Principle
Under the Law of Moses, GOD gave specific instructions regarding sacrifices to be performed upon the realization that one had sinned either without knowing or failed to do certain things.
Explanation
Here are the instructions GOD gave to Israel through Moses in the Law about sin offerings involving unintentional transgressions and not willful disobedience (for which the punishment was generally death or separation from Israel).
- A priest who sinned was to sacrifice a young bull.
- If the whole congregation of Israel sinned, they were to sacrifice a young bull. The elders of the people were to lay their hand upon the bull’s head when they killed it.
- A ruler who sinned was to sacrifice a young male goat.
- An ordinary Israelite was also to sacrifice a young female goat.
- Any of the following required bringing a sin offering:
- Witnessing an oath and not testifying
- Touching anything unclean, even upon realizing after-the-fact
- Making an oath and failing to keep it, even upon realizing after-the-fact
- The priests had specific instructions for how to properly process sin offerings brought to them.
If a Priest Sinned
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a soul should sin involuntarily before the Lord against any of the Lord’s ordinances, which ought not to be done, and does anything against them, 3 even if he should be the anointed priest, and should sin to the detriment of the people, he shall offer to the Lord for the sin he committed a young bull without blemish from the oxen as a sin offering. 4 He shall offer the young bull at the door of the tabernacle of testimony before the Lord, put his hand on the young bull’s head, and kill the young bull before the Lord. 5 Then the anointed and consecrated priest shall take some of the young bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of testimony. 6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the holy place. 7 Then the priest shall put some of the blood of the young bull on the horns of the altar of the incense compound before the Lord in the tabernacle of testimony; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the young bull at the base of the altar of whole burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. 8 He shall take from it all the fat of the young bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat on the entrails, 9 the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove, 10 as it was taken from the young bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the young bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and excrement— 12 the whole young bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.
Leviticus 4:1-12 OSB
If All Israel Sinned
13 ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel acts involuntarily in ignorance, and it is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they did something against any of the Lord’s commandments, which should not be done, and committed sin; 14 when the sin they committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and offer it before the doors of the tabernacle of testimony. 15 Then the elders of the congregation shall put their hands on the head of the young bull before the Lord. The young bull shall then be killed before the Lord. 16 The anointed priest shall bring some of the young bull’s blood to the tabernacle of testimony. 17 Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood of the young bull, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the holy place. 18 The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of the incense compound, which is before the Lord in the tabernacle of testimony; and he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. 19 He shall take all the fat from it and offer it on the altar. 20 Then he shall do with the young bull as he did with the young bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and their sin shall be remitted them. 21 Then they shall carry the young bull outside the camp, and burn it as they burned the first young bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly.
Leviticus 4:13-21 OSB
If a Ruler of Israel Sinned
22 Now if a ruler should sin, and do something against any of the commandments of the Lord their God, which should not be done, and commits sin involuntarily, 23 and the sin he committed comes to his knowledge, he shall offer as his gift a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. 24 He shall put his hand on the head of the kid and kill it at the place where they kill the whole burnt offering before the Lord. It is a sin offering. 25 The priest shall then take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of whole burnt offering, and pour its remaining blood at the base of the altar of whole burnt offering. 26 Then he shall offer all its fat to the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be remitted him.
Leviticus 4:22-26 OSB
If an Israelite Sinned
27 ‘If any soul of the people of the land should sin involuntarily by doing something against any of the Lord’s commandments, which ought not to be done, and commits sin, 28 and the sin he committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for the sin he committed. 29 He shall put his hand on the head of his sin offering and kill the kid of the sin offering at the place of the whole burnt offering. 30 Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of whole burnt offering, and pour all its remaining blood at the base of the altar. 31 He shall remove all its fat, as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall offer it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be remitted him. 32 If he should bring as his gift a sheep for a sin offering, he shall offer a female without blemish. 33 Then he shall put his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the whole burnt offering. 34 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of whole burnt offering, and pour all its remaining blood at the base of the altar. 35 He shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the sheep is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. Then the priest shall put it on the altar for a whole burnt offering to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for his sin he committed, and it shall be remitted him.
Leviticus 4:22-26 OSB
Sins Requiring Offering
1 ‘Now if a soul should sin in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he saw or knew of the matter—if he does not tell it, he shall bear his guilt. 2 Or if a soul should touch any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or one torn by a wild animal, or the unclean carcasses of creeping things, or the unclean carcasses of cattle; 3 or should touch human uncleanness—even by any uncleanness, which by touching it he is defiled—and he is unaware of it, but afterwards becomes aware, he shall bear his guilt. 4 Or if a soul should swear, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or good, whatever a man may pronounce by an oath, and it should escape his notice—and thus he should sin in one of these things, 5 then he shall confess his sin in that thing; 6 and he shall bring for his trespass against the Lord, and for his guilt, a female from the sheep, a lamb, or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the sin he committed, and it shall be remitted him.
7 ‘But if he should be unable to afford a sheep, he shall bring for the sin he committed two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the Lord: one as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering. 8 He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer the first one as a sin offering. Then he shall wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it. 9 Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, but the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 He shall then make the second one a whole burnt offering according to the prescribed manner. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for the sin he committed, and it shall be remitted him. 11 Now if he should be unable to afford a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, he shall bring for his sin a gift: one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful as a memorial portion and put it on the altar of whole burnt offerings to the Lord. It is a sin offering. 13 The priest shall make atonement for him, for the sin he committed in any of these matters; and it shall be remitted him. The rest shall be the priest’s as a grain offering.’”
Leviticus 5:1-13 OSB
Process Instructions for the Priests
17 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘Now this is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the whole burnt offering is killed, they shall kill the sin offering before the Lord. It is most holy. 19 The priest who offers it shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of testimony. 20 Everyone who touches its flesh shall be sanctified; and if some of its blood might have been sprinkled on any garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place. 21 But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; and if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water. 22 Every male among the priests shall eat it. It is most holy. 23 But no sin offering whose blood may have been brought into the tabernacle of testimony to make atonement in the holy place shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the fire.
Leviticus 6:17-23 [6:24-30] OSB
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