Levítico 4

Levítico 4

Wiersbe says "though the sacrifice of animals can’t take away sin or change the human heart, the sacrifices pointed to the perfect Sacrifice, Jesus Christ (Heb 10:1-15-note). He is our sin offering (Isa. 53:4–6, 12; Mt. 26:28; 2Cor. 5:21-note; 1Peter 2:24-note)." (Be Holy) Forgiven (05545)(salach) means to forgive or pardon (Study all the uses below and the Septuagint words used to translate it for a better sense of the meaning of this great Hebrew word) Notice how the Spirit takes salach from it's many uses under the Old Covenant and shows its use under the New Covenant (Jer 31:34, cp Jer 31:31-33). The subject of salach is always God. Note that forgiveness under the OT sacrificial system had one major problem -- it could provide only temporary forgiveness because it was based on the blood of animals and Heb 10:4-note says " it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away (aphaireo) sins." And this explains why year after year the high priest would carry out the ritual of the Day of Atonement for sins of the people (Lev 16:1-34, 15-16) And when the high priest died, another priest would take his place and repeat the prescribed ritual. These rituals were like a giant "finger" pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God, unblemished and spotless (Read the contrast between the OT priests and the eternal priesthood of Jesus - Heb 7:23-26-note). The OT sacrificial system was a divinely given "shadow" of the One to come or as Paul said these were "things which are a [mere] shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." (Col 2:17-note) The writer of Hebrews adds "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Heb 10:10-14-note) Rooker on salach - This is the unique term for forgiveness in the Old Testament, and it has only God as its subject. Many relate the non-theological, concrete meaning of the root to the Akkadian cognate, which has the meaning “to wash, sprinkle.” Theologically this root would convey the notion that forgiveness is equivalent to having sins “washed away.” The fact that only God is the subject and author of forgiveness explains the scribes’ reaction to Jesus’ announcement that the sins of the paralytic had been forgiven (Mark 2:7). Jesus’ pronouncement was in fact a claim to be equal with God. (The New American Commentary) Vine - The first biblical occurrence is in Moses’ prayer of intercession on behalf of the Israelites: (Ex 34:9). The basic meaning undergoes no change throughout the Old Testament. God is always the subject of “forgiveness.” No other Old Testament verb means “to forgive,” although several verbs include “forgiveness” in the range of meanings given a particular context (e.g., naca and awon in Ex 32:32; kapar in Ezek. 16:63). Most occurrences of salach are in the sacrificial laws of Leviticus and Numbers. In the typology of the OT sacrifices foreshadowed the accomplished work of Jesus Christ, and the OT believer was assured of “forgiveness” based on sacrifice: (Nu 15:25, 28) (Lev. 4:26; 20, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18). The mediators of the atonement were the priests who offered the sacrifice. The sacrifice was ordained by God to promise ultimate “forgiveness” in God’s sacrifice of His own Son. Moreover, sacrifice was appropriately connected to atonement, as there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Lev. 4:20; cf. Heb. 9:22). Out of His grace, God alone “forgives” sin. The Israelites experienced God’s “forgiveness” in the wilderness and in the Promised Land. As long as the Temple stood, sacrificial atonement continued and the Israelites were assured of God’s “forgiveness.” When the Temple was destroyed and sacrifices ceased, God sent the prophetic word that He graciously would restore Israel out of exile and “forgive” its sins (Jer. 31:34). The psalmist appealed to God’s great name in his request for “forgiveness” (Ps. 25:11). David praised God for the assurance of “forgiveness” of sins (Ps. 103:2-3). The Old Testament saints, while involved in sacrificial rites, put their faith in God (Ed: This last sentence is critical - do you understand what Vine is saying? He is not saying the sacrifices per se brought forgiveness. Yes, they did, but only, as the one bringing the sacrifice also brought his heart, submitted, surrendered, repentant, believing (ultimately looking forward to the Messiah, while we look back to Him). Thoraf Gilbrant on salach - The same form occurs in Ugaritic and Akkadian, but apparently has no connection in meaning with the Hebrew forms. The Akkadian verb, for example, means "to sprinkle" in the context of ritual worship or medicine. Sālach is used exclusively to describe God's offer of pardon and forgiveness to those who have sinned against Him. None of its forms are used of one person forgiving another. Perhaps this fact helps explain NT references such as Matt. 9:2f, where Jesus is accused of blasphemy because He claimed the authority to forgive sins. God chose to pardon the nation of Israel at two crucial points in their early history: after the incident of the golden calf (Ex. 34:9) and at the time of the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea (Num. 14:19f). It may be noted that in the second instance pardon was granted in response to the prayers of Moses. Though Israel suffered some severe chastisements, they were still always forgiven. The Law stated repeatedly that forgiveness was available through the offering of atonement in connection with prescribed sacrifices (Lev. 