READINGS: Leviticus 5-7
“He must bring his penalty for guilt for the sin he has committed to the Lord.”
Leviticus 5:6
A sinful man must bring to the Lord “his penalty for guilt for the sin he has committed,” according to Leviticus 5:6. All men are sinners (Rom. 3:23), so everyone in Moses’ day would have had this responsibility at some level. In most cases, the “penalty for guilt” was a “female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering” (Lev. 5:6). Those who could not afford “an animal from the flock” (Lev. 5:7) could offer two doves or two pigeons—animals that would have cost less than a lamb or goat. Those who could not afford even the two birds, though, could instead bring “two quarts of fine flour as an offering for his sin” (Lev. 5:11).
In essence, this text reminds us that all of us—from the rich to the poor—are guilty of sin, for God makes a way for all to offer a sacrifice. Moreover, His willingness to do so is an indication of His offering mercy and grace to all; no rich man was so rich he didn’t need forgiveness, and no poor man was so poor that he could never gain it. Rather, God put forgiveness within the reach of all people as He prescribed sacrifice offerings within their respective means.
We know now that we ultimately could not offer sacrifices that would fully resolve our sin issues. Instead, God sent Jesus as the sacrifice for the whole world (1 John 2:2)—the Sacrifice to whom every other sacrifice had pointed. God gave Himself for the nations, and He still today welcomes the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the educated and the uneducated, the white and the black. The ultimate sacrifice has been paid.
ACTION STEPS:
- Be honest—who are the people you would be least likely to love and offer forgiveness? God loves them, too.
- Make a sacrifice to reach out to the poor around you this week.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You for loving all of us.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Leviticus 8-10