Chapter five deals with lesser offences requiring sin and trespass offerings. In the prior chapter we noted that no pigeons or turtledoves were allowed in those sin offerings, but they required the young bullock in the case of the priest, high priest, and whole congregation. The he goat was required in the case of the ruler, or the female goat for the offering of a common person. God looks at different sins in degrees, and He requires different punishment for the lesser sins. So the young pigeons and turtledoves become an option is using for sacrifices for these lesser sins, especially for those that were poor.

Leviticus 5:1 "And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it: if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity."

This is a poor translation of the verse, but what it is saying is not talking about saying a cuss word, "swearing" as used here means "taking an oath". Say that you are called to be a witness in a court case, and you take an oath to tell the truth. You are asked if you know or have any knowledge of what happened, and you say no, when you do. The sin here is that the person has the knowledge of the wrong doing, and says nothing. It doesn't matter how the knowledge came to your attention, you become just as guilty as if you took part in that sin action. The word "utter" in the Hebrew text means to "stand boldly opposite, or denounced".

The sin is not speaking out with the truth that you have knowledge of, that would have an bearing on the outcome of the trial of a court case, or any other problem arising. It is bad to bear false witness against someone, but this is saying that it is just as bad not to speak up when you know you can verify the facts on a matter.

Leviticus 5:2 "Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty."

Later chapters of Leviticus will establish what is clean and unclean; that will clear up what is being discussed in this verse on sacrifices. This verse deals when a person comes in contact with something unclean, and forgot to follow the instructions dealing with that violation. It is a matter of not following the instructions of how to become clean after that person became unclean. Many times it involved washing or burning clothes, taking a bath or any one of a number of instructions.

Leviticus 5:3 "Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty."

To be hid from him means that he forgot about what had happened and didn't bother to become clean until a later time. Then later he remember what he had done, and sees his guilt, then it becomes time to make a sacrifice offering.

Leviticus 5:4 "Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these."

To "swear" here as used in the Hebrew text is to take an oath by God's name; for it didn't matter what that oath was, if he did not carry out that oath sworn by God, then he will be guilt of this trespass, and sin. If you take an oath without thinking of what you are saying, then that is a sin also; for when your oath goes against God's Word and instructions to His people, you become guilty of by that oath. God does not look lightly on people that are reckless in the taking of oaths.

Leviticus 5:5 "And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:"

It is important to God that when you know that you have done wrong, that you confess that fact to Him. So we are going to see the offerings that were to be rendered when a person acknowledges that he has sinned.

Leviticus 5:6 "And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord for his sin which he hath sinned, a male from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin."

This trespass offering is called "Asam" in the Hebrew test. In the Appendix 43 of the Companion Bible it tells us; "The trespass offering relates to sins of omission, while "chattah" refers to sins of commission; sin in general; "Asam" are sins in relation to Mosaic Law; sins of error arising from ignorance or negligence."

Sins of commission deal with sins that were committed that should not have been done, while sins of omission were sins where you did not do what you should have done; in witnessing, speaking out and making a stand, or just being to ignorant to do the right thing, then afterwards regretting that you were so negligent in your actions. Part of this trespass of "Asam" also is when a person was suppose to do something when they became unclean, to cleanse themselves; that the person in his ignorance or negligence overlooked the bathing, his burning clothes, or what ever the instructions were for becoming clean, after he was unclean.

Leviticus 5:7 "And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering."

In the sin offering, it was necessary to separate the fat from the animal, and burn the left over parts. In other cases the priest himself was allowed to eat the remainder. So the fat was burnt, and the rest was eaten. But here when there is a bird to be sacrificed, one of the pigeons was to be burnt, and the other freed. Without the burning process, it would have been an incomplete sacrifice. So here if a person is not able to bring a sheep because of poverty to be sacrificed in an offering, then he must bring two turtledoves or two pigeons. Another thing to remember was that the lesser sacrifice, by using a bird instead of a sheep, had no relation on the degree of atonement for sin. Sin that was forgiven was completely forgiven, no matter what the animal or birds were that was being sacrificed; forgiven sin is forgiven sin, and that all the sin was forgiven. God though expected those that were able to bring the sheep or goat to bring it, and if you could not, then use the birds in your sacrifice offering.

Leviticus 5:8 "And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:"

Some scholars believed that the birds head was completely torn off, however because it says "but shall not divide it asunder", I believe, as is stated in the Companion Bible that they merely pinched the neck to kill the bird.

Leviticus 5:9 "And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering."

The blood of the sin offering is not on the altar, but sprinkled downward onto the ground aside the altar.

Leviticus 5:10 "And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him."

The word "sin" as used here is from the Hebrew word, "Chattath", meaning an offence sometimes habitual sinful.

Leviticus 5:11 "But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an epah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering."