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7; 19:22). In fact, the passive Niphal stem was used for a formal statement, "[the sins] shall be forgiven them," in many of these passages. This pardon was available for a wide variety of sins such as lying, theft, perjury or fraud (Lev. 6:1-7). In fact, it was efficacious for sins against "any of the things which the Lord has commanded" (Lev. 4:2), unless the offense was done by a defiant rebel who despised God (Num. 15:30f). God made liberal provision for the forgiveness of sins committed in error or ignorance (Num. 15:25f, 28). The Day of Atonement was singled out as the time for receiving forgiveness (Lev. 16:21, 30, 32, 34), based on the individual's humble confession of sin (Lev. 16:29, 31). Kings and prophets prayed fervently that the Lord would forgive the sins of Israel. Solomon featured the theme of forgiveness prominently in his dedicatory prayer for the Temple (1 Ki. 8:30, 34, 39, 50; 2 Chr. 6). Amos (7:2) and Daniel (9:19) also begged God to forgive the people. There were some times, however, when Israel failed to receive forgiveness. Deuteronomy 29:20 describes the rebel who will never receive pardon, and Lam. 3:42 looks back on the destruction of Judah and mourns that God eventually passed the point of forgiveness with them. The prophet Isaiah issued a call to repent and seek God because He will abundantly pardon, unlike men who refuse to forgive (Isa. 55:7f). Jeremiah predicted that forgiveness would be a central part of the New Covenant that Christ later inaugurated (Jer. 31:34; 33:8; 50:20). (Complete Biblical Library) The Lxx translates salach in every use in Leviticus (see passages below) with the verb aphiemi which strictly speaking means to send away and then to remit, cancel or forgive (as one would a debt owed - cp Ro 6:23-note) It is interesting to review all the uses of salach and see how it is translated in Greek - while aphiemi is the most common, others include - hileos, hilaskomai, katharizo ,aphaireo. These different Greek words give us a sense of the "multi-colored" nature of the Hebrew word salach (at least as it was understood and interpreted by the Hebrew scholars who translated the Hebrew Masoretic text into Koine Greek. Interesting!) Salach is translated in NAS as forgive(19), forgiven(13), pardon(12), pardoned(2), pardons(1). Exodus 34:9 He said, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon (Lxx - aphaireo - take away, remove, cause a condition to cease ) our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession." Leviticus 4:20 'He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven (Lxx = aphiemi - same verb used in every passage in Leviticus). 26 'All its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven. 31 'Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. 35 'Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven. Leviticus 5:10 'The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him. 13 'So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has committed from one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then the rest shall become the priest's, like the grain offering.'" 16 "He shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and shall add to it a fifth part of it and give it to the priest. The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him. 18 "He is then to bring to the priest a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his error in which he sinned unintentionally and did not know it, and it will be forgiven him. Leviticus 6:7 and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt." Leviticus 19:22 'The priest shall also make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him. Numbers 14:19 "Pardon, (A command but in context = a prayer, a desire, not a command! Lxx = aphiemi) I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now." 20 So the LORD said, "I have pardoned (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) them according to your word; Numbers 15:25 'Then the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven (Lxx = aphiemi = to send away, then to remit, cancel or forgive as one would a debt owed) for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their error. 26 'So all the congregation of the sons of Israel will be forgiven (Lxx = aphiemi), with the alien who sojourns among them, for it happened to all the people through error. 28 'The priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven (not translated in Lxx) Numbers 30:5 "But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the LORD will forgive (Lxx = katharizo = cleanse, thorough cleansing for sacred use; ritual cleansing, making Levitically clean) her because her father had forbidden her. 8 "But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and the LORD will forgive (Lxx = katharizo) her. 12 "But if her husband indeed annuls them on the day he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning the obligation of herself shall not stand; her husband has annulled them, and the LORD will forgive (Lxx = katharizo) her. Deuteronomy 29:20 "The LORD shall never be willing to forgive (Lxx = euilateuo = to be merciful to) him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. 1 Samuel 15:25 (Saul speaking - see Samuel's response - 1Sa 15:26-31!) "Now therefore, please pardon (Lxx - airo - to raise up, as lifting up and carrying something away remove, carry off, used of Jesus in Jn 1:29!) my sin and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." 1 Kings 8:30 "Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive (Lxx = hileos = be merciful). 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers. 36 then hear in heaven and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance. 39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 50 and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 2 Kings 5:18 "In this matter may the LORD pardon (Lxx = hilaskomai - make propitiation) your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon (Lxx = hilaskomai - make propitiation) your servant in this matter." 