The Third Book of Moshe:

Va-Yiqra

("And He called")
or,

Leviticus
(1:1 - 5:26)

The Dwelling Place has been finished, and here is evidence that YHWH has indeed moved in! This was not all just an exercise in futility; He is actually living His desire to be in the midst of His people. The word for "appointment" here means a "meeting of the minds", or a coming to agreement (e.g., Amos 3:3). It is indeed sometimes used of betrothals. In ancient Hebrew weddings, the bridal chamber had to be built before the marriage could be finalized, and in the earliest days of our history this chamber was a tent. YHWH has called to Moshe before from the midst of the burning bush (Ex. 3:4), then from the mountain (Ex. 19:3-6), then from the midst of the cloud (24:16) His response has been "Here I am!" Now He is calling as a Husband from His tent, for Israel to come be with Him there and offer ourselves to Him. But He would not want us to come without taking a bath first, or dressed like a warrior or something else not very "wifely". So He begins to specify the way He wants to be approached, so we will know how to be a bride who is pleasing to Him:

From livestock: Heb., behemoth--large beasts. Now that we have built the tent just the way He said to, He shows up. But that is not the end of it. He wants us to know how He expects to be approached. There are clear minimum requirements. As we saw in the story of Hadassah, certain things have to be in place before the King will allow us to approach. (Esther 2:14) It is only at His pleasure that the scepter is extended. Of course, we ought to gain pleasure from His pleasure, but He wants us to know what is acceptable to Him. YHWH puts limits on where the offerings can come from. Of course, He wants no unclean animals like swine and rodents, but even more restrictions are put on this than on our diet. Only a few animals are worthy of the altar, because they are examples of what He wants us to be like. While we may eat deer or giraffes (depending on where we live), those animals are "loners", and only "social animals" (which live and feed together) express the type of drawing near that He wants, for we cannot come close to YHWH on our own terms. It is not about "me and my relationship with Him", but about the unity of all of His people. Of course, individuals are responsible before YHWH, but this is about coming as a people. Individuals bring offerings, but it is for the sake of the whole community. Offering: The Hebrew word (qorban) has no connotation of "sacrifice", as in something we give up, or by which we placate YHWH; it means "something by which to draw near" or "what is brought near". We gain proximity to YHWH rather than losing something. What a difference in focus! The Hebrew word for "person" here is Adam. If the "Adam in us" (that part which desires to be close to YHWH) is brought to the forefront, we can be Adam again for YHWH and pick up where he left off. We do not have this three-dimensional picture now, but what He originally intended it to picture is His dwelling among us, and our best hope is that we can still reach a readiness for that. The fact that Y'hezq'El (Ezekiel) had to describe the Temple (43:10) means that in his day it was not present either, but what he did give us was designed to make us ashamed enough of our present state to change and become fit to receive more instruction about how to build it. (43:11)

One that ascends: or "an elevating" (Hirsch). The more common translation "burnt offering", though that is how it is offered, tells us much less about YHWH's intent. His focus is on allowing us to rise higher. Tp bring this is a statement that we want to ascend and do better. Unblemished: or perfect--i.e., there is nothing wrong with it. It also connotes maturity. Male: More valuable as an offering, because flock-keepers generally have far fewer of them. But while YHWH is actually asking for a healthy male animal for this literal offering, the word for "male" more often means "to remember"--the basis for the patrilineal emphasis in Israel's genealogies. But put the two concepts together and we see that He wants us to bring a mature or sound memory when we appear before Him. He does not want us to come with mere habit, rote or repetition, or on "automatic pilot" when we gather for prayer or worship. This is also a "drawing near", and it should never be mundane. He wants us to remember whose table we are approaching, and who we are; Israel's history comes with a set of sobering expectations. Over and over in Scripture and the liturgies, YHWH tells us to remember that He brought us out of Egypt. We are also to remember what we have done that has brought us to His altar--or what He has done that we came to thank Him publicly for. Entryway to the Tent: If we do approach in this manner, He will open the door for us. If not, it will remain a boring and unprofitable exercise; we will gain no progress in our ascending. Favorably accepted: The Hebrew term is even stronger. It is more like "delight" or "thrill", so the phrase can refer to YHWH as well as to the offerer: If we approach Him mentally engaged, remembering who He is and who you are and wanting to do something about it, He will be thrilled. If not, neither is He. All we would have done is kill an animal uselessly. If we are "not really there", all we are doing is "killing time".

Lean his hand: or "press"; i.e., transferring his weight to. Laying on of hands is one of the things Hebrews 6:2 says are the "milk"--the basics we have to understand before any of the deeper meanings of Scripture can be opened up to us. If we are unfamiliar with the way things were done in ancient times, as that writer's audience was, we will certainly do it incorrectly. What it symbolizes is identification--with one being commissioned for service as our representative (Acts 13:3), or, in this case, with this animal and our death to self, which says, "Take me as you are taking this animal, so I too can ascend and be accepted." This "burnt offering" was fully consumed, partaken of by no one but YHWH. None of it was taken home; all it profits one is allowing him to have relationship with YHWH. This is the same type of offering as brought for sin, but we do not need to wait until it is mandatory to bring our best to Him; the main point is that we are offering ourselves for relationship with Him. Accepted: closely related to the word used in v. 3--a delight again. If it was given cheerfully, it will also please YHWH, so true fellowship can again be established. Covering: This is not always speaking of forgiveness. When it does deal with sin, the shedding of the blood of a highly-valuable animal allows us a clear conscience. But this covering is not always "atonement"--the confusing religious term by which it is often rendered, the sweeping under the carpet until it can somehow be dealt with more completely. If He forgives our sins, they are removed as far as the east is from the west, and how does one measure that? If we go north, we will eventually be heading south again, but that is never the case with east and west. If He deals with sin, it is fully dealt with. And this type of offering can be brought for other reasons than merely when we have "messed up". It can be brought just because we want to worship YHWH. Think of it more as being brought under YHWH's "wings"--not the kind by which something flies, but the extremities of His "garments", also called "wings" in Hebrew. It is as if He is giving us a hug, and His confirmation of our relationship with Him puts us under His covering. This is being brought near to an even greater extent, and is a more accurate way to understand this concept.

He: The one bringing the offering, not the priest. He who brings it is the one who kills it, for it is his statement of wanting to draw near. The priest only dealt with the blood. He collected it in a vessel that had a pointed base so he would not be distracted and set it down, letting it coagulate. The blood still had to be "living" when it was dashed onto the altar. The blood from each type of sacrifice was thrown against a different part of the altar. At least from Shlomoh's Temple onward, there was a red line on it that divided the offerings for sins against mankind from the sins against YHWH. Slaughter: there is a particular way of cutting the animal's throat that is painless to the animal, and parents would teach their children this method, for if the animal suffers in any way, the slaughter is not counted as kosher. Every man in Israel is responsible to know how to draw the blade, skin, and rightly divide the offering. He is dealing with 1,000 pounds of bull; he cannot make a mistake! Likewise, drawing to YHWH near requires skill; we cannot just enter His presence haphazardly, with "just a prayer in our heart", and be assured of being accepted. It is not as easy as Christian doctrine makes it sound. Each one is responsible to acquire knowledge, discernment, and skill. The Tabernacle is a picture of the Kingdom, so if we expect someone else to do the "dirty work" for us--even Yahshua--we are violating a Kingdom principle. There are parts we cannot do; the priest will handle the blood, taking it to the altar, where we cannot come, and for that we are grateful. But we have a part in it too. He puts up with much in the young, but when we are mature, much more is required. Son of the herd: This literally refers to something able to plow. I.e., a bull, which quite literally carries much more weight in the eyes of a herdsman. Notice that it is assumed that one will bring a bull, for it is the highest offering, and, after all, what we are after is ascending. The rule is established based on the greater deed, though other animals are permitted; they are listed in descending order. Tradition even says that if one vowed to bring a qorban and did not specify which kind, he was expected to bring a bull, and in this "wholly burnt" form--in which the giver received no benefit from it except an improved relationship with YHWH. Cattle were one of the chief means of measuring one's wealth. Even now, a "bull market" is one in which people are making a lot of money. They were a source of food that could last several families a whole winter, but were also a "tractor" that could plow the fields. It could provide plenty of leather or impregnate the cows and bring the owner a return on his investment, so it was like one's stock portfolio. The bull thus represents our work, something that can feed us, and our possessions--in short, our security. This is why many actually worshipped bulls in ancient times, and today people still worship what it represents. But they are meant to serve us, not be our masters; we do not feed the bull caviar, but only keep them out of the rain since they are alive, unlike the things many serve today. Bringing this animal is telling YHWH, "You are my security."

