TSermon - Leviticus 4

By Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church

on 20 March 2016

The Guilt Offering

Ignorance is no excuse

1 John 3:4-5 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

Sin/Guilt Offering חַטָּאת

  1. 4:2 “When anyone shall sin in error (בִשְׁגָגָה - inadvertently) from any of the commands of Yahweh that it should not be done, and he does one of them...”

  2. King of Gerar’s close call with adultery (Gen. 20)

  3. For sins of omission (5:1-4)

  4. Related to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Lev 16

  5. Purification from childbirth (12:16)

  6. Skin disease (14:19)

  7. Bodily discharge (15:15)

  8. Dedication of priests (8:14)

  9. Nazirites (Num. 6:14)

Sin/Guilt Offering חַטָּאת

Numbers 15:27-31 And if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering.... But the person who acts high-handedly, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.' “

Lev 16:19 Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

“Sin not only angers God and deprives Him of His due, it also makes His sanctuary unclean. A holy God cannot dwell amid uncleanness. [This] offering purifies the place of worship so that God may be present among His people. This... Explain[s] the rituals of blood sprinkling peculiar to it.” ~Gordon Wenham, N.I.C.O.T.

Commentary

  1. פַּר = two-year-old bull, distinguished from a “calf” which is one year old, and an “ox” which is three years old. This was the most valuable of all the animals required in the sacrificial system. ~Rashi, Soncino Chumash

  2. “The significance of the altar as the scene of the manifestation of the divine grace and salvation culminated in the horns (Ex. 30), as the symbols of power and might.” ~ Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament

  3. “This rite shows, that the intercession of Christ, signified by the altar of sweet incense, proceeds upon the foot of His blood and sacrifice... Before prayers can be made, sin must be paid. ” ~John Gill, Exposition on the Entire Bible

  4. But in the expiation necessary for a sin of the high priest, after the fat of the sacrifice was offered on the altar, the carcass was carried without the camp, in order that the total combustion of it in the place of ashes might the more strikingly indicate the enormity of the transgression, and the horror with which he regarded it ~Jamieson, Faucett & Brown

How to Realize Guilt

  1. Study God’s word to discover right from wrong
    Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my
    heart, That I might not sin against You.”

  2. Listen for promptings from God’s Spirit
    John 16:7-8 “...It is to your advantage that I go away; for... I will send Him [The Helper] to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment...”

  3. Heed exhortations from fellow Christians
    James 5:19-20 “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

  4. Reject false shame
    Psalms 4:2 “How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood?”

What to do when guilty

Natural Impulse:

  1. Hide It

  2. Excuse It

In Leviticus 4, God Calls us to:

  1. CONFESS it

Lev. 4:4 He shall bring the young bull to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting - to the face of Jehovah, and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the young bull... before the face of Yahweh

Proverbs 28:13 “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

Matt. 5:23 “If therefore, you are lifting your gift upon the altar, and there you happen to remember that your brother has something against you, let go of your gift right there in front of the altar and start climbing down; first be reconciled to your brother, and then, when you come [back], start offering your gift.”


  1. SEEK FORGIVENESS from God

  1. Sin is an offense first against God, so first application of blood is in the holy place

Lev. 4:17-18 “the priest shall dip his finger and shall sprinkle the front of the veil from the blood 7x before the face of Yahweh. Then he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which before the face of Yahweh in the tent of meeting.”

Psalm 19:12-13 “Who perceives errors? Aquit me [even] from the hidden ones! Moreover, restrain your servant from the presumptuous ones; don’t let them rule over me. Then I will have integrity...”

1 John 1:7b “...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”


  1. TRUST that the sin & guilt has been removed

Leviticus 4:12 “the entirety of the young bull – he shall bring out to the outside of the camp, to a clean place – to the ash dump, and he shall burn it upon the sticks in the fire...”

Psalm 103:10-12 “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Christ’s fulfillment of the Guilt Offering

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Ephesians 5:2 ... Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Hebrews 9:12-14 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

Hebrews 13:11-13 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp...

1 Peter 1:1-2 ... To elect pilgrims...toward the goal of obedience and sprinkling of Jesus Christ’s blood...

Private vs. Public vs. Corporate Sin

PUBLIC: The priest (v.3) or Prince (v.22)

Ezra 9-10 Priests had married unbelievers

James 3:1 “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”

CORPORATE: Congregation/Nation/Church (v.13ff) – elder representatives

Isaiah 1:15-16 “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil...”

PRIVATE: anyone (v.27)

James 4:8-10 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”


Assurance of absolution נִסְלַח לוֹ

Lev. 4:20 “...it shall be forgiven them.”

Lev. 4:26 “...it shall be forgiven him.”

Lev. 4:31 “...it shall be forgiven him.”

Lev. 4:35 “...it shall be forgiven him.”


“The officiating Priest is Christ, who was

  1. in life the OFFERER,

  2. in death the SACRIFICE,

  3. in resurrection the PRIEST

  4. In ascension the HIGH PRIEST entered with the veil.

When faith pleads His person and work, and He Himself makes intercession for us, the assurance comes con-cerning any sin confessed before God with the stamp of immutable truth upon it, ‘it shall be forgiven him.’” ~Thomas Newberry, Types of the Levitical Offerings