Leviticus 7: 1-10, “Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar. And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away: And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering. Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy. As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it. And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered. And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it. And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.”
When Laban chased after his son in law Jacob, he was looking for his household gods (this episode is recorded in Gen 31). Jacob didn’t know that Rachel, his favourite wife, had stolen the gods and he told Laban to kill the person who had the gods. When Laban didn’t find the gods Jacob asked Laban “What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?” (Gen 31: 36) We can see from this that a trespass is something personal. When a person committed a personal sin against the Lord there was still a way of finding reconciliation by offering a trespass offering. The priest was to burn specific parts of the offering but then he was free to eat other parts of the offering in payment. The priest represented the person who had sinned against the Lord and it was important that the priest be paid for acting as mediator. Not only was the priest able to eat part of the offering, he was able to take items, like the skin, that could be sold so that he could have some money to take home for his family as well. The offering was mixed with oil meaning that it was not just the bare minimum but the priest was given some of the wealth of the person he was representing.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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