Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20000628.htm

LEVITICUS: GOD'S CALL FOR A SEPARATED WITNESS
Part I: The Path To Gaining Fellowship With God (Leviticus 1-10)
D. The Sin Offering's Revelation Of The Sinner's BASIS Of Forgiveness With God
(Leviticus 4:1-5:13)
  1. Introduction
    1. Sin carries consequences that need to be addressed to restore the sinner to a holy God's fellowship.
    2. However, when we understand the enormity of the cost of sin and how far GOD must go in grace to supply forgiveness due to His absolute perfection, it motivates us to grow in true holiness as follows:
  2. The Sin Offering's Revelation Of The Sinner's BASIS Of Forgiveness With God, Leviticus 4:1-5:13.
    1. God ordered Moses to instigate a sin offering for sins done either unintentionally or in negligence, 4:1-2.
    2. Such an offering involved the substitutionary death of an animal in the sinner's place, Leviticus 4:3-4:
      1. As in the case of the burnt offering, the sin offering even for unintentional sins demanded the offerer lay his hand on the animal's head, identifying the animal as his substitute for his own sin, Lev. 4:3-4a.
      2. As in these former offerings, the animal was then slain by the offerer, Leviticus 4:4b.
    3. However, at this point the sin offering dramatically differed from the former offerings as follows:
      1. God gave directives in the case of a spiritually influential priest's sin, 4:3-12 (B.K.C., O. T., p. 180)
        1. The blood was not immediately sprinkled at the base of the altar in the outside courtyard of the tabernacle, but collected in a basin by the high priest, and taken into the tabernacle, Leviticus 4:5.
        2. There, the high priest was to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holiest of Holies of God's presence, Lev. 4:6.
        3. Then, the high priest would place some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of incense that stood in front of the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, Lev. 4:7a. This would be followed by his pouring out the blood left in the basin at the foot of the courtyard's altar, Lev. 4:7b.
        4. The prized portions of the carcass were burned to the Lord, Leviticus 4:8-10.
        5. The rest of the carcass was not to be eaten (6:30), but all remaining even select portions not yet burned were to be taken outside of the camp and burned in a clean place, Leviticus 4:11-12.
      2. God instructed Israel to the following directives when the whole nation inadvertently sinned, 4:13-21:
        1. The nation's elders, representing the nation, would lay their hands on the bull's head to identify the bull as the nation's substitute, and slaughter it before the Lord, Leviticus 4:13-15.
        2. Then what happened for the ritual of a priest's sins was repeated for the nation, Lev. 4:16-20, Ibid.
      3. God instructed Israel to the following directives when a civic leader had sinned, Leviticus 4:22-26:
        1. The guilty leader would bring a male goat without defect, lay his hands on it, and kill it, 4:22-24.
        2. However, instead of taking the blood into the tabernacle, the priest would apply the blood to the horns of the courtyard's burnt offering altar and pour out the collected blood at its base, 4:25-26.
        3. After the incineration of the favored parts of the animal on the burnt offering's altar there, the priest received the remaining portions as an allowance of food for himself and his family, Lev. 6:26, 29.
      4. God instructed Israel to the following directives when a member of the congregation sinned: what had occurred for a national leader was applied to the member of the congregation, Leviticus 4:27-35.
    4. God gave practical specifications as to the application of the sin offering that needed to be addressed:
      1. First, detailed illustrations of what involved an inadvertent sin were supplied so as to guard against mistaking an unintentional sin for a willful sin of rebellion, Leviticus 5:1, 2-3, 4.
      2. Second, gracious provisions were given for the poor who could not afford a large animal, Lev. 5:5-13.
Lesson: (1) Even UNINTENTIONAL sins deeply offend God, and (2) the greater the influence or position of a party relative to others, or the greater number of people involved in a particular sin, the GREATER the need for confession and restitution to offset the EFFECTS of sin in God's people.

Application: (1) ALL sin is VERY offensive to God, so it MUST be handled by the substitutionary death of Christ: (a) the unsaved must believe in Christ's atonement to be saved from hell; (b) believers must confess sins for restored fellowship with God, 1 Jn. 1:9. (2) The greater is a party's influence or office over others, the more public must be his confession and stiffer the terms of his restoration.