Thursday - Leviticus 5 - The Trespass Offering

Guilty, guilty, guilty!  What do we do when we are guilty?  Well, in God's economy, we confess our guilt and we seek atonement. Now, for the Jews in Moses' day the forgiveness came at a price. A ram, a young female lamb, a young female goat, two doves, two pigeons or a five-pound bag of flour had to be sacrificed. The sacrifice selection depended on the nature of the sin and upon the ability of the offender.

If the transgression involved either a desecration of some holy thing or a direct violation of one of God's commandments, then a ram was required. If a person heard someone make a commitment and then failed to testify in defense of whoever was supposed to be the recipient of that commitment; or, if a person touched any unclean thing such as an animal carcass or some human pollution; or, if a person made a rash commitment ... he was to consider himself guilty. A simpler trespass offering was demanded (i.e. a lamb, kid, dove, etc.).