SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 4
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
1. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ [Luke 23:34] I think that we normally do not know what we are doing when we sin. If we really understood what sin was, we would not willfully do it. As I read Leviticus, I hear the heart of God in Jesus’ forgiveness of the Jewish leaders [Leviticus 4:26]. God describes how His people can find forgiveness, yet keeps it clear that sin is VERY, VERY serious, not something to blow off simply because God forgives us.
2. The word ‘unintentionally’ is a misleading translation. The Hebrew word basically means to err, go astray, wander, or stagger. It applies to all sin or failure or missing the mark, which is now a normal part of our nature.
3. The sin of the priest brings guilt on the whole community. Are we aware of the communal impact of our sin and failures? God is also covered in blood (symbolically, through the symbols). This shows that God Himself pays a price for sin. The extent of that price is not realized until the crucifixion. The author to Hebrews compares what happens to the bull’s body [Leviticus 4:11-12] to what happened to Jesus [Hebrews 13:10-13].
4. Similar ‘sin offerings’ are made when the community as a whole or a leader sins against God’s will, even if they were not aware of it. God assumes by these laws that His people will sin. Yet He does not reject them, He provides a way for them to be accepted and blessed.
5. Guilt and consequence are the result of sin, whether we recognize it as sin or not. An abusive husband who does not realize that the way he treats his wife is wrong because that is how his father acted, nevertheless is guilty and his wife bears the consequences.
6. Today I need to be very specific about naming sins. I need to write them down, and lay them before the Lord – I’ll use sticky notes. Then I need to renounce them, hate them, reject them, and commit to not repeating them.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to take my sin seriously. But help me also to appreciate and gladly receive Your amazing love and forgiveness.