The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 98

EXPOSITION. animal outside the camp, and there to CHAPTER IV. burn it. H it were the congregation tbnt made the offering, the same condition ■ had THE mr OPll'EBING (chs. iv., v. 1-13). At to be fulfilled, except that the elder■ of the the time of the Mosaio legislation, burnt congregation had to lay their hands on the offerings and meat offerings were already in animal. If it were a ruler, the animRI existence, and had existed from the time of offered was to be a male kid, and the priest, the Fall A beginning, therefore, is made instead of taking the blood into the sanctu- ary, was to smear it on the horns of the with them, and the regulations of the peace altar of burnt sacrifice in the court. H it offerings naturally follow, because these were an ordinary member of the congrega- sacrifices succeed in order to the bumt and tion, the animal was to be a female kid, or meat offerings, and because sacrifices in ewe lamb, which was to be dealt with in the some respects of the same nature as peace same manner; or in some cases two turtle- offerings had previously existed under a doves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering (whose blood was all sprinkled different name (cf. Exod. x. 25 with Exod. round the inner sicle of the altar), the other xxiv. 5, and see above notes on eh. iii.). for a bumtoffering(which was to be treated The sin and trespass offerings, therefore, according to the ritual of the bumt offering), are left to the last, though, owing to their or even the tenth part of an ephah of flour meaning, they were always offered first of (without oil or frankincense), a handful of which was to be burnt, and the remainder all, when sacrifices of all three kinds were delivered to the priest for his consumption. made together. They are the means of cere- 'l'he moral lesson taught to the Jew by monially propitiating God when alienated the sin offering was of the terrible nature from his people, or from any individual of sin, o.nd of the necessity for an expiation member of it, by sin, which they legally for it in addition to penitence. Mystically he might see that, as the blood of bulls o.nd atone for. The need of expiation is implied goats could not of its own ,i.rtue take away and suggestld by the offering of the blood, sin, there must be an offering, foreshadowed both in the burnt sacrifice and the peace by the sacrifice of the animals, which should offering (of. Job i. 5). But this was not be effectual as these were symbolical The sufficient; there must be a special sacrifice type is fulfilled by the atonement wrought to tee.eh this great tm th as its primary by Christ's blood shed on the cross ( see Heh. x. 1-21). Further, the ceremonial lesson. The sin offering typifies the sacrifice olcnnsing of the sinful Isrnelite by the sin of our Lord JESUS CBBIBT upon the cross, as offering in the old dispensation foreshadoW1J. the great Sin Offering for mankind, whereby the effect of baptism in the new dispensation, the wrath of God was propitiated, and an for, o.s Calvin has noted in his Commentary, expiation for the sins of man was wrought, "As sins o.re now sacrnmentally washed away by baptism, ao under the Law o.lso sacrifices bringing about reconciliation between God were expiations, although in a different end man. wo.y." Ver. 2.-If a soul shall sin. The conditions If. a soul shall sin through ignoranae. Tho to be fulfilled in presenting a sin offering expression," through ignorance" (bi•haagah), differed according to the position held by is intended to cover all sins except those com- the offerer in the stl\te. If it were the high mitted "with a high hand," or defio.ntly, priest, he bad (I) to offer a young bull in whether the agent was ignorant that they the court of the to.bemacle; (2) to place his were sins or was Jed into them by incon- hand upon it; (3) to kill it; (4) to take the sidemtoness or infirmity ( cf. Ps. xix. 12, 13, blood into the holy plo.ce of the to.bernncle, "Who can understand his errors? Cleonse aud there sprinkle some of it seven times thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy in the direction of the ve.il that divided off servant also from presumptuous sins"). A the holy of holies within which the o.rk wns better tmnsl11tion of 1,uh.;agah woulcl be by plo.ced, o.ncl to smear some of it on the home tDant of consi,leration, or by inad11erttmc1J.. of the golden altar of incense ; (5) to pour Our Lord could so.y, even of those who out the rest of the blood at the foot of the crucified him, "Father, forgive them; for altar of burnt offering in tho court of tho they know not what they do; " and there- tabernacle; (G) to burn all the internal fat fore even for tham a sin offering might be upon the altar of burnt offering; (7) to made and bo o.ccepted. Dut for deliberate co.rry the wLole of the remainder of the o.nd determined sin the Low has no o.tone- 54 THE DOOK OF LEVITICUS. [CH. IV, 1-35.