Leviticus shows how blessed we are today to rely on the atoning work of Christ on the cross. The sacrificial system was INTENSE!
First, if anyone sinned UNKNOWINGLY and later discovered it, “he is to confess…. He must bring restitution for the sin …, a female lamb or goat as a sin offering” Leviticus 5:5-6. Even an ACCIDENTAL sin requires the sacrifice of a lamb or goat. That’s a high price to pay!
A second point involves RESTITUTION (for NON-accidental sins).
“When a man … OFFENDS THE LORD by deceiving his neighbor through robbery, fraud, or deceit… he must return what he stole…. He must make full restitution for it and add a FIFTH to its value. He is to pay restitution to the owner… Then bring his RESTITUTION OFFERING to the Lord” Leviticus 6:2-6.
Thus, when a man commits a non-violent theft or fraud, he must pay back what he stole, PLUS one fifth. So he must pay back 120%. On top of that, he must bring to the Lord a restitution sacrifice. That is similar to how we handle crimes today: pay back the victim AND pay your debt to the State. Just as verse 2 mentions “offending the Lord,” today we say criminals “offend” the state—we even call them “offenders.”
Every semester I explain to students that when a husband beats a wife (for example) and she may decline to press charges, but under the new rules, the State can bring charges anyway, because it is NOT HER DECISION: the man has OFFENDED THE STATE OF TEXAS, and the State can pursue him without the wife.
The Old Testament law played a FOUNDATIONAL ROLE in the legal systems of both England and the USA. The influence of Old Testament law on both criminal and civil cases cannot be overstated. Moreover, the sacrificial system prepared mankind to understand the work Jesus did for us on the cross. Consequently, there is great value in reading the “boring” Bible books like Leviticus.
God, give us curiosity and patience to read and LOVE Your word.
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