Leviticus 5:14-19 (Numbers 15:17-31) : Go and Sin No More

Presented to Nipawin Corps, 29 March 2009
and in Winnipeg, November 2006
also Swift Current, 21 July 2012
By Captain Michael Ramsay

Many, many years ago I went to university to become an elementary school teacher. This was a lot different than many of the other programmes at University in that we had ‘extra’ rules to follow: we needed a minimum of a ‘B’ average, we had recommended dress codes, we had be on time. And these were important because we would be example for the young people we would be teaching.

I remember my first day of University. I wake up, my alarm clock doesn’t work. The power has gone out during the night. I wake up right when class is supposed to begin; so I throw on my clothes, grab my books and fly out the door. I jump in my car. I put the key in the ignition and... it doesn’t work. My car doesn’t work. At this point I am quite loudly practicing my… creative English skills, you know what I mean – and I run into the house and one by one call all of my friends who have cars. Most of them are still asleep but I get a hold of Dan. So he comes and gets me and drops me off at the university and, flustered and not wishing to stand out too much I try to sneak, half an hour late, into my first class of the day. I am caught by the professor who calls me to front of the class, issues me a recorder and asks me to play then and there in front of everyone. I do … and am promptly asked to stop playing as my teacher grimaces exaggeratedly. I am absolutely flustered and embarrassed at this point as the teacher asks for my name in order to check it off the attendance. Michael Ramsay. Michael Ramsay? That name isn’t on my list. What?!… All this and I am in the wrong class anyway

I was late for class, unknowingly disrupted the class and was guilty of breaking a rule. As we turn to our text in Leviticus, we discover a whole community of people who are guilty of breaking rules and are held responsible”

In 5:14, it specifies that, “If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.” At some point everybody has sinned and even if we do not know that we have sinned we are still guilty and responsible - Romans 3:23, 2 Chronicles 19:10. And whatever the offence and the circumstances surrounding it, when we are wrong, we are obligated to God and society to make it right,[1] (cf. Numbers 5:6) God loves us so much, He wants us to make it right.

There are couple ways that this specific law in 5:14 might come into play.
1) The Israelites are aware of the law but do not know that they have even broken it; or
2) Since there are so many more than just the 10 Commandments to follow, someone might not be aware of a law and thus unknowingly break it. As it states in verse 17, you are guilty and will be held responsible. In the case of ancient Israel, the price is a ram without defect and one HAS to pay. Even though they did not know that they did anything wrong, because God really wants them to be right with him, they HAVE TO PAY.

In some ways in our world today we still have to pay. There are many such situations. There are times when people don’t notice a new speed limit and the red and blue lights come on behind us. I remember a discussion that I had about J-walking in Vancouver. I was convinced that if we crossed the street at a back alley it wasn’t illegal. The police officer told us otherwise.

How many of us have forgotten an appointment? We miss it or are late and have to reschedule. There is a penalty. We have to pay.

Back in Leviticus: They have to pay. Sacrifice is required. When they sin, on purpose or not, it gets in the way of their relationship with God. God is gracious though. He’ll let them make it up to Him. If they bring him a sacrifice (sort of a cross between a fine you have to pay or the flowers you might bring your wife after an argument) If they bring him a sacrifice, He will forgive them - but they need to pay.

Now in our text there is a time when you need to pay EVEN MORE– that’s when you sin against the Lord’s holy things. The Lord’s holy things' points to all that is property of the Lord in a special way:[2] that can be anything - an object, money, or a location. In our text, verses 14-16 address that specifically and the penalty in this case is not just the a fine of a ram but it is also restoration PLUS 20% (a double tithe.) So if they may mistakenly take parts of the sacrifice that are meant for the Lord OR they may use tithes inappropriately OR you even unknowingly or inadvertently use something inappropriately that is dedicated to God.

The training college where we were learning how to be officers had a lot of neat things: Camcorders, computers, microphones, key boards and white boards. All of this is for the Lord. All that is The Salvation Army’s is really set apart for God, including the college vans.

