Lesson #07

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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 4:13-35
LEVITICUS 6:24-30
Lesson #07
THE SIN OFFERING (For the Sin Nature)–continued

• Memory Verse: Col 1:14

 

• Review:
• In our previous lesson we began to talk about the sin nature inherited from Adam and passed down through all generations of man’s history.
• The Sin Offering was the Old Testament manner of dealing with the sinful nature.
  • We discovered that before the priests could minister to the congregation, they first had to take care of their own sinful nature.
  • The offering of a male bull was the sin offering for the sinful nature of the priest.
• In this lesson we are going to see the extent of the sin offering to deal with all people in society.

 

• Read Lev 4:13-15 The Offering for the Unknown Sins of the Congregation
• Each individual is responsible to God for his own individual, personal sins and his own sinful nature.
• However, God also holds groups accountable for the sins of the group.
  • That refers to nations and local community groups.
  • In the United States, we are accustomed to thinking about the individual. Therefore, we often think that as long as we individually live a righteous life, we are acceptable to God.
  • The common thought of these days is that the sin is acceptable if two people that are involved in a sin are consenting adults, it does not hurt anyone else.
    • This offering for the sins of the congregation shows us that this common thought is not true.
    • All of society suffers for the sins of the few. Why?
      • Remember the rotten apple in the basket of good apples. There is a corrupting influence on others even though they are not directly responsible for the sin.
      • For example: If you lived a righteous life in Israel in 70 AD, you suffered the same consequences of rebellion against the Roman government as did the zealots that promoted the rebellion that caused the total destruction of Israel and the temple.
      • We may consider it unfair, but it is a fact of life in a sinful world.
        • We are all guilty with a sinful nature.
        • We are all responsible to God for the sins of the community whether we participate, promote, or ignore them.
• The sin offering for the congregation:
  • They must offer a young bull in the prime of life.
    • This is a very expensive animal.
    • The cost shows us the importance of the offering to God.
      • A young bull was also used for the sinful nature of the priest.
      • Therefore, the sins of the congregation are equally important to cover as are the sins of the priest.

 

• “And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD”

 

(15)
• The elders are the leaders of the group.
• The leaders of the congregation had the responsibility to put their hands on the head of the bull to transfer the sins from the group to the bull.
• The offering was done in the same way as the offering for the priest. (16-21)

 

• Read Lev 4:22-23 The Offering for the Sinful Nature of the Ruler
• Just as the priest is responsible to God for how he leads the people, so is the ruler or leader of a nation, a state, or a city.
  • However, notice that the cost of the offering is less than that of the priest and that of the congregation, but more than that of the private citizen.
  • Therefore, the responsibility before God is less than that of the priest as a spiritual leader, but it is more than the average citizen.
• The ruler is established in his position by God.
  • Read Rom 13:1-7
  • Therefore he must answer to God for how he rules over the people.
• The offering:
  • A male goat without blemish.
  • This animal was cheaper than the bull and indicates to us the degree of responsibility this person has before God.
• Read Lev 4:27-33 The Offering for the Sinful Nature of the Individual

• The offering:
  • A female goat without blemish. The female goat was less expensive than the male goat.
  • A female lamb without blemish. The female lamb was less expensive than the male goat.
• The offering was done in exactly the same way no matter what kind of animal was brought for the sin sacrifice.
• Why was there a choice of animals?
  • God in His love and mercy makes it possible for all people to bring an acceptable offering.
  • Even if a person is very poor he can find a small female lamb to bring to God.
  • No person can ever say to God, I just could not afford to give anything to God.

• Notice that if a person committed a sin against a specific commandment of God, but he did it in ignorance. He must bring a sin offering to cover this sin when he learned that what he did broke God’s commandment. (27-28)
  • Once he learned of his sin, then, it was no longer a sin of ignorance for he had gained the knowledge of what was right and what was wrong.
  • However, he must still bring this kind of offering for his sinful nature, because it is out of his sinful nature that all sin springs.

• Read Lev 4:34-35 The Results of the Sacrifices: Atonement and Forgiveness
  • God tells the people specifically that the result of this offering for the sinful nature of man is atonement and forgiveness.
    • What is atonement?
      • The meaning of the word “atonement” is = a reconciliation; the satisfaction of giving an equal value for an injury or an injustice.
      • Specifically the blood of Christ that paid the price for man’s sins, so that God’s justice is satisfied.
    • What is forgiveness?
      • The meaning of the word “forgiveness” is = the pardon of an offender by which now he is considered and treated as not guilty.
      • Read Psa 103:12
  • With this definition we see that God was satisfied with the offerings that the Old Testament believers brought because Lev 4:35 says,

 

• “…the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.”

