The Law Of The Tresspass Offering - Part I
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“Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: And the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar. And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covers the inwards, And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away: And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering.” —Leviticus 7:1-5
The trespass offering was most holy as well.
The requirements for the trespass offering were very similar to the sin offering. Both were intended as remedies for the sins of spiritual weakness; intended upon life still subject to the trials and temptations of this world.
One point of difference between them was in the mode of disposing of the blood. Both were bloody offerings, but the blood in the case of the sin offering was to be put on the four horns of the altar. In the trespass offering, it was to be sprinkled “round about upon the altar.”
As stated, the meat offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering were labeled most holy. The whole burnt offering and the peace offering were holy, but they were not labeled as most holy.
WHY WERE SOME HOLY AND SOME MOST HOLY?
Without what Christ did at the Cross, sinful man couldn’t be saved. That’s the reason the sin offering and the trespass offering are labeled most holy. The meat offering falls into the same category simply because, in essence, it refers to thankfulness on our part for what He has done to deliver us from sin.
All of the instructions given here, by and large, pertain to the priests. This means that the far greater responsibility lay with the priests. As well, the glory of our salvation does not lie with us, the sinner; it lies with the Lord Jesus Christ. About all the person could do under the old economy was to bring his offering and to believe the instructions he was given concerning the atonement. Likewise, at this particular time, under the New Covenant, all the failing believer can do is present himself before the Lord and believe. All the work is done by our Great High Priest.
According to verses 2 through 5, the priests were given careful instructions regarding the kidney, the caul, and the fat. This represented the prosperity, the life, and the living of the individual, and that the Lord is the author of such.
If it is to be noticed, the blood of the trespass offering was not to be placed on the horns of the altar, as was the rule in the ordinary sin offering, but cast against the inner side of the altar, as with the burnt offering and peace offering.
In all of these sacrifices, with the exception of the meat offering, there was an ample display of blood.
THE BLOOD
The psalmist sang, “How amiable are Your tabernacles, O LORD of Hosts!” (Ps. 84:1).
Concerning this, Seiss said: “Approaching those admirable courts, our attention would have been attracted on all sides with marks of blood. Before the altar, ‘blood’; on the horns of the altar, ‘blood’; in the midst of the altar, ‘blood’; on its top, at its base, on its sides, ‘blood’; and tracked along into the deepest interior of the tabernacle, ‘blood’!”
Most of humanity would think of such as disgusting, but he who has learned to look at things from a spiritual sense — to see the blood in the realm of forgiveness and the grace of God to lost sinners — will know how precious the blood is and will know very well how to appreciate it.
Paul said that the preaching of Christ crucified was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness; but to those of us who know what sin actually is, and what is implied in redemption from it, will ever hail the announcement of the Cross as the most glad tidings that ever fell upon the ear of earth.
MOST HOLY
“Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy. As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest who makes atonement therewith shall have it. And the priest that offers any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. And all the meat offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is dressed in the frying pan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offers it. And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another” (Lev. 7:6-10).
We may grow weary at all of these tedious instructions, which is the reason the book of Leviticus is seldom read. However, if we fully understand the sin question and what it took to redeem humanity from its awful clutches, then we would linger long over every word, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal more and more the meaning to our hearts. Of course, we are speaking of the Cross, to which all of these instructions pointed.
Understanding the meat offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering as most holy proclaims to us in no uncertain terms the absolute holiness, the most holiness, of the Cross of Calvary.
The sin offering and the trespass offering were so very similar that there was actually one law for the both of them. The same rule, as stated in Leviticus 6:27–28, applied to both offerings; hence, what was omitted in the regulation of the one must be supplied from the directions given in the other.
THE BURNT OFFERING
Attached to the instructions given regarding the trespass offering, there are various instructions again given as it regards the burnt offering and the meat offering.
