Sin Has a Hefty Cost
We come now to the laws about sin offerings in Leviticus. This is the portion we like to skim through but we'd miss out on some important realities about sin that God is revealing.
Leviticus 4:1–3 (ESV) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, 3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering.
The first sin offering dealt with is that which is made for "unintentional" sins - sins you do not realize you've committed. Leviticus 4 runs down the offerings for the people in order of importance beginning with the "anointed priest" (verse 3), down to the "common person" (verse 27). Though each offering reduces in value from the anointed priest downward, all the amounts are still very expensive.
Secondly, the high cost offerings (again) are made for unintentional sins. The Israelite who would have been informed of his sin would then be required to atone for it in a very costly way. I can imagine the shock of the average man who may do something without vicious intent and then upon being informed of his sin the amazement of what the law requires. He would surely have received a clear picture of how much sin costs.
Thirdly, do not miss that the higher the person in the nation, the higher the offering. A priest would be held in high accountability for his sins before the people, showing the nation that the closer one is to God, the more costly his sin becomes.
What do we learn from these unfamiliar laws? We learn the humbling reality of our sin. Our understanding of God's holiness and our sinfulness is deepened with three facts:
1. Sin is far more costly than you think.
2. You are far more sinful than you realize.
3. The closer to God, the higher the accountability.
How interesting that we think it is the exact opposite of what is presented here. The average person thinks sin is "no big deal". The average person thinks they are "pretty good" or at least "good enough" for God. The average Christian thinks maturing in God is somehow becoming less sinful.
Now most Christians will agree with the first two of those. They will agree that people tend to diminish sin and believe they are good people. But what of that last one? Isn't getting closer to God becoming less sinful? Perhaps in action, but not in understanding. I think the scriptures place the highest cost on the anointed priest's unintentional sin to show today's Christian that real maturity, that is, getting closer to God, is coming to a greater awareness of just how much God forgave you in Christ Jesus. It is why the older the Apostle Paul gets, the more humble his estimation of himself. He goes from "least of the Apostles" (1 Corinthians 15) to "least of the saints" (Ephesians 3) to "chief of sinners" (1 Timothy 1).
So we come to these laws concerning sin to learn just how awful sin really is, just how desperate our condition stands before God, and just how much it costs to be brought near to Him. And in the New Covenant of Christ's blood, ALL of this is taken completed at the cross of Jesus! He is the "once and for all" sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12). We read Leviticus 4 with humility and gratitude. We understand our sinfulness and worship God for His graciousness. Jesus paid it all... all to Him we owe!
Amen.
Leviticus 4:1–3 (ESV) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, 3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering.
The first sin offering dealt with is that which is made for "unintentional" sins - sins you do not realize you've committed. Leviticus 4 runs down the offerings for the people in order of importance beginning with the "anointed priest" (verse 3), down to the "common person" (verse 27). Though each offering reduces in value from the anointed priest downward, all the amounts are still very expensive.
Secondly, the high cost offerings (again) are made for unintentional sins. The Israelite who would have been informed of his sin would then be required to atone for it in a very costly way. I can imagine the shock of the average man who may do something without vicious intent and then upon being informed of his sin the amazement of what the law requires. He would surely have received a clear picture of how much sin costs.
Thirdly, do not miss that the higher the person in the nation, the higher the offering. A priest would be held in high accountability for his sins before the people, showing the nation that the closer one is to God, the more costly his sin becomes.
What do we learn from these unfamiliar laws? We learn the humbling reality of our sin. Our understanding of God's holiness and our sinfulness is deepened with three facts:
1. Sin is far more costly than you think.
2. You are far more sinful than you realize.
3. The closer to God, the higher the accountability.
How interesting that we think it is the exact opposite of what is presented here. The average person thinks sin is "no big deal". The average person thinks they are "pretty good" or at least "good enough" for God. The average Christian thinks maturing in God is somehow becoming less sinful.
Now most Christians will agree with the first two of those. They will agree that people tend to diminish sin and believe they are good people. But what of that last one? Isn't getting closer to God becoming less sinful? Perhaps in action, but not in understanding. I think the scriptures place the highest cost on the anointed priest's unintentional sin to show today's Christian that real maturity, that is, getting closer to God, is coming to a greater awareness of just how much God forgave you in Christ Jesus. It is why the older the Apostle Paul gets, the more humble his estimation of himself. He goes from "least of the Apostles" (1 Corinthians 15) to "least of the saints" (Ephesians 3) to "chief of sinners" (1 Timothy 1).
So we come to these laws concerning sin to learn just how awful sin really is, just how desperate our condition stands before God, and just how much it costs to be brought near to Him. And in the New Covenant of Christ's blood, ALL of this is taken completed at the cross of Jesus! He is the "once and for all" sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12). We read Leviticus 4 with humility and gratitude. We understand our sinfulness and worship God for His graciousness. Jesus paid it all... all to Him we owe!
Amen.
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