This then deals with the person that was not even able to afford two young pigeons or two turtledoves, one in extreme poverty. Again the type used here of fine flour, was for Jesus Christ. "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness for sin;" but in the case of the flour sacrifice, the flour is to the wheat, as the life is to blood. The Oil is symbolic to the Holy Spirit in the peace offering, and the frankincense symbolic of our prayers going up to the Father. The use of these two, the oil and the frankincense, were for the peace offering and were not to be placed on the sin offering.

One that was making a meat or meal offering had to be in good graces of the Father to make that offering. He had to be in right standing before the Lord to make that offering. In this case of the sin offering, that person is not in right standing, but standing before God as a sinner and in need of an atonement for his sins. This "Asam" sin or trespass offering was not to take the appearance or form of the "Minchah", or meal offering.

Leviticus 5:12 "Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the Lord: it is a sin offering."

When the person brings his sin offering of fine flour, the priest would take a handful of the flour as a remembrance of the sin, and burn that handful of flour on the altar. This type of offering is called the "Ishsheh" in the Hebrew text, which means "any offering made by fire."

Leviticus 5:13 "And the preist shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him; and the remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat offering.' "

So the handful out of the container brought to the priest for the sacrifice was throne on the fire and burned, and the rest of the flour not burned belonged to the priest, as a meat offering. In the expression; "he hath sinned in one of these," refers back to one of the trespasses that were covered in verses one to four in this chapter.

We now move from the sin offering to the trespass offering. There are two types of trespass offerings, and these are covered in verses 14 - 16; and they are the trespassing of the holy things.

Leviticus 5:14 "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,"

Leviticus 5:15 " "If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:"

"The holy things of the Lord" were things such as falling away to follow things of idolatry, or shorting God in things of the tithe or of the firstfruits. Trespass sins are almost always sins that are committed in secret, and not seen by those around you. God can read your mind, and He knows when you have committed one of these Trespass sins, for in time He will convict your conscience that you have committed one of them. You would have to be somewhat of a fool to believe that you can put something over on God. Our heavenly Father know your heart and mind and the intent of those act that you do.

The animal to be used for this trespass offering for this sin is a ram; for it represents something of strength. This trespass offering talked about in this verse is called "Ma`al" in the Appendix 44 of the Companion bible. It marks "treachery, unfaithfulness, breach of trust, often rendered trespass and transgression."

This was the sin of Achan of Joshua 7, the man that disobeyed God order that when the walls of Jericho fell, the goods of the city, the gold and silver and all the people and animals were to be slain. Achan went into the city, and he took gold and silver and the accursed thing, and went and buried it in his tent. The gold and silver under the accursed thing. When Joshua and the army of Israel went against the little town of Ai, they were soundly defeated, because was not in the battle with them. This is the only battle that Israel lost, and it was because they left God out of their planning and instruction, but mostly because of one soldier that defied the Lord.

The "accused thing" was a garment worn by a Baal priest in the practice of Baal worship, and Achan took that accursed thing into the camp of the children of Israel. Achan was unfaithful to God's command, and tried to take those things that belonged to God. He breached the trust of Joshua, and this caused not only his life, but the life of his entire family. There was a mound of stones to make that valley of Achan, for the rest of Israel to remember throughout all generation. God does not like people stealing and taking what is rightfully His; however when this does happen, then this does happen by greed, and afterwards ones conscience troubles them over their acts of transgression, then this offering had to be rendered.

The "accursed thing" today would be trying to take the things of heathen religious worship, and bringing it into the worship of God's house. Taking the traditions of men that go against God's Word, and attributing them to God's Word, and mixing those practices in with your worship of YHVH the one true God. The one that has tried to fool God is certainly in need of strength, and that is why the ram was designated for this offering.

However, not only were those that committed this sin to bring a ram, but there was also a penalty for committing this sin. This penalty fee would be established by Moses himself, and later by the priest, and it was to be paid by the monetary unit of that day, the shekels. The money collected for this offering was used to run the functions of the tabernacle and the priesthood.

Leviticus 5:16 "And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him."

So in addition of the ram that was used for the offering, an estimation of the value of loss, or that amount kept from the work of the Lord, and [20% or] one fifth of that value was to be the penalty paid in shekels.

Now we look at the second type of trespass, that of committing sins that the commandments of the Lord forbid.

Leviticus 5:17 "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity."

Those commandments and the law that state things that are forbidden to do, and those things are done in ignorance of the law, that person still stands just as guilty of breaking the law, as he would have by knowing the law. So these are sins committed in ignorance, and notice that both the ram and the shekel penalty are both required, just as if he knew the law.

Leviticus 5:18 "And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him."

After the sacrifice offering has been made and the money offering has been paid, the priest then lets him know exactly were he has erred, and the sin is forgiven, and he is sent on his way.

Leviticus 5:19 "It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the Lord."

The trespass is not against his neighbors, but the things that he has done against God Himself. This is different than the trespass against another person, which we will now cover in Leviticus chapter six.