Scripture: The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD, he shall bring to the LORD as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.
“If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the LORD’S commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven. It is a guilt offering; he has indeed incurred guilt before the LORD.”
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. And he shall bring to the priest as his compensation to the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.”
Leviticus 5:14-6:7 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, the sin offering focuses on unintentional sins that did not cause damage or loss to a neighbor or tabernacle service. Regarding protocol, if the anointed priest sins, he shall offer a bull, sprinkling its blood seven times (a sign of completion) in front of the veil of the sanctuary, then on the altar’s horns, and the rest poured out on the altar’s base. While the priest burns the fat and entrails on the altar, he disposes of the meat outside the camp and burns it on firewood. If the congregation sins, the elders lay their hands on a bull (a sign of transferring sin) and follow the same ritual for a priest’s sin (4:13-21). If a leader sins, they present a male goat for their offering and follow the same protocol, but the priest does not sprinkle blood on the veil (4:22-26). Finally, if the “common people” sin, they follow the same steps as a leader. However, their offering may vary depending on what the supplicant can afford: a female goat, two birds (pigeon or turtledoves), or a grain offering of fine flour, and the remainder shall be for the priest as in the grain offering (4:27-5:13).
Today’s reading addresses the laws of a guilt offering. The sin and guilt offerings were similar regarding protocol (purification) and purpose (removing the sin), but the guilt offering required, without exception, a ram sacrifice plus restitution to those harmed. And regardless of who sinned, the officiant only sprinkled blood on the altar of the burnt offering. Then, like the “common” sin offering, the priest ate the meat portion of the sacrifice, whereas, for all other sin offerings, he charred the meat outside the tabernacle over a wood fire. As for restitution, the guilty party must fully replace or restore the value of the item plus twenty percent. Also unique to the guilt offering, the supplicant may pay a tabernacle tax of silver shekels equivalent to the value of the ram in substitute for the animal.
Takeaway: As with the sin offering, the violation is considered unintentional but not always easy to parse from intentional. The distinction is subtle: misrepresenting versus outright lying or keeping something found versus altogether stealing. And like the Ten Commandments, violations pertained to misappropriating what belonged to the Lord (e.g., eating his first fruits) or to fellow Israelites (causing loss of property or income). Unfortunately for the poor, if found guilty of causing harm or loss, they would have to use whatever means available to pay the penalty, even selling themselves into slavery.
Our takeaway? From a biblical perspective, the nebulous term “unintentional” is more than a feeling; it is a condition caused by our sins, whether known or unknown. When we perpetrate such sins, we commit them against God, but we alone bear the offense and responsibility to seek forgiveness. But how are any of us supposed to repay God sufficiently? Of course, we can’t. Thankfully, our Father and Son did through the sacrifice of the Son, who bore our sins in his body and thereby nailed them to his cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
Our part? All of us are guilty as charged, whether intentional or unintentional. Sadly, as most of us have experienced, our sins (regardless of whether premeditated) can cause collateral damage that impacts others. When we do, like the laws of the guilt offering, we must follow the lead of the Holy Spirit to offer reparation to those harmed (whether or not they are receptive). Still, we must not suppose our acts of contrition and reparation are repayment to our Lord. Any attempt to do so denies the work of Christ as sufficient and blocks his grace from restoring our souls. Instead, like Zacchaeus, we confess our sins, humbly receive Christ’s forgiveness, offer to repay those we have harmed (motivated by thankfulness for what Christ has done for us), and joyfully accept our Lord’s invitation to sup with him in the celebration of the Eucharist (Luke 19:1-10).
Prayer: Father God, we confess that we are guilty as charged, that we can do nothing to pay you back for all the ways we have sinned against you, whether intentional or unintentional. And we are thankful beyond words for the incredible love and mercy you and your Son have shown us in his life, death, and resurrection that has purified our sin-marred souls and restored us to you. So, please help us regularly receive your life-changing grace when convicted of sin so that your love might flow through us to bring healing and restoration to all concerned. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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