The Hebrew word here for skin (which means "strip down to the basics") is also used for the most literal way of interpreting Scripture, showing that no matter what other levels of meaning there are, we are to assume the most straightforward one first, since the others do not override this. Cut it: means to separate into parts, at the joints, to use in different ways. LXX, "divide it by its limbs". (I.e., it was to be in complete segments, with no broken bones, like the Passover lamb.) We are told to "study to show yourself approved, ...rightly dividing the Word of Truth." (2 Tim. 2:15)

Arrange sticks: i.e., set them in order. Even the wood had to be of an acceptable quality to be used on the altar, so it too was inspected. At least by Second Temple times, it was stacked somewhat in the shape of a table, able to bear the weight of the pieces of the animals' bodies, in a layered structure so that the animals were not placed directly one on top of another. This allowed air to flow between the tiers so that by the time it all burned down, there was little of the animal left that had to be cleaned away.

Arrange: They had to be laid out in a certain prescribed manner. Why is the head mentioned separately? Yahshua, our Head, sacrificed himself in advance of our becoming "living sacrifices". The head is the seat of our intellect. If we cannot bring our minds into subjection, we cannot bring YHWH our best. This also reminds us that we need to think like Hebrews, not by Greek logic. The body follows the head; we could cut off any other appendage and still survive, but not the head. "Fat" also means "the best, the choicest part". (See also 3:17.) This always belongs to YHWH.

Inward parts and legs: It is not enough to just bring a bull. Though the animal itself is acceptable on the altar, any dirt it had accumulated inside or outside is not. The word for "inward" has the same root as the term for "drawing near". It means our innermost core, in which YHWH wants to dwell. In the original Hebrew text, which does not include the vowel points, "offering of fire" can also read "an ascending woman"--a picture of YHWH's bride, who is without "spot or wrinkle". (Ephesians 5:27) Soothing: calming or satisfying. Aroma: YHWH wants His wife to smell beautiful to Him as well. The term also means "a delight" or "acceptance". So the point of all of this teaching about how to do the sacrifices is to bring us to the point of being an acceptable bride to YHWH, one that brings Him relief after what His first "wife" did to Him. (Compare Yehezq'el 28:13 with Rev. 21:2ff and Esther 1:11-2:4.) To summarize and recapitulate, as well as fill in some assumed aspects that later writings like the Mishnah bring out in more detail, the "how-to" of bringing an offering to YHWH consisted of the following steps:

(1) HaVa'ah (the bringing), wherein the animal is inspected by a cohen to ensure that it was fit for this particular occasion.
(2) Shmekhah (laying on of hands), showing the worshipper's transfer of his guilt to the animal.
(3) Vidui (confession), if this offering relates to any sort of guilt (not all are). If we are arrogant when corrected or rebuked, we are not truly confessing and cannot be forgiven. Admitting guilt is a crucial step in fixing what we broke.
(4) Sh'khitah (slaughter), which consists of drawing a very sharp blade across the animal's throat so that its main artery and windpipe are both severed in one stroke. This was a special event, because except when honoring special guests, most people would not have slaughtered their own livestock for food very often, since they needed them for milk, wool, etc., except when bringing offerings to YHWH so that the priests would receive their share of meat. Nowadays we tend to eat more meat, but the animals are killed behind closed doors and, in non-kosher facilities, usually with great violence, and the chemical results of this stressful death are passed on to the eater through the meat. Eating blood also brings some of the life of an animal into the character of the one consuming it. Killing the animal as YHWH prescribed lets us avoid partaking of this violence.
(5) Kabbalat haAdumah (receiving of the blood): The priest then catches the blood in a conical vessel that cannot be set down without spilling, so that he will not forget to get the blood to the altar before it coagulates, which would render the offering void. If "live" blood is not applied to the altar, one has simply murdered an animal. He also swirls the blood around in the container constantly to keep it from congealing.
(6) Z'rikah (jerking): The cohen dashes the blood with a whiplike motion against the altar.
(7) HaFshatah v'Nituakh (skinning and dividing): The worshipper "rightly divides" the animal as his fathers have taught him.
(8) Melikhah (salting): This removes the small remaining amount of blood and renders the carcass less susceptible to corruption. Salt, for obvious reasons, is a picture of continuance or preservation.
(9) HaQtarah (the burning): The pieces designated for the altar are placed by the priests on the appropriate stacks of wood--some to be burned completely, some to be eaten by the priests, and some to be eaten by the worshipper and those he has invited, depending on the type of offering.

There is a great difference in the value of a bull over that of a sheep. He knew some could not afford the former, and did not wish them to be embarrassed about this; on the physical level it is a beautiful thing that He makes such allowances. in YHWH's eyes, if this is the best he can bring, it is as if he gave the bull. (Luqa 21:4) Not even kings were required to bring bulls, though Shlomoh made quite a statement about where his heart was and how important YHWH is by how many he brought. A bull is only required of the priesthood, for they are teaching us all how to draw near. The priest is to focus only on serving YHWH and trust Him to motivate the rest of Israel to bring the support for the priests that He requires of them. Sheep and goats are a sacrifice of lesser value than bulls, but they are nonetheless something of value. But this type of offering pictures someone who, though he has a decent amount of commitment--giving some of our thoughts, some of our finances-- is still holding some things back from YHWH--"keeping the bull at home", so to speak. Thus, since this is of lesser value, it had better be both perfect and "male"--which in Hebrew means "worth remembering". Are we giving Him what is right, or what is left? We are called to be a whole nation of priests, who will one day mediate for the whole world before YHWH, so what we bring to Him must be the highest example for the rest of the people. We must sacrifice our securities, if need be, in order to give YHWH what He deserves. What are the bulls in your life that you could bring to YHWH? If we are not withholding what is most valuable to us, we learn from this that we should not leave the lesser undone either. (Mat. 23:23) If you have much experience in some areas, but only little in others, you should still bring both for the service of the Kingdom. Increase what you have only a little of, so that you can bring it to YHWH as well.

Northward: Yahshua was called the Lamb of Elohim, so he had to be "offered" northward from the altar. The traditional site of Gulgol'tha, where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands, may have been outside the city gate at that time (which is required of a sin offering in 4:12, 21), but it is due west of the Temple Mount, where the altar stood at that time. Gordon's Calvary, on the other hand, while not due north, is only slightly northwest of the Temple Mount, outside the Damascus Gate on what was then the northern wall of Yerushalayim. There is actually a "face" on the hillside just behind where Yahshua was crucified (hence the name, "the place of the skull"). Everything in the Torah is somehow a foreshadowing of Him. It is interesting that haSatan ("the adversary") was particularly interested in ascending to the "sides of the north". (Yeshayahu 14:13; Psalm 48:2 identifies this location as including Mt. Tzion, also part of Yerushalayim!) Others say that "before the face of YHWH" means Yahshua had to be crucified east of the Temple since the tearing of the outer veil of the Temple would have been visible only from there as the light from the menorah would have been visible even during the temporary darkness that covered the land at that time.

13. "'And he shall wash its inward parts and legs with water, and the priest shall bring the whole thing near and make it go up in smoke upon the altar; it is an offering of fire, a soothing aroma to YHWH.

14. "'Now if the offering is an ascending offering to YHWH using flying creatures, then he shall bring near his offering of turtledoves or young pigeons.

This is the lowest of the ascending offerings. As the offering of the physically poor, it is not a shameful gift to bring. But if we are in a position to do better, this is shameful. YHWH's mercy is great, but if we are constantly depending on it, we are not improving at all in our walk. Pigeons: The same word in Hebrew as the name of the prophet Yonah. There is something special about these two species of bird: they are the only two birds that actually give a form of milk to their young. While chickens and some other birds are also clean, they are not used for offerings in the Temple; only animals that provide their young with milk are slaughtered for this purpose. The picture we are to learn from this is that those who provide for others (the pure milk of the Word) are the type of persons He wants as His living sacrifices.

Unlike the other animals, birds were handled only by the priests, and they were slain right at the altar itself instead of some distance away. This may have added honor to the offerings of the poor. (5:7) But bringing it to someone else to offer up is also a picture of those who "leave everything to Yahshua". But if we only draw near in our hearts, we are not actually drawing near. No blood from a bird is even applied to the altar. So many trust Yahshua to atone for them, but are doing nothing at all for their neighbors. Nip: The priest grew a sharp thumbnail cut like a blade long enough to slit the bird's throat. He did not wring its neck, because then it would be strangled and not be kosher. He left its head partially connected, but popped it back like a bottle top and squeezed its blood out. He was trained to hold it and slit its throat all with one hand.

Its crop is its stomach. The Mishnah says that since a bird eats whatever it can find, and is therefore essentially a thief, the contents of its stomach are not acceptable on the altar, unlike the livestock which eat what the owner provides for them.

