THE TRESPASS OFFERING (eh. v. 14---19, vi. man to offer either a ain offering or a tres- 1-7). The new heading with which ver. pass offering, or both : the sin offering would 14· begins indicates that it is here and not tee.oh the need of, and would symbolically at ver. 1 that the section on trespass offer- effect, expiation for sin; the trespass offer- ings commences. Sin offerings and tres- ing would teach the necessity of, and would pass offerings are not distinguished from require at the offerer's hands, reparation for each other in Ps. xl. 6 ; Heb. x. 8 ; and the wrong. While the sin offering typified the classification of the sins which require one expiation wrought upon the cross, the tres- or the other offering has caused great pass offering typified the satisfaction for perplexity to commentators. It would sin effected by the perfect life and voluntary appear that, primarily, the trespass offering· death of the Saviour. we.s reserved for those cases in which repa- Vera. 14, 15.-If a soul commit a trespass. ration had to be made. Thus, if a man failed Two provious conditions were required of the to pay his tithes and offerings to the Lord Isrn~lite before he might offer his trospass offerrng. I. He must make compensation (ver. 14), he must bring his trespass offering; for any harm or injury that he had done. or if he refused to restore a deposit to his 2. lie must give to the injured pArty a fine neighbours (oh. vi. 2), he must bring his tres- equal to one-fifth (i.e. two-tenths) of the pass offering; 11nd his trespass offering is not v~lue_ of the thing of which he had deprived received until he hns made satisfaction to the him, if the wrong was capable of being so party wronged, and paitl, as a fine, one-fifth estimated. In performing his sacrifice he had (1) to bring a rom to the court of of lhe value of the thiug that he had appro- the tabernacle ; (2) to present and to priated. But the close of crimes for which kill it: while the priest (1) cast the blood the trespllSs offering was required came to on the inner sides of the altar; (2) burnt be enlarged by the addition of other cases, the internal fat and the tail; (3) took the similar in character to the first, but not remainder to be eaten by himself and hie brother priests and their sons in the court identical, whereby wrong was done to the of the tabernacle (eh. vii. 2-7). The Lord (e.s by transgressing hie commands special lesson of the trespass offering is the otherwise thnn by withholding tithes and need of satisf11ction as woll as of oblation, offerings, ver. 17), or to man (as by wronging and thus it supplies a representation of a female slave, oh. xi:i:. 20, whore tho wrong one fe11ture in the great Antitype, who was the "full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice is not estimated by money). The.so en.sea oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of are distinguished with difficulty from those tho whole world." Through ignorance (see for which a sin offering ls required. The note on eh. iv. 2). same act might render it incumbent on a Vera. 15, 16 refer to ains of omission, so THE BOOK OF LEVl'.rICUS. [oH. V, 14-19,
offences in the holy thingll of the Lord ; while sti\'l unworn by trafflo and daily UBe. that is, withholding tithes and offerings. Beside offering the ram, he is to make The non-payment of tithes and offerings was amends for the harm ~ther ,in) that he looked upon as robbing Jehovah (Mai. iii. bath done in the holy • , and . . . add the 8), and therefore it is that a trespass offering, fifth part. The fifth plLl't is probably ap- involving compensation, a.nd not only a sin pointed as being the same as two-tenths of offer:ng, is required to atone for the offence. the principal sum. Full satisfaction is the The ram that is to be offered is to be of a marked feo.ture of the trespass offering. In ml ue fixed by the priest (with thy estima- Luke xix. 8, "Zacohmus stood, and said, ... tion, i.e. according to the estimation of the Behold, Lord, ... if I have taken anything priest), and the priest is to estimate it by from any man by false accusation, I restore shekels of silver; implying that its value must fourfold.'' He went far beyond his lega.l amount at least to shekel,a (in the plura.l), obligation in respect to compensation. (Cf. meaning two shekels (see Ezek. xlvii. 13, 2 Sam. xii. 6, "He sho.11 restore the lamb where " portions " means "more than one fourfold.") portion," i.e. •• two portions"). The shekel Vera. 17-19. ·sins of commission may is considered to be equal to 2s. 7d. The be atoned for by the trespass offering as shekel of the sanotua.ry means the shekel well as sins of omission, according to its exaot weight and va.lue,
HOMILETICS. Vers. 14-19.-7',,e trespass offering differs from the sin offering in that it was not allowed to be pre~ented until reparation had been made for the evil done by him who desired to offer it. Its special lesson to the Israelite was that satisfaction for sin is necessary for restoration to communion as well as sacrifice. !TB TYPICAL LESSON. Satisfaction implies that there is a debt due which must be paid. The debt is due to God; the debtor is man. Christ took upon himself the payment of the debt, which man could not pay. He paid it in two ways: 1. By bearing the punishment due for its non-payment by man. 2. By rendering in his own person that perfect obedience which man had failed to render, and by that failure had become a helpless debtor. Having compensated for man's disobedience by the perfect obedience of his life, he bore the punishment still due for that previous disobedience by the sacrifice of his death. Thus man's forgiveness became not only a matter of mercy on God's part, but of his justice. (See St. .Anselm's ' Cur Deus Homo? ' and Archbishop Thomson's ' Essay on the Death of Christ' in ' .Aids to Faith.')