The Book of Leviticus

 

It isn’t too difficult to figure out the name.  It begins with Levi, and the tribe of Levi was the priestly tribe from which we get the expression, the Levitical Priesthood.  The book is devoted to all the details of:

§     All the types of sacrifices and how they were to be done.

§     The garments for the priests.

§     Different kinds of sins of which they were guilty

§     Other things pertaining to the priesthood and the Tabernacle.

(Lev 1:1-3 NKJV)  Now the LORD called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, {2} "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of the livestock; of the herd and of the flock. {3} 'If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.

 

 

(Mal 1:6-10 NKJV)  "A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, 'In what way have we despised Your name?'

(Mal 1:7) "You offer defiled food on My altar. But say, 'In what way have we defiled You?'  By saying, 'The table of the LORD is contemptible.' {8} And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts. {9} "But now entreat God's favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts. {10} "Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you," Says the LORD of hosts, "Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.

 

 

§     God has laid down laws that He expects us to observe.

§     We can reach a point of defiance where God no longer accepts our sacrifices.

 

(Isa 1:11-17 NKJV)  "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. {12} "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? {13} Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies; I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. {14} Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. {15} When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. {16} "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,

(Isa 1:17) Learn to do good;

 Seek justice,

Rebuke the oppressor;

Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.”

 

What does this mean?  How are we to do this?

 

 

I.  The case of a person or the anointed priest:

 

(Lev 4:1-3 NKJV)  Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, {2} "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, {3} 'if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.

 

II.  The case of the whole congregation of Israel:

(Lev 4:13-15 NKJV)  'Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which should not be done, and are guilty; {14} 'when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting. {15} 'And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD. Then the bull shall be killed before the LORD.

 

 

(Lev 4:22-24 NKJV)  'When a ruler has sinned, and done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD his God in anything which should not be done, and is guilty, {23} 'or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish.

(Lev 4:24) 'And he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it at the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD. It is a sin offering.

 

IV.  The case of anyone of the common people

 

(Lev 4:27-29 NKJV)  'If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and is guilty, {28} 'or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. {29} 'And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.

 

V.  Sin in regard to the holy things

 

(Lev 5:15-16 NKJV)  "If a person commits a trespass, and sins unintentionally in regard to the holy things of the LORD, 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 sanctuary, as a trespass offering. {16} "And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

 

So clearly, there is to be restitution as well as atonement for the sin itself.  The restitution involved repayment plus one-fifth of the value.

 

VI. Eating the holy offering unintentionally:

 

(Lev 22:14-16 NKJV)  'And if a man eats the holy offering unintentionally, then he shall restore a holy offering to the priest, and add one-fifth to it. {15} 'They shall not profane the holy offerings of the children of Israel, which they offer to the LORD, {16} 'or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the LORD sanctify them.'"

 

(1 Sam 2:12-17 NKJV)  Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD. {13} And the priests' custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. {14} Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. {15} Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw." {16} And if the man said to him, "They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires," he would then answer him, "No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force." {17} Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

 

Numbers clarifies more about unintentional sin:

 

(Num 15:27-31 NKJV)  'And if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. {28} 'So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.

 

 

(Num 15:30) 'But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. {31} 'Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.'"

 

 

I believe that’s why Peter said what he did.

(Acts 3:13-19 NKJV)  "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. {14} "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, {15} "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. {16} . . . {17} "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. . . . . {19} "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,”

 

Jesus had also called their sins, sins of ignorance

 

(Luke 23:34 NKJV)  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

 

 

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