Split it in two: peel it open and spread it apart; Aramaic, "tear it open by its wings". It was not to be split in half, because that is symbolic of making a covenant (Gen. 15:9, 17-18), and this level of sacrifice, while an honest attempt to do something, is not of the caliber required as a basis for covenant. Birds were not mentioned in v. 2 as acceptable ways to draw near. (Gen. 15:10 also specifies that while Avraham was commanded to bring these birds as part of the covenant ceremony, he did not divide them as he did with the other animals. He even chased other birds away from the animals he divided for his ceremony.) They seem like an afterthought so that even the poorest could afford to bring something. It is better than nothing, but it is no bull. Do not pretend that it is. If we say Yahshua is responsible for everything, we then also associate him with the poor behavior we present to YHWH. That is truly "giving YHWH the bird"! It is YHWH's mercy that allows us to just "bring something"; our goal should be to bring the best every time. The bird should only be a stage toward that. Doves in particular are symbolic of the Spirit (which was seen to descend on Yahshua like a dove, e.g., Mark 1:10), and many think that they have an adequate standing with YHWH if they worship Him in Spirit, but obey none of His literal commands. Like birds, they are "flighty", countering what Scripture clearly says with "but I believe…" This is like eating kosher only on the Sabbath, being "partly holy", or concentrating on how nice worship makes us feel. It reflects the fact that a little bit of attention is being giving to the Kingdom, but not much. Faith alone will not get us very far toward a physical Kingdom. "Spiritual salvation" is not the same as being forgiven; it is taking our eyes off the prize and fooling ourselves. We are not "saved" until we are in the Promised Land as a whole people in YHWH's presence; even Paul only spoke of a "hope of salvation". How did the steps to bringing the Kingdom feel to Yahshua? They felt like spikes and a whip! He says we are to worship the Father in Spirit AND in truth. (Yoch. 4:24) The Spirit is the means, not the end. It enables us to keep the covenant, but it is not the substance of our carrying out our part of it. In our exile we have been impoverished, and worship in spirit alone has been accepted, since it is all we could do, but it is not all that He really desires. Without the specifics of the Torah (which is equated with truth in Psalm 119:151), we have no way of defining what is really spiritual, and now we are seeing the "wiggle-room" it leaves being used as an excuse to define "love your neighbor as yourself" in any way that suits the whims of the moment; while it may be pleasant, that is driving down a highway without a goal, and as the old adage says, "He who aims at nothing is sure to reach it." YHWH intends greater things for His bride; following His specific instructions will enable us to know Him as He wants to be known.

CHAPTER 2

Grain offering: literally, tribute; Hirsch, "an allegiance-gift" or "homage-gift". A gift must be something of value to the receiver. But it also means a part or portion. It is not the whole of the gift. It is not a part of one's tithe; that is not a gift, but His due. It already belongs to YHWH, and to fail to bring it is robbing YHWH. This is over and above what He requires. This is something a wife is bringing by which to please her Husband. If we try to bring it, but do not bring what He actually asked for (for example, thanking Him but not committing our lives to Him, or giving Him one of the days that belongs to us--Sunday--but not giving Him the Sabbath, which is His by right), we are like Qayin. (Gen. 4:3-5) This offering involves no blood, for its purpose is different than to atone for sin, yet is still a picture of the person who brings it. We bring a part of ourselves. Each gift represents a particular area of our lives in which He is revealing to us our need for further surrender. If we are honest, we recognize that we cannot turn over all of ourselves at once, though we might like to, because we are not mature or learned enough to offer in the right manner, and trying too soon can cause worse problems. (Compare Deut. 7:22.) But this is not meant to be an excuse to be slack. The goal is the fullness, but we continue to be convicted of new areas that we need to turn over to Him, and when we are, we should not avoid the issue or ignore what we now know, but seek a firm corrective to our path. With maturity comes a desire to be at a higher level and to get closer to YHWH. As we move up several steps, we can see the things we had already surrendered to YHWH from a more complete perspective, and this reveals more areas in which the grain needs to be crushed so it can be offered to Him in a still better form. The sieve is finer, and some of the flour still cannot fit through it. While at one point it may be enough to stop eating pigs and eat only clean animals. But then we eventually realize that we are still eating blood if we buy most meat sold in stores, and though clean it is not kosher. So we have to further refine our actions. The crushing agent is the pair of stones on which the Torah was written. In the Temple, one continued to ascend, and the way to keep ascending was to pass through walls by way of gates. The gate to the next level was considered as holy as the area it led into. The way to get to the next level is to surrender our own gates (eyes, ears, mouth, reproductive organs, etc.) to that level of sanctity. We have to do this over and over, but if we skip this step in any area of our lives, we cannot ascend any further. We need to prod one another to keep going so none of us becomes "weary in well-doing". No matter how far we have ascended, it is not enough if we are not all the way there. The way we tell when we have "arrived" in a given area is when we can with confidence tell others, "Follow me. Do it the way I do it." This is not arrogance, for one must go through much crushing to get there, and one must be sure he is imitating the Messiah. (1 Corinthians 11:1) If we are not worthy of imitation by those on the level below us, we have not truly reached the next level. Fine flour: it was sifted many times. The Talmud tells us that for the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest, flour went through 13 sieves; for the Two Loaves at Shavuoth, 12 sieves; and the Bread of the Faces ("showbread"), 11 times. This is a picture of YHWH's sifting the ones He has called, to sort out those who are truly chosen--who continue with Him after many trials of faith. The flour became so fine that the priest could put his hands into it and withdraw them with no flour sticking to them--a picture of those who allow YHWH to make them so holy that they have nothing to do with the "flesh". Also, no bird could pick out a kernel anymore and carry it away, for all the kernels have been mingled with one another--a picture of a mature community committed to one another. Priests were the ones who sifted it and oversaw its sale. Pour oil: in other words, it was anointed, which in Hebrew is mashiach; i.e., Messiah. He said his body was a sacrifice for us, but also that we should eat of it, as the priest did (v. 3). Oil represents the Holy Spirit--which is very "slippery" to people's understanding, and therefore many have been misled by words claiming to be from the "Spirit". In Hebrew the phrase (Ruakh haQodesh) means simply the "spirit of being set apart". But haQodesh is the title of the first main room in the Tabernacle and Temple, which are both pictures of what is in heaven (and which will meet us here during the Kingdom, Heb. 8:5; 9:23) Everything in this room was anointed to symbolize being set apart for YHWH's purposes alone. It was the room where the work of service took place. Thus "ruakh haQodesh" really refers to a "breath or wind of the Kingdom", for the chief task of the Spirit of Holiness is to establish the principles of the Kingdom in us before it arrives from Heaven. (Heb. 6:4-5) What is set apart is "peculiar" now, but will be commonplace in the Kingdom. This offering is to remind us that all we say and do should be an example in advance of what the Kingdom holds. We need to learn to live like we are in the Kingdom now, so that when He shows up we will be found ready. The anointing with oil signifies the empowerment to do that. Everything in the tent was anointed, and thus empowered to be a picture of the age to come. Yahshua "poured" out the Spirit on us once He had authority to do so. (Acts 10:45; Yochanan 15, 16; Mat. 28:18) Like the Menorah within haQodesh, the central shaft is the "servant" to the rest. Messiah said he was the light of the world, but he also said we are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. (Mat. 5:14ff) The oil he poured into us was his example. Those who knew him firsthand did not need anyone to teach them anymore (1 Yochanan 2:24ff), but each new generation thereafter needed their example. If we do not have enough oil, we need more teachers. How do we increase the oil that lets our light shine? By listening to His judgments, guarding His commandments, and carrying them out. (Deut. 7:11-13) Giving the Spirit more fuel actually increases our capacity for more. The more we know Torah, the more the Spirit has to work with. As we empty our trash out of His vessels, there will also be room for more of what He wants to put in us, and as we give out what He gives us, He can pour more in. (1 Kings 17:13-14) Frankincense: Its name comes from the word "whiteness", symbolizing purity, and it is a feminine word in Hebrew, which again hints at the whole point of bringing these offerings being to become for Him a bride who smells nice. Those who will be part of this bride are those who are worthy--who have not defiled their garments and who have overcome both the spirit of this age and self. (Rev. 3:4)

Grasp: tradition says it was done with three fingers. Burns: not in the sense of consuming, so much as releasing the fragrance through heating. A soothing aroma to YHWH: Hirsch, "an expression of a hint of a desire to be pleasing to YHWH." Contrast this to how our ancestors made themselves odious to Him. (Yeshayahu 3:24; Amos 4:10) Our response to Him must correct their error. All of this offering is turned over to the service of the Kingdom. If we have become enough of an example of giving, the world cannot ignore us, for the aroma spreads all around. But some of it also rises up to YHWH and the smell pleases Him! He can then relax with His bride, for He knows we are learning, and He does not need to be so uptight about us. This is the perfume by which we bring pleasure to our Husband: by being Torah (instruction) to others by our example, acquired from Yahshua's own example.