For instance, the burnt offering was consumed totally on the altar, with the exception of the skin. This was to be stripped from the carcass and given to the officiating priests.
As well, as it regarded the meat offering, with the exception of the memorial part, which was burnt upon the altar, it was to go to the particular priest who offered it.
All the priests were to share equally according to the instructions given by the Lord.
THE LAW OF THE SACRIFICE OF PEACE OFFERINGS
“And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning” (Lev. 7:11-15).
Verses 11 through 21 portray the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings.
Verse 12 tells us that the peace offerings were at times offered as a thanksgiving.
In verse 13, the offerer is instructed to use “leavened bread with the sacrifice.” This was permitted in the thank offering, even though it was a form of corruption and, thereby, a type of sin, because this was the spontaneous expression of devotion from lives that were not entirely rid of sin and evil in every case.
The eating of the leavened bread was a constant reminder that the offerer was a poor, weak sinner, and that all of the grace was in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There were some offerings of thanksgiving that were given with unleavened cakes, which signified the perfect, unblemished, sinless body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 15 indicates that the offerer of the peace offering could have a feast with his friends, which would symbolize the blessings of the Lord.
Verse 19 speaks of “touching any unclean thing.” This principle, which made one unclean, also applied to touching any holy thing which made one clean or holy. It typifies two things:
1. The touching of Satan (his works) makes one unholy.
2. Touching Christ makes one holy.
LEAVENED BREAD
The law of the peace offering commanded unleavened cakes (Lev. 7:12) and leavened bread (Lev. 7:13). The first symbolized the sinless humanity of Christ; the other, the sinful humanity of the worshipper. The one had sin on Him (actually our sin), but not in Him; the latter, the sinful worshipper, had sin in him and on him.
The peace offerings could be offered as a thanksgiving offering, even as the meat offering. This would be an acknowledgment of special mercies received from God for whatever! It was to this sacrifice that Paul alluded when he said, “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Heb. 13:15).
In verses 12 through 14, no mention is made of the number of cakes or the quantity of oil. Consequently, this must have been left up to the decision of the administrators of the laws.
These cakes were to be eaten with the flesh of the peace offering and had to be baked before the victim was slaughtered.
These particular cakes were to be unleavened because they represented the sinless humanity of Christ.
THE PEACE OFFERING
However, along with these cakes, he was to also offer leavened bread, which he would also eat. It was leavened simply because it represented the life of the offerer, which was not completely free from sin, as no human being is completely free from sin.
The peace offering was offered at times after the other offerings. It was the only offering of which the offerer could partake. A small portion was to be burnt on the brazen altar, a portion given to the priests, which we will address momentarily, with the offerer taking the remainder. With this, he could have a feast with his friends and family, signifying that peace with God had been restored. Sin, in whatever form, destroys that peace; consequently, the proper sacrifices had to be offered in order to atone for the sin. Then the peace offering could be offered.
THE CAKES
There were four different kinds of cakes — unleavened cakes mingled with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried; and lastly, there was the leavened bread.
Of these four different types of cakes or bread, the officiating priest was to wave one of each of the four kinds before the Lord as a heave offering (Ex. 29:24, 28). After he waved them before the Lord in thanksgiving to the Lord, he could have these four loaves as his portion, with the rest or the remaining cakes belonging to the owner of the sacrifice, which he could partake of with the roasted flesh of the sacrifice.
To the priest was given the breast and the shoulder of the animal. The one bringing the sacrifice would be given that which remained, with the exception of the fat, which was burned on the altar (Lev. 7:4–5). However, there was one stipulation: all of the flesh of the peace offering had to be eaten the same day it was offered. None was to be left until the morning.
This typified that we must partake of all of Christ and not merely a part of Christ. Many desire Him as Saviour but reject Him as the baptizer with the Holy Spirit. In fact, this list is long, with many picking and choosing. Sorry! According to the Scriptures, such cannot be done. It is all of Christ or none of Christ!
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