is the place where the sacrifice of burnt offering was burned.
      • This altar represents the cross of Jesus Christ.
        • The blood of Jesus Christ flowed to the foot of the cross.
        • The blood of the bull represents the blood from Jesus’ pierced side, His pierced hands and His pierced feet.
        • The blood removed the guilt of the believer by faith.
          • Read Heb 9:22
          • Read Rom 8:1
          • Read Heb 10:17-18
    • The fat and the inward parts of the bull were burned on the altar of burnt offering. (8-10)
      • This part of the sin offerings is the same as the peace offering in our last lesson.
        • Remember that the fat represents giving God the very best.
        • Remember that the inward parts represent an inner dedication to God. This is not just an offering done ritualistically without serious thought.
      • After sin has been dealt with, the believer has the peace of God.
    • All of the rest of the animal was taken outside of the camp and burned with the ashes from the altar of burnt offering. Why? (11-12)
      • This offering represents sin. The sins of the person performing this offering are transferred to this animal by the laying on of hands.
      • In the same way when Jesus Christ was on the cross, He became sin for us. (2Cor 5:21) All of our sins were transferred to Him.
      • Sin is a corrupting influence in a congregation of people.
        • It is like the bad apple in a basket of good apples. Eventually it will corrupt everyone.
        • Therefore, God is pointing out that sin must not only be dealt with to bring forgiveness but there must also be repentance so that the person does not fall back into sin again.
          • Repentance is like taking the sinful object outside the camp and separating its evil influence away from the congregation.
          • Biblical repentance is not just feeling sorry for sin but turning around and walking in the opposite direction. In other words separating it away from your life.
      • Ashes from the Burnt Offering (Lev 1) were taken from the altar of burnt offering and carried with the sinful bull outside the camp and burned.
        • Remember that the burnt offering represented the beauty and person of Jesus Christ.
        • If our repentance is based in Jesus Christ, we will have eternal forgiveness. Any other basis of repentance has no effect in gaining a permanent forgiveness of sin.
          • In the same way Jesus, our sin offering, was taken outside Jerusalem and crucified on Golgotha.
          • Read Heb 13:10-14
• Summary:

• The Sin Offering tells us that we must see ourselves as God sees us:
  • Controlled by the sin nature inherited from Adam.
  • Subject to sins of ignorance just because we do not know better.
  • Subject to accidental or unintentional sins.
  • Subject to unknown sins.
• In this New Testament age of grace, all believers in Jesus Christ are New Testament priests.
  • Read 1Pet 2:9
  • Therefore when Leviticus talks about the sins of the priest, we are the priests today with a sinful nature in need of a sin offering.
• Read Psa 40:6-8
  • Obedience is better than sacrifice.
  • Sacrifice was done to cover disobedience. If man would obey, there would be no need for any sacrifice.
• The solution:
  • Jesus Christ is our sin offering.
  • Because man cannot obey God’s laws or meet His standards of righteousness, we need a personal sin offering for our sinful nature.

HOMEWORK
Leviticus 4:13-35
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Lev 4:1-12
  • Now that you know the extent of sin to which man has subjected himself, how does this knowledge provoke you to greater love and appreciation for Jesus Christ?

 

• Preparation for Lev 4:13-35
• Read Lev 4:13-35
  • What animals were sacrificed for the sins of:
    • …the congregation?

 

• …the ruler?

 

• …the common believer?

 

• What were the results of the sacrifices? (35)

 

• Memory Verse: Col 1:14