Leviticus 6

Le 6:1-7.

TRESPASS

OFFERING FOR

SINS

DONE

WITTINGLY.

2-7. If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord--This

law, the record of which should have been joined with the previous

chapter, was given concerning things stolen, fraudulently gotten, or

wrongfully kept. The offender was enjoined to make restitution of the

articles to the rightful owner, along with a fifth part out of his own

possessions. But it was not enough thus to repair the injury done to a

neighbor and to society; he was required to bring a trespass offering,

as a token of sorrow and penitence for having hurt the cause of

religion and of God. That trespass offering was a ram without blemish,

which was to be made on the altar of burnt offerings, and the flesh

belonged to the priests. This penalty was equivalent to a mitigated

fine; but being associated with a sacred duty, the form in which the

fine was inflicted served the important purpose of rousing attention to

the claims and reviving a sense of responsibility to God.

Le 6:8-13.

THE

LAW OF THE

BURNT

OFFERING.

9. Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This . . . law of

the burnt offering--In this passage Moses received instructions to

be delivered to the priests respecting their official duties, and first

the burnt offering--Hebrew, "a sacrifice, which went up in

smoke." The daily service consisted of two lambs, one offered in the

morning at sunrise, the other in the evening, when the day began to

decline. Both of them were consumed on the altar by means of a slow

fire, before which the pieces of the sacrifice were so placed that they

fed it all night. At all events, the observance of this daily sacrifice

on the altar of burnt offering was a daily expression of national

repentance and faith. The fire that consumed these sacrifices had been

kindled from heaven at the consecration of the tabernacle

[Le 9:24],

and to keep it from being extinguished and the sacrifices from being

burned with common fire, strict injunctions are here given respecting

not only the removal of the ashes

[Le 6:10, 11],

but the approaching near to the fireplace in garments that were not

officially "holy."

Le 6:14-18.

THE

LAW OF THE

MEAT

OFFERING.

14-18. this is the law of the meat offering--Though this was a

provision for the priests and their families, it was to be regarded as

"most holy"; and the way in which it was prepared was: on any meat

offerings being presented, the priest carried them to the altar, and

taking a handful from each of them as an oblation, he salted and burnt

it on the altar; the residue became the property of the priests, and

was the food of those whose duty it was to attend on the service. They

themselves as well as the vessels from which they ate were typically

holy, and they were not at liberty to partake of the meat offering

while they labored under any ceremonial defilement.

Le 6:19-23.

THE

HIGH

PRIEST'S

MEAT

OFFERING.

20. This is the offering of Aaron, and of his sons--the daily

meat offering of the high priest; for though his sons are mentioned

along with him, it was probably only those of his descendants who

succeeded him in that high office that are meant. It was to be offered,

one half of it in the morning and the other half in the evening--being

daily laid by the ministering priest on the altar of burnt offering,

where, being dedicated to God, it was wholly consumed. This was

designed to keep him and the other attendant priests in constant

remembrance, that though they were typically expiating the sins of the

people, their own persons and services could meet with acceptance only

through faith, which required to be daily nourished and strengthened

from above.

Le 6:21-30.

THE

LAW OF THE

SIN

OFFERING.

25-28. This is the law of the sin offering--It was slain, and

the fat and inwards, after being washed and salted, were burnt upon the

altar. But the rest of the carcass belonged to the officiating priest.

He and his family might feast upon it--only, however, within the

precincts of the tabernacle; and none else were allowed to partake of

it but the members of a priestly family--and not even they, if under

any ceremonial defilement. The flesh on all occasions was boiled or

sodden, with the exception of the paschal lamb, which was roasted

[Ex 12:8, 9];

and if an earthen vessel had been used, it being porous and likely to

imbibe some of the liquid particles, it was to be broken; if a metallic

pan had been used it was to be scoured and washed with the greatest

care, not because the vessels had been defiled, but the

reverse--because the flesh of the sin offering having been boiled in

them, those vessels were now too sacred for ordinary use. The design of

all these minute ceremonies was to impress the minds, both of priests

and people, with a sense of the evil nature of sin and the care they

should take to prevent the least taint of its impurities clinging to

them.