Leviticus 5:17, commentary and pictures

Doing what the commandments of the Lord forbid is sin that makes the soul guilty and bound to bear its iniquity even when done without knowing it at the time. Ignorance does not excuse transgression, and honesty or sincerity in a wrong course cannot take the place of obedience judged by God's word rather than by personal feeling or experience. When the sin comes to knowledge it must be confessed, repented of and put away, for without atonement the sinner continues to bear the iniquity. The guilty one was to bring a ram or other clean beast without blemish, lay the hand upon its head to transfer the sin in figure and acknowledge desert of death, and the priest made atonement with its blood so that the ignorance wherein he erred was forgiven. That round of offerings could not itself remove sin but represented in type the once-for-all ministry of Christ as heavenly High Priest by His own blood, received by individual faith in the Redeemer to come.

Guilt Despite Ignorance

Doing anything forbidden by the commandments of the LORD, even without knowing it at the time, is sin that makes the soul guilty and liable to bear iniquity and its consequences. Sin is sin whether it is realized or not, and guilt remains with the resulting iniquity to be borne until dealt with as God directs. Breaking the fourth commandment by working on the seventh day therefore makes a person a sinner, whether the act is done in ignorance, carelessness, or presumption. When the sin comes to the knowledge of the transgressor, confession must be made and an offering brought.

Ignorance does not excuse transgression of God's law, and honesty or sincerity in a wrong course is no substitute for correct action when the wrong is made manifest. Standing before God must be judged by God's word, not by personal views, feelings, or past experience. The law of God is the supreme and perfect rule of right and the standard by which every human action is measured as good or bad, so transgression of the law remains sin notwithstanding ignorance. A person may be breaking a commandment without knowing it, yet the transgression remains sin.

Freedom from all consciousness of guilt gives no justification. The dullness of an unenlightened conscience, the insensibility of a conscience perverted by willfulness, and the stupor of a conscience benumbed by self-righteousness and seared by persistence in wrongdoing must not be confused with the peace and rest of a conscience purged with blood and void of offense toward God and men. Sins committed in ignorance are truly sins bringing guilt, not mere mistakes, even when conscience feels nothing. A sin of ignorance is a real trespass and transgression that a just God does not overlook, wink at, or allow for because of excuses.

God does not shut His eyes and make allowance for faults because of excuses, but sinful ways are abhorrent to Him. Those on probation must desire correction and pray to be cleansed from secret faults in order to be without fault before the throne of God and fit for translation. Ignorance never makes unrighteousness righteous, yet God takes account of a sinner's motives and opportunities to know, so responsibility varies with knowledge. This does not excuse sin: when recognized, it must be confessed, repented of, and put away.

The binding law whose violations require atonement is the ten commandments, represented in the sanctuary by the law in the ark, with sacrifice and the priest's ministry at the mercy-seat providing the pattern for atonement. Christ as heavenly High Priest intercedes by His own blood for sins against this law, because animal offerings could not remove sin, so the commandments including the Sabbath commandment remain binding and sin is always transgression of God's law. Unknown sins must be confessed and atoned for just as known sins, for without atonement the person bears the iniquity. The backsliding trespasser who comes as God directs may seek forgiveness and victory through living faith.

Sanctuary Atonement Foreshadowed

Leviticus 5:17 stands within the instructions for sin offerings and trespass offerings in Leviticus 1-7, which are the laws relating to sacrifices and offerings. Those chapters give the law for the special offerings such as sin-offerings, peace-offerings, and thank-offerings, whose names describe their purpose, and they prescribe the particular offerings brought by individuals. Together they order the special work for individuals as they presented their particular offerings through the year in the daily ministration in the holy place of the earthly sanctuary, forming part of the priests' daily service there during the year. That ceremonial law containing these offerings is distinct from the moral law, and was instituted in consequence of sin.

When the sinner became aware of the forbidden act, confession and restitution were required before individual atonement could be made, the trespass offering being like the sin offering in this respect. The soul's confessing of sins and bringing of offerings are among the things souls do. For individual sins various offerings were prescribed as set out in the first six chapters of Leviticus.

The guilty one brought a ram without blemish or other clean beast without blemish to the door of the tabernacle, laid the hand upon its head to transfer the sin in figure and to accept it as substitute, and slew it acknowledging worthiness of death. The priest then took its blood and made atonement at the altar, presenting the offering's blood so that forgiveness followed. Through that trespass offering atonement was made for the ignorance wherein he erred and knew it not, and he was forgiven, for he had certainly trespassed against the LORD, proving that ignorant sin deserves punishment and needs atonement. Until the person brought the offering to the priest and had atonement made, he remained guilty and bore the resulting iniquity, but once the slain victim was presented and its blood applied, he was forgiven and free of that iniquity.

Those sacrifices cost the offerer something real, with the cost varying with the wealth or position of the one making the offering, because sin demands a penalty. Through the victim's blood the sin and its iniquity were transferred in figure from the offerer to the sanctuary and represented as left there until the yearly cleansing. The priest carried the blood, in which life is represented, into the holy place and sprinkled it before the altar of incense and put some upon the horns of the altar, thus transferring the sin of the offerer in figure to the sanctuary. In cases where the blood was not taken into the sanctuary the flesh was eaten in the holy place and the sins were transferred in that way, so that when a sinner offered an individual sacrifice in faith the sacrifice's blood or the priest figuratively carried the penitent's sin into the sanctuary.

The sacrificial details had meaning, and their fuller meaning is found in Christ's sacrifice, life, and work. The offerings point forward to Jesus Christ, and individual sacrifices were brought in faith in the Redeemer to come. The earthly sanctuary and its service were a pattern and shadow or type and impressive object-lesson of the temple of God in heaven and Christ's priestly service therein as High Priest and Minister of the sanctuary, and the yearly round of typical service represented Christ's once-for-all ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. The commandments were represented in the sanctuary by the law in the ark, while sacrifice and the priest's ministry at the mercy-seat provided the ceremonial pattern for atonement, and Christ as heavenly High Priest intercedes by His own blood for sins against this law, an atonement necessary because animal offerings could not remove sin.