A portion is sent on ahead of us into the Kingdom which has not yet come, but the rest is given to YHWH's servants who live in the present, so they can feed the things of the Kingdom here and now. So the means of giving to YHWH was, for the most part, giving to His servants. What was withheld from them was actually being denied Him. No one can give to Him simply "in his heart"; a major way to put our faith to work is to provide for the servants of YHWH under whose care He has put us. These servants are already serving us. When enough servants are serving His other servants, the Kingdom will come. Being intimate with Him first involves being intimate with those we can see (1 Yochanan 4:20-21), and no one can be intimate without deep honesty. (See notes on v. 11.) Most holy: literally, "set apart [among the] set apart"--a "special treasure" to Him. (Ex. 19:5) This first option of how to offer one's grain is plain dough, probably patted into a cake and placed on top of the altar on a piece of wood that would be burned. It is ready to use, but not ready to eat. It is a reasonable sacrifice to give ourselves to YHWH (Rom. 12:2), but to become "bread" (1 Cor. 10:17), we have to be joined together with others. The remainder of the grain offerings are ready to eat as well:

Wafers: denotes being dripped on the oven (something like a thin pancake).

6. "'You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

This anointed bread is a picture of the Messiah ("Anointed One") whose body was broken for us. But this reminds us of Avraham, who promised his guests only a piece of bread, but served them a fattened calf, three whole loaves of bread, and milk. (Gen. 18:5ff) So these pieces are an appetizer--a commitment to YHWH that there is a lot more yet to come.

A pot: one deep enough to stir in; i.e., a stewing pot. This bread was then much a like a bagel, which literally means "boiled". During the days of the Temple, these were all cooked in the "Pancake-Bakers' Chamber" in the outer court area.

These things: Four different ways of forming a community are thus depicted here. YHWH has many ways of bringing us together, some of them quite opposite of one another in many ways, and none is inherently better than the others. Yehudah's bread is baked in a different environment than ours--one of a continual tradition, whereas ours is something being relearned as we come out of a long exile. The preparation of each is different, and YHWH has different ways of applying the heat in each congregation, but all of them can be offered up to YHWH if they have the required key ingredients of grain and oil. The community must have people whom YHWH has crushed and who have the Spirit of Being Set-Apart, or they will be unable to stick together. Another indispensable ingredient not mentioned here, but without which oil and flour will not adhere is water, which represents YHWH's word (the Torah). I.e., while many of the specifics of how we do things will vary, a community that does not meet on His prescribed Sabbath or ignores other commands of His is not one acceptable to Him.

Lift out: Aramaic, "separate off". This time the offering goes a step further: it is not just pulverized grain, but actual bread--a picture of a whole community offering something up to YHWH together. It is completely ready for consumption. It is offered in varying forms, but all are given to Him for the service of His servants. This time, however, the servants do not need to work on it any further; they can eat it right away.

11. "'You must not leaven any food offering that you bring near to YHWH, because you may not burn any leaven or burn any honey as a fire offering to YHWH.

"We who are many are one bread..." (1 Cor. 10:17) The term "leaven" (se'or) is rooted in a word that means to swell up. Leavening represents sin, especially pride, which puffs up and makes us look like more than we are. When bread is leavened, there is really no additional nutrient or anything of substance or benefit. For better or worse, leaven in Scripture always means something that irreversibly permeates. (It is used in a positive sense in Mat. 13:33.) We are not to let our community be permeated by anything other than the Kingdom. Here, honey represents deception, because it makes the flour seem artificially sweet. He wants His altar to be a place of complete honesty toward Him, one another, and our own selves. He will not be fooled in any case. As Yahshua pointed out with the widow who gave everything she had (Luq 21:4), a piece of matzah that is smaller than a leavened loaf might actually have twice the amount of real nutrition in it than the larger loaf. The better-known Hebrew term for what is leavened (khametz), as opposed to the leavening agent noted above, actually means "sour". Either way, He wants to use what we are, not what we pretend to be. To bring others into the kind of holiness that truly sacrifices self, we cannot lure them by the niceties of YHWH's blessings, when in fact we know He will sift us until we can become a part of the "one bread". Sweet lips dripping with compliments are usually trying to get something out of you. This cannot be turned into incense, so do not even try; it will just be a stench to Him. You shall not burn: or, you cannot make [it] go up in smoke. It is not possible to make something that is not genuine ascend, so do not even try. He will not accept it if we add the other ingredients. Even the leavened loaves required at Shavuoth were not to be offered on the altar, but only waved before YHWH. While we cannot have the Kingdom until both Houses of Israel are fully permeated by what constitutes the Kingdom, leaven still cannot enter His Kingdom. On another level, honey is a natural antibody, and since there is no leaven, there is no need for this.

These offerings are brought to YHWH's servants as food, but are not offered on the altar. They are nothing but provision for YHWH's servants, though if we withhold them, we rob YHWH Himself. (Mal. 3:8ff) Some practices are allowed in lower-level worship, which still pleases Him to some extent, but on those whom He chooses to be closest and dearest to Himself through the repeated "sifting like wheat" (see Luqa 22:31), He places more stringent requirements than the bare minimum necessary for mere salvation and inclusion in the Kingdom. The first of our thoughts belongs to YHWH as well, and we should not be using any of our faculties for things that will oppose or inhibit His Kingdom.

Salt preserves, so it is a picture of eternity and the perpetuity of the covenant. Today, while there is no Temple, this command is remembered by salting the two loaves of bread made for each Sabbath. A covenant of salt is part of a meal in which one promises to protect the one who is sealing the agreement through a meal. It was given to the parents of the groom at weddings. Salt is also a cleansing and healing agent; it renders the slaughtered animal unsusceptible to outside influences, reminding us that the absolute Covenant of YHWH is not to be altered. (Hirsch) It can be ground up finer and finer, yet is still always salt. In fact, the Hebrew word for salt means "what is pulverized". Neither heat nor water can destroy it. The only thing that can is another chemical agent. There is no safety net if salt loses its savor; there is nothing we can add to salt to make it salty again. (Mat. 5:13ff) So how can salt lose its savor? Only by sitting idle for long periods. Salt was actually enough of a prized commodity in Roman times that soldiers received it as payment, for the term "salary" comes from the word for "salt". A worker was said to be "worth his salt". But it was usually paid out in chunks, and one would not grind up a portion of it until it was ready to be used, so that the rest would maintain its flavor. The context for Yahshua's calling us "the salt of the earth" was persecution. (5:10ff) If we undergo His grinding up (compare Luke 20:18), we must put what it teaches us into practice right away, or its purpose will be lost. We are told to even rejoice at that time; if we complain about it instead, it will be wasted. (Heb. 12:12-13) We are not promised tomorrow. Of what value is it to YHWH to teach us if we will do nothing about what we learn? But if we apply it now, and do it right the first time so that it does not need to be repeated, its effect will last forever.

Newly-ripened: just past the green stage, and ready to use if harvested; Heb., aviv, the sign that spring and a new year is upon us. (Ex. 12:2; 13:4) This is not something from last year's storehouse, but something fresh from the field. YHWH wants us to bring Him "a new song"--what we are just learning, not what is old and stale. Roasted: parched or dried. Full: lush, plentiful, garden-grown; Aramaic, "soft". This refers in particular to barley that has reached the stage in which it will be ready within two weeks to harvest as firstfruits. These must be first in both action and intention; we cannot even think about what we will do with this harvest until we give YHWH His part. Do not delay; off it as soon as it is ready.

16. "'So the priest shall cause the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil to smoke [as incense], in addition to the frankincense, [as] a fire offering to YHWH.'"

This is not just so He will remember who we are, but so that we will remember who He is. It is to remind Him that we want to be who we are supposed to be, and it is a reminder to ourselves to be what we are supposed to be. This is not just about a lot of grain; every aspect of this is a picture of the Kingdom to come. What do you need to turn over to YHWH? Where do you need to learn more so that you can offer it up properly? Where have you stopped processing the grain so that readiness is delayed? Where might you be offering Him something leavened or artificially sweet? What firstfruits that belong to YHWH have you been taking for yourself instead? What are you offering only to Him, but not to His servants whose right it is?

