Why Was Israel Given Both Sin And Trespass Offerings?
Hello Joe, Steve and Mike! Thanks for feeding me of God’s word! I read your articles about “The Law of The Offerings”, very neat, Mike! I am interested in checking out the Hebrew word for “offering” like sin offering and trespass offering. From what I understand the word offering is not in the Hebrew when it talks about the sin offering. As I understand it the same is true of the trespass offering. The word ‘offering’ is not found in the Hebrew. Only meat offering, and peace offering, etc. are found. But not sin/ trespass offering. Am I understanding this right? If so, then it all makes sense me! Don’t have to write long, can be very brief. I just wants make sure I understand right. Thanks! Brother in Christ, B____ P. S. I am enjoying the new study notes with the “Animals In Scripture” Series and I find them very interesting.
Hi B____,
Thank you for your question.
You ask:
“From what I understand sin offerings are not found in the Hebrew for ‘offering‘. The same is true for the trespass offering. The word ‘offering‘ is not found in the Hebrew. What is found are meat offering, peace offering, etc. But not sin/ trespass offering. Am I understanding this right ?”
Well, you are partly understanding what is actually true. It is true that the word ‘offering is often not found in the Hebrew when talking about any of the offerings. But that is not unique to the sin and trespass offerings. That is so of all of the offerings.
You mention the meat offering and the peace offering. In the Hebrew the word qorban, ‘offering’ is mentioned right at the beginning of the description of these offerings and then it is not to be found later when discussing either of those offerings. It is simply understood in Hebrew, so it was added in the English.
Both the burnt offering and the peace offering and the meat (meal) offering, were all what the scriptures call “sweet smelling savor” offerings. In other words none of these offerings are concerned with the subject of sin. But the word ‘offering’ is not used in describing any of these offerings except when they are first introduced to us. After being introduce as ‘qorbans [ offerings], the offerings are simply called what they are, and the word ‘offering’ is always understood in the Hebrew.
Sin is, of course, a stench in the nose of our Lord, and is not a sweet smelling savor. But the word ‘offering’ is not used in describing the sin or the trespass offerings either.
Here is how the Hebrew is worded concerning the offerings. I will give them to you as they are given in Leviticus:
1) burnt offering:
Lev 1:1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
Lev 1:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering [ Hebrew, qorban] unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering [ qorban] of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
Lev 1:3 If his offering [ qorban] be a burnt sacrifice [ Hebrew, olah, the word ‘sacrifice’ here and the word ‘offering’ in verse 4, are added] of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
Lev 1:4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering [ Hebrew, olah, same word translated ‘burnt sacrifice’ in verse three]; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
The Hebrew word in both verses is simply ‘olah.’ The words ‘sacrifice’ in verse 3 and the word ‘offering’ in verse 4 are added by the translators.
2) meat (meal, grain) offering
The same thing is true for the meat offering. It too, is first called a meat qorban, and afterward is simply referred to by the one Hebrew word for meat or meal.
Lev 2:1 And when any will offer [ Hebrew, karab] a meat [ Hebrew, minchah, meal] offering [ qorban] unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
Lev 2:2 And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
Lev 2:3 And the remnant of the meat offering [ Hebrew, minchah, meal. the word ‘offering’ is added] shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
3) The peace offering.
When we get to the peace offering we have the same thing.
Lev 3:1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering [ Hebrew, shelem, peace], if he offer [ Hebrew, qarab] it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
Lev 3:2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering [ Hebrew, quoban], and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Lev 3:3 And he shall offer [ Hebrew, qarab] of the sacrifice of the peace offering [ Hebrew, shelem, peace] an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
So it is with the sin and trespass offerings. Be sure to review these offerings to see that the sin offering is not the same as the trespass offering. Christ could be our sin offering and yet never commit sin because he came in the same flesh as Adam. We are specifically told that “He took not on Him the nature of angels but He took on Him the seed of Abraham (Heb. 2:14).” All of the variations on the doctrine of an immaculate conception are nothing more than doctrines of demons, designed to separate Christ from His creation and cause us to feel that He cannot possibly identify with us. But He does identify with us even in our most sinful state. Even then we are “in Him,” as Paul made clear to the Pagan Athenians:
Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Paul, of course, is simply agreeing with Christ:
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Even when we are sinning and not bearing fruit, Christ tells us that we are still “in me.” When we do not “bear fruit” we are “taken away… for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord.”
