레위기 Chapter 6

Translation: ESV

1

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

God requires atonement and restitution even for sin against one's neighbor; sin in the vertical relationship (with God) and the horizontal relationship (with neighbor) must both be resolved.

▸Leviticus 6 begins with additional cases for the guilt offering.

Leviticus 6 begins with additional cases for the guilt offering. Beginning a new section with the word of God emphasizes that the following content is God's direct instruction. Chapter 6 specifically addresses the guilt offering when sin is committed against a neighbor, extending the scope from religious sin (5:14–19) to social sin (6:1–7).

Related Verses

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
2

"If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor

Key Message

Deceiving one's neighbor is an act of unfaithfulness toward God; social sin cannot be separated from religious sin.

▸Various acts of unfaithfulness toward one's neighbor are listed.

3

or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby—

Key Message

Even everyday dishonesty that seems trivial is sin before God; false swearing is a serious sin that uses God's name as a tool.

▸Finding a lost item but not returning it and lying about it, or swearing falsely about it, also requires a guilt offering.

4

if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found

Key Message

Genuine repentance includes not only words but immediate and actual restitution; social justice cannot be separated from righteousness before God.

▸Restitution must be immediate and complete.

5

or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt.

Key Message

Sin against a neighbor requires both restitution to the neighbor and atonement before God; complete atonement is the simultaneous restoration of horizontal and vertical relationships.

▸Restitution alone is not complete.

6

And he shall bring to the priest as his compensation to the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering.

Key Message

Whatever sin has been committed, the standard of what is brought to God as atonement cannot be compromised; giving the best is an expression of reverence for God.

▸The requirement for the guilt offering is confirmed again.

7

And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty."

Key Message

Complete forgiveness is given when the relationship with God and neighbor is simultaneously restored through restitution and atonement.

▸The guilt offering regulations for sins against a neighbor conclude with the declaration 'he shall be forgiven.

8

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

Those who administer worship must also follow God's instructions precisely; all participants in worship are under God's word.

▸From verse 8 of Leviticus 6, instructions for the priests to carry out the sacrifices begin.

9

"Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.

Key Message

Worship and dedication toward God must not be a momentary event but must blaze continuously like a fire that never goes out.

▸The burnt offering had to remain burning on the altar through the night.

10

And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar.

Key Message

Every detail of worship—however simple it may appear—must be performed in holiness; all service to God is holy ministry.

▸The priest had to wear his linen vestments even when handling the ashes.

11

Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.

Key Message

Recognizing and maintaining the distinction between the holy and the ordinary is the way to preserve holiness.

▸When carrying the ashes outside the camp, the priest had to change into different clothes.

12

The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.

Key Message

Dedication to God must be freshly begun every morning; unceasing spiritual fervor must be the hallmark of a believer's life.

▸Keeping the altar fire burning was the priest's first duty every morning.

13

Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.

Key Message

Spiritual fervor toward God must never go out under any circumstances; this connects with the New Testament command not to quench the Spirit.

▸This command, repeated once more following verse 12, emphasizes the absolute importance of the principle that the altar fire must not go out.

14

"And this is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD in front of the altar.

Key Message

Every act of worship takes place before God's presence; the priest must follow God's instructions, not his own preferences.

▸The administration procedure for the grain offering is explained again from the priest's perspective.

15

And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Key Message

A portion of what is given can represent the whole; sincerely given firstfruits carry the same meaning as giving everything to God.

▸The procedure of the priest taking a handful to burn as the memorial portion is confirmed again.

16

And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place. In the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.

Key Message

Even the priest's meal was an extension of holy worship; our ordinary meals can also be understood in the dimension of holiness as gratitude for God's grace.

▸Even when priests ate the remainder of the grain offering they had to eat it unleavened in the court of the tent of meeting.

17

It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my food offerings. It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.

Key Message

What has been presented to God always retains its holy character; even our daily lives must become part of a holy life presented to God.

▸The remainder of the grain offering is classified as 'most holy' in the same way as sin offerings and guilt offerings.

18

Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throughout your generations, from the LORD's food offerings. Whoever touches them shall become holy."

Key Message

The holiness of Christ makes holy those who touch him; his holiness is imputed to us.

▸The expression 'Whoever touches them shall become holy' shows that holiness has a contagious quality.

19

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

Even leaders must present their own grain offering before God; the personal dedication of those who serve is the foundation that leads the community's worship.

▸A new regulation—the grain offering at the anointing of the high priest—begins.

20

"This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the LORD on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.

Key Message

The leader's dedication is starting the day with God and ending it with God; this rhythm becomes the model for community worship.

▸The high priest's installation grain offering was divided and brought morning and evening.

21

It shall be made with oil on a griddle. You shall bring it well soaked, as a grain offering of baked pieces, like a grain offering, you shall offer it for a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Key Message

The leader's worship requires sincerity and preparation commensurate with position, but its manner must be the same humble worship as the community.

▸The high priest's grain offering was baked on a griddle, soaked in oil, then divided into pieces and brought.

22

The priest from among Aaron's sons, who is anointed to succeed him, shall offer it. It is the LORD's, as decreed forever. It shall be burned in its entirety.

Key Message

The repeated sacrifices of the Levitical high priests were accomplished once for all and eternally by Jesus Christ.

▸The high priest's installation grain offering is an eternal statute applied to every generation of all high priests among Aaron's descendants.

23

Every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten."

Key Message

When offering something to God for oneself, it must truly be given to God alone; Jesus offered himself completely for others.

▸Unlike the ordinary grain offering, the high priest's grain offering had to be entirely burned and the priest could not eat it.

24

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

The administration of the sin offering also must take place precisely according to God's instructions; even worship administrators are under God's word.

▸A new section begins where the sin offering's administration procedure is explained again from the priest's perspective.

25

"Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD; it is most holy.

Key Message

The sin offering is most holy; even a sacrifice for sin is God's most holy act of grace.

▸It is specified that the sin offering is killed in the same place as the burnt offering.

26

The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.

Key Message

The priest's eating of the sin offering is an act of bearing Israel's sin, a foreshadowing of Jesus bearing our sins.

▸The meat of the sin offering had to be eaten by the administering priest in a holy place.

27

Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy, and when any of its blood is splashed on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was splashed in a holy place.

Key Message

Whoever comes into contact with the blood of Christ is sanctified; the power of his blood purifies everything it touches.

▸The fact that touching the sin offering flesh has a sanctifying effect shows that the holiness of the sin offering spreads.

28

And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water.

Key Message

What has come into contact with the holy must either preserve that holiness or be completely disposed of; the distinction between the holy and the ordinary must be maintained.

▸The clay vessel that had cooked the sin offering had to be broken, and the bronze vessel thoroughly scrubbed.

29

Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy.

Key Message

Handling holy things requires appropriate qualifications and preparation; properly responding to God's holiness is the duty of believers.

▸Only the male members of the priestly family could eat the sin offering meat.

30

But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire.

Key Message

The closer to God's presence, the more complete dedication is required; the highest atonement demands complete dedication.

▸Sin offerings whose blood was taken into the sanctuary inside the tent of meeting—those for the high priest and the whole congregation—could not have their meat eaten but had to be burned.