CHAPTER 3

Peace offering: not in the modern sense of appeasing or placating another party, but literally, slaughter for completenesses or safeties--i.e., a form of thanks offering brought when YHWH has kept us safe, when a battle has been won at one of our gates, and the threat is no longer there. It is for more than mere peace, but for the sake of a complete relationship. This is a meal to be eaten in company with others. But we cannot have fellowship with just anyone out on the street; they will not understand holiness. It must be eaten among other persons who are clean before YHWH, which anyone who has entered the Temple must be. They are the ones the offerer invites to come hear him give witness of what YHWH has done for him. Before YHWH: literally, at His face, for intimacy with Him is what these "drawings-near" are all about. Completely sound: perfectly healthy and without blemish. It is not enough to offer a bull; if it is flawed in any way, it will not be accepted, and all we have done is murder an animal. We have to get it right for it to count. Just because Yahshua got it right does not mean it will benefit us unless we are following his example. We cannot win without knowledge, but we have to apply it to truly know YHWH in the intimate way He wants from us. As we learn more, we need to give more. Again he starts the list with the best possible. If one really wants to say "thank you", he will bring as much as he can muster. The ideal sacrifice is a bull--one's food, wealth, and labor source. Even today, a "bull market" means one that is prosperous. So a bull represents our security. By sacrificing it (in the sense of rendering it sacred, turning it over to YHWH) we proclaim that our security does not come from things outside, but from YHWH alone. This bull is not what protected us; YHWH did. Like the walls of Y'rikho, the securities we build for ourselves are not dependable. We have to be the ones to draw the blade across its throat; all the priest does is catch the blood:

These steps are detailed in chapter 1, so here they are condensed. Lean his hand: symbolizing that it is his substitute. The point is not that the animal is brought near, but that the donor is. It is all right to voice our thanks, but in Hebrew the word for "thanks" comes from a word meaning to reach out with the hands--i.e., to "put our hands where our mouth is" and give something back to YHWH because of His blessings. Here he does directly lay his hands on it. His offering: literally, "his drawing-near". Slaughter it: the term connotes slitting its throat painlessly. If the animal suffers, the sacrifice is not counted as kosher. This is the only offering directly linked to the doorway of the tent, which is where the war goes on. (Ex. 38:8) Only what is really worth something is associated with the gates. No matter how strong a city's walls are, its most vulnerable point is the gate. If it is left wide open, the enemy still has easy access. How the gates are defended makes all the difference; if they are constructed well, the city is very hard to take. Cities like Megiddo and Lakhish still have remnants of the gate complexes, and we can see there that they would put a hairpin turn at the approach so that no one could rush in, and so that attacking archers would have to be left-handed to attack effectively. Once inside the first gate, there were more doors, as well as insets for more soldiers to wait so that anyone who made it inside the gate could still be picked off before entering the actual city. The gate is where the battle is won or lost. Only the slaughter of the "bull" (the world's forms of safety) will adequately protect our openings. Giving just enough to get by will ultimately lose the war for us. The "mother lode" that our adversary really wants most is control over our minds. There are many things that do not need to enter our eyes or ears. Least defended is what comes out of our mouths, though this gate is the easiest of all to close and the hardest to pry open. It disturbs the peace more often than anything else. Being "nosey" can cause battles as well. And the eye is the lamp of the body, and in Hebrew, idiomatically, a sound eye means one is generous. How much light are we letting in to defeat the selfishness in ourselves? And if the sexual gates are not guarded adequately, much trouble will result. The solution may be as simple as shutting our eyes or walking away, but if the world is establishing itself in our "city", we end up making war on YHWH. If the city is not taken by the enemy, we have won. The way to win the battle at our gates is to present our gates at His gates (where one rises to a higher level of holiness I the Temple complex), rather than setting our thresholds and doorposts in opposition to His, with a wall between Himself and us. (Y'hezq'El 43:7ff) Instead, we are to write His words on our doorposts (specifically the commandment to listen to, guard, and protect the truth about YHWH and love our neighbors as ourselves)--that is, enter into the way He sees things, and establish Him as ruler over each new area that comes to light where we are letting other "securities" rule us. This is how we "bring Him the bull". "Completely sound" in v. 1 has the nuance of being learned. Here the term is plural in Hebrew. The same term (in the singular form) is used of Yaaqov, meaning he was mature or learned, because he dwelt in tents. (Gen. 25:27) The tents of Shem were the ones he spent his time in. Tradition says Melkhitzedeq was another name for Shem, and he was a high priest. What went on in his tents? YHWH's name was blessed and His ways were taught. (Gen. 9:26-27) The foundation for both discernment and wisdom is knowledge, specifically of the Torah, for no matter how learned we are, we cannot be wise without knowing the Torah well. We must also learn from what takes place at our gates: How did we win? Or what caused us to lose? If we do not, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. So we need to gain all the knowledge we can so we can have wisdom. Wait at her doorposts, because those who miss the target with her do violence to their own souls. (Prov. 8:33-36) Only the priests have the authority to deal with the blood, for they are the representatives of YHWH. They are the ones who stand in His position as we fulfill our side of the covenant. They carry more weight than even kings. They act out His role in fulfilling His part of the covenant; they do the part that must be done absolutely correctly. Therefore a priest, too, must be without flaw. (Lev. 21:21) If there is anything less than perfect about one of Aharon's descendants, he cannot have this position of authority. YHWH had the leverage of Aharon's guilt in making the golden calf. He had a lot to fix, but if he did this right he could prove it was not really what he had wanted to do. The payoff if that YHWH is their inheritance. What the people bring as gifts to YHWH goes mostly to them. He is meant to be seen in them, just as He is seen in Yahshua.

Psalm 116 is David's expression of drawing near with a peace offering. Fat: the choicest or the best--like the firstfruits or tithes, this is something owed to YHWH. (See also 27:30; Num. 18:26-29) Which covers the inward parts: or, which [plumps up and by its fullness] conceals the innermost parts. We can hide the true thoughts of our hearts behind our best attributes, keeping them from being revealed. If we offer ourselves willingly in some areas, we might hope this keeps anyone else from probing deeper to find our weaker points. But then we are not giving YHWH all that He asked for; to truly draw near to Him, we must be honest about these areas too. We might wish our innermost motives were as pure as out best acts, but they usually are not, so we must lay aside enough pride to expose them and let other members of the community deal with the areas where we lack Kingdom beauty, so what is wrong with them can be burned away. This is the "circumcision of the heart". (Deut. 10:16)

Kidneys: the feminine form of the word for "vessel", but with the root meaning "prepared"--i.e., to receive what is put into it. (See Ex. 36:2-3). The kidneys and liver are organs that work together to filter the blood to purify it. Whatever is not pure is sent back for "repentance". A pure life is a selfless one. We are also responsible for the impurities in one another. The community is given by YHWH to take the "what's in it for me" out of each of us. "Kidneys" is also often a term used in Hebrew for the equivalent of what we call the "mind", for our mind (not our emotions) is to rule our life in subjection to YHWH's will. When someone has an infection in this part of the body, he is told to drink a lot of water. Returning to the "water of the word" (the Torah) is our purification process--being "transformed by the renewing of our minds" (Rom. 12:2) so that we can properly repent of what should not be there. The bile in the liver regulates the chemical balance of the blood, which represents our life, to ensure that it can properly rid the body of impurities and receive what is beneficial to distribute throughout the body, like oxygen. YHWH's instruction (Heb., torah) is what is to (literally) regulate our lives--not our families, traditions, morals, or religion. These organs are constantly at work, as we always have more to repent of; even the tiniest impurities can kill us. The term for liver means what is heavy and important. It is related to the word often translated "glory", which really signifies weightiness of authority. Thus giving YHWH the appendage or lobe over ("what is in addition to") the liver represents taking for ourselves nothing over and above the right amount of importance or authority given to us; when additional glory comes to us, it is to be given to YHWH.

In addition to: or, on top of. Wood: laid out in a set pattern to support the offerings. The fire itself was lit by YHWH, not by men; men were responsible to keep it burning at all times. (6:13) Fire represents both YHWH's presence and our motivation. They should be one and the same; zeal for His house should consume us. Wood represents mortal men; who we are is to be founded on the motivation of coming closer to YHWH's presence, and then we have something to ignite an ascension to completeness (shalom).

7. "'If it is a young sheep he is bringing near [as] his offering, he shall present it before the face of YHWH.

It is not designated to be slaughtered at the entryway, as the bull was (v. 2). Why? Because it is a lesser offering, and not as effective in combating the spiritual warfare we encounter at our gates. But it still represents a decent commitment--something of value given to YHWH. It is more than most people bring, but what the majority does is by no means our standard. To have completeness at our gates, we must offer our very best, because YHWH has given us His best.

9. "'Then he shall bring near from what is slaughtered a fire offering to YHWH--its best part: he shall remove the whole fat tail, which is close up against the backbone, and the fat that covers its inward parts, and all the fat that is between the inward parts.

