EXPOSITION. and he did not give evidence of what he hed CHAPTER V. seen or heard, he had to bear his iniquity, THE sm OFFEBING--cOntinued (nn. 1- that is, he was regarded as guilty; and as 13). The subject of the next thirteen verses this was an offence which could be atoned for by a sacrifice, he was to offer as a sin ie still the sin offering, not the trespass offering a ewe lamb, or a female kid, or two offering, as has been supposed by some. turtle-doves, or two pigeons, or the tenth The first six verses state three speoi.fio part of an ephah of flour. This injunction cases for which sin offerings are required, is a direct condemnation of the approved and the remaining seven verses detail the teaching of Italian moral theologians of paramount authority throughout the Roman concessions made to poverty in respect to Church, who maintain that, in case a crime the offerings required. The cases are those is not known to othen,, a witness in a oourt of a witness, of one ceremonially defiled, of justice "may, nay, he is bound to, say and of one who bad swom thoughtlessly. that the accused has not committed it" (St. The concessions granted are two: two turtle- Alfonso de' Liguori, • Theel. Mor.,' iv. 154). Vere. 2, S.-Two cases of a· man cere- doves or young pigeons are allowed instead monially defiled. If he had touched a dead of a lamb, and the tenth part of an ephah body or any other substance conveying un- of fine flour, without oil or frankincense, is cleanneBB, and it were hidden from him, that allowed instead of the two turtle-doves or is, if he had done it unwittingly, or from young pigeons. The latter concession is forgetfulness or neglect, had failed to purify himself immediately, he must offer his sin the more remarkable as the sacrifice by its offering, as above. means changes its character from a bloody Ver. 4.-The case of a man who had to an unbloody offering. neglected to fulfil a thoughtless oath. If Ver. 1.-The case of a witness on oath. he aware to do evil, or to do good, that is, If a man hear the voice of swearing, that is, to do anything whatever, good or bad (see if he was one of a number of persons adjured Numb. :u.iv. 13), and failed to fulfil his to speak according to the manner in which oath from carelessness or negligence, he too oaths were administered in Jewish courts of must bring his offering, as above. justioo(aee Matt. :u.vi 63; 2 Ohron.xviil.15), Vere. 5, 6.-In the four cases last men- OIL V, 1-18,] 1.'HE BOOK OF LEVITIOUB. 73
tioned there is 11.rst to be an acknowledg- guilty, and the four last-named cases being ment of guilt, he llhall oonfe&1 that he hath of common occurrence amongst the poor Binned in that thing, and then the sin offer- and ignorant, two concessions are made to ing is to be made. Confession of sin probably poverty : two birds (one to be offered with preoeded or accompanied all sin offerings. the ritnal of tho sin offering, the other with The use of the word asham, translated that of the burnt offering), or even some tresp&SI offering in ver. 6, and the character flour (either three pints and a half or three tf the four cases have led many commen- quarts and a half, according as we adopt tf1tors to regard vers. 1-13 as dealing with the larger or smaller estimate of the amount the trespass offering rather than the sin of the ephah), are allowed when the offerer offering. But if this were so, the words cannot provide a lamb or a kid. There is treapaBS offering and sin offering would be thus typically set forth the freedom with used synonymously in this verse, which is which acceptance through the great pro- very unlikely, when they are immediately pitiation is offered to all without respect of afterwards carefully distinguished. It is persons. The non-bloody substitute, being best to render asham " for his trespass," permitted only as an exception for the that is, in expiation of his guilt, o.s in the benefit of the very poor and only in the four next verse, in place of a trespaBS offering. cases above specified, does not invalidate Vere. 7-13.-If he be not able to bring a the general rule that without the shedding lamb. Sin offerings being not voluntary of blood there is no remiasion of sin. sacrifices but required of all that were
HOMILETICS. Ver. 5.-0onfession of the sin committed is required of the man who is allowed to offer a sin offering. It is likewise required before a trespass offering is accepted, as appears from Numb. v. 6, 7. "When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty, then they shall confess their sin that they have done." l. TRADITIONAL FOBH OF CONFESSION. 11 The sacrifice was so set, as that the offerer, standing with his face towards the west, laid his two hands between his horns and confessed his sin over a sin offering and his trespass over a trespass offering; and his confession was on this wise: 'I have sinned, I have done grievously, I have rebelled and done thus and thus; but I return by repentance before thee, and let this be my expia- tion'" (Lightfoot, 'Temple Service,' eh. viii.). "I beseech thee, 0 Lord; I have sinned, I have transgressed, I have rebelled, I have (here the person specified the particular sin which he had committed, and for which he wanted expiation); but now I repent, and let this be my expiation" (Outram, 'De Sacrificiis,' I. xv. 9). That some such form as this was used, according to the universal tradition of the Jews, we may conclude with tolerable certainty from the present passage in Leviticus and that in Numb. v. 6, 7. II. Tms CONFESSION WAS INTENDED TO SPRING FROM FEELINGS OF REPENTANCE. All that could be enforced as a common and public discipline was the open confession of the sin. But no Israelite could have believed that the confession would be acceptable unless it proceeded from a penitent heart. This was left, as it must be left, to the individual conscience, but it was suggosted and morally demanded by the injunction to confess. Ill. THE OFFERING OP THE BIN OFFERING AND TRESPASS OFFERING WAS NOT TIIEREFOBE AN EXTERNAL CEREMONY ONLY, BUT A SPIRITUAL PENITENTIAL AOT. As the offering of the burnt offering implied the spiritual act or self-surrender, and of the meat offering the spiritual act of submission, and of the peace offering the spiritual act of holy joy, so the offering of the sin and trespass offering implies the spiritual act of repentance, None of these s11erifices perform their work as opera operata, without reference to the religious state of the offerer's mind and soul.