"This chapter lists four different cases requiring a sin offering. If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases he is to confess he has committed that sin, and bring a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. If he can't afford an animal from the flock he may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as restitution for his sin. If he can't afford the turtledoves or pigeons, he may bring two quarts of fine flour as an offering for his sin. Next in this chapter, the restitution offering is described. If someone sins unintentionally and violates any of the Lord's commands concerning anything prohibited, he bears the consequences of his guilt. As a result, he must sacrifice an unblemished ram to the Lord to atone for his sin. This is a restitution offering to the Lord."
Leviticus 5 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The Law of Guilt Offerings
5 ‘If anyone sins after he hears a [a]public adjuration (solemn command to testify) when he is a witness, whether he has seen or [otherwise] known [something]—if he fails to report it, then he will bear his guilt and be held responsible. 2 Or if someone touches any [ceremonially] unclean thing—whether the carcass of an unclean wild animal or the carcass of an unclean domestic animal or the carcass of unclean creeping things—even if he is unaware of it, he has become unclean, and he will be guilty. 3 Or if he touches human uncleanness—whatever kind it may be—and he becomes unclean, but he is unaware of it, when he recognizes it, he will be guilty. 4 Or if anyone swears [an oath] thoughtlessly or impulsively [b]aloud that he will do either evil or good, in whatever manner a person may speak thoughtlessly or impulsively with an oath, but he is unaware of it, when he recognizes it, he will be guilty in one of these. 5 So it shall be when a person is guilty in one of these, that he shall confess the sin he has committed. 6 He shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin. The Law of Guilt Offerings
7 ‘But if he [c]cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as his guilt offering for his sin to the Lord, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. 8 He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering, and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but shall not sever it [completely]. 9 He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering. 10 The second [bird] he shall prepare as a burnt offering, according to the ordinance. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for the sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him.
11 ‘But if he cannot afford to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for his sin the tenth part of an [d]ephah of fine flour as a sin offering; he shall not put [olive] oil or incense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, with the offerings by fire to the Lord; it is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in one of these things, and it will be forgiven him; then the rest shall be for the priest, like the grain offering.’”
14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 15 “If a person commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally against the holy things of the Lord, then he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, valued by you in shekels of silver, that is, the shekel of the sanctuary, as a guilt offering. 16 He shall make restitution for the sin which he has committed against the holy thing, and shall add a fifth [of the ram’s value] to it, and give it to the priest. The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.
17 “Now if anyone sins and does any of the things which the Lord has forbidden, though he was not aware of it, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. 18 He is then to bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him regarding the error which he committed unintentionally and did not know it, and he shall be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the Lord.”
Footnotes: Leviticus 5:1 Lit voice of an oath. This refers to a public announcement calling for witnesses to testify.
Leviticus 5:4 Lit with his lips.
Leviticus 5:7 Lit if his hand cannot reach enough for.
Leviticus 5:11 Approximately one bushel.
- INNATE GUILT. It's interesting how there are a lot specific laws for very specific situations during Moses' time. The reality is, even if we are not yet doing anything, our stand is that we are already guilty before God because of the sin nature that we have inherited since Adam and Eve's disobedience. All the chosen, godly people that He used, Noah, Abraham, etc.-- they are also sinners that received God's mercy and grace.
- ONLY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. Every offering in Moses time is a prelude or foreshadowing of what Lord Jesus will do for all mankind someday. Especially the guilt offering. Who's the only one who can purchase and redeem us from all our guilt? Only the blood of Jesus.
Nothing but the Blood - Hillsong United
"Oh, precious is the flowThat makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Nothing but the blood of Jesus"
- SINFULNESS. This Chapter reminded me how desperately and badly I need Lord Jesus for all the guilt and sin I have. There may be unconfessed sins, or sins unchecked and unknown to me, yet I am committing them. That's why it is important to pray and ask forgiveness everyday. To receive His fresh grace and mercy everyday. That way we can continually walk victoriously in the Lord.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:23-26
"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:20-23
b. If he does not tell it, he bears guilt: Therefore it was the duty of someone who was a witness to come forward and tell the truth about the matter. "In Israel all the people were to be involved in seeing that justice was done. Not to witness was a sin." (Harris)
i. We can say that the same principle applies to our witness of Jesus Christ. It isn't enough that we refrain from actively denying Jesus or lying about our relationship with Him. We must also take every opportunity to tell the truth about Jesus.
b. When he realizes it, then he shall be guilty: When we are aware of our broken vows we must repent of them. It is common to make vows and promises in the Christian that are not kept, and when we see this we must repent and trust in the atoning, covering blood of Jesus to bring forgiveness.
i. Think of these common examples of broken vows:
- More time in prayer
- More intercession for others
- More devotional reading
- More intense Bible study
- More personal witness
- More faithful tithing
- Better example to others
- More patience with the children
- A vow to personal purity in sexual matters
ii. It may not be wrong to make such vows. They may be the legitimate expression of a move of the Holy Spirit in a person's life. Yet if the vow is not kept, it must be confessed as sin and repented of.
a. When he is guilty: This really has the idea of "when he realizes his guilt." Though a person is guilty of sin the moment he commits it, he has no idea he needs to get it right until he realizes his sin.
b. He shall confess: This was an important part of the sin offering; to confess meant one would agree with God that the sin was wrong. Confession of sin is still an important principle for clearing away sin that hinders our fellowship with God.
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Lev/Lev-5.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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