Three Revelations Made By God To Moses All Related To Guilt/Compensation Offerings (Leviticus 5:14 to Leviticus 6:7).
Three revelations are now made concerning the guilt offering and when it should be offered. Two of the three are introduced by the words, ‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.' They may have been given on two separate occasions. They were probably added here to connect with the previous reference to the Guilt Offering. In that instance no compensation was payable, although instead confession was required. In these examples the question of compensation raises its head.
Guilt Offerings With Compensation For Sanctuary Offences (Leviticus 5:14-19).
Reference is made here to two types of offence against the sanctuary.
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
This indicates a new revelation, rather than it being a continuation of what went before. It confirms that it is describing Yahweh's requirements. It deals with offences against the Sanctuary.
‘If any one commit a breach of faith, and sin unwittingly, in the holy things of Yahweh, then he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to your estimation in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering, and he shall make restitution for that which he has done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part to it, and give it to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.'
The sins in question here are ‘unwitting' sins with respect to the sanctuary, sins which might result from carelessness, or forgetfulness, or a false ‘shrewdness', or pure lethargy. In some way the person has stepped out of line. It may be that they have failed to bring their offerings as due, or have brought lower level ones when they were well enough off to bring higher level ones, grain instead of birds, birds instead of a sheep. Or perhaps in some other way they have ‘profited' from a failure to fulfil all their religious responsibilities according to the Law. But clearly the person's conscience has now disturbed him, or he has been ‘found out' and it is thus a question of making amends, paying restitution and offering the correct guilt offering.
The offering he must bring is a ram, a male sheep and thus of a higher level than the female sheep of the purification for sin offering. Here there are no alternatives offered. This may suggest that a poor man would not be expected to commit this breach of faith, which could suggest that being parsimonious is what is mainly in mind. There has been a failure to meet proper dues. Indeed, as well as it being without blemish, the value of the ram necessary is to be calculated by the priest according to how much loss the sanctuary is considered to have suffered. Then a further one fifth of that value has to be paid to the priest to compensate the priest for what in most cases he would have lost. After that the ram is to be offered as a guilt offering. We are given no details but it is probable that it is offered in a similar way as that described in Leviticus 5:6-9, or it may be as a purification for sin offering (Leviticus 7:7).
We have here an indication that when men have sinned against God in holy things by holding back from Him what is His due, the sacrifice has to be of sufficient value to cover the level of sin. We can therefore see clearly at what value God had assessed Jesus Christ Who was sufficient to meet the failures in this way of the whole world, and more, an incalculable amount.
‘And if any one sin, and do any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.'
This, due to its direct connection with Leviticus 5:15-16 would seem to refer to someone who has sinned against the Sanctuary in some other way than financial, otherwise it would be little different from Leviticus 4:27. They in one way or another consider that they have offended against holy things, they have done what Yahweh has commanded not to be done. Now their conscience has smitten them. This may well especially have in mind those with a tender conscience, who become concerned about small details, with the aim of enabling them to obtain peace of mind for their guilty conscience. But there would be others as well who had sinned in this way more certainly. Either way they accept their guilt and that they must be punished accordingly (must ‘bear their guilt').
‘And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to your estimation, for a guilt offering, to the priest, and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing wherein he erred unwittingly and knew it not, and he shall be forgiven. It is a guilt offering. He is certainly guilty before Yahweh.'
Again the offering is to be a ram without blemish, its required value to be estimated by Moses (‘your estimation') according to the level of the failure. Its purpose is to remove the person's guilt. Although the correct value ram has to be offered there is no extra compensation required. The sanctuary has not suffered financial loss. The priest will offer the ram as he would a purification for sin offering, and make atonement for the person in question, and he will be forgiven. It is a guilt offering.
“He is certainly guilty before Yahweh.” This comment may reflect that because this is a sin against the sanctuary there can be no question that he is guilty before Yahweh.