Fat tail: a particular feature of this type of sheep. (See the 19th-century etching.) It was considered such a delicacy in ancient times that the Mishnah and earlier Greek writings as well say that shepherds designed a device that had a wheel on it to roll along the ground and keep particularly-large fat tails from dragging on the ground and being broken! This is the only item added to what is offered from the bull. Why? The Hebrew word (alyah) has its root in a term for swearing an oath (alah). Whole: or, complete. This is therefore "an oath of perfection". Because the sheep is a lesser offering, it represents the realization that we have not yet brought all that we should, and a promise that next time we will bring the bull He deserves. It is also formed of the two words "al-Yah", which means "toward YHWH", because its effect is to move us closer to Him. Bringing a sheep may be all we can do now, but it represents a commitment to go on to what He really prefers--to becoming more learned so we can do better next time. But we must be careful what we promise; though we may forget it, He will not, and we do not wish to find ourselves indebted to Him. It is far safer to find a way to bring the bull in the first place. We already owe Him enough. There is one advantage to the absence of a literal Temple, which is a picture of how we are to live our entire lives in relation to Him. Those to whom Paul wrote in Rome could not all go to Yerushalayim to worship, and he told them that their "reasonable service" was to offer their very selves as a "living sacrifice", a type set apart and acceptable, and be transformed by the renewing of their minds. (Romans 11:35-12:3) We might not be able to afford to bring bulls, but in this scenario we are not limited by what animals we own. In exile, we have to skip directly to what the physical offerings represent, and we always have a "bull" in our--whatever is of the greatest value to us. We have no excuse, so we had better do what bringing the animal was meant to teach us all along. So why wait until next time to do our best? We only have one life to offer; why not get it right the first time? There are lesser options, nut not all bring us equally close; Christianity gets a few things right and may draw people closer to YHWH on some levels, but look at how impure it is. Why settle for a half-hearted response to YHWH's bounty? In the eastern context in which YHWH brought His revelation, men might have many wives, but there was always a head wife in the household. We want to be a bride of which YHWH can say, "Many daughters have acted capably, but you ascend higher than them all." (Prov. 31:29)

11. "'And the priest shall cause it to smoke [as incense] on the altar--food of the fire offering to YHWH.

12. "'And if his offering is a [she-] goat, then he shall present it before the face of YHWH,

13. "'and he shall lean his hand on the head of his offering, and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Appointment, and the sons of Aharon shall toss its blood onto the altar, all around.

14. "'Then he shall bring near from what is slaughtered a fire offering to YHWH: the fat that covers its inward parts, and all the fat that is between the inward parts.

Missing from the goat is the fat tail; everything else is identical to what is offered from the sheep. Conspicuous by its absence is the oath to do better next time. This is therefore a lesser offering still. When one is bringing an ascending offering that is to be completely consumed, the goat is of equal value to the sheep, but in an offering where we are singling out certain aspects with which to depict our thankfulness to YHWH, bringing a goat represents those who say, "Look, I'm bringing a goat as it is! How could you ask for more?" They are the ones who think it is enough to draw near to YHWH personally. Yahshua said the line of who would enter into the joy of the Master would even be drawn between the sheep and the goats. The sheep served Him by serving the least of His brothers; the goats did not. They are told to depart. (Mat. 25) Sheep are community-oriented; goats are individualists that look out for themselves. Individualism has no place in the Kingdom; His promises are to His people as a whole, and to individuals only as they are part of the whole. Few find the road to life, even among those who bring some sort of offering to YHWH. (Mat. 7:21) Goats are clean animals, but why settle for the bare minimum? And here, the goat the lowest allowed. None of the birds as allowed in chapter, nothing so cheap--nothing merely spiritual--is permitted as a thank offering; this must be in deed as well as word. Do not hand Him something of no comparison to all He has done for us.

16. "'And the priest shall cause them to smoke [as incense] on the altar--food of the fire offering--as a soothing aroma; all the fat belongs to YHWH.

All the fat belongs to YHWH: because our best deeds always originate in Him (Yaaqov/James 1:17), not in ourselves, so we are to receive none of the credit for them. (Luke 17:8-10) Turning the fat over to Him is saying we recognize that He knows best and trust Him to provide what is best for us. Food of the fire offering: without the vowels (as the original Hebrew Torah was), this phrase can read "the bread of the wife of YHWH", i.e., His bride, which is created as His people become holy and draw near to Him in this way. A soothing aroma: though the smell of fat burning is indeed a very pleasing aroma, what it represents refreshes Him even more; nothing less satisfies Him. (Rom. 12:1-3) We are not free to change any of these regulations, or the sacrifice is rendered void. (Mat. 5:18) He is the one who tells us how they must be done. We cannot lower His standards and expect to be complete. Even adding extra to them changes what they are meant to teach. (Gal. 3:15; Rev. 22:18) Our own way of approaching will not be accepted. (Mat. 22:11-12)

There are many health benefits to obeying these commands, which would have spared countless people physical suffering. But many disregard them just because they are "under grace". Grace is for emergencies, and should not be the norm. Any fat: This does not refer to the marbled fat that is inextricable from the meat, but the particular types listed in vv. 14-15. Any blood: 17:14 tells us we will be "cut off" if we eat it. This is not a command to human courts, but a promise that somehow we will physically suffer (if we survive), for YHWH will see to it. But if life is in the blood, why would we die if we eat it? Because it is the "life of the flesh" (17:11). The flesh is incompatible with the spirit, and if we "live according to the flesh", we will die. (Rom. 8:5-13) Eating blood is tantamount to saying, "It's my life; I'll do with it what I want. Forget YHWH." Bringing it to Him instead says, "My life belongs to You." Also, the word for "flesh" means "glad news" or "gospel", and it is not meant to be hidden within our mouths, but allowed out. What we are to keep in our mouths (ruminating on it) is the Torah. (Deut. 30:14; Yehoshua 1:8)

CHAPTER 4

2. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, to tell [them], 'A soul that unintentionally deviates and does any from among YHWH's commandments which are not to be done,

Unintentionally: when having a lapse in memory or straying mentally, and we later realize we did something that we should not have. It does not include stubborn refusal to obey or even laziness about learning what one could have learned. (Both of those are in the category of rebellion, not accidental sins.) This is something one normally walks in, for it applies to those who have been running the race for some time--those who know enough to be responsible for it. But although it was a mistake, it is still a sin, and we are still held responsible to make restitution. The relationship with YHWH must be restored; "I forgot" is not an adequate response. Which are not to be done: Aramaic, "which are not proper". This particular procedure applies only for negative commands (the "thou shalt nots"), except for involuntary manslaughter, which has a different prescribed response. The only command given in the Garden of Eden was one of these, and because of the serpent's influence, the first son might have been one like this. But its effect remained because Adam and Chawwah did not follow the right procedure, but rather made excuses and pointed the finger at others. Inadvertent sins include all the times we worshipped idols when we called YHWH by the names of other elohim, bowed down to put gifts under Christmas trees (asherah poles), or attended Easter sunrise services, before we knew what they really were. In our case, it might also include slipping back into habits we developed before we knew we were Israel; most "serious Christians" still are not even aware that many of the targets still exist, and if they have heard of them, they are likely to have been told that they have been taken away. (The original audience understood Hebrew and knew what they were responsible to remember; none of them could say, "I had never heard that before.") We need to come to grips with our guilt and do whatever it takes to get it out of our lives. It will not disappear magically, just because we are forgiven. The sacrifice removes the guilt, not the possibility of repeating the offense. Discipline--being more careful about our thoughts and deeds--is what will keep us from doing it again. The place to start is with confession. Then something has to die; we must offer up something of ourselves and what is valuable to us. Even the best marksman does not hit the target every time. This applies even to the most mature. He starts with the high priest himself:

