The Trespass Offering Leviticus 5

 

Leviticus 5 – The Trespass Offering

 

The trespass offering is sins of the individuals.  The emphasis is upon the type of offering and not the character of the offeror, as it was in the sin offering. If a witness has seen or knows something, but he withholds the truth to the detriment of some individual, then that is a sin of omission.  If a person told only part of a truth, they did not tell the whole situation.  They were willing to let people believe that they had told the whole truth.  That is a trespass.  When Jesus went to trial, he was quiet. But when He was under oath He did not hold His peace, but spoke out in witness, He told the whole truth.

The law of uncleanness – We cannot be out in the world without becoming unclean by seeing things and hearing things and thinking things.  We are unclean.  We should pray for forgiveness of sins that we may be unaware of.  Sometimes we are unclean, and we do not realize it. God makes a distinction between and unclean animal and an unclean human.

If we promise to do something, we need to keep that promise.  In our songs we promise to give all to Him, to follow Him, to die for Him.  We sing them so glibly that we do not even know what we are singing.  On the same token it is presumptuous to demand of God an answer to our prayers.  We need always to remember that our prayers are to be in accordance with His will.

In the trespass offering, confession must come first, then the offering. It is the offering of guilt. Two turtledoves were required, as one was for a sin offering and one for the burnt offering.  This was the sacrifice of the poor.  Christ preached glad tidings to the poor. Blood must be shed but the head was not removed from the body. The sinner has complete forgiveness even with the little bird. The poorest were not left out.  If he could not bring a bird, he could bring a piece of bread as a substitute for him.  The trespass offerings state that there has been an invasion of the rights of both God and man. The chief wrong committed through ignorance seems to apply to robbing God in connection with tithes and offerings. For this kind of neglect, the offering must be valuable.  It must be a ram.  Through this offering there was forgiveness for the sinner who committed the trespass in ignorance. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.  This is also true in civil law.  Despite the lack of knowledge of the commandment, the offender was guilty and was held liable.  The ram is given as the only animal for the trespass offering unless you were poor.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary

 

The Law of the Sin Offering - Leviticus 4

 

Leviticus 4 – The Law of the Sin Offering

 

The sin offering speaks of sin as a nature.  It became the most important and significant offering.  It was the Law which revealed to him that he was a sinner.  “In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord:  it is most holy.” The sin offering tells what Christ did. This offering was commanded while the others before this were voluntary.  The emphasis here is upon a sin committed in ignorance.  Sins of ignorance reveal the truth that man is a sinner by nature. It gave a profound conviction of sin. A great many people with a guilt complex go to a psychiatrist today.  The Word of God contains the remedy for man today.  The sins of ignorance were acts committed by a person at the time they did not know they were in sin.  If a man sinned through ignorance, rashness, or accident, God made provision for his deliverance.  He established the cities of refuge.  Jesus is our refuge today.

Paul explains the reason he was the chief of sinners and why he obtained mercy.  He was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, but he obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly in unbelief.  “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and Love which is in Jesus Christ.” (I Tim. 1:14-15).  Christ died for me; so, I can go and tell Him about it.  He forgives me because He took care of all my sin at the cross.

The sin offering teaches us that we must see ourselves as God sees us. It brings before us the consciousness of sin and our own unworthiness, but also God’s provision.  It lifts the guilt complex. We can come to Him in boldness because Jesus is our sin offering, even for these sins in ignorance.

The sin of the priest is considered first with a young bullock as his offering. He had to sprinkle the blood seven times before the veil secured God’s relationship with the offender. To put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense, the place of prayer, was to restore the privilege of worship to the offender.  Our acceptance by God and our worship of Him are dependent on the blood of Christ. The remainder of the blood was poured out at the bottom of the brazen altar.  This satisfied the conscience of the sinner and removed the guilt complex. The remainder of the bullock was taken outside the camp and burned there.  The death of Christ on the cross as our sin-bearer is the only solution there is to sin.  That is the meaning of that part of the animal which had to be burned outside the camp. God judges nations, and many people who didn’t participate in the sin of the nation are judged along with it. God also judges churches. If we identify our self with a church which does not teach the truth from the Word of God, God will judge us right along with the church.

the Law of the Peace Offering Leviticus 3

 

Leviticus 3 – The Law of the Peace Offering

 

This offering speaks of the communion and fellowship of believers with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.   Just as we need four Gospels in the New Testament to set forth His earthly life, we also need the five offerings of Leviticus to set forth His person and work. The emphasis is not upon the peace that He made by the blood of the cross, but upon the peace He is because of the blood of the cross. It is chiefly on the communion.  God is satisfied with what Jesus did for you and now we can come to God. 

