Leviticus 4

Leviticus 4

Leviticus 4 is all about the sin offering. The sin offering is very similar to the burnt offering. It involves taking an bull, goat, and lamb, and making an offering involving the burning of its parts. There is an interesting principle laid out in this chapter.

Notice verse 3, “If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on all the people.” Depending on who you are, you bear responsibility when you sin. Notice the sin of a priest brings guilt on all the people! How careful those in leadership have to be. Therefore, the cost of such sin was the offering of a bull. This was the largest animal one could offer. Why the bull? Well, the sin brought guilt to the entire people, therefore the entire people needed to be cleansed.

Leviticus 4:22 gives the instructions of when a ruler sins. A ruler was the head of an entire household of family, servants, and friends. His sin brought shame and guilt to that house. Therefore the ruler needed to give the second largest offering, the goat.

Finally comes the common man. If the common man sins he is entitled to bring a lamb. His sin only covers himself, or if he is the head of a household, his family. He bears less responsibility because he is just a common man.

I bring all this up to say, you are all priests. We are all called to be priests, or bridge builders, between the Lord and this world. Jesus is our High Priest. We therefore minister to this world. When we sin, we need to realize our sin effects those around us. It is a bad testimony to our great High Priest. I believe we are not to take this job lightly.

At the same time there is grace. There is no need for offerings anymore because the offering has taken place. Jesus is called the Lamb (not the bull or goat) that takes away the sins of the world. Jesus is a Lamb because He came for all the people, especially the common people. He did not just come for the devout and religious. H did not just come for the ruler. He came as a Lamb offering, that the most common people might enter His Holy Priesthood. Therefore, live with balance. Understand if you sin, it has its results. Understand also that grace wipes away any memory of this sin and you can be considered holy ( Remember: able to be used of God) this day.