 

• Read Heb 9:12-14
• Read Heb 10:4
• However, the Old Testament sacrifices did not remove sin, they only covered sin by faith, waiting for Christ to come and totally remove all the sins that had ever been committed.
  • Read 2Cor 5:21
  • Read Heb 9:26
    • This verse tells us that instead of Jesus coming and dying each time that sin was committed God waited until the crucifixion and put all sin upon Him at that time.
    • Therefore, the Old Testament believer had a sense of forgiveness by faith in the sacrifices that he brought to God. He was looking forward to the cross by faith.
      • The same is true for the New Testament believer in Jesus Christ.
      • At the crucifixion, Jesus died for all the sins of the past (the Old Testament sins), the present (the sins of Jesus’ day), and the future (the sins from the crucifixion until the end of the Millennial Kingdom.
        • Christ does not need to come back and die again for the sins committed in later years.
        • When we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts and are born again, we are forgiven of all of our sins from our past. However, we still fall into sin from time to time as a believer.
          • That sin was already dealt with at the crucifixion.
          • However, we must repent and confess it to take advantage of what Christ already did for us. (1Joh 1:9)

• Read Lev 6:24-30 The Law for the priests concerning the sin offering
  • The sin offering was killed in exactly the same place as the burnt offering because both relate to Christ’s death on the cross.
    • The burnt offering refers to Christ without sin on the Cross.
      • This tells us why the virgin birth is very important to the Christian faith.
      • It is more than important, it is essential.
        • If Jesus was not without the sin nature he could not have become the sacrifice for us.
        • He would have died for his own sins.
    • The sin offering refers to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross when he became sin for us.
      • His perfect sinless body took all the sins of the world on him for us.
      • He bore the sins of the past, the present, and the future.
  • The burnt offering was not complete without the sin offering.
    • We needed both to tell us that Jesus was without sin.
      • The little lambs used for animal sacrifice were bred and raised in the small town of Bethlehem just as Jesus was born in Bethlehem of a virgin.
      • Bethlehem is very close to Jerusalem where the temple of sacrifice was located just as Jesus was sacrificed in Jerusalem on the same mountain range as the temple but at its highest point to the north.
    • We needed both offerings to tell us that Jesus was holy but He took our sins.
      • The sin offering was taken outside of the camp to separate sin from the congregation.
      • Jesus’ sacrifice was just outside of Jerusalem.
    • The sacrifice and its blood were most holy. (27, 29)
      • Jesus was without sin and yet bore our sins. However this did not defile His holiness.
        • Because of that, the sin offering was considered holy.
        • Anyone that touched the sin offering was considered holy because the holy blood of Jesus Christ makes us holy before God.
      • The priest sprinkled the blood in the Holy Place of the Temple or Tabernacle.
      • Only the priest could enter the Holy Place of the Temple or the Tabernacle.
  • The broken earthen vessel and the brass bowl:
    • The earthen vessel represents the human body that Jesus indwelt as the Son of Man. That body was broken for us.
      • Believers are to imitate Christ.
      • Therefore, in the same way the believer is also the earthen vessel that must be broken in humility.
    • The brass bowl represents God’s testing of Jesus’ humanity when He judged sin on the cross.
      • Brass represents God’s testing and judgment.
      • Read Num 21:9 The prefigure of Jesus who became sin on the cross.
        • Believers are to imitate Christ.
        • In the same way the believer must be willing to let the Lord judge the sin in his life and wash him spiritually with the washing by the Word of God.
  • The priest was to eat the remaining sacrifice inside the tabernacle or temple.
    • The priests were to eat of this offering so as to identify themselves with Christ and partake of His righteousness.
      • The benefits of the burnt offering and the sin offering are reaped only by believers in Jesus Christ.
      • While Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, only those who personally identify themselves with the sacrifice of Jesus are able to partake of the blessings of that sacrifice.

HOMEWORK
Leviticus 5:1-19
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher for correction.

• Application of Lev 4:13-35 and Lev 6:24-30
  • In what way has this lesson broadened your concept of what sin is to God?

 

• In what way has Christ become more precious to you through this lesson?

 

• Preparation for Lev 5:1-19
• Read Lev 5:1-19 The Trespass Offering

 

• Where in the Bible do we find God’s moral law?
• Memory Verse: 2Cor 5:21