Leviticus 5:5-6 - ”When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for his sin”

Animal sacrifice was the only way to atone for sins in the Old Testament.  Without the shedding of blood, there was no forgiveness (see the description in Hebrews 9:22).  The book of Leviticus is entirely about priestly sacrifices, ceremonial cleanness, and other priestly duties – all of which foreshadow the work of Jesus, our Great High Priest.  The various sacrifices described in Leviticus all foreshadow different aspects of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross.  His atonement was multi-faceted, and we see all the facets in different Old Testament passages.  This passage describes the “sin offering,” the most basic sacrifice of atonement.

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Leviticus 1:5 – “He is to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”

This verse describes what they had to do with the blood when they brought a burnt offering – before the burning it, they would drain the blood and sprinkle it on all sides of God’s altar.  In the same way, we need the blood of Jesus to touch EVERY AREA of our lives – all sides.  Everything must be consecrated, every area of sin forgiven, every facet of our lives under its protection.  This is the opening passage of Leviticus, a book entirely about priestly sacrifices and other priestly duties – all of which foreshadow the work of Jesus, our Great High Priest.

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Leviticus 5:1 – “If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regarding something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible.”

The Bible teaches that we have a duty to act, to do the right thing.  In many situations, doing nothing can actually constitute a serious sin.  “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (James 4:17)  Some of the world’s legal systems do not recognize “crimes of omission,” at least not in normal circumstances.  The Bible does – God expects certain things of us, and doing nothing is a form of disobedience.  This verse in Leviticus gives us one example.  It offers an important lesson that can help local church bodies to have healthier personal relationships and a greater sense of teamwork.

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Leviticus 8:22-24  - ”He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.  Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.  Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood against the altar on all sides.”

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Leviticus 14:49-53 - ”To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.  Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

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Leviticus 17:11-12 - For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.  Therefore, I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”

We have received new life – eternal life – through Jesus Christ because of the Blood that he shed for us. Jesus’ blood brings us atonement and cleansing from sin (see 1 John 1:7). Most Christians understand this; in fact, we should understand something about Christ’s sacrifice for our sins at the time we convert and receive salvation. From God’s perspective, it was very important to teach us about his project of salvation and illustrate the sacrifice of Jesus through all the animal sacrifices described in the Old Testament. All of these sacrifices pointed forward to Christ’s death on the cross, and that is why no animal sacrifices are necessary since Jesus died for us; as God’s Son, he is the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God. Today, we can study the sacrifices and requirements in the Old Testament to gain a deeper understanding of the blood of Jesus.

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