We'll be concluding our study of Chapter Four today. We've looked at what must be done when a priest, the entire community, or a leader sins. Today we'll study what an individual person of the community must bring to the tabernacle when he or she sins.
"If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect." (Leviticus 4:27-28) The type of offering brought varies according to who is bringing it. We've already learned in Chapter Four that if a priest sins or if the majority of the community sins together, a bull must be brought. If a leader in the community sins, a male goat must be brought. If an individual citizen sins, a female goat is to be brought or a female lamb may also be used, as we'll see further down in today's passage.
The offerings grow less costly as we go down the list. A more costly offering, such as a bull, was to be brought when a priest sinned because as a religious leader in the community he had a great deal of influence on all the people. When all or most of the people made an error together, this was a serious matter that endangered the whole nation and this is why a large offering like a bull was to be brought; also a pricey offering like this became affordable with the entire community chipping in for it. A leader was to bring a male goat for his offering. This was less costly than a bull but more expensive than a female goat or female sheep. A leader in the community would generally have a higher income than an average citizen and could afford a male goat. But average citizens could bring a female goat or lamb so as not to place undue financial hardship on them.
"They are to lay their hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven." (Leviticus 4:29-31) Scholars assume the priest is allowed to keep the remainder of the offering since no mention is made of having to discard and burn the remainder outside the camp. The sin offering for a priest or for the entire community had to be burned in its entirety but not the sin offering for a leader or for a common citizen.
If a citizen brings a female sheep, the process is the same as for a female goat. "If someone brings a lamb as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect. They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven." (Leviticus 4:32-35)
The details of the sin offering are sad and somewhat graphic when it comes to the descriptions of the slaughter of the animal and what was done with the blood and the organs and the fat. But sin itself is ugly. It destroys families, nations, lives, and souls. It makes sense that anything that atones for the ugliness of sin must be difficult to look upon or think about. The things our Lord Jesus Christ endured while atoning for our sins are difficult to look upon or think about. The Bible, out of respect for Him, does not go into really explicit detail when describing for us what He suffered, but what it does tell us paints a very gruesome picture. Crucifixion was the most torturous and publicly humiliating form of death the Roman government had been able to devise. If you would like to know exactly how crucifixion brought about the death of its victims you may Google it but here in our study I'm going to follow the examples of those who authored books of the Bible and who drew a veil of respectful secrecy over what the Lord endured on that terrible day.
I just want to close out our study of Chapter Four by reminding us of this: if we were not sinners, Christ would never have been beaten and spit upon and tortured and nailed to a cross. It was the ugliness of our sins that put Him there. We all had a hand in His death. But praise be to our Savior and Redeemer, all who place their faith in Him will share in the glorious inheritance that the Father has in store for Him! Because Christ loved us enough to die to redeem us, and because He rose in victory over death to prove that God the Father accepted the offering He made on our behalf, we have become heirs of God the Father and co-heirs with God the Son. (Romans 8:17) Christ loved us too much to leave us as we were: lost and undone with no hope. We were unworthy of His love but He loved us anyway. We were worthless as we were but He redeemed us anyway. And now, hard as it may be to comprehend, we will someday share in the riches and blessings of the holy and perfect Son of God! We don't deserve this but He happily and willingly and lovingly invites us to share these blessings with Him, for now that we have placed our trust in Him, we are the children of God and the Lord Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:11)
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