Verses 1-5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; 3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: 4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, 5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
God did not institute prisons for what today would be considered criminal behavior. The offender was required to make restitution to the victim and an added 20% of the value of whatever the victim lost was to be paid as punishment. As a result, the Hebrew people did not have to be taxed to support a prison population like is done today in most countries. Violent crimes were punishable by death and so, again, there was no need for prisons. Notice that in verse 2 above the perpetrator not only trespassed against his neighbor, but against God. Perhaps if people today understood that their wicked behavior was not just against individuals and society in general, but against the God that is Creator and Judge, they may reconsider their wicked thoughts, speech and actions.
Verses 6-7 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: 7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
Forgiveness was offered by God to even the criminal. Hopefully, after providing restitution, paying an added 20% for the ill-gotten gain, and then forking out for a ram for the trespass offering, the sinner was reformed and would think twice before repeating his sin/sins.
Verses 8-11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 9 Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it. 10 And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
The tabernacle, all its contents, the laver, and the altar were all holy. When performing any of the tasks required by God, the priests had to be clad in the appropriate clothing. But even the clothing was holy and not to be worn outside of the religious duties.
Application: Each believer is a priest in the kingdom of God. Today there is no dress code. But there is a heart/soul code. The believer, like the priests of old, has to have his/her heart and soul appropriately attired in order to minister effectively to the LORD. The believer has to be free of sin. The believer has to have his/her mind, will and emotions in tune to the Spirit of God. There can be no unforgiveness, harbored resentment, jealously, ill will towards others, greed, anger and any other negative aspects in the believer’s life or he/she is unfit for service in the kingdom of God. Thankfully, today the believer can simply repent, ask for forgiveness, and be restored in fellowship with the LORD without all the ritual sacrifice that was done before Christ came to Earth and died for the forgiveness of sins.
Verses 12-13 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. 13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
This writer burns wood in the winter for heat and it is not an enjoyable task to constantly feed the stove and keep the fire burning. It is work, and messy work at that. So the priests had to make sure they had sufficient wood and they had to watch the fire on the altar to be sure it did not go out. That is one of the reasons there were so many Levite men in ministry in the tabernacle, and later in the Temple, as the priests would have been busy with all the sacrifices done each day and not have time to cut, haul and stack wood.
Application: Why was the fire on the altar never to go out? Deuteronomy 4:24 states, “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” Hebrews 12:29 states, “For our God is a consuming fire.” All the sacrifices burned on the altar were to God and for the purpose of atonement or forgiveness of trespasses and sins or as a pleasant aroma in praise and worship. The fire was/is a symbol of the character of God. He is power, He is energy, and He is totally capable of destroying all that He has created. Fire sterilizes and purifies. God provided a way for mankind to be in right relationship with Him through the sacrificial system, culminating with the LORD Jesus Christ as the last sacrificial Lamb. Like the fire that was never to go out, God is always present and all powerful, consuming evil and purifying His people through His shed blood and the presence of the Holy Ghost/Spirit in each believer.
Verses 14-18 And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar. 15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD. 16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. 17 It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering. 18 All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.
Remember that a meat offering was not the flesh of animals, but usually some kind of flour or grain product. The portion burned on the altar was mixed with oil and perfume. The part eaten by the priests was not mixed with oil or perfume. No yeast was to be in the meat offering as yeast represented sin.
Application: Why is yeast or leaven associated with sin in the Scripture? Perhaps it is because the character and action of yeast is so much like the character and action of sin. Yeast, by itself, does nothing. Yeast has to enter into dough before it can grow and do its job. Sin, by itself, does nothing, but when it enters into a person, it grows and does a job in the life of the person. Only a very small amount of yeast or leaven is needed to spread throughout and influence a large amount of dough. Only a small sin is needed to influence a person and to spread from that person to others. The action of yeast on bread dough makes the bread light and fluffy and more enjoyable to eat. The action of sin can make the sinner have temporary enjoyment and the sin can be enjoyable for a time.
Verses 19-23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night. 21 In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 22 And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt. 23 For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.
This offering appears to be specifically for the high priest and his sons as opposed to the general public and it was to continue to be offered down through the successive generations of Aaron’s descendants.
Verses 24-29 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 25 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy. 26 The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. 27 Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place. 28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water. 29 All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.
The earthen vessels were to be broken so that they could not be used again. Earthen vessels could grow bacteria and cause sickness and disease. A metal pot could be thoroughly washed and cleansed of germs and then used again and again.
Verse 30 And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
The sin offering in which the priest carried a portion of the blood inside the tabernacle was to be entirely burned and never kept for food for the priests. This offering was a representation and foreshadowing of the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ.