Leviticus 5:14-19 - Homiletics

The trespass offering

differs from the sin offering in that it was not allowed to be presented until reparation had been made for the evil done by him who desired to offer it. Its special lesson to the Israelite was that satisfaction for sin is necessary for restoration to communion as well as sacrifice.

ITS TYPICAL LESSON . Satisfaction implies that there is a debt due which must be paid. The debt is due to God; the debtor is man. Christ took upon himself the payment of the debt, which man could not pay. tie paid it in two ways:

1 . By bearing the punishment due for its non-payment by man.

2 . By rendering in his own person that perfect obedience which man had failed to render, and by that failure had become a helpless debtor. Having compensated for man's disobedience by the perfect obedience of his life, he bore the punishment still due for that previous disobedience by the sacrifice of his death. Thus man's forgiveness became not only a matter of mercy on God's part, but of his justice. (See St. Ansehn's 'Cur Dens Homo?' and Archbishop Thomson's 'Essay on the Death of Christ' in 'Aids to Faith.')