Commentary - Leviticus 4:32-35

Bird's-eye view

This passage details the sin offering for a common Israelite, one of the people of the land. It provides a gracious provision for unintentional sin, for those moments when a man realizes he has transgressed one of Yahweh's commands without meaning to. The entire sacrificial system can seem alien and bloody to our modern minds, but it was a masterfully designed audiovisual aid from God, teaching Israel the gravity of sin and the necessity of a substitutionary atonement. Every detail is pregnant with meaning, pointing forward to the final and perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here we see the fundamental mechanics of substitution. The sinner identifies with the sacrifice, the innocent animal dies in his place, the blood which represents life is offered to God as a propitiation, and the fat, representing the best part, is sent up in smoke as a pleasing aroma. The end result is atonement and forgiveness. This is not a man-made ritual to appease an angry deity; this is God's own prescribed way for His people to deal with their sin and be restored to fellowship with Him. It is a bloody gospel, a tangible sermon in flesh and blood, declaring that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

Leviticus is the book of worship. After God delivered Israel from Egypt and gave them the law at Sinai in Exodus, Leviticus provides the detailed instructions for how a sinful people can live in the presence of a holy God. The book is structured around the concepts of holiness, sacrifice, and priesthood. Chapter 4 specifically deals with the sin offering (chattath), which was required for unintentional sins. The chapter outlines different requirements depending on who sinned: the high priest, the whole congregation, a leader, and finally, in our passage, a common person. This differentiation teaches that responsibility matters; the sin of a leader has wider ramifications than the sin of an ordinary individual. Nevertheless, all sin, intentional or not, creates a breach with God that must be repaired through the means He has provided. This passage is the culmination of the chapter, showing that God's grace extends to every single person in the covenant community.

Key Issues

Gospel Mechanics

The sin offering is a detailed schematic of the gospel. It is a transaction, a divinely ordained procedure for dealing with the guilt that separates man from God. We must resist the urge to spiritualize this away into a vague feeling of being sorry. This was a real man, with a real sin, bringing a real lamb, which was really killed. The blood was real, the fire was real, and the forgiveness was real. The sinner does not just think penitent thoughts; he must act. He brings the offering. He lays his hands on its head. He slaughters it. He is an active participant in the process of his own redemption, not in a meritorious way, but in a way that forces him to confront the consequence of his sin: death.

This entire ritual is what theologians call a type. It is a shadow, a copy, a preview of the reality that would come in Jesus Christ. The blood of this lamb could not actually take away sin, as the author of Hebrews tells us. But it could cover it, and it could point the worshiper's faith toward the true Lamb of God who would one day come to take away the sin of the world. Every element here finds its ultimate fulfillment at the cross. Understanding these mechanics helps us to grasp the logic of the cross and the profound depth of the forgiveness we have received in Christ.

Verse by Verse Commentary

32 ‘But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without blemish.

The law provides an alternative to the female goat mentioned in the previous verses. A common Israelite could bring a lamb. The choice of a lamb is significant; it is an animal that throughout Scripture represents meekness, innocence, and submission. John the Baptist would later identify Jesus with this very image: "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:29). The offering must be a female without blemish. The lack of blemish is crucial. A sacrifice offered to a holy God must be perfect. It cannot be the runt of the litter or a sickly animal. This requirement taught Israel that God deserves the very best, and it points directly to the sinless perfection of the Lord Jesus, a lamb "without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).

33 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it for a sin offering in the place where they slay the burnt offering.

This is the central act of identification. When the worshiper lays his hand on the head of the lamb, he is not just petting it. This is a formal, legal act of transference. He is symbolically placing his sin, his guilt, and his identity onto the animal. He is saying, "This lamb is now me. Let it be treated as I deserve to be treated." This is the very heart of substitution. After this solemn act, the sinner himself slaughters the animal. This was not left to the priest. The man whose sin required the death had to be the one to wield the knife. This would have been a visceral, unforgettable experience, driving home the brutal reality that the wages of sin is death. The location is also specified: the same place where the burnt offering is slain, on the north side of the altar, a place of public worship before the Lord.

34 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

Once the substitute is slain, the priest, acting as the mediator, takes over. The blood is the key element. Leviticus 17:11 tells us that "the life of the flesh is in the blood," and that God has given it on the altar to make atonement. The priest takes this blood, this symbol of a life given up, and applies it to the horns of the altar. The horns of the altar represented the power and authority of God. Applying the blood here was an appeal to God's saving power on the basis of the substitutionary death. The rest of the blood is poured out at the base, signifying that the life of the victim has been completely given over to God. The entire altar, the place of transaction between God and man, is now marked by the blood of the substitute.

35 Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to Yahweh. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

After the blood is dealt with, the fat is removed. The fat, particularly the internal fat surrounding the organs, was considered the richest and best part of the animal. In the sacrificial system, the fat always belonged to God. It was never to be eaten by men but was to be offered up in smoke on the altar. This act symbolized giving the very best, the very essence of the life, entirely to God. It went up as a pleasing aroma, not because God enjoys the smell of burning fat, but because He is pleased by the obedience and faith that the act represents. The verse concludes with the glorious result. The priest, through these prescribed actions, makes atonement for the sinner. The word atonement literally means "to cover." The sin is covered by the blood of the substitute. And because atonement has been made in God's way, the result is declarative and certain: he will be forgiven. This is not a maybe. It is a divine promise. Obedient faith in God's provision results in forgiveness.

Application

This ancient ritual seems a world away from our Sunday morning worship, but the principles are eternal. First, we must recognize that our sin, even our unintentional sin, is a deadly serious matter. It requires death. We cannot simply excuse it or sweep it under the rug. It stands as a charge against us before a holy God. We are the sinner in this story, guilty and deserving of death.

Second, we must see that God in His mercy has provided a substitute. We do not have to bring a lamb, because God has brought His Lamb. Jesus Christ is our sin offering. At the cross, God performed the ultimate laying on of hands, transferring the sin of the world onto His own Son. Jesus was the one without blemish, the perfect sacrifice. His life was poured out, and His blood was presented before the Father as the full payment for our sin.

Finally, the only proper response is to accept this provision by faith. The Israelite had to lay his hand on the lamb. In the same way, we must by faith lay our hand on Christ. We must personally identify with Him, confessing that His death was for our sin, and trusting that His sacrifice is sufficient. When we do this, the promise of this text becomes our own: atonement is made, and we "will be forgiven." This forgiveness is not provisional; it is a settled, legal reality. Our sin has been dealt with, covered completely by the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, we can live not in fear of judgment, but in the joyful freedom of those who have been forgiven much.