Leviticus 6

Leviticus 6 serves as a manual for the practical administration of Israel's sacrificial system, defining the procedures for restitution in cases of social trespass and outlining the maintenance duties for the priesthood regarding the daily sacrifices.

• Instructions are given for the trespass offering, requiring restitution plus a fifth for social wrongs that are recognized as breaches of covenant with God (vv. 1-7).
• Regulations for the daily burnt offering are established, emphasizing the perpetual fire that must remain on the altar (vv. 8-13).
• The laws for the meat offering clarify the portions allocated to the priests and the sanctity of these gifts (vv. 14-18).
• Specific instructions are provided for the inauguration offering of the high priest (vv. 19-23).
• Detailed protocols are provided for the sin offering, including the purification of vessels and clothing used in the process (vv. 24-30).

• Restitution of the full value plus a one-fifth (20%) penalty (v. 5).
• The trespass offering requires a ram without blemish (v. 6).
• The altar fire must never go out (vv. 12-13).
• The distinction between earthen and brazen vessels regarding ritual cleansing (v. 28).
• The priest's responsibility to handle the sin offering in the holy place (v. 26).

This chapter underscores that Israel's vertical relationship with God was inseparable from their horizontal relationship with others, demonstrating that social injustice is fundamentally a trespass against the Lord. It establishes that holiness is not merely internal but requires meticulous care for God's designated holy things.

God demands both ritual integrity and ethical restoration, demonstrating that worship is invalidated when we neglect justice toward our neighbor.

The chapter functions as a series of priestly directives ('The Lord spake unto Moses') that transition from moral laws regarding community restitution to ritual laws governing the maintenance of the sanctuary.

• The offender shall be forgiven once atonement is made before the Lord (Leviticus 6:7).

• Restore that which was taken violently or deceitfully, adding a fifth part (Leviticus 6:4-5).
• Keep the fire on the altar burning continually (Leviticus 6:12-13).
• Wash garments sprinkled with the blood of the sin offering in the holy place (Leviticus 6:27).

• Do not let the fire on the altar go out (Leviticus 6:13).
• Do not eat of the sin offering if its blood is brought into the tabernacle to reconcile; it must be burned (Leviticus 6:30).

• The text assumes the existence of the tabernacle and the Levitical priesthood established in previous chapters.
• The restitution laws reflect ancient Near Eastern legal standards where restoration often exceeded the original value to account for the disruption caused by theft.

• The use of 'earthen vessels' vs 'brazen pots' (v. 28) relates to the porous nature of pottery, which would absorb blood and could not be cleansed, unlike metal which could be scoured.

• This section follows the general instructions for the offerings in chapters 1-5, shifting the perspective to the specific duties of the priests in handling these offerings.

• This chapter provides the priestly regulations for the trespasses defined in Leviticus 5.
• Matthew Henry observes that the perpetual fire on the altar symbolizes the constant exercise of our faith, love, and prayer, which must be kept alive by the grace of God; he notes that while ancient Israel maintained the literal fire, believers today are called to maintain the 'fire of our holy affections'.

• The concept of 'trespass against the Lord' (v. 2) echoes the theology of Psalm 51:4, where David realizes his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah is primarily a sin against God.

• מָעַל (H4603): to act covertly or treacherously; this word is key because it shifts the focus from the human victim to the vertical violation against God.
• אָשָׁם (H817): guilt, fault, or the resulting sin-offering/compensation; it encompasses both the state of being guilty and the physical offering given to satisfy that guilt.
• תָּמִים (H8549): entire, whole, or unblemished; used here for the ram, emphasizing that God requires the best and complete version of what is offered.
• שָׁלַם (H7999): to be safe, complete, or to restore; this is the root for 'peace' (shalom), highlighting that restitution makes the relationship 'whole' again.

• The 'sin offering' and 'trespass offering' are distinct categories; the former focuses on the offense and the latter on the restitution owed to the victim.
• The requirement to wash the vessel or clothes (v. 27-28) implies that the sacrificial system was not 'magic' but a regulated, orderly process of dealing with real ritual defilement.

• The exact division between which sin offerings were eaten by the priests and which were burned remains a point of scholarly discussion based on whether the blood was brought into the Holy Place or remained at the altar of burnt offering.