The peace offering can be either male or female- but without blemish.  It is the offeror who finds something in Christ.  He will never find as much in Christ as God finds in Him. The offering was placed on that altar.  In the peace offering, only a portion was offered.  It was to be the choice portion which included the fat and the inward parts.  These speak of the hidden riches, the precious qualities, the priceless value of the character of Christ that God alone knows. God sees more in Christ than you and I see in Him.  God sees the inward parts.  The offering was consumed by fire, and this speaks of the total dedication of Christ and his human testing and sufferings. It is His perfect life that is in view, not His death for sin.  This offering was put together with the burnt offering. 

The lamb is probably the most complete representation of Christ, the lamb of God, of all the sacrifices.  The fat was God’s portion.  It was considered the better part of the animal.  “All the fat that is upon the inwards and the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them” was to be for Him. The fat was totally consumed, but the priest received the breast and the shoulder.  The offeror ate the remainder, and he did it in God’s house.  God was the host and the offeror, the sinner, was the guest.  God provides the table.  It is the table of salvation.  First we accept God’s salvation by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we come to the table of fellowship.  God provides the table of fellowship.

The goat represents the complete identification of Christ.  He was made sin for us.  He totally paid the penalty for our sins. He can save to the uttermost.  This is our portion in Christ.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Law of the Meal Offering - Leviticus 2

 

Leviticus 2 - The Law of the Meal Offering

 

The meal offering reveals the humanity of Jesus in all its perfection and loveliness.  It could be offered either baked or unbaked.  It was to be eaten by all the males in the family of Aaron. There are two important aspects of this offering: the ingredients which are included and those which are excluded.  The offering was to be made of fine flour, ground in a rock bowl with a pestle. They had to spend a great deal of time with it to make it fine.

“He shall pour oil on it.” Oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. The offering was drenched with oil. Jesus was born of the Spirit .. “Mingled with oil” Luke 1:35. If the Lord Jesus in His perfect humanity needed the Holy Spirit, you and I need Him even more. 

Frankincense was made from a secret ingredient.  It was made from some part of a plant or tree, perhaps the bark or leaves, and it exuded fragrance only when crushed, beaten, burned, or put under pressure.  This speaks of the life of the Lord Jesus as He manifested the fragrance of His life.  There should be a special fragrance in our lives since we belong to Him.  The offering was burnt upon the altar.  No blood was shed in this offering.

The ingredients excluded in this offering are as prominent as the ingredients included.  Leaven and honey.  Leaven in scripture is presented as a principal of evil. Evil teaching is leaven.  This speaks of the fact that there is no evil in Christ.  There is no sin in the life of Christ. Honey represents natural sweetness.  It will sour, just as leaven sours.  This offering was a sweet savor sacrifice, but it was not to get its sweetness from leaven or honey.

Salt was the final ingredient that was included in the meal offering. Leaven produces decay. Salt preserves from corruption.  Salt was the token of faithfulness between the offeror and God.  Christians are to be the salt in the world.  We do this by offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. (Romans 12:1-2)

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

God is Calling - Leviticus 1

 

Leviticus 1 – God is Calling                                                

 

God called to Moses out of the tabernacle.  No longer is He speaking from the top of Mount Sinai, as when He gave the commandments.  “Called” doesn’t mean those who only hear, it means those who have heard and responded.  None are excluded except those who exclude themselves.  Anyone can come to Christ if he chooses to come. There must be a need and a desire. 