Incurring of guilt for the nation: Normally the priest bears the guilt of the nation, but it works in reverse as well. He is our representative. He both wears the names of the twelve tribes over his heart and carries them on his shoulders. We should be able to look at him as our example, so if he makes this kind of mistake, he represents the whole nation that way as well. All of the people become guilty. But this also sets the precedent for the high priest to be able to, by his action, remove the sin of the whole nation. (vv. 13-20) The sin of Israel becomes the sin of the "anointed priest" (literally, the priest, the Messiah), though he did not commit that sin himself, because he has attached himself to us. Yahshua did not share in our guilt (Heb. 7:27), but took it as his own responsibility to remedy what his lost sheep had done, since he alone was able to; the Father could not die for His children. One individual cannot even die for another individual (Deut. 24:16), but he did die for the sins of the nation as a whole--not just Yehudah, but the scattered tribes as well. (Mat. 1:21; Yochanan 11:49-52) Just as he can incur guilt for us all by missing the mark, he can also remove sin from all Israel by hitting it (but just the kind that is being described here, not willful sin). This is important to our understanding of what Yahshua came to do (for the pattern remains the same; see Hebrews chapter 10). Removing unintentional sin from Israel via a drawing-near offering is his job. If he hits the target and we do what he is doing, we hit it too. YHWH did not cast Adam out of the Garden for his sin, but for not taking responsibility for it, for his wife was part of him. We, as Yahshua's bride, are in the same position. When we are truly unified again, we will no longer need a sin offering. (Heb. 10:18) A bull: Having to spend as much as it cost to bring a bull should be enough to remind us not to be so forgetful again! Son of the herd: a young animal (the rabbis say it refers to a three-year-old), full of potential, pretty close to being fully grown and a raw "powerhouse", yet immature. The one bringing it is admitting there is still a measure of immaturity in himself, things he does not know, and there is still room for improvement even in those who are mature. Both the words "bull" and "herd" are rooted in the idea of breaking through in Hebrew. It is appropriate to plow through Scripture to find answers, but not to go plowing through life without considering our actions or relationships. We cannot be a "bull in a china shop", but must take time to consider what we are doing. Bringing this bull is a commitment to bring every thought into captivity and be more careful so we will not have such a "slip" again. We have been "programmed" by many ideologies or doctrines in the past, but YHWH's "special forces" have to be able to react both skillfully (correctly) and quickly, and the only way to do that is to be thoroughly trained--not through video games, as the army is trained now, but by experience in serving the community. It must become natural for us to give YHWH's answer as our first response. For that to take place, we must be steeped in the Torah.

Again the offering is linked to our gates; this reminds us not to accidentally leave the gates open so that enemies can get in.

6. "'and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and spatter the front of the veil of the sanctuary with the blood seven times before the face of YHWH.

Seven times: a picture of completion. Spatter: flicking the fingers with pressure that causes the blood to spurt. He was still in front of the tent (v. 7), so this is the outer veil, the one torn at the death of Yahshua (Mat. 27:51) and representative of His flesh. (Heb. 10:20)

8. "'And he shall lift off from it [and present] all of the bull's fat [as] a sin offering--he shall lift off from it the fat that covers the inward parts, and all the fat that is beside the inward parts,

9. "'both kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is beside the flanks, and he shall remove the appendage that hangs over the liver beside the kidneys,

10. "'just as it is lifted off from the ox of the slaughter for peace offerings; then the priest shall cause them to smoke like incense on the altar of ascending [offering],

11. "'along with the bull's hide along with its flesh by its head and by its legs, its inward parts, and its dung.

12. "'He shall take the whole bull to the outside of the camp to a ritually-clean place where the ashes mixed with fat are poured out, and burn him on top of the wood with fire. It shall be burnt on top of the place where the ashes mixed with fat are poured out.

It is entirely done away with; in contrast to most other "sacrifices", this one brings the offerer no benefit but relief from his guilt. This place would probably be bleached white when rain fell on the ashes and turned them into lye, a mixture soap is often made from. Grass would not be able to grow here, so it would be a memorable sight for parents to show their children. It would be very "clean" in that respect as well! Also, no one who is ritually impure may go there. While in the other cases, just the remnants of the animals that fed the priests or brought a soothing aroma to YHWH were placed at this site, in this case the whole animal is "wasted" to show how serious a matter it is to err when we are representing YHWH, even if it is accidental. We should not profit directly from our sins, except as an impetus to ascend higher and do better the next time. But it is better that the animal be outside the camp and we ascend higher because of this lesson than for us to be outside the camp because we are cut off from the community for deliberate sin.

Even one: As one dead fly in the compounder's ointment can make it stink, so one foolish act can ruin the reputation of an honorable person known for his wisdom. (Qoheleth/Eccles. 10:1) Israel is such a mixture of people, and one sin left undealt with will spread its influence and ruin the whole. Especially if the congregation is small, the error of a mere one person can affect the whole community. Making excuses before a messenger of YHWH, saying something was just a mistake, can bring all of our great accomplishments to ruin if we leave it at that. (Qoheleth 5:6) Guilty: If we do not confess our guilt, the offering is invalid, and we remain guilty, even if we improve our behavior and do the thing right for the rest of our lives. Both are necessary. It is more honorable to admit one's guilt than to offer an excuse. Healing cannot come until we do. Each of us is also responsible to make sure our brothers and sisters do not repeat the same errors.

If the whole community is guilty, who provides the bull? It may have been a shared expense; in some cases, the blame might be laid on a particular person or group of persons, in which case they would be responsible to furnish it. When it becomes known: as soon as possible. One must be prepared to make the reparation at the time of confession, if it has not already been done even beforehand.

16. "'Then the anointed priest shall bring [some] of the blood of the bull to the Tent of Appointment,

17. "'and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and spatter the front of the veil seven times before the face of YHWH.

Had Yahshua been born miraculously, remained without sin, and established a Kingdom for Yehudah, without the shedding of his blood, our sins could not be permanently taken away. This was the critical factor. He spattered his blood on the heavenly altar that this earthly one depicted. (Yochanan 20:17; Heb. 9:24)

19. "'Then he must lift off from it [and present] all its fat, and cause it to go up in smoke on the altar.

20. "'And he shall do to the bull just as he did to the bull of the sin offering; he shall do just the same to this. He shall thus put a covering over them, and it shall be forgiven them.

Just as he did: Thus we see an equivalency of weightiness between the high priest and the nation as a whole, since the offerings for both are the same. Forgiven: The guilt is gone when something is physically done about the particular instance, but the possibility of repeating it remains beneath the surface, until we all reach a fullness of maturity as a people.

Thus a guilt offering is one form of a sin offering.

Ruler: Not a king per se, but any overseer who is in position of authority over others within Israel. Note that the sacrifice required of him is not as great as the one required of the priest, but is more than is required of the common people (v. 27ff)

Hairy: The term (se'ir) stems from a root meaning "to bristle with fear", possibly so that the horror of being out of YHWH's will can be driven home to the offerer. But Se'ir is also a mountain range associated with Esau, the grandson of Avraham who had been taught much, but who learned very little. While his twin brother was called "mature", his mind remained on his belly rather than on what he should remember. So this is also an offering up of the "Esau" within us, so that we will not just move on, but move higher. It is male because the ruler himself is usually male, but the Hebrew term for "male" means "to remember", and this is exactly what this offering is for--so he will not have such a lapse of memory. A goat is also a picture of acting as an individual, and a ruler is never permitted to do that; his actions must be for the sake of those over whom he rules. If he had his mind on them in the first place, he probably would not have made this mistake.

25. "'Then the priest shall take [some] of the blood of the sin offering, and with his finger he shall put it on the horns of the altar of ascending [offering], then pour out its blood at the base of the altar of ascending [offering].

26. "'And he shall cause it to smoke as incense on the altar, along with all of its fat, just like the fat of what is slaughtered [as] the peace offerings; thus the priest shall make a covering over him because of his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Thus the priest shall make a covering: Aramaic, "whereupon the priest should atone for him". On Yom haKippurim (the day of atonements), the high priest kills one goat for the nation, but releases the other (an identical one), according to the actual command. But in practice, the nation realized, and it became tradition, that the other had to die as well in order for the atonement to be complete, so they began throwing it off a cliff. The Messiah was sacrificed, but the other goat--the practice of our sin--still has to die so that Israel can fully enter the Promised Land. Compared to a sheep, a goat is an individualist, and as such the particular sin it represents to us is our going our own way instead of staying unified under YHWH's rule. None of its blood is brought into the tent, in contrast to that of the bull (v. 16), which bears others' burdens and uses its strength to provide for others.

Of the people: There are different levels of accountability for the priests, who should know better, and the common people, who had fewer occasions to study the Torah in depth. YHWH hold those who are better able to understand more accountable (Luk. 12:48).

He is responsible to do something about it if he himself realizes he has done wrong, even if no one else has noticed, not just if someone else points it out to him (v. 27). The she-goat is of lesser value, just as a common person has less influence than a ruler, and therefore his sin may not have as far-reaching an effect.

30. "'Then the priest shall take [some] of its blood, and with his finger he shall put it on the horns of the altar of ascending [offering], then pour out all [the rest of] of its blood at the base of the altar.

31. "'Then he shall lift off from it [and present] all its fat, just as what is slaughtered as the sin offerings has been lifted off from, and the priest shall cause it to smoke as incense on the altar as a soothing aroma for YHWH. Thus the priest shall make a covering over him, and it shall be forgiven him.

32. "'Or if he brings a female lamb as his drawing near to be a sin offering, he must bring one that is completely sound.

33. "'And he shall lean his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering [painlessly by slitting its throat] at the place where he kills the ascending [offering].

34. "Then the priest shall take [some] of the blood of the sin offering, and he must put it on the horns of the altar of ascending [offering] with his finger, then pour out its blood at the base of the altar.

