Message 22
(2)
Scripture Reading: Lev. 5:1-19; 6:1-7; 7:2
The word in Leviticus 5 was spoken not to an individual saint but to God’s congregation, to God’s people as an assembly. This word was not given to help and instruct an individual saint. Rather, this word was given for the purpose of keeping God’s chosen people, as a body, proper, holy, and separated to Him. Furthermore, what is spoken here should not be applied to secular, human society. God does not have the intention to make the entire human society a congregation like the children of Israel in ancient times. God’s intention in Leviticus was to keep His chosen people clean and holy that He might dwell among them. The tabernacle was in the midst of the people, and God wanted the people, who were around the tabernacle, to be holy. This was the reason the word in Leviticus was given.
Let us now consider chapter five of Leviticus verse by verse.
In typology, every aspect of Leviticus 5 has a spiritual significance. Verse 1 says, “When a person sins in that he hears a public charge to testify, and he is a witness, either he has seen or known the matter, and he does not declare it, then he shall bear his iniquity.” This verse actually deals with lying. A lie involves Satan, for he is the father of lies (John 8:44).
Leviticus 5:2 says, “When a person touches any unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of an unclean creeping thing, and it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he is guilty.” This verse speaks of the carcasses of beasts, cattle, and creeping things. The beasts are wild animals, and the cattle are domesticated animals. According to chapter eleven, the animals in this verse typify different kinds of people. Some people are like beasts, others are like cattle, and still others are like creeping things. The word carcass in 5:2 signifies death. The carcasses of these three kinds of animals — the carcass of beasts, the carcass of cattle, and the carcass of creeping things — thus signify three kinds of death. One kind of death is wild like a wild beast. A second kind of death is mild like a gentle, domesticated animal. A third kind of death is subtle like a creeping thing. In typology this indicates that among God’s people there may be three kinds of death: wild death, mild death, and subtle death.
Among God’s people, that is, in the church life, there may not only be death; there may be different kinds of death. Death may spread among us in a wild way, in a mild way, or in a subtle way. During my years in the church life, I have seen these three kinds of death. I have seen the kind of death that is wild and the kind of death that is mild and gentle. I have also seen the kind of death that creeps in in a subtle, cunning way. Have you not experienced some kind of death in the church life? Perhaps you have experienced the kind of death that is typified by the carcass of a creeping thing, the death that comes in to spread its poison secretly and subtly.
Regardless of its kind, death is death, and it is unclean. Every kind of death — wild, mild, and subtle — is filthy and defiling. It is not easy in the church life to stay away from the uncleanness of these different kinds of death.
According to the typology in the Old Testament, sin is not as dirty as death. If one sinned, he could be forgiven and cleansed immediately by offering a trespass offering (5:10). But if one touched death, he had to wait a few days to become clean. From this we can see that death is more defiling than sin. However, we in the church life may think that sin is serious but that touching death is common and not serious. But in the eyes of God to touch death is the most serious thing.
The poison of death can damage and destroy the saints. In Romans 14 Paul says that we should not destroy the work of God by doing things carelessly (vv. 15, 20). Christ has redeemed and saved the saints, and we should not destroy them by acting carelessly. The Lord has done a lot of gracious, redemptive work on the saints in the Lord’s recovery, and for years we have been working to build up the saints. No one should destroy the gracious work of Christ on the saints. No one should destroy those on whom we have been working for their building up. Would not our hearts be hurt to see the saints destroyed by the poison of death? We need to be sober, fair, calm, and kind to consider whether we are really building up the Body of Christ or unconsciously doing something to destroy God’s work by spreading the poison of death.
Leviticus 5:3 says, “When he touches the uncleanness of man, whatever his uncleanness is whereby he is unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he knows it, then he is guilty.” The “uncleanness of man” here signifies the uncleanness of man’s natural life. The Lord Jesus said that nothing that goes into us defiles us; rather, what comes out of us defiles us (Matt. 15:17-20). The natural life, like death, brings in uncleanness. In the church life, in the holy community, death and the natural life may be prevailing.
The natural life includes the matter of natural affection. Either we do not care for one another or we love one another in a natural way, in the way of natural affection. Someone may have had an affection for you in the past, but today he does not care for you at all. This is not according to our Christian nature to love, help, and take care of others. It is altogether in the natural realm. We may love others or, seeking vain glory and being jealous of others, we may envy them. This love and this envy are both of the natural life.
