Leviticus 5:13, commentary and pictures

When sin done in ignorance or in the ways specified became known, the guilty person was to confess it and bring the prescribed offering to the priest, who made atonement for him with its blood so that he was forgiven and freed from that iniquity, while the remnant belonged to the priest as a grain offering. The offering was graded to the means of the bringer so that mercy reached even the poorest, with the rich to bring a bullock, goat or sheep, the poor a turtledove or pigeon, and in extreme poverty a tenth of an ephah of fine flour accepted as a sufficient oblation because every sinner must bring something that costs something. The sin thus forgiven was borne in figure by blood or by the priest's eating into the sanctuary, where it remained until the final cleansing on the Day of Atonement which represented the blotting out of sin in judgment. Ignorance does not make wrong right, for sin remains sin by the standard of the law and must be confessed, repented of and put away when recognized, with God weighing each one's knowledge and opportunity. Each sacrifice presented in type the life, death and priestly ministry of Jesus Christ, brought in faith in the coming Redeemer, with the earthly service as pattern and shadow of His atonement as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, where even the crushed grain and the priest's eating show His broken body and His bearing of sin so that the poorest stands forgiven just as fully as the richest.

Sanctuary Sacrifice Described

Leviticus 5:13 belongs to the ceremonial law, which was instituted in consequence of sin and stands distinct from the moral law. It is part of the laws and instructions concerning sacrifices and offerings given for the sanctuary built by divine appointment under Moses according to Exodus 25, 26, 27 and 30, made in Exodus 36-39 and erected in Exodus 40, where the worship of the true God centered and where He dwelt and manifested His presence. That service is described especially in Leviticus 1-7, 16 and 23, and includes the priests' daily ministry through the year. Its sacrificial details have meaning.

The verse provides for sins committed in ignorance or in the specified ways: once such sin became known, the person bore guilt until bringing the prescribed offering and presenting it to the priest. It is among the instructions for individual offerings through the year, including the special sin offerings, trespass offerings, peace offerings and thank offerings required in addition to tithes, whose names describe their purpose. The trespass offering provided individual atonement for sin.

After required confession and restitution where due, the sinner brought a clean beast without blemish to the door of the tabernacle. He laid hands on its head confessing sins and transferring them in figure to the beast and accepting it as substitute while acknowledging worthiness of death, and slaughtered it. This presenting and slaughtering by the sinner is distinct from the priest's act of making atonement.

The priest made atonement with the blood, in which is the life, in some cases sprinkling it in the holy place before the altar of incense and putting some on the horns of the altar. In cases like this one where the blood was not carried into the sanctuary, the flesh was eaten by the priest in the holy place, transferring the sin in that way. The remnant of the offering belonged to the priest as a grain or meat offering.

The offerings were graded according to ability, mingling justice with mercy so that worship required a sacrifice that cost something with the cost varying with wealth or position. The rich were to bring the most costly, such as a bullock or heifer, goat or sheep, or otherwise a calf, kid or lamb, while one prevented by poverty from that could bring a turtledove or young pigeon. In extreme poverty a little meal or fine flour, about a tenth part of an ephah or three quarts, was accepted as a sufficient oblation for the soul. This brought the benefits within reach of the poorest, even one too poor for a lamb and too feeble to capture doves, yet every person must bring something because every person has sinned.

Atonement Forgiveness and Accountability

As touching the sin that was sinned in one of these specified ways, the priest made atonement for the person through the prescribed offering, and the person was forgiven and freed from that iniquity. This was individual atonement for sin, provided through the trespass offering after required confession and restitution where due. It belonged to the provision for sins committed in ignorance, where once such sin became known the person bore the guilt until bringing the offering and presenting it to the priest. It stands among the instructions for individuals' particular offerings through the year, part of the priests' daily ministry in the earthly sanctuary, made in faith by one burdened with sin. A soul can confess sins and bring offerings to the Lord, and the remaining portion of the offering belonged to the priest as a grain or meat offering.

The forgiven sin was represented as conveyed or transferred in figure from the individual to the sanctuary, where it remained until later cleansed. The sacrificial blood, in which is the life, was the means of that conveyance, carrying the sin into the sanctuary through the priest's ministry. The sinner transferred the sin to a clean victim by laying on of hands, and the priest made atonement with the blood, in some cases sprinkling it in the holy place before the altar of incense and putting some on the horns of the altar so that favor was extended to the penitent. In cases like this one where the blood was not carried into the sanctuary, the flesh was eaten by the priest in the holy place, the remnant belonging to the priest as a meat offering, and the sin was transferred in that way. This was part of the yearly round and cycle of sanctuary service, whose final cleansing on the Day of Atonement on the last day of the year represented the blotting out of sin as a work of judgment.

Sin remains sin even when a person does not recognize it or intends no wrong, and ignorance does not make unrighteousness right. The law is the standard, and sin that is recognized must be confessed, repented of, and put away. God takes account of a sinner's knowledge and opportunities to know what is right when assessing responsibility.

Christ Typified and Applied

The laws concerning sacrifices and offerings show that sin requires a penalty, and their sacrificial details have meaning whose fuller sense is found in the sacrifice, life and work of Jesus Christ, each sacrifice presenting in type something concerning His work. The yearly round of Levitical sanctuary service typified His once-for-all ministry, and its cleansing on the last day of the year represented the blotting out of sin as a work of judgment. An individual offering made in faith provided atonement and forgiveness for the sinner, while the forgiven sin was represented as transferred to the sanctuary through the sacrifice's blood or the priest's ministry as part of the yearly cycle whose final cleansing took place on the Day of Atonement. Such individual offerings were brought by people burdened with sin as an expression of faith in the coming Redeemer.

The repeated pattern in Leviticus 4-5 in which the priest makes atonement for the sinner through the sanctuary service is distinct from the sinner's act of presenting and slaughtering the offering. This priestly service illustrates Christ making atonement as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary in behalf of men, rather than atoning only by dying as the sacrifice. The service belongs to Leviticus 1-7, 16 and 23, which describe the main features of the sanctuary built by divine appointment under Moses according to the instructions in Exodus 25, 26, 27 and 30, made in Exodus 36-39 and erected in Exodus 40, where the worship of the true God centered and where He dwelt and manifested His presence. That earthly sanctuary was a pattern and its service a shadow or type of the heavenly sanctuary, an object-lesson teaching the temple of God in heaven and Christ's service therein as High Priest and Minister of the sanctuary in behalf of men, so that study of the earthly service enables understanding of the heavenly. Such study reveals God's way, power and glory and gives enlightenment concerning His dealings with men and clearer views of the Saviour and His work, and these Scriptures are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, and were written for learning that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures men might have hope.

One too poor for a lamb and too feeble to capture wild doves could bring a small portion of fine flour for a sin offering and receive full forgiveness, standing in just the same relation to God as one able to bring a bullock. The crushed grain types the broken body of the Saviour. The burning of a handful corresponds to the burning of the fat and types the final destruction of sin separated from the sinner, and the eating of the remainder by the priest types the bearing of sins by the Saviour.

The law for the special sin offerings, peace offerings and thank offerings required in addition to tithes, whose names describe their purpose, means that worship required a sacrifice that cost something, with the cost varying with the wealth or position of the one making the offering. Therefore no one could profess to be religious for years while contributing nothing, for true worship refuses to offer to God what costs nothing.