Sacrifices and the Law:

Leviticus 5:14-19

Summary:

The trespass offering in sacrilege

and in sins of ignorance

14. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

15. “If a person commits a trespass, and sins unintentionally in regard to the holy things of the Lord, then he shall bring to the Lord as his trespass offering a ram without blemish from the flocks, with your valuation in shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary, as a trespass offering.

16. “And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

17. “If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity.

18. “And he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him.

19. “It is a trespass offering; he has certainly trespassed against the Lord.”

Comments:

Sin requires payment. In presenting this sacrifice, the trespass of that person was forgiven. The ram was required to be killed to cover sins. Even if a person doesn’t realize a thing is a sin, it is no excuse, and once it does become known, the price still needs to be paid.

God will always take a person back. Forgiveness is waiting,

The ram is an inadequate stand in for Jesus. but it reminds us that a living being is sacrificed. Jesus is life in himself, the one and only person to qualify for a sin price.

Silver was also used. As a sacrifice it seems to be more symbolic than a true sacrifice. If the ram is a stand in for Jesus, then the silver is a stand in for us.

Consider a few things about silver.

* It comes from the earth in an impure state. We begin in an impure, sinful state.

* Silver is refined and becomes purified. As believers, we reach a point where we are purified by encountering God’s word.

* Silver then obtains it’s real value and usability. You can make useful things with it: cups, bowls, or other utensils. It can be made into things that just have value: jewelry, coins, artwork. God can use his believers in his kingdom like that as well.

Repentance

MATTHEW 3:1-12

Let’s examine how John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming King.

PREPARING THE WAY (MATT. 3:1-6)

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea

2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!

4 John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him,

6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

Notice the message John preached that called for people to repent of their sins.

How would you compare John the Baptist’s style with that of some of today’s recognized religious leaders?

Which kind of delivery style would you respond to? Blunt truth, or shallow words?

PROCLAIMING THE TRUTH (MATT. 3:7-10) VERSES 7-8

listen for attitudes expressed in this passage.

7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them,

“Brood of vipers!