Leviticus 5:4 continues, “Or when a person utters an oath, speaking rashly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever a man may speak rashly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, when he knows it, then he is guilty in any of these.” Here we have the matter of speaking rashly, of speaking something before God in a hasty, careless, and reckless way. We may hear about a certain thing and immediately say that we like it or do not like it and that we will do this or that concerning it. To speak in such a way indicates not merely that we do not live for God but that we do not even fear God. Who are we to say rashly that we do not like a certain thing? God may like it. We are not God, and we need to be careful about speaking hastily. Instead of expressing our opinion about a matter, we should say nothing and, if necessary, bring the matter to the Lord, praying and asking Him to show us whether we should have a share in it or stay away from it. This is the right attitude of a person who fears God.
In 5:1-4 we have four items as illustrations of things which need the trespass offering. If we were to make a list of such things, we would not list the four items mentioned here: not witnessing what we know (v. 1), touching the carcass of an animal (v. 2), touching the uncleanness of man (v. 3), and speaking rashly (v. 4). God speaks of these items, for He knows the real situation and need of His people.
The first item, not witnessing what we know, is actually a matter of lying. As we have pointed out, this involves Satan, the father of lies. Therefore, Satan is alluded to here.
The second item is death in three forms — wild, mild, and subtle. Death is the most hateful thing in the eyes of God. Death is spread in a wild way, in a gentle way, and in a subtle way. This is the real situation among God’s congregation in this age.
The third item is the natural life with its uncleanness. It is very common for Christians to walk and act in the natural life. Is the natural life not prevailing in today’s church life? Those who are sociable in a natural way are often well received, but those who walk in the spirit are often misunderstood. A great deal of the natural life can be seen among Christians and in God’s congregation today.
The fourth item is rash speaking. Those who speak rashly are quick to say whether or not they like a certain thing. These four things are listed by God as sins, and, as such, they need the trespass offering.
Leviticus 5:5 and 6 say, “And it shall be when he is guilty in any of these, then he shall confess that in which he has sinned; and he shall bring his trespass offering to Jehovah for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a sheep or a goat for a sin offering; and the priest shall make propitiation for him concerning his sin.” The largest trespass offering is a sheep or a goat. This trespass offering reminds us mainly of one thing: that our sins issue from the sin that dwells in us. Apparently we are dealing with sins; actually we are dealing with sin as the source of our sins. For this reason the trespass offering is a sin offering. We realize that we have committed sins, but in the eyes of God these sins have their source in sin. Therefore, what we offer to God to deal with our sins eventually is not merely a trespass offering but is a sin offering.
We may wonder how a trespass offering can become a sin offering. What we bring to God to deal with our sins is a trespass offering. But after we bring this offering to God, it becomes a sin offering. The reason for this is that God will not propitiate us only for our sins; He will propitiate us also for our sin. His way is not merely to remove the fruit from the tree but also to uproot the tree. If the tree is uprooted, the fruit will be thoroughly dealt with. Our problem is not only the sins we have committed; our problem is also the indwelling sin. What we offer to God should deal with sin as well as sins. Therefore, God calls this trespass offering a sin offering.
Verse 7 goes on to say, “But if he cannot afford a sheep, then he shall bring his trespass offering to Jehovah for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.” This verse reveals that the trespass offering is related not only to the sin offering but also to the burnt offering. According to this verse, the trespass offering is composed of the sin offering and the burnt offering. Put together, these two offerings constitute the trespass offering.
We may think that our only problem is the sins we have committed. Actually our real problem is the indwelling sin and our not living for God. The root, the source, of our sins is our sin, and the reason for our sins is that we are not absolute for God. Therefore, we not only need the trespass offering to deal with our sins; we also need the sin offering to deal with the root of our sins — the sin within us — and the burnt offering to deal with the reason for our sins — our not being absolute for God. If we deal with the source of our sins and with our not being absolute for God, we also deal with our trespasses.
Verses 8 and 9 continue, “He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer the one for the sin offering first; he shall nip its head at the neck, but shall not sever it; and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood shall be squeezed out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.” These verses speak not of the trespass offering but of the sin offering and the blood of the sin offering. Some of the blood is sprinkled on the wall of the altar, signifying the sprinkling of Christ’s blood upon sinners (1 Pet. 1:2). The remainder of the blood is squeezed out at the base of the altar, signifying that the blood of Christ is the base of God’s forgiveness to sinners (Eph. 1:7).
