THE SIN & TRESPASS OFFERINGS (Lev 4.1-6.7)
Let us now get back to the fact that all have sinned. There was only one exception, He who was born holy, who died a righteous man, and between Bethlehem and Calvary never did one thing out of place, nothing amiss (Lk 23.41).
Adam doubted God’s word and disobeyed God’s command in spite of being richly blessed and surrounded by everything that satisfied. Noah was a man of faith and a preacher of righteousness and was preserved by God when all flesh perished in the flood, yet he is found drunk and naked in his tent. Israel were redeemed by blood and brought out of the land of bondage by the almighty power of the Lord, yet they murmured in the wilderness and went after strange gods in the land flowing with milk and honey. The Church, the most privileged people in any dispensation, had not long commenced before murmurings, deceptions, and disputes arose.
Satan has been so successful because the hearts of men in every age and in everyone are deceitful and desperately wicked, readily responding to his bait, with but one glorious exception. The Lord Jesus alone could say, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me (Jn 14.30).
The sin of the priests (4.3-12)
It is always a very serious thing for anyone to sin but more serious for some than for others. This is the reason why, in this chapter dealing with the sin and trespass offerings, the first to be named is the priest and the last to be named are the common people. Sinful nature expresses itself in sinful acts.
Consider the sons of Eli (1 Sam 2.12-17). The Scriptures describe what they did instead of ministering in reverence to His pleasure. They turned what should have been an offering to the Lord into something for their own profit, and how persistent they were in obtaining more than their due, thus robbing the Lord of His.
My mind would go to that meeting where in a special way we give to the Lord. We give to the Lord spiritual sacrifices, we remember the blessed Lord Jesus, He who was filled with the Spirit, moved in the power of the Spirit, and finally through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, as well as a sacrifice for us. It is right and proper to give thanks and praise for the blessings so boundless and amazing that we enjoy. We do not, however, think it waste to devote a little time to consider the moral worth of the Lord Jesus, and to take advantage of the four men who recorded so much about that wonderful life and death. This we do, not to fill preachers’ lips, but to fill priestly hands and minds, in order to fulfil the Lord’s clear request to remember Him during His absence. There is worship in thanksgiving, but we do mark an important difference. We give thanks for blessings received from Him. Worship, however, goes further than this. We worship for worth appreciated, in Him, and about Him.
I have no doubt that Peter thought he was doing well by giving the Lord first place above Moses and Elijah, but the Father will not just have His Son prominent: He must have Him pre-eminent, not only above, but far above all, alone. Greater, not by comparison, for He cannot be compared, but greater by contrast; the gulf between Him and the greatest is far too wide to be bridged. His glory is all excelling and can never be matched, far less outshone. When men heard Him speak they said, "Never man spake like this man" (Jn 7.46). When they watched His works they wondered and said, "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mk 4.41), and, "We never saw it on this fashion" (Mk 2.12).
Mephibosheth was tested as to where his affections lay. He doubtless appreciated the place and provisions David gave to him (2 Sam 9.10,11), but when David said to him, "Thou and Ziba divide the land", he said, "Let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace" (2 Sam 19.29,30). He was a true son of Jonathan. His soul was knit to that of David.
The sin of the whole congregation (4.13-21)
The history of Israel is very similar to the history of the Church. Israel started with the Lord enthroned in the praises of His people (Ex 15.1ff). That came from the grateful multitude standing redeemed on the shores of the Red Sea. It was not long before the song was displaced by murmuring against Moses and even against the Lord because they perceived there to be a lack of provisions. When He did miraculously provide angels’ food that was fresher than oil and sweeter than honey, they later still murmured and said, "Our soul loatheth this light bread" (Num 21.5). In our day, is there the same thirst for the Word of God as in former days? In many places a musical concert has more appeal than a conference. It needs something added to the ministry to provoke an interest, and the sorry result is ignorance and leanness. We need to read to know, feed to grow, study to show.
As suggested, Israel also murmured against leaders. In spite of some disappointments in leadership, the Lord is still raising up men with shepherd hearts who untiringly tend to the needs of the assemblies. The saints should respect them and "esteem them very highly for their work’s sake" (1 Thess 5.12,13). They should listen to their words of wisdom, follow their noble example, and not rebel and complain which results in the testimony being weakened, and the voice of witness sadly silenced.
Consider two examples of the sin of the congregation in the New Testament.
First, the church at Ephesus and its first love. The charge is that "…thou hast left thy first love" (Rev 2.4). I feel the weight of this. Have I the same devotion to the Lord as I once had? Is my communion with Him as close and sweet as it was aforetime? Am I willing to make the same personal sacrifices as in earlier days? The state of the assembly will be regulated by the state of the individuals in it. What are we contributing to maintain or restore that warmth, that sweetness that made us long for the next gathering to the Lord’s Name? Has the keen edge of our first love been blunted? The outward appearance seems in order but we know that deep down there is something lacking.
Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and His Word.
-William Cowper
His love for us is unchanged. There is still a place on His breast to be enjoyed if we repent and confess and return.
Second, the churches of Galatia and their false doctrine. It was being taught that, "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved" (Acts 15.1; Gal 2.12). From Judea they came to corrupt the gospel. They were going to add something of man to the work of Christ. The late John Douglas stated, as he spoke on this error of the congregation at Galatia: "It robs God of His highest glory, that is His grace, it robs Christ of His unique position as the only Saviour, and it robs the sinner of his only hope of salvation". Oh for the continuation on our platforms of the declaration of man’s ruin and God’s remedy clearly stated by the use of the Scriptures - that man is absolutely powerless and hopeless, and that Christ is not only the sufficient Saviour but the only Saviour. This was the gospel that was preached and that drove sinners to "repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20.21).
To be continued.
