Leviticus 5:3 says, “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 uncleanness of man’s natural life. The Lord Jesus said that nothing that goes into us defiles us; rather, what comes out of us defiles us (Matt. 15:17-20). The natural life, like death, brings in uncleanness. In the church life, in the holy community, death and the natural life may be prevailing.

The natural life includes the matter of natural affection. Either we do not care for one another or we love one another in a natural way, in the way of natural affection. Someone may have had an affection for you in the past, but today he does not care for you at all. This is not according to our Christian nature to love, help, and take care of others. It is altogether in the natural realm. We may love others or, seeking vain glory and being jealous of others, we may envy them. This love and this envy are both of the natural life.

Leviticus 5:4 continues, “Or when a person utters an oath, speaking rashly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever a man may speak rashly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, when he knows it, then he is guilty in any of these.” Here we have the matter of speaking rashly, of speaking something before God in a hasty, careless, and reckless way. We may hear about a certain thing and immediately say that we like it or do not like it and that we will do this or that concerning it. To speak in such a way indicates not merely that we do not live for God but that we do not even fear God. Who are we to say rashly that we do not like a certain thing? God may like it. We are not God, and we need to be careful about speaking hastily. Instead of expressing our opinion about a matter, we should say nothing and, if necessary, bring the matter to the Lord, praying and asking Him to show us whether we should have a share in it or stay away from it. This is the right attitude of a person who fears God.

In 5:1-4 we have four items as illustrations of things which need the trespass offering. If we were to make a list of such things, we would not list the four items mentioned here: not witnessing what we know (v. 1), touching the carcass of an animal (v. 2), touching the uncleanness of man (v. 3), and speaking rashly (v. 4). God speaks of these items, for He knows the real situation and need of His people.

The first item, not witnessing what we know, is actually a matter of lying. As we have pointed out, this involves Satan, the father of lies. Therefore, Satan is alluded to here.

The second item is death in three forms-wild, mild, and subtle. Death is the most hateful thing in the eyes of God. Death is spread in a wild way, in a gentle way, and in a subtle way. This is the real situation among God’s congregation in this age.

The third item is the natural life with its uncleanness. It is very common for Christians to walk and act in the natural life. Is the natural life not prevailing in today’s church life? Those who are sociable in a natural way are often well received, but those who walk in the spirit are often misunderstood. A great deal of the natural life can be seen among Christians and in God’s congregation today.

The fourth item is rash speaking. Those who speak rashly are quick to say whether or not they like a certain thing. These four things are listed by God as sins, and, as such, they need the trespass offering.

Leviticus 5:5 and 6 say, “And it shall be when he is guilty in any of these, then he shall confess that in which he has sinned; and he shall bring his trespass offering to Jehovah for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a sheep or a goat for a sin offering; and the priest shall make propitiation for him concerning his sin.” The largest trespass offering is a sheep or a goat. This trespass offering reminds us mainly of one thing: that our sins issue from the sin that dwells in us. Apparently we are dealing with sins; actually we are dealing with sin as the source of our sins. For this reason the trespass offering is a sin offering. We realize that we have committed sins, but in the eyes of God these sins have their source in sin. Therefore, what we offer to God to deal with our sins eventually is not merely a trespass offering but is a sin offering.

We may wonder how a trespass offering can become a sin offering. What we bring to God to deal with our sins is a trespass offering. But after we bring this offering to God, it becomes a sin offering. The reason for this is that God will not propitiate us only for our sins; He will propitiate us also for our sin. His way is not merely to remove the fruit from the tree but also to uproot the tree. If the tree is uprooted, the fruit will be thoroughly dealt with. Our problem is not only the sins we have committed; our problem is also the indwelling sin. What we offer to God should deal with sin as well as sins. Therefore, God calls this trespass offering a sin offering.

Verse 7 goes on to say, “But if he cannot afford a sheep, then he shall bring his trespass offering to Jehovah for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.” This verse reveals that the trespass offering is related not only to the sin offering but also to the burnt offering. According to this verse, the trespass offering is composed of the sin offering and the burnt offering. Put together, these two offerings constitute the trespass offering.

We may think that our only problem is the sins we have committed. Actually our real problem is the indwelling sin and our not living for God. The root, the source, of our sins is our sin, and the reason for our sins is that we are not absolute for God. Therefore, we not only need the trespass offering to deal with our sins; we also need the sin offering to deal with the root of our sins-the sin within us-and the burnt offering to deal with the reason for our sins-our not being absolute for God. If we deal with the source of our sins and with our not being absolute for God, we also deal with our trespasses.

Verses 8 and 9 continue, “He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer the one for the sin offering first; he shall nip its head at the neck, but shall not sever it; and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood shall be squeezed out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.” These verses speak not of the trespass offering but of the sin offering and the blood of the sin offering. Some of the blood is sprinkled on the wall of the altar, signifying the sprinkling of Christ’s blood upon sinners (1 Pet. 1:2). The remainder of the blood is squeezed out at the base of the altar, signifying that the blood of Christ is the base of God’s forgiveness to sinners (Eph. 1:7).

Verse 10 speaks of the second bird. “The second bird he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. Thus the priest shall make propitiation for him concerning his sin which he has sinned, and he shall be forgiven.” According to the regulations, we should be absolute for God. Since we are not absolute for God, we need the burnt offering in addition to the sin offering.
Home | First | Prev | Next