Two types of animals were used for the Israelites burnt offering.  Cattle and Sheep.  The animal must be a clean animal and it must be domesticated, obedient to man.  Christ was the obedient servant.  He came to minister, and He was obedient unto death.  The burnt offering was the only offering that was made by those who wanted to approach God.  It was totally consumed on the altar; nothing remained but ashes. The sacrifice was to be male, which speaks of strength.  It was to be without blemish which means the animal was to be ideally perfect.  This speaks of the perfections of Christ.. “In Him is no sin.” It was to be offered willingly.  Because of the atoning death of the animal, the sinner was received by God. The animal had to be offered, not in life, but in death.  Only Christ’s death can save the sinner. The minute you and I come through the death of Christ, the way to God is open.  No one has to come to Christ, but if you want to be saved, then you will have to come to Christ.  God has no other way.   “…. No man comes to the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. 

At the door of the tabernacle the offering is sacrificed.  It could be done nowhere else.  We do not make the terms by which we come to God.  God makes the terms.  The only righteousness which God can accept is the righteousness of God which is through faith in Christ Jesus. 

When the man went in and put his hand on the head of the animal that was to be slain, he was selecting the animal to take his place. That is what Christ did for us.  When you accept Christ, you select Him as your Savior.  Every sacrifice had to be slain.  Either the sinner, or the priest acting for the nation, killed the animal.  There was no forgiveness apart from the shed blood of the animal.  Only the blood of Christ can cleanse us from all sin.  The blood represented life and the sprinkling presented it to God. The offering was to be cut in pieces so that it would be exposed and burn quickly.  Poverty was no excuse for not bringing an offering to God.  A bird could be brought in place of an animal. When our Lord was born, His parents offered turtledoves.  His parents were poor, and He was born in poverty. No matter how poor we may feel, or how little we think we have to give to Him, He will receive what we have and bless it. 

The Shekinah Glory! Exodus 40

 

Exodus 40 -The Shekinah Glory 

 

 

When Moses had the tabernacle set up in the camp of Israel, an amazing thing happened.  One was the shekinah glory.  The Israelites were the only people to ever have the glory of God, the visible presence of God. That is what led them through the great and terrible wilderness.  The cloud would lift in the morning if they were to journey that day.  If it did not lift, the children of Israel stayed in the camp.  Moses did not make the decision – the cloud did.  God did!  Wise is the leader that gets his orders from God!

There is a pillar of cloud today although most people do not see it.  It is the Holy Spirit of God.

God’s glorious presence filled the tabernacle when He came to dwell with His people.  What a gracious God that He should consent to dwell with such a rebellious people!

The Book of Exodus opened in the gloom of the brickyards of Egypt, and it closed in the glorious presence of the Lord in the tabernacle.  It was His presence that led them through the wilderness.  God wants to deliver you from the gloom of the slavery of sin and to bring you into the glory of His presence and into the very center of His will where He can lead and guide you.

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

 

The High Priests Garments Exodus 39

 

Exodus 39 The High Priest Garments

 

There were eight articles of clothing worn by the high priest.  Four were the same or like those worn by all the priests.  Four were only for him and separated him from the other priest; they were “garments for glory and for beauty”.  This is a picture of our great High Priest, The Lord Jesus Christ, in all His graces and glory.

On the great Day of Atonement when Aaron took the blood into the Holy of Holies, he laid aside all his garments of beauty and glory and wore only the simple linen garments that the other priests wore.  He must be unadorned but pure. 

When the Lord Jesus came to earth, He did not lay aside His deity, but He did lay aside the garments of glory and beauty.  He laid aside His prerogatives as God.  He came to earth as a human being, a baby.  Then later He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin.  He died in His humanity.  God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. (2 Cor. 5:19).

The ephod, which speaks of the strength and ability of our Lord, the great Shepherd of the sheep.  Thank God we have a shepherd who can put us on His shoulders and bring us safely back to the fold. 

The beautiful stones on the breastplate speak of the fact that Christ carries us on His heart today.  These stones depict His great love for us.  The pomegranates speak of the fruitful life of the believer.  The bells speak of the testimony of that life. The mitre on his head said, “Holiness unto The Lord.” It means the high priest is wholly given to the work of the ministry.  Holy means anything that is set aside for the use of God.  Preachers ought to wear the mitre. Without it, our ministry for the Lord will not be effective.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.