What is the meaning of Leviticus 5:6? He must bring his guilt offering The instruction begins with personal responsibility: “he must bring.” No one can seek forgiveness for us; we must come ourselves. A “guilt offering” (sometimes called a trespass offering, see Leviticus 7:1–7) was required when someone realized specific wrongdoing. As Psalm 32:5 shows, owning our fault opens the door to mercy, and 1 John 1:9 echoes the same principle today. To the LORD The sacrifice is “to the LORD,” reminding us that every sin is first an offense against God (Psalm 51:4). While the priest handles the ritual, the worshiper’s focus is upward. This vertical dimension prepares the way for passages like Ephesians 5:2, where Christ “gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” For the sin he has committed Sin is not theoretical; it is “committed.” Leviticus 4:27–28 already dealt with unintentional sins, but Leviticus 5 emphasizes acts now acknowledged. Romans 3:23 points out universal guilt, while James 2:10 notes that even one violation makes a person guilty. The offering confronts that reality head-on. A female lamb or goat from the flock God specifies an animal most households could obtain. Leviticus 4:32 allowed a female without defect, keeping the standard of purity while easing the burden on poorer Israelites. The substitution principle stands out: an innocent creature dies in place of the guilty, prefiguring the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-19). As a sin offering Though labeled a “guilt offering” in the verse, the animal is presented “as a sin offering,” linking the two concepts. Leviticus 1:4 says the offering “will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him,” and Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Sin’s penalty is death; the sacrificial system made that fact unmistakable until Christ bore it fully (2 Corinthians 5:21). And the priest will make atonement for him The worshiper brings the animal, but the priest mediates atonement. Leviticus 16:30 declares, “On this day atonement will be made for you.” Yet every priestly action was temporary and anticipatory. Hebrews 4:14 points us to the greater High Priest, Jesus, who supplies permanent reconciliation (1 Timothy 2:5). Concerning his sin The result is personal and specific: the worshiper walks away cleansed “concerning his sin.” Psalm 32:1-2 celebrates, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven.” Hebrews 10:22 invites us to draw near “having our hearts sprinkled clean,” and Romans 8:1 affirms that “there is now no condemnation.” summary Leviticus 5:6 pictures a sinner who realizes his wrongdoing, personally brings an acceptable substitute to God, and receives priestly mediation that results in real forgiveness. Every detail foreshadows Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice: we acknowledge our sin, approach God through the appointed Lamb, and rest in the atonement our perfect High Priest secures. |
    |