Leviticus 6:1

Here we shall vary a little from our usual procedure by taking these Leviticus 6 and Leviticus 7 together. Most of the commentaries we have studied also follow this plan which is logically dictated by the content. Leviticus 6 is actually concluded in Leviticus 7, and the short summary at the end of Leviticus 7 is the conclusion of this whole section of Leviticus (Leviticus 1-7) in which the following sacrifices are presented:

VARIOUS SACRIFICES

1. Instructions regarding the burnt-offering (Leviticus 1).

2. Instructions regarding the meal-offering (Leviticus 2).

3. Instructions regarding the peace-offering (Leviticus 3).

4. Instructions regarding the sin-offering (Leviticus 4:1-5:13).

5. Instructions regarding the trespass-offering (Leviticus 5:14-6:7).

6. Supplementary priestly regulations (Leviticus 6:8-7:38).

The illogical divisions of chapters (as is also the case with verses) is quite apparent in the above outline. Dummelow pointed out that our "chapter divisions are a late invention, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries."[1]

"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, If any one sin and commit a trespass against Jehovah, and deal falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbor, or have found that which was lost, and dealt falsely therein, and swear a lie; in any of all these things that a man doeth, sinning therein; then it shall be, if he sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took by robbery the thing which he hath gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found, or anything about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto: unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it, in the day of his being found guilty. And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering unto the priest: and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah; and he shah be forgiven concerning whatsoever he doeth so as to be guilty thereby."

"And swear to a lie ..." (Leviticus 6:3), "hath sworn falsely ..." (Leviticus 6:5), "in the day of his being found guilty ..." (Leviticus 6:5). All of these expressions appear to indicate a situation in some kind of court procedure. The person here was under oath and was "found guilty," indicating a contestant in some kind of disputed case. The sins in view here were not unwitting or inadvertent sins, but deliberate attempts to defraud. It is of the very greatest interest that sins against a neighbor in such a manner were also sins against God Himself. On that account, two kinds of penalties were incurred:

(1) there was the restoration of unlawfully-acquired property to its rightful owner, along with an additional twenty percent value, and

(2) there was the required offering of a valuable ram to God, through the priests, as the basis of atonement and forgiveness from God because of the sin against Him.

The instructions for this offering were marked by the solemn formula "And Jehovah spake unto Moses, etc."; and the reason for this seems to be that of stressing the great truth so firmly stated here that "sins against a neighbor are also sins against God." This truth had long been known to the Hebrews, as evidenced in the words of Joseph to the wife of Potiphar, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9).

Such unsupported assertions as that of Clements, declaring that, "At the time these rules were written down, Israel's sacrificial altar was situated at the Temple in Jerusalem,"[2] should be rejected. There are no hard facts of any kind that support such a notion! This section of Leviticus, as we have frequently pointed out, shows every internal evidence of having been written down either by Moses himself, or at his direction and under his supervision.

Some of the infractions against sacred law that are mentioned here may not be exactly clear to modern readers. Sins regarding "deposits" or "bargains," for example, came about in a culture quite different from ours. The "deposit" refers to any property entrusted to the care of a neighbor during the absence of the owner (such things as banks were unknown). If the one thus accepting a deposit, slaughtered it, used it for his own benefit, or sold it, and then refused to make it good, such a sin was covered by the instructions here.

In previous legislation it had been appointed that, in case of doubt arising as to what had become of property delivered to another to keep, there should be "an oath of the Lord" between them both, that the latter "hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods" (Exodus 22:11).[3]

In regard to the sins committed in "bargains," these were committed in all cases of fraud or misrepresentation on the part of either party in the bargain. Of particular interest is that of concealing or failing to restore to the owner anything found. This would usually have been a straying animal. It was the law of God that finders of other people's property were required to return it to the owner. The same principles enunciated here are still retained in the laws of all civilized nations. In our own society today, one finding a bag of money, for example, would have great difficulty in many instances of knowing who the owner actually was, and people who are conscious of their duty in such cases sometimes advertise in newspapers regarding articles "found."

The rules for the trespass-offering were also followed "in the cleansing of a leper (Leviticus 14:12) and in the vows of the Nazarite (Numbers 6:12)."[4] All of the instructions of this first paragraph of Leviticus 6 are connected with the regulations in Leviticus 5, of which they form a part. A new section pertaining particularly to the duties of priests is given next.