Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20071205.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Leviticus: Fellowship With A Holy God
Part I: Acceptable Relationship With A Holy God, Leviticus 1:1-7:38
F. Clarification Of The Offerings, Leviticus 6:8-7:38
4. Clarification Of The Trespass Offering: The Need To VALUE Others' Rights In God's Eyes
(Leviticus 7:1-6)
  1. Introduction
    1. Our culture is impacted by our American Constitution that places a great value on individual rights.
    2. However, God Himself is greatly concerned about the same issue as failure here is a serious sin to Him!
    3. This truth is revealed in the clarification of the trespass offering in Leviticus 7:1-6 (as follows):
  2. Clarification Of The Trespass Offering: The Need To VALUE Others' Rights In God's Eyes.
    1. We learned in a previous lesson in this series on the trespass offering (Leviticus 5:14-6:7) that fellowship with a holy God requires that we respect the rights of other people or of the Lord Himself.
    2. The Leviticus 7:1-6 clarification of that trespass offering expands on this lesson to reveal God wants us to strive hard to RESPECT the rights of other people and of Himself (as follows):
      1. Several clarifications on how the trespass offering was to be handled are given in Leviticus 7:1-6 that are not mentioned in the initial Leviticus 5:14-6:7 section where the offering was first described: these include the following: (a) the place of slaughtering the trespass offering was to be the north side of the altar, the same place as the slaughter of the burnt offering, Leviticus 7:2; 1:11; (b) then, the "ritual . . . for the manipulation of blood (7:2) and the incineration on the altar (vv. 3-5) parallels" that of the peace offering in chapter 3; finally, (c) the human consumption of the trespass offering sacrificial meat (7:6) "parallels that of the sin offering (cf. 6:26, 29)." Bible Knowledge Com., O. T., p. 185.
      2. As such, this Leviticus 7:1-6 clarification of the trespass offering reveals God desires that we so HIGHLY VALUE the rights of others and Himself, that we strive hard to respect them in our lives:
        1. The application relative to the burnt offering: (1) the place for slaughtering the trespass offering was to be the north side of the altar where the burnt offering was slain, Lev. 7:2. (2) Then, as we learned in a past lesson, the burnt offering depicted wholehearted devotion to God as exampled in Christ's devotion to do the Father's will in going to the cross. (3) Thus, God wants us to strive as hard to avoid violating the rights of others as Jesus did to do His will in going to the cross, 7:2; 1:11!
        2. The application relative to the peace offering: (1) the handling of the blood of the trespass offering and the burning of its sacrificial flesh parallels that of the peace offering (Leviticus 7:3-5 with 3:1-17). (2) Well, we before learned that the peace offering teaches God's wrath was satiated at Christ's cross so that He can fellowship with the worshiper. (3) So, God revealed we must strive hard to respect others' rights to avoid angering Him and breaking fellowship with Him!
        3. The application relative to the sin offering: (1) the human consumption of the trespass offering's meat follows that of the sin offering, Leviticus 7:6. (2) Well, we before learned that the sin offering reveals God forgives sins done accidentally or in weakness, and that with varying effects due to the varying degrees of the people involved (sins by spiritual leaders and the congregation need a costlier animal with more extensive rituals than sins of others). (3) Thus, though we may accidentally or in weakness violate the rights of others, God still wants us to strive hard to avoid harming the rights of others, for failing to do so hurts others in escalating degrees of harm relative to the offender's position in society or in the congregation of the Lord!
Lesson: Violating the rights of others, be they God or man, MUST be seen as a SERIOUS offense that we must TRY HARD to AVOID; after all, this offense takes Christ's work on the Cross for it to be atoned, this offense also angers God and breaks fellowship with Him, and this offense hurts others in varying degrees depending on the level of leadership or influence of the sinner(s) in the offense!

Application: In view of the SERIOUSNESS of the SIN of violating others' rights as measured in the need for the cross of Christ to atone for it, in God's anger at it and its breaking of fellowship with Him and in its escalating harm due to the position of the sinner(s) involved, may we strive hard to avoid it!