Leviticus 4

         The fourth category of offering is the sin offering. The opening phrase in verse 1, “…the Lord spake unto Moses…”, is the same as verse 1 of chapter 1, and this indicates a new division, or section, of instruction from God. The first three chapters were one continuous narration from the Lord regarding the first three categories of burnt offerings, all of which are voluntary. These last two categories of sacrifices, however, are required, and there are four groups of people to whom this chapter is addressed: the high priest (v.3-12), the congregation of Israel as a whole (v.13-21), a leader (v.22-26), and a common person (v.27-35). The directive for this fourth type of sacrifice continues through verse 13 of chapter 5.
 
           Verse 2: “…if a soul shall sin through ignorance…”. This blood sacrifice is for the atonement of that sin that one commits either through ignorance or by accident. An example of the latter is accidental homicide. (Numbers 35:22-23, Deuteronomy 19:4-5, Joshua 20:2-3) The situation with King Abimelech and Abraham’s lie about Sarah is an example of the former (Genesis 20:9), as is Baalam and his encounter with the angel (Numbers 22:34). By contrast, some sins that are committed willfully, or with a “high hand” (Numbers 15:30), cannot be atoned for by any kind of blood sacrifice. An example of this are capital crimes for which the only lawful punishment is death. (Hebrews 10:28)
 
            Verses 3-12: “…the priest that is anointed…” (Exodus 40:15, Leviticus 8:12) According to the Moody Bible Commentary, the sin offering “…is actually a purification from sin. The purpose of this offering was to purify the place of worship, making it holy to the Lord (R. K. Harrison, Leviticus: An Introduction and Commentary [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1990], 61).” (Leviticus 9:7) The high priest serves as the people’s representative before God, and, thus, his guilt for an unintentional sin is also upon the congregation of Israel. The process of the transferring of guilt to the young bullock before slaying it at the door of the tabernacle is the same as in the burnt offering and the peace offering (v.4), but for this sacrifice the priest is to then dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times “…before the Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary…” which separates the holy place from the holy of holies. (v.6) (Exodus 40:21) After that the priest will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense (Exodus 40:26) before pouring the rest of the blood all around the bottom of the brazen altar in the courtyard of the tabernacle. (v.7) “The sin offering removed the corrupting effects of sin, which permitted the remorseful sinner not only to receive forgiveness but to have the assurance of acceptance with God. For this reason, the ritual included the application of blood to the sanctuary furnishings, not to the person.” (Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary)
            As with the peace offering, the kidneys, the caul of the liver, and all the fat inside the animal is to be burned on the altar. (v.8-10) Unlike the peace offering, though, the rest of the carcass is to be taken outside the camp to a clean place and burned. (v.11-12) (Exodus 29:14, Leviticus 9:11, Numbers 19:5) Because of the priest’s sin, those portions that would normally be given to him for sustenance and income are not allowed. The burning of the animal remains is also a symbol that only blood can properly and adequately atone for sins. (Hebrews 9:22)
 
       Verses 13-21: “…the whole congregation of Israel…” (v.13) (Leviticus 5:2, 17, Numbers 15:24, Joshua 7:11) Verse 13 describes the type of sin that would fall into this category: “…and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly…”. In other words, a sin committed in secret by one or a few members of the congregation is a stain upon the whole people in the sight of God. An excellent example of this is the theft of Achan in Joshua 7. Achan took of the spoils of Jericho in chapter 6 and hid them in his tent, an act of direct and willful disobedience of God’s command to Israel. Because of this, the Israelites lost the battle of Ai in chapter 7. Achan and all his family were condemned to death and then, presumably, the high priest performed a sin offering to atone for the nation’s sin. (The text does not specifically say so, but given the instructions for the sin offering here in Leviticus 4, this is a logical assumption.)
          As with the priest’s sin offering, a young bullock is again selected for this sacrifice, spotless and without blemish, and all the elders of the people will lay their hands on its head before it is slain. (v.14-15) (Leviticus 1:3-4) The sprinkling of blood within the tabernacle as well as its placement all around the bottom of the brazen altar in the courtyard is the same as described in verses 6-7. (v.17-18) So is the process of burning upon the altar the kidneys, caul of the liver and all the fat of the animal before burning the whole carcass and the rest of the insides at a clean site outside the camp. (v.19-21) Verse 20 contains the first instance in Leviticus of the word “forgiven”. According to Strong’s Concordance, the transliterated Hebrew word is “sâlach” which is a primitive root word that means “to forgive” or “to spare”. A deeper word study in the Logos Bible Software reveals also that the original Hebrew word is “Nif’al” (also spelled “Niphal”), which is a passive verb, indicating that it is God alone who has the power to forgive sins.
       Verse 21 makes it clear that this is a sin offering, thus distinguishing it from the burnt offering, hence the requirement to burn the animal remains outside the camp. “Unlike the grain offering, no oil or frankincense was included in the sin offering because they were symbols of joy. Truly repentant worshipers acknowledge their sin with remorse rather than joy.” (Moody Bible Commentary)
 
         Verses 22-26: “When a ruler hath sinned…”. There are two distinct differences between this sin offering and that of the priest and the people. The first is the animal that is selected. The leader shall offer up a young goat instead of a bullock, without blemish or spot, of course. (v.23) The second difference is that some of the blood is to also be placed on the horns of the brazen altar as well as the altar of incense. (v.25) The reason for this is that the courtyard is where the ruler and the people worship the Lord. The rest of the ritual, however, is the same as the previous two sets of instructions. (v.24-26) (Though the text doesn’t say so specifically, it can be logically assumed that the animal carcass and all its remains are to be burned outside the camp as well.)
 
            Verses 27-35: “…any one of the common people…”. (v.27) (Numbers 15:27) The animal for this sacrifice can be either a young goat or a young lamb. (v.28, 32) One interesting difference, though, from the previous three offerings is that this animal must be a female instead of a male. What this sacrifice indicates is that God, in His perfect sense of justice, is recognizing degrees of guilt. According to my study Bible, “The sin offerings were of different kinds, according to the rank and responsibility of the offender. Both the priest and congregation must bring a young bullock; a ruler is to bring a young goat; and one of the common people is to bring a kid or a lamb. This indicates…degrees of responsibility corresponding with the rank and position of the people concerned.”
            As with the previous three sin offerings, the animal’s blood is applied to the horns of the brazen altar before being poured out all around the base. Only the fat, the caul of the liver and the kidneys are burned on the altar. The rest is taken outside the camp and burned.
 
            “Sin is offensive to God, requiring death. God requires a pure and costly offering to atone for the sin. All who approach God must have their sin completely removed by means of a substitutionary sacrifice.”[xxv] All of these blood sacrifices are a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ’s ultimate and perfect atonement on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Jesus suffered and died outside Jerusalem, echoing the requirement and fulfillment of the sin offering described here in Leviticus 4. (v.12, 21)