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Satan is God’s instrument for destroying the flesh. It is when we are tempted of the tempter that we come to see the need for dying to the flesh. That is when the spirit is saved in the day of the Lord’s judgment:
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
This all takes place “in Christ” who was “made sin who knew no sin,” simply by being “made of a woman, made under the law.” Being “made of a woman” and being “made under the law” are both scriptural ways of saying “made to be sin.”
Psa 51:5 Behold, I [ Christ in His body of flesh and blood] was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Christ was “made under the law” just like all of us. Why are we and Christ first “under the law?”
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 B ut after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Even Jesus Christ was made of a woman, shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin, made under the law to be brought to His Father, at which time He was no longer “concluded under sin… kept under the schoolmaster of the law.”
So the sin offering is for what we are by birth, by being made of a woman, made under the law, and the trespass offering is for what we do in those bodies which are “made of a woman, made under the law.” The sin offering is for what we are and the trespass offering is for what we do.
We can commit sin, and be held guilty of that sin while being totally ignorant of being sinful. Sin is not necessarily a matter of conscience. Sin is simply a matter of being a marred vessel of clay, marred in the Potter’s hand.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Num 15:28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
So don’t allow anyone to rob you of your knowledge of Christ by telling you that sin is only in your mind. Nothing could be further from the truth. The very reason flesh and blood, even Christ’s flesh and blood, cannot inherit the kingdom of God is because flesh and blood are corruptible and are corruption, not because they did something sinful, but simply because flesh and blood themselves miss the mark of the spiritual body which none of us have until Christ lives in us. We can sin in Him but if He is living His life in us then we will be given dominion over our sinful bodies and will no longer be slaves to the pulls of the flesh.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption [ flesh and blood] inherit incorruption.
I hope this helps you to see that none of the sacrifices are called sacrifices. They are each called by what they are, burnt, meat (meal), peace, sin, and trespass. I especially hope that you see that there is a difference between the sin and the trespass offerings. Christ is not referred to as a trespass offering simply because He never sinned while in His body of sinful flesh. But in us He fulfills that offering also:
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for [ Greek – dia, through] our offences, and was raised again for [ Greek – dia, through] our justification.
This is a most important piece of knowledge. It is through our sins that Christ was delivered up to death, and it is through our justification that Christ was raised from among the dead. What this tells us is that God had us in mind when He created Christ, and our relationship with Christ is exactly like Christ’s relationship with His Father.
Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
We have been given an unequaled calling in Christ.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [ are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Your brother in Christ,
Mike
Other related posts
- Will Satan And His Angels Be Saved? (March 28, 2009)
- Why Was Israel Given Both Sin And Trespass Offerings? (July 1, 2008)
- Why Was Eve Deceived but Not Adam? (July 21, 2014)
- Who Was Cains Wife? (May 23, 2011)
- Who Is My Brother? (October 5, 2008)
- Where Did Cain Find His Wife? (March 6, 2008)
- Was Adam Made Subject To Vanity? (May 26, 2005)
- Was "The First Man Adam" Made In God's Image? (August 17, 2017)
- The Trespass Offering (September 1, 2010)
- Names In Scripture (October 6, 2008)
- Mortal Adam And The Two Trees In Eden (April 20, 2005)
- Made In His Image (April 18, 2005)
- How Can God Kill And Still Love? (April 21, 2009)
- Four Stages Of Mans Free Will (November 7, 2008)
- Foundational Themes in Genesis – Study 19 (October 4, 2013)
- Foundational Themes in Genesis – Study 15 (September 20, 2013)
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 "To Every Thing There Is A Season, and A Time To Every Purpose Under The Heaven" (August 19, 2013)
- Did God Give Adam Dominion Over His Flesh? (November 21, 2015)
- Can Mankind Love God Without Free Will? (March 28, 2008)
- Are We All Failures? (November 18, 2009)
- Are The Seraphim Evil Spirits? (June 3, 2009)