Leviticus 5: 7-13, “And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder: And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering. And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him. But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it is a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest’s, as a meat offering.”
We should take some time to distinguish between burnt offerings and sin offerings before we continue with Leviticus. The most common form of sacrifice was a burnt offering; it was performed every morning and every evening when the Israeli ceremonial religion was functioning as it was designed. This was part of the continual offering. The sin offering was offered for sin, the flesh of an animal was burnt outside the Temple, sometimes it was eaten by the priests. The blood of the animal was sprinkled in certain places in the Temple area. There were allowances for the poor to bring a lesser offering if they couldn’t offer the prescribed offering. Poverty was never a reason for refusing a person the right to bring an offering to the Lord. When the Lord Jesus Christ was alive He commended a woman for bringing two of the smallest coins in the Land for her entire offering. The issue with an offering, in God’s sight, is not how much you give but how much you have left after you have given.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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