We are allowed to use the college vans for coming to Weetamah here. We are allowed to use them to get back and forth from school. We are allowed to use them for things during the week and occasionally we are allowed to use them for personal use as well. But, we must remember that in reality these vehicles are dedicated to the Lord.

Now I do my best to use other people’s things properly. AND I do my VERY best not to misuse God’s things. I really don’t want to upset Him. I can remember one day, though, I get a nice little letter for the Attorney General’s office: “You were recorded at travelling at 70 km / hr in a 50 km / hr zone.” I have misused something dedicated to the Lord AND there is a penalty AND I have to pay

And today there is more… in Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” And James 2:10 says that “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

There is an even greater penalty for us to be aware of: we have all committed sins knowingly or not but we also have committed capital offences – crimes worth the death penalty – Look here in Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death. If we ever knowingly or not commit adultery even in our minds we are guilty of that same sin – in the law, the prescribed penalty is death. If we commit murder in our own mind we are guilty – and the penalty in the law is death. If we blaspheme the Lord, whether we know Him at the time or not AND whether we do it on purpose or not, the punishment is death. As Adam and Eve, before we were ever born, on our behalf disobeyed God - the penalty for us is death. We are all guilty (whether we know it or not). We have all sinned (whether we believe it or not). We have all sinned and the wages of our personal sins – the punishment, that we deserve! is death. And that is a little more pricey than a ram plus 20% mentioned here. This is bad news.

There is good news though. There is good news in the text – in Leviticus – right here. Do you see it? Did you catch it? After approaching the Lord, in their guilt -Verse 16: “In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed … and he will be forgiven” and again, verse 18: the priest will make atonement for him You know what atonement is? It is just making it okay. Making things right again so we will be forgiven. The priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed … and he will be forgiven.” The priest then will go to God FOR THEM and smooth things over. Even if one has acted out against those holy things of the LORD God himself, he will be forgiven. He will be forgiven. God will forgive them. It doesn’t matter that they are guilty. Even though they are guilty and do not know it. Even though they thought that they had done nothing wrong and they found out quite differently. Even though they are guilty, God loves them and God has provided a way for them to be restored.

When they go to the priest, they are confessing their sins (saying their sorry and meaning it) and he makes it okay. When they approach the priest they are repenting, turning from their error, and he will make it okay. When they approach the priest he offers their sacrifice for them and it makes them okay with God.

And how much more is that the case for us in our world today. When we admit our sins and ask forgiveness, Jesus makes us okay. I did not give a priest a ram when I missed class; I did not have to pay a ticket plus 20% for speeding in a van dedicated to God. I did not. And we do not have to pay the penalty in our world today, we don’t have to pay for Adam. Jesus already did. Jesus made us okay. He already paid our death penalty. He is both the ram AND the High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). We do not have to pay for committing adultery or murder in our minds. Jesus already paid. Jesus has made us okay. We don’t have to pay for those sins we commit by accident or without even noticing it. Because Jesus died on that cross, we don’t have to pay for our sins, no matter how horrible…whatever we have done, Jesus has already paid. Jesus has made it okay as long as we go to him and repent: say we’re sorry and mean it, Jesus has made us okay with God.

As we go to Jesus, the High Priest, and confess our sins and repent, we are forgiven. We will be forgiven. Jesus has already made it right for us. He is the sacrifice. He died (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) He died so that we do not need to suffer the consequences of our own guilt. All we have to do is go to him.

So, as Jesus is both the priest and sacrifice in our text, and it has been made right. It is okay. He died so that we can be forgiven. We can be okay with God.

I don’t know what sins you have committed but they have been atoned for. You are forgiven. We have been made okay with God – Jesus died; so, as Jesus told a woman who was actually caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). “Go…[now that your guilt has been atoned for]…and sin no more.” “Go and sin no more.”

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[1] John E. Hartley. Leviticus. (WBC 4: Dallas Texas: Word Books, 1992), 76.
[2] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. Leviticus. (NIB 1: Nashville, Abingdon Press 1994), 1040.