2 Kings 24:4 and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not forgive (Lxx = hilaskomai - make propitiation). 2 Chronicles 6:21 "Listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; hear and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to). 25 then hear from heaven and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and to their fathers. 27 then hear in heaven and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. 30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive (Lxx = hilaskomai - make propitiation), and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men, 39 then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) Your people who have sinned against You. 2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) their sin and will heal their land. Psalm 25:11 For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon (Lxx = hilaskomai - make propitiation) my iniquity, for it is great. Psalm 103:3 Who pardons (Lxx = euilateuo = is continually [present tense] merciful to) all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon (Lxx = aphiemi ). Jeremiah 5:1 "Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note. And seek in her open squares, If you can find a man, If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, Then I will pardon (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) her (Note: Such a one could not be found!). 7 "Why should I pardon (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) you? Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, They committed adultery And trooped to the harlot's house. Jeremiah 31:34 (Context = prophecy of the New Covenant to Israel and Judah, not the church! [Of course the church participates but is like a wild olive grafted into the native olive plant - Ro 11:17-20] - see Jer 31:31-33) "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jeremiah 33:8 'I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon (Lxx translates "will not remember" - mimnesko) all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me. Jeremiah 36:3 "Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) their iniquity and their sin." Jeremiah 50:20 'In those days and at that time,' declares the LORD, 'search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to) those whom I leave as a remnant.' Lamentations 3:42 We have transgressed and rebelled, You have not pardoned (Lxx = hilaskomai - made propitiation). Daniel 9:19 "O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive (Lxx = hilaskomai - make propitiation)! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name." Amos 7:2 And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, "Lord GOD, please pardon (Lxx = hileos = merciful, gracious, favorably disposed to)! How can Jacob stand, For he is small?" Related Studies on Forgive, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness List of links related to forgiveness/unforgiveness Multiple illustrations and quotes related to forgiveness/unforgiveness Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Ephesians 4:32 Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Colossians 3:13 Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Matthew 6:12 and Matthew 6:14-15 Word studies on aphesis = forgiveness; aphiemi = to forgive; charizomai = forgive, freely give TODAY IN THE WORD - When Max Perutz died of cancer at the age of 87, he was mourned as “one of the twentieth century’s scientific giants.” A fellow scientist remarked: “The impact of Max’s work remains a foundation on which science is being undertaken today.” For his groundbreaking work in molecular biology, he shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1962. Dr. Perutz pioneered the use of X-ray crystallography in studying the body’s proteins, and notably, he determined the structure of hemoglobin, the vital molecule which carries oxygen through the blood. Oxygen in the blood brings life to the body. Similarly, blood from animal sacrifices brought spiritual life to Israel. So far this month, we’ve focused on the forgiving nature of our God. For the next several days, we’ll move on to consider some biblical roots for the idea and practice of forgiveness. The Old Testament sacrificial system is a good place to start. The major sacrifices were the burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, sin offering, and guilt offering--we’ll focus on the last two of these. The sin offering was mandatory and was made for specific, unintentional sins. The guilt offering was also required, it accompanied restitution for various sins, even if the sins were unintentional. Leviticus 4-7 emphasizes the holiness of these sacrifices, the holiness of seeking forgiveness. When a man laid hands on the animal to be sacrificed, he identified with it, accepting responsibility for the sins about to be punished. The animal died in his place as his substitute. When the priest sprinkled blood, it represented atonement for sin. The animal offered needed to be unblemished or perfect. That plus restitution (in the case of the guilt offering) served as evidence of true repentance or contrition. TODAY ALONG THE WAY - In light of today’s reading, we suggest that you do additional study on the Old Testament sacrificial system. What sacrifices did the Mosaic Law require? For what reasons or on what occasions were sacrifices offered? What symbolism was involved? In what ways did these sacrifices anticipate Christ? What can the church learn from these parts of the Old Testament? Rob