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Understanding Leviticus 4-6: Sin and Atonement
February 27, 2026 · 17 min
Explore the significance of sacrifices in Leviticus 4-6 and how they foreshadow Jesus' redemptive work.
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The Sin Offering: Atonement for Unintentional Sins 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining this morning as our journey continues as we look at Leviticus chapters 4 through 6 verse 13 of chapter 6. A fire shall always be burning on the altar. It0:21 shall never go out. Now if you're like most, the book of Leviticus is not a book that you spend a lot of time studying, but it's an important book because it shouts the word Jesus.0:33 It is setting the stage for the redemption of man. Now we don't need to get you know, I'm not gonna get deep into each of these sacrifices, but there is a lot of symbolism here, and0:45 it's important that we have a basic understanding. Now the Old Testament system of sacrifices provided atonement. Alright? A temporary covering force, and that's why they had0:57 to keep doing it. They had to continue to offer these offerings every time there was a sin or every time they came together as a as a congregation, as a nation for these1:09 festivals. Now Jesus, under the new covenant, provided the remission or the removal of our sins. He entered into the Holy of Holies 1 time, and he made1:21 the, he provided for us for the redemption of our sin, for the remission, for removing our sin. Once we accept the work of Jesus Christ, our1:33 sin has been forgiven past, present, and future. Now what Leviticus shows us is god's way, which we could not meet. That's why they had to continue repeating these sacrifices over and1:44 over. But then comes Jesus, and he shows us the way to the father. In chapters 4 through 6, we read of 2 more sacrifices. Alright? These fall into the category, the mandatory sacrifices. The 3 previous that1:56 we saw in the first 3 chapters were the, burnt offering, the grain offering, and the peace offering. These were voluntary, and they were described as sweet smelling savor2:08 offerings before the lord. Now here we have 2. Number 1, we have the sin offering, which was to atone for sin unintentionally committed, the cleansing also the cleansing from defilement.2:20 Now we're also gonna see that this deals with the sin nature. I'm gonna talk a little bit about that more. The this could this offering could be a young bull, a male goat, a female goat, a dove, a pigeon,2:32 or some fine flower depending upon the person's material means. The second is the trespass offering. Now this appears very similar to the sin offering, but there's2:44 another component. It includes restitution for the impact of a specific offense, like theft, fraud that impacted specific individuals. It also could,2:56 include neglecting the holy things, which would affect the entire community. Now as we're gonna see here and this is something very important even today. Right? And we see in my god in government course3:08 that I teach, I I talk a little bit about this where the state in many ways has stepped in place of god. Sin is first and foremost a a sin against god. It's not a sin against the3:20 state. It is a sin against god. However, as we see with these trespass, these trespass offerings, there's restitution made because people are impacted by3:32 sinful behavior. But remember, god is the 1 who set the standard. He is he is the first 1 offended. All sin offends God. Verse 1, chapter 4. Now the Lord3:44 spoke to Moses saying, speak to the children of Israel saying, if a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done and does any of them. Alright. So this is3:54 the sin offering. And there and from here, it lays out the instructions first for the priest if he sins. Okay? So this is what we're gonna focus on first. Verse 3, if the anointed4:05 priest sins, the anointed, the 1 set aside to be the spiritual, go between for the people. The this the the priest, as we'll see, and we'll talk4:17 about this a little more later, the priest spoke to God for the people. Now we'll see the coming of prophets. Prophets spoke from God to the people, so there was a separation. So if anointed4:29 priest sends bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin, which he has sent, a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting4:39 before the lord, lay his hand on the bull's head, and the and kill the bull before the lord. As we talked about before, laying the head was the was, you know, putting the the sin onto the bull. The bull was4:51 standing in place of the person. Then in verse 13, there are instructions for the nation. So first, we have the priest if he sins, then we have instructions for the nation if they sin. Now if the5:03 whole congregation, the term congregation is used interchangeably here in Israel with the nation, we think of congregation as a church congregation, but this was the the they were5:14 essentially a body of believers called called out, as a as a body to follow God. If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the5:26 assembly and they have done something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which should not have been done and are guilty. When the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall5:37 offer a young bull for the sin and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting. Alright. So then we go down to verse 22, and we have directions for the civil rulers who sinned. Verse5:49 22, when a ruler has sinned, this is speaking about the civil rulers, and done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the lord his god, anything which should not be done and is guilty or if his6:01 sin, which he has committed, comes to his knowledge, he shall bring an offering of a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. Then it gets to the regular folks who sin. Verse 27, if6:12 anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the lord, anything which ought not to be done and is guilty. Or if his sin, which he has committed, comes to his6:24 knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin, which he has committed. Now let me stop there for a moment. Did you notice the order?6:36 This is important. This is 1 of those principles that we pull from here. Spiritual leaders, the priest were first. The congregation of the nation, second, the civil6:48 rulers, and then the people. The spiritual leaders come first because they are the ones who are to declare the word of the lord. If their sin or corruption7:00 in the, in the spiritual leadership of a nation, then the nation is going to suffer, all of the nation, not just those who reject god. So it's important that the spiritual leadership7:12 is is alignment with God because they are the prophetic voice to the civil rulers and to the nation as a whole. Alright. In chapter 5, there are7:24 some some examples given of the of sin requiring a sin offering. Verse 1, if a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath and is a witness, whether he has,7:35 seen or known of the matter, if he does not tell it, he bears guilt. Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether it's a carcass of an unclean beast or carcass of an unclean livestock or the carcass of7:47 unclean creepy things and he is unaware of it, he shall also be unclean and guilty. Now this would be a good place to stop for just a moment and let you catch your breath and answer the question7:59 that some of you might be asking. How in the world does this apply to us today? Well, in the physical, it doesn't. Alright? We are not under the Old Testament ceremonial law, so we don't have8:11 to worry about these offerings, these sacrifices. The Old Testament speaks to the physical where the New Testament speaks to the spiritual. This focus, the focus here is on the external8:23 holiness. And what that tells us is holiness matters, being clean, being holy. But it's not a matter of clean hands. It's about a clean heart. It's not about soiled clothes, but about a8:35 polluted mind. As a follower of Christ, we're called to be holy. Peter talks about this. Be holy, for I am holy is what god said. Remember what Jesus said about adultery in8:47 Matthew chapter 5 verse 27? You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery8:58 with her in his heart. It's not the hands. It's not the hands. It's the heart because the hands follow the heart's instructions. LeviticusThe Trespass Offering: Restitution and Impact of Sin 9:10 illustrates for us this call to holiness, and it was it took a lot of work to go through all of this. We're called to an internal spiritual holiness set9:22 apart to god to be holy. Now let's move to the trespass offering, verse fifth 14 of chapter 5. Then the lord spoke to Moses saying, if a person commits a trespass and sins unintentionally in regard9:34 to the holy things of god, then he shall bring to the lord as his trespass offering a ram without blemish from the flocks with your valuation in shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary9:46 as a trespass offering, And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing and shall add 1 fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him9:58 with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. Now notice sin is expensive. You know, to make restitution, to to cover your trespass,10:10 your sin, it's expensive. I mean, these animals were cheap. The trespass offering looks very similar to the sin offering, doesn't it? So what's the difference between the 2?10:22 Well, I touched on this before. The sin offering is to appease god for our sinful nature. Alright? His focus is god. It deals with our sin nature that we10:34 all have. As as man is fallen, we have a sin nature. And from that nature is what we is the sin that we commit. The trespass offering addresses10:46 our evil deeds. Again, that comes from that sinful nature. The impact of our sin, on those around us. Alright? So that's where the restitution is. It10:58 it it it deals with the fallout of our sinful conduct. Okay? Although, as I said earlier, and we we must not forget this, all sin11:10 is against God. It harms others, though, so restitution was required. Look at verse 19. It is a trespass offering. He has certainly trespassed against the Lord. So it's11:22 first and foremost that sin is against god. There is no so this really speaks to the fact there there are no victimless crimes. We hear that term a lot. Oh, it's just a victimless crime. No. God11:34 is offended because he is he is the 1 we sin against. Now and again, sin offerings were for the sin nature, trespass offerings were for the sinful acts that11:46 came from that sinful nature. Alright? That'll help you keep the 2, because they look very similar. That helps us keep them separate and distinct. Alright. Let me leaveChrist's Perfect Sacrifice: From Shadow to Reality 11:57 you with a with what the writer of Hebrews says looking at the system of offerings in light of the cross. Okay? So this is this is where looking back, we can see how all these12:09 pieces fit together. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1. For the law having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things. Remember, we're talking about shadows and types in the old testament, just a12:21 picture of the real thing. And so that speaks to I don't wanna get off too far on this, but the physical is not nearly as real as the spiritual.12:33 Alright? The real the the everlasting is the spiritual. Okay. Let me go on. And not the very image of the things can never with the same sacrifices which12:45 they offer continually year by year make those who approach perfect. Alright? I talked about that earlier. The they had to do this every year because it couldn't make them perfect, couldn't remove theirs, and it only12:56 covered it for a while. For then, would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those13:08 sacrifices, there is a reminder of the sins every year. See, they they were under the guilt and the burden of sin, and so they they were reminded through these sacrifices of their sin.13:20 You see, that's 1 of the things that we need to understand. In Christ Jesus, when we are forgiven of our sins, we're forgiven. And that means of the guilt as well. And and and so13:32 if you're carrying guilt, there's a 1 of 2 things, is the case. Either you have not gone to the lord and confessed your sin and received that forgiveness, or the13:44 enemy of your soul, Satan, is using that guilt to keep you from being free and having the abundant life that Jesus Christ has obtained13:55 for you. And and because the scripture says, if we, in John, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So you don't need to be14:07 walking around or living with guilt of something you've confessed in the past. Under Christ, it's not like the old testament. Under Jesus Christ, it's gone. It's forgiven. Your nature, that's a part of the14:19 sanctification is our nature is being changed. Our sin has been forgiven. Alright. Let me move on. But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible14:31 that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when he came into the world, he said, sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. And burnt offerings and sacrifices14:43 for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will, oh god. Previously saying sacrifice and offerings, burnt offerings and offerings for14:55 sin, you did not desire nor had pleasure in them, which are offered according to the law. Then he said, behold, I have come to do your will, oh god. He takes away the takes away the first that he might establish the15:07 second. By that, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, and every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the15:19 same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered 1 sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God God from that15:30 time waiting till his enemies are made his footstools. For by 1 offering, he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. This is why we need to study the15:42 Old testament and the new testament, because we cannot fully appreciate what we have in the new testament without an understanding of the old.15:54 Father, thank you for your word, and thank you that Jesus Christ has made atonement for our sins, remission of our sins, taken them away once and for all as he laid down16:06 his own life as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross. And he overcame death death and the grave as he was buried and raised again. And, lord, we have freedom from16:18 sin and from the guilt of that sin through confessing Jesus Christ as our lord and savior and receiving that offering. So father, I thank you. I pray the Holy Spirit would continue to lead16:30 us on this journey, showing us, revealing us the truth of your word and the principles and how they apply to our lives today. For we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning, and until16:42 next time, keep standing on the word.16:47 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you16:58 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Sin Offering: Atonement for Unintentional Sins9:10 The Trespass Offering: Restitution and Impact of Sin11:55 Christ's Perfect Sacrifice: From Shadow to Reality
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