Levítico 4
G. Campbell Morgan · Citado em PreceptAustin
Levítico 4
Morgan - Lev 4:2 - These words recognize an aspect of sin which we are at least in danger of thinking of lightly. There is a great tendency to imagine that sin is only in the will. There is a sense in which this is true. Guilt never attaches to sin until it is an act of the will. But imperfection and pollution exclude from God, even though there be no responsibility for them. God is "of purer eyes than to behold evil." This aspect of sin demands cleansing, while wilful sin needs forgiveness. I need not ask the forgiveness of God for sins which I have committed unwittingly, for pollution for which I have no responsibility. But I do need cleansing from them also. I need that "sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord." This is what was suggested by the sin-offering, the dealing with sin which sets the soul free from its pollution and paralysis. The trespass-offering suggested the dealing with sin which makes it possible for God to forgive the soul the wrong of wilful disobedience. Nothing is more clearly stamped upon these pages of Leviticus than the fact that sin must not be lightly treated. Jehovah is the God of holiness, and can make no terms with sin. But He is also the God of grace, Who provides a plenteous and perfect redemption for the sinner. All this is most perfectly emphasized in the fact that this great system was done away because it made nothing perfect. It revealed a need and promised deliverance, but nothing more. In Christ the promise was fulfilled and the need met. (Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible) MORE DEVOTIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS FOR LEVITICUS 4: The sin offering — the sacrifice for unintentional sin. The Car That Drifts Out of Alignment You don’t notice a misaligned car at first. It drives straight enough… until you let go of the wheel. Then it drifts. Unintentional sin is spiritual misalignment. You may not see it in the moment, but it quietly pulls you off God’s path. Leviticus 4 reminds us: drift still damages — and Jesus died to realign our hearts. The Hidden Crack in the Foundation A house may look stable from the outside. Painted walls. Clean windows. But beneath it all, a crack in the foundation spreads slowly. Unintentional sins are hairline cracks in the soul. Ignored long enough, they threaten the whole structure. The sin offering is God’s gracious repair crew — He fixes what we didn’t even know was breaking. The Smoke Detector That Saves Lives A smoke detector doesn’t wait for a roaring blaze. It beeps at the first hint of smoke — small, invisible particles. The sin offering in Leviticus 4 is heaven’s smoke detector. It alerts us to the spiritual “smoke” we never saw, calling us to confession before the fire spreads. The Wrong Turn in a Forest A hiker makes a wrong turn without realizing it. He doesn’t intend to get lost — but his steps carry him deeper into danger. Unintentional sin works the same way. We wander without meaning to. Leviticus 4 is God saying: I will make a way back when you lose your way. The Cancer Cell You Didn’t Feel Cancer begins quietly — one cell mutinating, unnoticed and painless. But its power lies in its invisibility. Unintentional sin is spiritual cancer. We feel nothing at first…but God sees the cell, and the sin offering is His cure. The sacrifice addresses the sin we feel — and the sin we don’t. The Shadow on the X-Ray A patient feels healthy until the doctor shows a small shadow on the X-ray. The invisible is now revealed. Leviticus 4 is God’s spiritual X-ray machine. It exposes hidden sins, not to shame us, but to heal us. The Teacher’s Red Pen A student writes an essay and believes it flawless. But the teacher’s red pen reveals many unnoticed mistakes. God’s holiness is the red pen. Our lives need correction — even when our intentions were good. The sin offering covers the errors we never meant to write. The Spill on the White Shirt You spill a drop of coffee on a white shirt, but you don’t even notice. Later, under bright light, the stain stands out. The closer we come to the Bright Light of God’s holiness, the more we see stains we never realized were there. Leviticus 4 teaches: Holiness reveals, and sacrifice removes. The Virus You Didn’t Know You Caught A person feels fine but carries a virus that can spread harm. Unseen infection is still dangerous. Unintentional sin is infection of the heart. The sin offering is heaven’s antiviral — provided before symptoms appear. The Mistyped Number An accountant mis-types a single digit. He didn’t mean to — but the entire ledger becomes incorrect. Small errors carry large consequences. Unintentional disobedience still breaks fellowship. The sin offering restores the balance. The Sailboat Off Course by One Degree A sailor charts a course on calm waters. He is only one degree off — but over miles, he ends up far from his destination. Unintentional sin is that one degree. It seems small… until the journey plays out. God provides the sacrifice that recalibrates our direction. The Broken Tail Light Your tail light goes out. You didn’t know. But a police officer still stops you — because broken things still matter. Unintentional sin still violates holiness. But God, unlike the officer, provides the sacrifice that fixes what is broken. The Allergy You Didn’t Know You Had Someone eats a food they’ve always eaten, but over time, a hidden allergy worsens quietly. Hidden sin, like hidden allergies, irritates and inflames the soul. Leviticus 4 is God’s reminder: Deal with it early, deal with it through blood, deal with it at the altar. The Dirty Filter A furnace filter gets clogged gradually. The homeowner doesn’t notice until the system strains. Unintentional sin clogs spiritual airways. God’s sacrifice clears the filter. The Unseen Ice on the Road A driver hits black ice —no warning, no intention, no rebellion. Just a sudden loss of control. Leviticus 4 says: Even loss-of-control moments need atoning grace. God covers the slips you never planned. The Forgotten Appointment You didn’t mean to forget a friend’s appointment. But forgetting still wounds the relationship. Unintentional sins still damage God’s heart — not because He is fragile, but because sin is serious. The sin offering repairs the relationship. The Misunderstood Word A man speaks a phrase meaning one thing, but it is misheard and taken another way — and the relationship strains. Sin we never intended still injures others. The sin offering points us to Christ who heals unintended wounds. The Child Who Knocks Over a Lamp A child runs through the living room, trips, and shatters a lamp. He didn’t mean to. But the lamp is still broken. Leviticus 4 teaches: Sin’s damage must still be paid for — even if not deliberate. Christ pays the cost of every broken lamp. The Airplane’s Black Box After a small in-flight error, pilots review the black box. They want to understand what went wrong — even unintentionally — so it never happens again. The sin offering reminds us to examine the “black box” of our hearts under the light of God’s Spirit. The Artist’s Canvas An artist accidentally smears a line of paint. She didn’t intend the flaw — but the canvas is still marred. Yet with skill, she transforms the smear into something beautiful. This is Christ through the sin offering: He redeems the marks we never meant to make. Leviticus 4:3 if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. priest: Lev 8:12 21:10-12 Ex 29:7,21)(a young bullock: Lev 4:14 9:2 16:6,11 Eze 43:19 for a sin: Lev 5:6 Ex 29:14 30:10 Nu 8:8 Ezr 8:35 Ro 8:3 2Co 5:21 Heb 5:3 Heb 7:27,28 SIN OFFERING: THE PRIEST AND UNINTENTIONAL SIN (Lev 4:3-12) Compare Leviticus 4:3 with 1Ti 5:20 "Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful [of sinning.]." Anointed Priest (Anointed priest - Lev 4:3, 5 16, 6:22) - While not definitely stated this probably refers to the high priest (cf "anointed" in Ex 29:29, Lev 16:32). The NET Note feels "This refers to the high priest." Anointed (04899)(mashiach/masiyah) refers to one who has had sacred oil poured ceremonially on their head, and thereby has become a person with special authority and function, with the implication of one having the choice and approval of God. Priest - Priests - Holman Bible Dictionary; Priest, Priesthood - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology; Priests - Torrey's Topical Textbook Sins (chattat/chattath) - "This passage takes for granted that Israel’s priests were not perfect men. The mention of sin in the lives of these men who were committed to serving God with their whole lives adds strength to the view that the sin referred to in this chapter was the type of sin that occurs in the life of people who belong to Jehovah. Though the priests were not perfect, any sin in their lives was a serious offense against God. The fact that the priests were mentioned first indicates that sin in the life of spiritual leaders is especially dangerous. Therefore, they were obligated to be the first to confess their sins and turn from them." (Leon Hyatt) Bring guilt on the people - When the priest sinned he involved not only himself but the whole nation, which makes one wonder why anyone would have wanted this position! Of course, the answer is it is not what they want but what God desires. He appointed men to positions then just as He does now. This passage reminds us of James 3:1 warning to teachers! (cp the role of the OT priests as the teachers - Dt 33:10)
Levítico 4
Morgan - There was a story in the newspaper this week about the woman who started the terrible wildfires that ravaged parts of Colorado a couple of years ago. Her name is Terry Lynn Barton, and you might remember the story. She was an employee for the U.S. Forest Service who was suffering from a very painful broken marriage. Her estranged husband wrote her a letter; and in her anger and hurt, she burned it in a campfire. But sparks from that fire spread o ut of control so quickly that before it was all over, nearly 140,000 acres were destroyed, along with 132 homes and the forced evacuation of thousands. Terry Lynn Barton was arrested for arson, sent to prison, and fined over $42 million. This week she gave her first interview, and in it she begged forgiveness from those who had lost homes. “I can’t give them back what they lost,” she said. “I know how it feels because I lost, too. All I can say is I’m sorry. I know it’s a healing process for them as it is for me. I just hope and pray they can forgive me. To live without forgiveness is a miserable thing.”[1] Well, she got that right. To live without forgiveness is a miserable thing. When we do things that are harmful to God, to ourselves, and to other people, we feel badly about it. Sin creates guilt, guilt creates shame, and shame damages the way we view ourselves. It’s a miserable thing to live in that endless spin cycle of sin, guilt, shame, and lowered self-esteem. That’s the way most people live. · That’s why there are so many counselors in the world today. · That’s why there are so many self-help books. · That’s why there are so many therapy groups. · That’s why there is so much substance abuse. · That’s why the entertainment industry is such a dominate part of our world today. But what we really need is forgiveness—an inner feeling of cleanness and wholeness—and that’s what Jesus Christ came to provide. If you want to know how He forgives sin, you can turn to any book of the New Testament, or you can turn to any book of the Old Testament. It’s the message of the whole Bible—and it’s even the message of the most avoided book in the Old Testament, which is Leviticus. In our current series of messages, we have turned to this underestimated book, and I want to share with you what we have discovered so far. The book of Leviticus opens by presenting the five different sacrifices or offerings that God prescribed for the Tabernacle altar. Each of them point to Jesus Christ. There is no question or doubt about that. The book of Hebrews confirms it. Furthermore, each of the five great sacrifices of Israel gives us a different aspect of our Lord’s sacrifice. Leviticus 1 describes the Burnt Offering. Verse 3 says: If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord... The key words are in verse 9: And the priest shall burn all on the altar. The distinguishing factor of the Burnt Offering is that it was totally consumed on the altar. This represents the totality of our Lord’s sacrifice. Leviticus 2 tells us about the Grain Offering. Leviticus 2:1 begins: When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. This was no shedding of blood with this sacrifice. It was a grain offering, a vegetarian offering as it were. It represented, not the death of Christ, but His sinless life. It represented the nature and character of His life that was sacrificed for us. He was the Bread of Life made from fine flour. It represented His perfect humanity. Last week we looked at Leviticus 3, which tells us about the Peace Offering. Lev 3:1 says: When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord…. In observing the Peace Offering, the worshipper had the animal slain, its blood was sprinkled on the altar, the fat was burned, and the rest was used for food. It was a festive meal. The sprinkled blood represented the peace we now have with God through the blood of our Lord, and the festival meal represents the peace we have with His family, His body. The key word here is tranquility. The total sacrifice of our Lord’s perfect humanity brings divine tranquility into our hearts and minds. We have peace with God, peace with others, and peace with ourselves. As Ephesians 2:14 puts it: “He Himself is our Peace.” (Leviticus 4 & 5 Repairing Sin's Damage to Your Life) Leviticus 4:21 'Then he is to bring out the bull to a place outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly. he: Lev 4:11,12 sin offering: Lev 16:15,21 2Ch 29:21-24 Ezra 8:35 Mt 20:28 2Co 5:21 1Ti 2:5,6 Related Passages: Colossians 2:17+ things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. A BEAUTIFUL SHADOW FULFILLED IN THE SUBSTANCE OF CHRIST Outside the camp - see Leviticus 4:11-12 Comments - This is a beautiful foreshadowing of the greatest sin offering ever offered, the offering of the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29+). In John 19:17+ we read "They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out (exerchomai), bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha." The clear implication of the verb went out (exerchomai) is that Jesus went out of the city to Golgotha which was outside the city. The writer of Hebrews explains the OT shadow (Lev 4:21) and the NT substance (Col 2:17+) explaining that "the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp (THE SHADOW). Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate (THE SUBSTANCE)." (Hebrews 13:11-12+) Outside the camp - several of the following notes discuss this topic (this exact phrase 28x in 27v in NAS) - Ex 29:14; 33:7; Lev 4:12, 21-note; Lev 6:11-note.; Lev 8:17-note.; Lev 9:11; Lev 13:46-note.; Lev 16:27-note (good note by Richard Phillips).; Lev 17:3-note.; Lev 24:14, 23-note.; Nu 5:3-4; 12:14-15; 15:35-36; 19:3, 9; 31:13, 19; Dt 23:10, 12; Josh 6:23; Heb 13:11-note Heb 13:13-note. and "outside the gate" in Heb 13:12-note. Sin offering (02403)(chattat/chattath - word study) Leviticus 4:22 'When a leader sins and unintentionally does any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty, Lev 4:2,13 SIN OFFERING: LEADER AND UNINTENTIONAL SIN (Lev 4:22-26) When a leader (nasi) sins (chata') and unintentionally (segagah) does any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty