See note Lev. 4:3^4c, par. 1.

Not to testify the truth concerning what we know exposes the fact that we are not absolute for God. To fail in this matter is to be dishonest and unfaithful, unlike our God, who is faithful and honest. This verse actually deals with lying, which involves Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44).

The word carcass here signifies death. The different kinds of animals in this verse typify different kinds of people (Lev. 11:1-30 and notes), and the carcasses of these animals signify that different kinds of spiritual death may spread among God’s people in the church life. Regardless of its kind, death is unclean, filthy and defiling. Death is the most hateful thing in the eyes of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:26). According to the typology in the Old Testament, death is more defiling than sin. See note Lev. 11:31².

Or, creeping, crawling.

The uncleanness of man here signifies the uncleanness of the natural man, the natural life. Everything that is discharged from the natural man and the natural life, whether good or evil, is unclean (cf. Matt. 15:17-20; 16:21-25). See note Lev. 12:2¹ and note Lev. 15:2¹.

To speak rashly before God, expressing our opinion in a hasty, careless, and reckless way, indicates that we do not live for God and do not fear God (cf. Matt. 17:24-27).

The trespass offering signifies Christ as the offering that resolves the problem of sins in our conduct. 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 our fellowship with the Triune God and in the divine light (1 John 1:3-9). See note Lev. 4:3^4c, pars. 1 and 2. Christ’s being the meal offering in His perfect humanity qualifies Him to be the trespass offering (see note Mark 12:37¹).

The trespass offering could be a female from the flock, a sheep or a goat, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, or the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour (vv. 5-7, 11). This signifies that the trespass offering for our outward sins, for which even a little fine flour is sufficient, is lighter than the sin offering, which needs a bull, or at least a lamb (Lev. 4:4, 32).

The trespass offering here eventually becomes the sin offering (vv. 6-8, 11-12). This reminds us that our sins issue from the sin that dwells in us. Christ’s redemption accomplished for our sin resolves the problem of sin in its two aspects — sin in our inward nature and sins in our outward conduct. See note Lev. 4:3^4c, par. 1.

Two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, form a trespass offering. This signifies that the source of every trespass is the inward sin in our flesh, and the reason for a trespass is our not living absolutely for God. Thus, in dealing with our trespasses, we need to deal also with the source of our sins and the reason for our sins.

Lit., he.

The sprinkling of some of the blood of the trespass offering on the side of the altar (v. 9; 7:2) signifies the sprinkling of Christ’s blood upon sinners (1 Pet. 1:2). The rest of the blood being drained out at the base of the altar signifies that the blood of Christ is the base of God’s forgiveness of sinners (Matt. 26:28; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22).

The fine flour here typifies the humanity of Jesus. This indicates that we commit sins not only because we have sin in our nature and not only because we are not absolute for God (see note Lev. 5:7¹) but also because we do not have the humanity of Jesus. In His humanity Jesus has no sin in Him and is absolutely for God. 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 to kill the negative things within us and to supply our need.

Putting no oil or frankincense on the sin offering signifies that the Holy Spirit and the fragrance of Christ’s resurrection are not involved with sin. Cf. note Lev. 2:1³ and note Lev. 2:1⁴.

Lit., his handful.

A handful of fine flour being burned on the altar upon Jehovah’s offerings by fire indicates that the fine flour of the trespass offering for the forgiveness of our sins is based on the shedding of blood on the altar (Heb. 9:22), and it signifies that the perfect Christ is our trespass offering based on the shedding of His blood on the cross (Col. 1:20).

That the remainder of the fine flour for the trespass offering was the priest’s signifies that the redeeming Christ is the serving one’s food.

A ram without blemish out of the flock, according to the valuation by the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering (vv. 15, 18; 6:6) 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 committed against the holy things of God, or against God, or against man in the trespasses listed in vv. 15, 17; 6:2-5.

Making restitution and adding to it one-fifth more, here and in Lev. 6:4-5, signifies that the one who offers the trespass offering should be righteous in material things according to the divine scale, standard, and measurement (cf. Luke 19:8).