These two offerings actually deal with one thing-sin. Sin includes both indwelling sin and outward sins. In other words, it is a matter of sin in its totality. As we have pointed out, this is the meaning of the word sin in John 1:29. The Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, has dealt with sin in its totality. On the cross, He was the sin offering and also the trespass offering.
Leviticus 5:1-3 mentions some particular transgressions. Verse 1 says, “When a person sins in that he hears a public charge to testify, and he is a witness, either he has seen or known the matter, and he does not declare it, then he shall bear his iniquity.” The Hebrew expression translated “public charge to testify” literally means the “voice of an oath.” “Bear his iniquity” means to bear the responsibility of sin or guilt. This verse refers to a person who hears a public charge to testify and does not declare what he knows and thus must bear his iniquity.
We may think that what is spoken of here is insignificant and that it has nothing to do with us today. However, this seemingly unimportant matter exposes where we are; it shows that we are not absolutely for God. If we are really for God and live for Him, especially in the church life, we will be faithful, honest, and sincere to testify what we know. We will testify of the truth. To fail in this matter is to be dishonest and unfaithful; it is to be unlike our God, who is faithful and honest.
Leviticus 5:2 goes on to say, “Or when a person touches any unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of an unclean creeping thing, and it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he is guilty.” Here we see that if a person does nothing more than touch a carcass, he is unclean, for he has touched the uncleanness of death. This is a type that has a spiritual application to us. There is a great deal of death among the children of God today, and this death is spreading. Moreover, there are different kinds of death, signified by the carcasses of unclean beasts, cattle, and creeping things. The words “it is hidden from him” indicate that we may not be aware that we have touched the uncleanness of spiritual death. But if we are enlightened by the Lord, we will realize how much we have touched the uncleanness of spiritual death and have been defiled by it.
Leviticus 5:3 continues, “Or when he touches the uncleanness of man, whatever his uncleanness is whereby he is unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he knows it, then he is guilty.” The uncleanness of man here signifies the natural man, the natural life. With the natural man there is uncleanness. Everything that is discharged from the natural man and the natural life is unclean.
In our contact with one another as members of the Body, there may be uncleanness-the uncleanness of spiritual death and the uncleanness of the natural being. As we are fellowshipping with one another, we need to be aware of these two kinds of uncleanness. For example, a brother may speak a loving word to you, or he may speak a word of appreciation and respect, but his word is altogether natural. If you take that word, you will be defiled, for you will touch the uncleanness of man, the uncleanness of the natural being.
One day, as I was having fellowship with Brother Nee, he told me that politeness is a kind of leprosy. Being polite is different from being nice. For the sake of a proper human living, we should always be nice to others. To be polite is actually to put on a mask. This means that politeness is a matter of pretending. For instance, one brother may be polite with another brother and then gossip with others about him and criticize him. This is leprosy, something that is even worse than being natural.
The word in Leviticus 5 was spoken not to individuals but to the congregation of God’s people. In typology this word is spoken to the church. Among the saints in the church, there may be different kinds of death. Death often spreads among the saints. We may not realize how much we have touched the uncleanness of spiritual death. The spreading of gossip and criticism is the spreading of spiritual death. We may touch death day after day without realizing it. Also, the saints may have “buddy-buddy” relationships and love others in a natural way, not in the spirit. This kind of love is natural, fleshly, and unclean.
If we are enlightened by the Lord through this portion of the Word, we will realize that we surely need the trespass offering. The more we are with the Lord and the more we take Him as the burnt offering, the more we will see that we need Him as the trespass offering and as the sin offering. We need the sin offering to deal with indwelling sin as the source and the trespass offering to deal with the “children,” the trespasses produced from this source.
Some of the blood of the trespass offering was sprinkled on the wall of the altar (5:9a; 7:2). This signifies the sprinkling power of Christ’s blood upon sinners (1 Pet. 1:2).
The remainder of the blood was squeezed (drained) out at the base of the altar (Lev. 5:9b). This signifies the blood of Christ as the base of God’s forgiveness to sinners (Eph. 1:7).
Leviticus 5:11 tells us that the one who brings “the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering” is not to “place oil upon it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.” This signifies that the Holy Spirit and the fragrance of Christ’s resurrection are not involved with sin.
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