Leviticus 6
Leviticus 6:1: Law of the Trespass-Offering This passage explains the second part of the law for the trespass-offering. While the previous section dealt with wrongs done against holy things, this section covers sins against other people. God sees every wrong done to a neighbor as also a trespass against Himself, because He commands us to love and be fair to others. The law shows how important it is to be honest, return what is not ours, and make things right when we have done wrong. v. 2-3: Several types of wrongs are listed here. If someone lies about something trusted to them, keeps what was lent, cheats a partner, lies about something stolen or taken by force, or finds something lost and does not try to return it, they are guilty. If they cover up their sin with a lie or a false oath, it is even more serious. Every sin against another person also offends God, who sees all and expects truth and justice (James 4:11 a). – v. 4-5: If a person is convicted in his heart and knows he has done wrong, he must first make things right with his neighbor before bringing an offering. He must return what he took and add one-fifth more to it. This extra amount repays for loss and trouble. Until this is done, he cannot expect forgiveness from God. True repentance means undoing the wrong as much as possible, just as Zacchaeus did (Luke 19:8 b). – v. 6-7: After making restitution, the person must bring a trespass-offering to the Lord. The priest will then make atonement for him. The offering itself could not bring forgiveness, but it pointed to the future work of Jesus Christ, who is the true offering for our sins (Isaiah 53:10 c). Even today, God wants us to be honest, to make things right with others, and to trust in Christ for forgiveness. If people ignore these duties, they are misusing God’s grace and will face His judgment (1 Thessalonians 4:6 d). – Leviticus 6:8: Law of the Burnt-Offering In this section, God gives Moses instructions meant specifically for the priests about how to handle burnt-offerings. Up to this point, the laws were for all the people, but now the focus is on Aaron and his sons. Even though the priests were leaders in God’s house, they too had to follow God’s commands. These instructions highlight the priests' duties, especially about the daily morning and evening sacrifices for all Israel. v. 9-11: The priest must carefully take care of the ashes from the burnt-offering. Every morning, he must clear the altar of ashes and place them on the east side, away from the sanctuary. He wears his special linen garments for this, but then changes into other clothes to carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. This shows respect for God’s altar and teaches that even jobs that seem small are important when done for God. It also hints at the burial of Jesus, whose body was carefully placed in a clean tomb. Keeping the altar clean helps the fire burn well and honors God. – – v. 12-13: The priest must also make sure the fire on the altar never goes out (v. 9, 12; v. 13 e). The fire was first started by God Himself, coming from heaven (ch. ix. 24 f). It was the priest’s job to keep it burning day and night, always adding new wood so that all sacrifices would be burned by God’s holy fire. If the fire ever went out, it would not come again in the same way, so the priests were careful never to let this happen. This teaches us to keep our love for God burning always and to be ready for every good work (Isaiah 31:9 g). We should not let our devotion die out, but stir up our hearts to worship and pray all the time. – Leviticus 6:14: Law of the Meat-Offering This passage gives special instructions about the meat-offering (also called the grain-offering). There were two main types: one offered by the people and one offered by the priests at their consecration. These laws explain what parts of the offering go to God, what parts go to the priests, and how these offerings should be treated as holy food. The rules show God’s care for His servants and the respect required for things offered to Him. v. 15-17: For the regular meat-offering, only a handful was burned on the altar, while the rest became food for the priests. This was God’s way of providing for those who served Him. The burnt-offering gave the priests little profit, but the meat-offering provided more. God wanted His ministers to have what they needed, and what people gave to the priests was accepted as an offering to God (v. 17 h). Spiritually, this also shows that when we serve God, we ourselves receive blessings and comfort. v. 16-18: There were special rules about eating the meat-offering. It had to be eaten without leaven (v. 16 i), showing that what is given to God should be pure. The priests had to eat it only in the holy place, the court of the tabernacle. Only the males among Aaron’s sons could eat it, and only those who were clean. Everything that touched this holy food became holy itself (v. 18 j). This teaches us that God’s gifts are for holy purposes and must be treated with respect. – – – v. 20, 23: The special meat-offering made when a priest was consecrated was different. It had to be completely burned and none of it eaten (v. 23 k). This was a “perpetual” offering for the high priest, and Jewish tradition says every priest offered it on his first day of service, while the high priest offered it every day (v. 20 l). This rule showed that those in higher positions should be even more careful to serve God fully. The regular priests were paid for serving the people, but not for serving the high priest. Also, priests could not eat the offerings given for the priests themselves. This reminds us that, in the end, only Christ, who is both Priest and Altar, could bear our sins and make us right with God (Hosea 4:8 m). – – – Leviticus 6:24: Law of the Sin-Offering This section explains the special rules about the sin-offering that were for the priests. It covers where the offering was to be killed, how the priests were to eat it, and how to treat the things that came in contact with it. These details show how seriously God treats sin and forgiveness, and also teach lessons about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. v. 25: The sin-offering had to be killed in the same place as the burnt-offering, on the north side of the altar (v. 25; ch. i. 11 n). Some people think this points to Jesus being crucified on Calvary, which was north of Jerusalem. v. 26, 29: After the blood and fat were offered to God, the priest and his sons were to eat the flesh of the sin-offering in the court of the tabernacle (v. 26; v. 29 o). By eating the sacrifice, the priests "bore the iniquity of the congregation" (ch. x. 17 p). This showed they were sharing in the responsibility for the people's sins and helping to bring them forgiveness. v. 27: If any blood from the sin-offering splashed on a priest’s clothes, those clothes had to be washed with great care (v. 27 q). This teaches us to treat the blood of Jesus with deep respect, since it is holy and powerful. We should never think of Christ’s sacrifice as something ordinary or common. v. 28: The pot used to cook the offering had to be treated carefully. If it was made of clay, it had to be broken; if it was bronze, it had to be washed very well (v. 28 r). This showed that animal sacrifices could not completely remove sin, but Jesus' sacrifice really cleanses us from sin forever. – v. 30: These rules were for regular sin-offerings. If the blood was taken into the holy place, like for the high priest or for the whole people on special days, the meat was not eaten but burned outside the camp (v. 30 s). In the New Testament, we learn that Christ’s blood was offered in the true holy place, and believers can truly receive the benefit of His sacrifice (Hebrews 13:10-12 t).
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