The Graded Guilt of a Gracious God Text: Leviticus 5:1-13
Introduction: The Grammar of Guilt
We live in an age that has declared war on the very concept of guilt. Our therapeutic culture has done everything in its power to rename it, redefine it, medicate it, or explain it away. Guilt is now a complex, a syndrome, a neurosis, a product of a repressive upbringing. It is anything and everything except what the Bible says it is: the objective state of a creature who has violated the law of his Creator. And because we have rejected the biblical definition of guilt, we have consequently rejected the only possible remedy for it.
Modern man is like a patient who rips up the MRI showing a tumor because he doesn't like the look of it, and then wonders why he is still sick. He tries to assuage his guilt with frantic activity, with political crusades, with self-help mantras, with endless distractions. But the guilt remains, because the guilt is real. It is a legal problem, not a psychological one. You cannot feel your way out of a legal problem. You need a legal solution.
Into this world of frantic, guilty denial, the book of Leviticus speaks with a bracing and glorious clarity. It is a book that takes guilt with the utmost seriousness. But it does not do so in order to crush us. It does so in order to show us the way out. Leviticus is a book about how sinful men can draw near to a holy God and live. It is a book saturated with grace. And here in chapter 5, we are given a detailed breakdown of certain kinds of sin and the specific remedy God has provided. This is not arcane ritual for a primitive people. This is the grammar of guilt and grace. It teaches us about the nature of sin, the necessity of confession, and the provision of atonement. And it all points forward, with unerring precision, to the final guilt offering, the Lord Jesus Christ.
What we find in this passage is not a harsh God looking for any excuse to condemn, but a gracious God who makes provision for every station of life. He is a God who understands our frailty, our ignorance, and our poverty. He is a God who makes a way. The world offers you therapy for your guilt feelings. God offers you atonement for your actual guilt. The world wants you to stop feeling bad. God wants to make you clean.
The Text
‘Now if a person sins after he hears a public oath to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt. Or a person who touches any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him, yet he is unclean, will be guilty. Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty. Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with a sworn oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these. So it shall be, when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned. He shall also bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.
‘But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to Yahweh his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall bring near first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he shall not separate it. He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the legal judgment. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him.
‘But if his means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall not place oil on it or put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. He shall then bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, with the offerings of Yahweh by fire: it is a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has committed from one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’
(Leviticus 5:1-13 LSB)
Categories of Hidden Sin (vv. 1-4)
The chapter begins by outlining four specific instances of sin that require this particular offering. These are not high-handed, defiant sins, but rather sins of omission, sins of ignorance, and sins of carelessness. They are the kinds of sins that can be hidden, even from the sinner himself for a time.
"‘Now if a person sins after he hears a public oath to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt." (Leviticus 5:1)
The first case deals with judicial responsibility. A public oath has been made, a curse has been invoked, calling for witnesses to come forward. This person knows something crucial to the case but remains silent. This is a sin of omission. He is not actively committing perjury; he is passively allowing injustice to proceed. His silence makes him complicit. Notice the language: "he will bear his guilt." This is not an optional feeling. It is an objective, legal state. In God's economy, silence in the face of evil is not neutrality; it is participation. This principle is foundational for a just society. A society where men refuse to testify against wickedness for fear of reprisal or simple inconvenience is a society that is rotting from the inside out.
"Or a person who touches any unclean thing... though it is hidden from him, yet he is unclean, will be guilty. Or if he touches human uncleanness... and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty." (Leviticus 5:2-3)
The next two cases deal with ceremonial uncleanness. Someone inadvertently touches a dead animal or comes into contact with some form of human uncleanness. The key phrase here is "it is hidden from him." He did not know it at the time. This is crucial. Guilt before God is not contingent on your awareness. The law is objective. A man who unknowingly drinks poison is still poisoned. A man who unknowingly touches defilement is still defiled. This demolishes the modern notion that "if I didn't mean to, it doesn't count." Sin has a contaminating effect, regardless of intent. The moment he "comes to know it," he is responsible to deal with it. This teaches us that as God reveals our sin to us, whether through Scripture, conscience, or the rebuke of a brother, we are immediately obligated to seek cleansing.
"Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good... and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these." (Leviticus 5:4)
The fourth case concerns a rash or thoughtless oath. This is a sin of carelessness. The tongue gets ahead of the brain. In a moment of passion or levity, a person makes a vow, "to do evil or to do good," and then forgets about it. The scope is broad, covering any kind of sworn promise made without due consideration. But God does not forget. Our words have weight. James warns us that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity (James 3:6). God holds us accountable for our careless words because they reveal the state of our hearts (Matthew 12:36-37). Again, the guilt is incurred at the moment of speaking, but the responsibility to atone for it begins when "he comes to know it."
