Receive the Cleansing Move on in Victory. Many times sin and failure cause us to withdraw from God in shame. In the Old Covenant, every transgression was an occasion of moving toward God and not away from Him. When we fail, we are to come TO God, offering Jesus as our trespass offering. In Leviticus chapter five, Moses receives further instruction regarding the sin offering. There are consecration offerings, peace offerings, and sin offerings as part of Hebrew worship in the tent of the tabernacle. Each one of them involves sacrificial blood. Blood is the basis of the approach to God. When a Hebrew offered sacrificial blood, it speaks of who Jesus is to you and of God’s response to you in every sin or shortcoming. God’s response when you fail is not to pounce on you to punish you. He continually comes toward you in love resolving every conflict between you and Him by the shed blood of Christ.
[Lev 5:1-19 KJV] 1 And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and [is] a witness, whether he hath seen or known [of it]; if he do not utter [it], then he shall bear his iniquity. 2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether [it be] a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and [if] it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. 3 Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness [it be] that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth [of it], then he shall be guilty. 4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with [his] lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever [it be] that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth [of it], then he shall be guilty in one of these. 5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these [things], that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that [thing]: 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin. 7 And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 8 And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer [that] which [is] for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide [it] asunder: 9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it [is] a sin offering. 10 And he shall offer the second [for] a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him. 11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put [any] frankincense thereon: for it [is] a sin offering. 12 Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, [even] a memorial thereof, and burn [it] on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a sin offering. 13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and [the remnant] shall be the priest’s, as a meat offering. 14 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: 16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. 17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist [it] not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. 18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist [it] not, and it shall be forgiven him. 19 It [is] a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD.
Verses 1-5 talk about three trespasses requiring atoning blood: 1.) Concealing the truth and not coming forward in a legal matter. 2.) Failing to purify yourself when becoming ceremonially unclean. 3.) Lightly swearing or speaking rashly and then not correcting yourself. Each one of these transgressions speaks to a greater responsibility to those around you. If you conceal the truth, doubtless others will be affected by that choice. If you are in an unclean state, then others around you will unknowingly be affected. If you swear lightly in a matter, others may make important choices based on your rash words. God is emphasizing here the need to avoid insincerity in our dealings with those around us. Jesus said in Matthew:
[Mat 5:37 KJV] 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
In any case, the fact that there is a sacrificial recourse implies that change is possible. The ultimate excuse today is, “well, that’s just my personality, and if you don’t like it, that’s too bad…” As Christians, we are not allowed that attitude. We are working from a template of conformity to the character of Christ. The five-fold ministry is here to see you come to a place of transformation into the image of God.
[Eph 4:11-13 KJV] 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
This isn’t achieved through social pressure or ostracizing offending brothers. It is the blood of Christ that is our transformation. Where sin abounds, grace must more abound (Rom. 5:20). In every transgression, God’s response was not to turn His face but to offer Himself up as our expiation in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Thus we may run TO Jesus and be changed (1 John 3:2) rather than hiding and coming up with fig leaf excuses as Adam and Eve (Ge. 3:7).
The important thing to see in vs. 6-10 is when dealing with broken fellowship with God through sin, the offender is to bring one dove for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. The burnt offering is a consecration offering pointing to intimacy and restored relationship. We don’t come to God, confess our sin, and move on with our lives. God says, “wait just a minute! Yes, you are forgiven, but where are you going? Don’t leave! Come to Papa! Climb up here on my lap and give Me a squeeze! Let Me love on you because if I don’t bring you into deeper intimacy with Me to the point that you are changed, then this will happen all over again!”
Notice in vs. 11 – 19, there are three offerings available to deal with trespass. These three offerings make accommodation for the rich (bring a ram or sheep), the middle-class (bring a turtle dove or two young pigeons), and the very poor (bring a meal or grain offering). The meaning behind this is no one is exempt from bringing their trespass and the defective character that birthed them to God. In our culture, we excuse ourselves by our station in life, our ethnicity, our background, bitter experiences in our youth, or the circumstances of our birth or upbringing. These verses dismiss all of these, concluding every man and woman is without excuse (Rom. 1:20).
God’s intention is not to leave you where you are. In Christ, your past will not dictate your future. Your potential is defined by the unlimited power of God’s grace and love, not the sad story of your past.
In every struggle and every shortcoming, God wants us to look at ourselves honestly and with great clarity and then, as verse 15 says, “bring forth the ram.” Jesus is God’s provision for every failure. You don’t have to languish in shame or excuse mongering. You can be free and changed and transformed going on to live your life in renewal and victory!
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