E. The Guilt Offering (5:14-6:7)

The guilt offering provided a means of expiating sins that were breaches of faith against God. Where property was involved, the person had to compensate for the loss and add 20 percent. Also a person who felt guilty about violating sacred law, though he or she was unaware of any actual wrong doing, could remove the guilt by this offering.

Regulations for the guilt offering are structured according to the two cases involved: (1) ritual concerning breaches of faith in matters of worship (5:14-16), (2) ritual concerning unwilling violations of God’s commands (vv.17-19), and (3) miscellaneous situations requiring a guilt offering (6:1-7).

The four basic theological themes found in the regulations for the various sacrifices are the holiness of God, human sinfulness, the divine provision for atonement, and gratitude to God for his blessings. Each of these themes will be considered in turn.

God’s holiness is reflected throughout the instructions for making the offerings. Sacrificial animals are to be flawless (1:3, 10; 3:1, 6; 4:3, 23, 28, 32; 5:15, 18; 6:6) in accordance with the pure character of God to whom they are offered. The instruction to remove all dirt and feces by washing the innards (1:9, 13) is clearly associated with the divine purity. And in addition to these specific regulations, the detailed instructions for making the offerings and the great care required in preparing them make it clear that the offerer is approaching the holy God of Israel.

A second theme found in the regulations, one that stands in stark contrast to God’s holiness, is the sinfulness of human beings. One of the reasons for the institution of the offerings is for the expiation of the Israelites' sins (1:4). That the death of an animal is required for the expiation of sin clearly teaches that the penalty for sin is death. Too, the requirement that a sin offering will be made for unwilling and unintentional sins shows that all sin is destructive of a relationship with God and needs cleansing.

The third theme central to this section is the divine provision for atonement. The laying of one’s hands on the head of the sacrificial animal signifies that the penalty for sin is death and that the animal’s death is necessary for the atonement of sin (1:4). Moreover, the dashing of the slaughtered animal’s blood against the altar signifies that the animal’s life has been poured out to God (v.5). The burnt offering (vv.2-17) shows that the offerer is sinful in the whole of his/her being and that God makes a total claim on his/her life. To live in fellowship with God, sinful persons must make expiation for sin regularly. Provision was made through the sacrifices for Israelites frequently to experience the removal of sin. These offerings foreshadow the atonement that Christ made in his death. In the words of the book of Hebrews, “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (10:10).

The fourth theme found in these chapters is that of expressing gratitude to God. This theme is seen especially in the regulations for the grain offering (2:1-16) and the peace offering (3:1-17). The grain offering is burned as a memorial; the offerer wishes God to remember him in light of the covenant. In the act of remembering, the offerer expresses gratitude to God. The peace offering is a ritual provision for praising God. Praise might be rendered for some specific blessing or simply be offered spontaneously to God.