The Mandate: Confession and Atonement (vv. 5-6)
For any of these hidden or careless sins, once they come to light, God prescribes a two-fold response.
"So it shall be, when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned." (Leviticus 5:5)
The first step is always confession. The Hebrew word for confess, homologeo in the Greek Septuagint, means "to say the same thing." To confess your sin is to agree with God about it. It is to call it what He calls it. It is not excuse-making, it is not blame-shifting, it is not minimizing. It is to say, "I withheld testimony when I should have spoken. I was careless and became defiled. I made a rash vow." This honest agreement with God is the foundation of all restoration. As John says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Unconfessed sin is like a spiritual infection that festers in the dark.
"He shall also bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin." (Leviticus 5:6)
Confession is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Words alone do not atone for sin. A price must be paid. A life must be given. The sinner must bring his guilt offering, a female lamb or goat. This is a tangible acknowledgment that his sin has a cost. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Here, in God's mercy, a substitute is provided. The animal dies in the sinner's place. The priest, acting as the mediator, makes atonement. The blood is shed, and the guilt is covered. This entire ritual was a bloody sermon, preached daily, pointing to the reality that forgiveness is not cheap. It costs a life.
Gracious Provision for the Poor (vv. 7-13)
What follows is one of the most beautiful displays of God's tender mercy in all of the law. God knows that not everyone can afford a lamb. Does this mean the poor are cut off from forgiveness? Not at all. Our God is not the God of the rich only.
"But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to Yahweh his guilt offering... two turtledoves or two young pigeons..." (Leviticus 5:7)
God makes a concession. The requirement is not the monetary value of the animal, but the heart of the worshipper and the shedding of blood. Two birds will suffice. One is for the sin offering, its blood sprinkled on the altar to make atonement. The other is for a burnt offering, a gift of total consecration to God. This shows that true repentance involves both seeking pardon for the specific sin and a renewed commitment of one's whole life to God. Forgiveness is never just a ticket out of hell; it is a summons back to fellowship and service.
"But if his means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering... he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering..." (Leviticus 5:11)
The provision goes even further. What about the desperately poor, for whom even two pigeons would be a hardship? Is there no hope for them? God makes a way. The poorest of the poor can bring a small amount of fine flour. This is an astonishing exception to the rule that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). But it is not a contradiction. The flour is offered up "with the offerings of Yahweh by fire." It is mixed, as it were, with the blood of the other sacrifices continually being offered on the altar. It derives its atoning efficacy from its association with the bloody sacrifices. God is teaching His people that access to His grace is not dependent on their economic status. He is concerned with a penitent heart, not a full bank account.
Notice the glorious refrain at the end of each provision: "the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin... and it will be forgiven him." This is the bedrock promise. If you come God's way, in humble confession and faith in His provision, you will be forgiven. The forgiveness is certain. It is declared. The guilt is removed.
Christ, Our Graded Guilt Offering
As with all the Old Testament sacrifices, this entire chapter is a magnificent portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a shadow, and He is the substance. All these details find their ultimate meaning and fulfillment in Him.
Jesus is the one who came to bear our guilt for our hidden sins. He bore the guilt of our cowardly silence when we should have spoken for truth. He bore the guilt of our careless contact with the defilement of the world. He bore the guilt of every rash and foolish word we have ever spoken. These things were not hidden from Him. He knew them all, and He took them upon Himself on the cross. He became the ultimate guilt offering (Isaiah 53:10).
And look at the gracious, graded provision. Jesus Christ is an offering sufficient for all. He is the lamb of God for those who can see Him in His full glory. But He is also the humble offering for the poor in spirit. Remember the parents of Jesus? When they came to the temple to present Him, what was their offering? It was "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24). They were poor. They availed themselves of the very provision described in this chapter. The one who is the great sacrifice was presented by means of the poor man's sacrifice. Our High Priest is not one who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, including our poverty.
And what of the flour? Christ is the Bread of Life. His body was broken for us, ground like fine flour, so that even the most spiritually destitute, who have nothing to bring, no strength, no merit, can come and be accepted. The flour was offered without oil or frankincense, for it was a sin offering, representing the sorrow of repentance. Christ's sacrifice was one of profound sorrow and suffering, without the oil of gladness or the sweet perfume of incense. He endured the full, bitter cost of sin.
The system in Leviticus was repetitive. The sacrifices had to be offered again and again. But Christ, "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). The work is finished. The priest in Leviticus always stood, for his work was never done. Our High Priest has sat down. Forgiveness is now secured. All we must do is what this passage has commanded from the beginning. We must confess our sin, agreeing with God, and by faith, lay our hand on the head of our substitute, Jesus Christ. When we do, we hear that same glorious refrain, echoing from the cross itself: "atonement has been made... and you are forgiven."