Verse 10 speaks of the second bird. “The second bird he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. Thus the priest shall make propitiation for him concerning his sin which he has sinned, and he shall be forgiven.” According to the regulations, we should be absolute for God. Since we are not absolute for God, we need the burnt offering in addition to the sin offering.
Verse 11 tells us, “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his offering for that in which he has sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall not place oil upon it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.” A handful of fine flour burned on the altar, as an offering of Jehovah by fire, indicates that the fine flour for the trespass offering for God to forgive our sins is based upon the shedding of blood on the altar (Heb. 9:22), and it signifies that the perfect Christ is our trespass offering based upon the shedding of His blood on the cross (Col. 1:20).
For propitiation there is the need of the shedding of blood, but in Leviticus 5:11 fine flour is used for a sin offering. This fine flour typifies the humanity of Jesus. Thus, the trespass offering not only includes the sin offering and the burnt offering, but it even refers to the humanity of Jesus.
We commit many sins not only because we have sin within us and not only because we are not absolute for God, but also because we do not have the humanity of Jesus. Jesus would never commit sins. He has no sin in Him, and He is absolute for God. His humanity has no part with the father of lies. His humanity would never touch anything of death or of the natural life. Furthermore, His humanity would never do or speak anything rashly, hastily, or recklessly. Rather, as John 7:3-8 illustrates, when He was on earth, He always spoke and acted with consideration.
Why do we have sin in us? Why are we not absolute for God? The reason we have sin in us and are not absolute for God is that we are lacking the humanity of Jesus.
The tenth part of an ephah of fine flour offered for a sin offering signifies that only a small portion of the humanity of Jesus is needed. This indicates how little we use the Lord’s humanity. We are what we are because we are short of the Lord’s humanity. Due to this shortage, we are full of lies, death, the natural life, and rashness. However, the humanity of Jesus is an all-inclusive dose to kill our germs, to heal our disease, and to supply our need. I believe that there would be a great change in our married life and in our relationship with the brothers and sisters in the church life if we had more of the humanity of Jesus.
Leviticus 5:13 says, “Thus the priest shall make propitiation for him concerning his sin which he has committed in any of these things, and he shall be forgiven; and the remainder shall be the priest’s, like the meal offering.” The remainder of the fine flour for the trespass offering being the priest’s signifies that the redeeming Christ is the serving one’s food.
Leviticus 5:15, 17-18; 6:2-3, 6 speak of a person sinning against the holy things of Jehovah, or sinning, making error, against Jehovah, or a person sinning and acting unfaithfully against Jehovah, and lying to his fellow man in regard to a deposit or a security, or through robbery, or extorting from his fellow man, or finding what was lost and lying about it, and swearing falsely. Such a person needs a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to the valuation by the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering. This signifies that the Christ who is without sin and who measures up to the divine scale is qualified to be the trespass offering for our sins against the holy things of God, or against God, or against man in the above-listed trespasses.
The one sinning against the holy things of God needs to make restitution and add to it one-fifth more and give it to the priest (5:15-16). Likewise, the one sinning against man in any defrauding needs to make restitution for it in full, add to it one-fifth more, and give it to whom it belongs on the day he is found guilty (6:2-6). This signifies that the one offering the trespass offering should be righteous in material things according to the divine scale, standard, and measurement.
“In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering they shall slaughter the trespass offering” (7:2a). The trespass offering being slaughtered where the burnt offering is slaughtered indicates that the trespass offering is based upon the burnt offering, and it signifies that Christ is the trespass offering for us based upon His being the burnt offering.
The trespass offering is not simple. It includes dealing with the indwelling sin and with not being absolute for God. It also includes the liar Satan, the death among God’s congregation, the natural life with its uncleanness, and the presumption of doing things rashly before God without fear and consideration. Furthermore, the trespass offering includes robbing and defrauding our fellow man.
How can we experience the trespass offering? The experience of the trespass offering is the result of our enjoyment of Christ as the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, and the sin offering in the fellowship of God and in the divine light. The experience of the trespass offering is therefore the issue of the enjoyment of the Triune God. Our experience of the trespass offering implies our being absolute for God and our knowing that we have sin within us as the source of all kinds of trespasses toward God and man.
