Daily Scripture Reading Leviticus 4:1-21

Modern churches are hesitant to talk about sin. They believe the topic of sin turns people away from church; therefore, they avoid the subject lest they turn away people who can fill pews and donate money. Those churches measure success based on numerical growth rather than spiritual growth.

However, sin is something that cannot be ignored. It has to be dealt with. Today’s passage is very clear that the Israelites needed to deal with their sin when their sin became known. Likewise, there are verses in the New Testament which clearly tell us Christians to deal with the sin in our lives. We are not permitted to ignore it.

The first several chapters of Leviticus spell out the requirements for offering different types of sacrifices. Chapter one was about burnt offerings. Chapter two was about grain offerings. The third chapter describes peace offerings.

Lev. 4:1 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev. 4:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and he does any one of them,

Look at the words “sins unintentionally”. This section is about dealing with sin. Also, this is restricted to unintentional sin. The following verses did not tell the Israelites how to deal with deliberate sin and willful rebellion against Yahweh.

Lev. 4:3 if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him bring near to Yahweh a bull from the herd without blemish as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

This verse is specifically about how a priest was to deal with his unintentional sin. Notice the bull had to be without blemish. The sinning priest had to bring one of his best animals, not one that was going to be killed anyway.

Lev. 4:4 Then he shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter the bull before Yahweh.

Lev. 4:5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting,

Lev. 4:6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before Yahweh in front of the veil of the sanctuary.

In this verse we see the role of blood in dealing with sin. The bull needed to be slaughtered, and then the priest needed to sprinkle some of the blood.

Likewise, Ephesians 1:7 tells us we have redemption through the blood of Jesus.

Furthermore, 1Corinthians 15:3 tells us Jesus died for our sins. 1Peter 3:18 declares that Jesus suffered for sins. The fact that the New Testament has multiple verses equating the death of Jesus with the necessity of dealing with sin gives an indication that sin is not something that can be ignored.

Lev. 4:7 The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before Yahweh in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Lev. 4:8 Then he shall raise up from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails,

Lev. 4:9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys

Lev. 4:10 (just as it is raised up from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings), and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering.

Verses 8-10 list the parts of the bull that were to be burned on the altar in the tabernacle.

Lev. 4:11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse,

Lev. 4:12 that is, all the rest of the bull, he shall bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and he shall burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

Notice the words “all the rest of the bull”. After a portion of the bull was burned in the tabernacle, the rest of the bull was burned outside the camp.

This is a picture of the crucifixion of Jesus. Just as the bull was burned outside the camp, so too Jesus, as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, was taken outside the city when He was crucified (see Hebrews 13:11-12).

The author of Hebrews tells us to go to Him outside the camp, bearing our reproach. The reason we need to bear reproach is because we are sinners.

Lev. 4:13 ¶ ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error, and the matter is hidden from the sight of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty;

The words “whole congregation” tell us the following verses explained the procedures for dealing with congregational sin.

Lev. 4:14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall bring near a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting.

Lev. 4:15 Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh, and the bull shall be slaughtered before Yahweh.

Lev. 4:16 Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting;

Lev. 4:17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh in front of the veil.

Once again we see the necessity of sprinkling blood.

Lev. 4:18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh in the tent of meeting; and all the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

Lev. 4:19 He shall then raise up all its fat from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar.

Lev. 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.

Lev. 4:21 Then he shall 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.

Take note we see again the words “outside the camp”.

Modern churches are hesitant to talk about sin. They believe the topic of sin turns people away from church; therefore, they avoid the subject lest they turn away people who can fill pews and donate money.

However, the New Testament has multiple verses that speak to the necessity of dealing with sin. When John the Baptist did his ministry, he baptized people in conjunction with confession of sin (see Matthew 3:6). When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he spoke about the forgiveness of sins (see Acts 2:38). Paul wrote that all have sinned (see Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23). Paul commanded the Corinthians to stop sinning (see 1Corinthians 15:34). He informed the Galatians that Jesus gave Himself for our sins (Galatians 1:4). When he wrote to the Ephesians he used the term dead to describe the status of non-Christians due to sin (see Ephesians 2:1). James 5:16 commands us to confess our sins to one another.

Sin is something that cannot be ignored. It has to be dealt with. Today’s passage is very clear that the Israelites needed to deal with their sin when their sin became known. Likewise, there are verses in the New Testament which clearly tell us to deal with the sin in our lives. We cannot ignore it. Therefore, churches should not ignore the topic of sin.

Does your church talk about sin and the necessity of dealing with it and removing it from our lives?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”