Leviticus · chapter 5 of 27
Updated on
Leviticus 5 gives examples of wrongs that call for a sin offering: staying silent when called to testify, touching something unclean without knowing it, or making a careless oath. The guilty person must confess, and the offering is scaled to his means: a lamb, birds or flour. The second part presents the guilt offering, a ram, for wrongs against holy things.
Chapter 4 taught the sin offering according to who sinned. Now Leviticus 5 shows concrete cases from everyday life and adds two important ideas: confession and restitution. God also cares for the poor by letting the offering fit what each person can give, and he introduces a new offering, the guilt offering.
The chapter begins with concrete situations. Someone who hears a public call to testify and stays silent, someone who touches something unclean such as a dead animal without realizing it, or someone who swears thoughtlessly to do good or evil, becomes guilty on finding out. He must confess his sin and bring a female lamb or goat to the Lord as a sin offering, and the priest will make atonement.
If he cannot afford an animal from the flock, he may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. If he cannot afford even that, he brings a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, with no oil or frankincense because it is a sin offering, and the priest burns a handful as a memorial portion.
The second part deals with someone who commits a wrong against the holy things of the Lord, for example by holding back what should have been given to him. He brings a ram without blemish as a guilt offering, makes restitution for what was lacking and adds a fifth. The chapter ends with the case of someone who sins without knowing it: he is still guilty and must bring a ram.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
When a person realizes he is guilty of one of these wrongs, he must confess how he has sinned. Confession is part of the path to forgiveness: the offering is not a mechanical procedure but accompanies a sincere acknowledgment of sin.
Someone who cannot afford a lamb brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons. God does not demand more than the person can give. Forgiveness is not a privilege of the rich: it is within reach of everyone.
Whoever has defrauded the holy things must make restitution for what was lacking, add a fifth and give it to the priest, who makes atonement with the ram. Being forgiven by God includes repairing the damage done, not merely apologizing.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He confessed how he had sinned. — Leviticus 5:5
Answer: A female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. — Leviticus 5:6
Answer: Two turtledoves or two young pigeons. — Leviticus 5:7
Answer: A tenth of an ephah of fine flour, with no oil or frankincense. — Leviticus 5:11
Answer: A ram without blemish. — Leviticus 5:15
Answer: An extra fifth. — Leviticus 5:16
Leviticus 5 reminds us that sin can be a sin of omission: staying silent when we should speak, or promising something carelessly. In a small group you can talk about times when silence or hasty words harmed others and what it means to confess that honestly.
The chapter also highlights grace toward the poor and the importance of repair. If we have wronged someone, God's forgiveness does not excuse us from making restitution where possible. And for anyone who feels too poor to come before God, the chapter reminds us that he opens the way to all, and that in Christ the final offering was made.
Leviticus 5 joins confession, an offering adapted to each person and restitution, and introduces the guilt offering. Leviticus 6 continues with the repair of fraud and with practical instructions so that the priests carry out each offering.
The sin offering deals with the defilement and guilt of various wrongs, while the guilt offering is especially tied to wrongs that involve something owed, such as what was held back from the holy things, and so it includes restitution with a surcharge of one fifth.
The text states it explicitly because it is a sin offering. It is usually understood that oil and frankincense express joy and delight, and that this offering was marked by the seriousness of sin. Even so, the poor person receives the same forgiveness.