With his finger: probably to be sure it is applied to the right place more accurately than mere spattering.

Covering: Hebrews 10 was speaking of just this passage when it says "the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin." These sacrifices deal with the same sins year after year, removing guilt only temporarily--until we repeat the offense. That chapter tells us that it is the body of Messiah (both his physical laying down of His life and the functioning of ourselves as his Body, sharpening one another and acting in unity, caring for one another and training each other not to sin) that actually does away with the practice of the sin, thus removing it in reality from Israel as a whole people. A perfect man has died for us; it is our fault, not his! We need to make his sacrifice worth his while and become what he died to make us! As long as we use it as an excuse to remain individualists and not get back on track, His sacrifice has not accomplished its purpose. Say "I'm sorry" through your actions, not just words; turn around and walk in the other direction! Make restitution for your wrongdoings! But it also tells us that the renewal of the covenant has not changed the fact that if we sin intentionally, we will pay a price for it; it is an insult to Him even to ask forgiveness. The offerings of the wicked are an abomination to YHWH. (Prov. 15:8)

CHAPTER 5

Soul: or "breathing person". Voice: or sound; i.e., this oath is spoken out loud, which suggests that some oaths are not. In some cases, the "sound" can be seen instead. Our gestures, facial expressions, a handshake, a signature, or a simple nod can indicate promises, and even our presence in a particular context can indicate our approval or allegiance. People should be held to those "promises" as well, but this is emphasizing the upholding of one's role as a witness. Oath: can also be read as a curse, because they are the light and dark sides of the same thing; one brings a curse upon himself if he breaks the oath. Thus one should not make promises he cannot keep, for swearing falsely will bring us into judgment. (Deut. 23:21-22; Yaaqov/James 5:12ff) If you heard someone make a promise and did not remind him of his responsibility if he seemed to be neglecting it, you would share his punishment, whereas if you did warn him, he alone would bear the guilt. Compare Yehezq'El (Ezekiel) 33:2-7. Reveal it: boldly oppose or expose. Aram., "give information"; LXX, "report it". Guilt: literally, crookedness, twisting of justice, perverting the standard by moving it from its original position. (By not holding someone to a standard he has set for himself, you are lowering the standard.)

Things that creep: LXX, "abominable reptiles". Corpse: One may not touch these animals if they are dead. Ritually-impure: The bodies of clean animals may be touched after slaughter so that they can be offered up on the altar. Being unclean is not in itself a sin, but it "sets the table" for sin. Ritual impurity is a picture of selfishness, so unclean animals are symbolic of the animal nature within us, and this may be more important than the deleterious effects of physically touching something unclean. We all need some measure of self-preservation, or we would not eat or would not care if we walked out in front of a moving car. We do not have to stop breathing to save the air for someone else! But this is no excuse to be selfish. Whenever this drive goes beyond ourselves and affects others negatively, we are making others unclean, and that is when it becomes a sin. If someone failed to immerse himself before going on the Temple Mount because he did not think he was in an impure state, but later found that he had been at that time, anyone else he touched would also have been ritually impure, and they might have eaten of some offerings that only the ritually clean are permitted to eat of. That is when it matters, because you also caused all of these people to miss the mark. In some cases they became guilty inadvertently because they trusted you to be compliant with the restrictions on who could enter that most holy precinct. And selfishness spreads when we associate with others who encourage it. When someone insists on his own way, it automatically awakens defensiveness the one he is affecting. Even the reactions that enter our head and are not allowed release can be enough to render us unclean. On the other hand, the Torah is life (Deut. 32:47), so whenever we are influenced by things that do not originate from it, we take on death, for "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Selfishness is encouraged by any unnecessary interaction with what is not set apart to YHWH--anything that does not uphold the standard of loving YHWH and our fellows. Loving the present age is making war on YHWH. (Yaaqov 4:4) When we like how it feels, this reveals the selfishness in us. The proper response is not to make excuses, but to do something about it, then let go of it. Guilt can be your friend if it leads you to repent.

Is not known to him: LXX, "has escaped his notice". Though actually guilty, a person is not held responsible until he realizes what he has done. Humanity: literally, "Adam"; his impurity was more in refusing to accept responsibility for his sin than the disobedience itself.

Yaaqov (James) 5:12 reiterates Yahshua's words in Mat. 5:33ff that telling the truth should be so normal for us that we do not need to add any extra words to a simple "yes" or "no"; saying, "I swear by…" indicates to the other party at least that you do not think he will trust you. But if someone does swear, he is obligated to do whatever he promised, even if it causes him personal harm. (Psalm 15:4)

One of these: The fact that the penalty is the same for all of the foregoing scenarios tells us that they are all somehow on the same level. The word for "confess" here does not mean to simply admit that one has sinned, though that is the first step. It is rooted in the Hebrew word for "hand". It means to take the matter in hand and get control of it, to begin to rid it from your life. It includes laying one's hands on the animal to identify with its death, but also means to throw--both throwing the uncleanness out of one's soul, as well as providing another opening to throw and hit the target we had missed the first time (as in the meaning of the word for "sin"). If we do not confess, our guilt will still be hiding in the shadows without our knowing it, even if we start acting the opposite way. People often confess to brutal crimes because the guilt weighs too heavily on them, even if no one saw them. Refusal to take responsibility for his sin is the real reason Adam was expelled from the Garden. YHWH cannot forgive us for an offense against another person if we have not confessed it to the one against whom we sinned, for these sins were not directly against YHWH. The Hebrew word for giving thanks shares the same root word as this word for "confess". Thanks must be part of our confession, both toward the one who reminded us of our guilt and toward YHWH for letting us survive to try again. But confession is not enough; one cannot throw anything if his hands are empty. It is only enough if something is brought to fill the breach that has been made. We cannot truly repent without bringing some restitution to give weight and substance to the confession:

Guilt offering: or, compensation [for trespassing]. "I forgot" or "I spoke too soon" are no excuse. The beauty of this is that people would be more careful to remember or to control what they say if they had to pay with an animal each time they did not! It is a great deterrent, and we would learn not to talk so much and weigh what we do say.

He cannot afford: literally, "his hand cannot reach". The offering YHWH prefers is out of reach because one does not have a high enough "ladder", and need this "ascending" by which he can rise back to a higher status of ritual purity after having lowered himself by sinning. He needs to climb higher so he can do better.

The high priest grew an especially-sharp thumbnail specifically for this purpose. No one else was equipped to kill a bird in this way. All other sacrifices are slaughtered by the offerer himself, but the smaller things can only be properly divided by those most learned in the Torah, as the priests were to be.

10. "‘Then he shall prepare the second as an ascending [offering] just like [the foregoing] procedure. Thus the priest shall make coverings over him in regard to the sin by which he has missed the mark, and it shall be forgiven him.

11. "‘If the one who sinned is not even able to afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring as his drawing-near a tenth of an eyfah of fine flour, but he shall not put any oil on it or add any frankincense with it, since it is a sin offering.

Not even able to afford (reach): This is the very least that is acceptable; if he actually can afford more, this offering is invalid. This is not acceptable if one simply does not feel like offering a sheep or birds, but only if he has absolutely no way of obtaining the better offering. A tenth of an eyfah: the same as an omer, which is only one day's worth of sustenance for a man. An omer is worth half a sheqel, the value of one person. (Ex. 30:13) This is a picture of himself. But it is worded as one-tenth to remind us that he is only part of a congregation, and when he falls short, he trips up the rest of his part of Israel. In bringing this, the offerer is making a commitment to live as one of the ten, as part of the community. This offering has no blood in it, for blood is where the life resides. (17:11) This offerer is standing flat on the ground, unable to reach any higher and unwilling to turn his life over to YHWH, but at least recognizes that all of Israel is affected by his guilt. No oil: This does not increase our anointing, but is only part of the repayment for a wrong done. It is not bridal, so the fragrant spice must be left out. The frankincense is not to be associated with sin; the women were going to anoint Yahshua's body with frankincense after his death, but it may have been because he was a guilt offering that YHWH did not allow them to arrive before he was resurrected.

We cannot decide how we are going to repent; a "silent confession" twists the standard. It must follow the pattern of rebuke, confession, and repentance. The priest is the one who names the specifics for each case.

14. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,

15. "‘If a person acts unfaithfully and sins ignorantly in regard to the holy things of YHWH, he shall bring his guilt offering to YHWH--a perfect ram from the flock, according to your evaluation in silver sheqels according to the sheqel of the sanctuary, as a guilt offering.

Acts unfaithfully: lacks loyalty. Aram., "sin unintentionally against the consecrated things of YHWH": LXX: "the soul which be really unconscious". I.e., he just wasn't thinking. Even if it is an honest mistake, he is still guilty. (See note on v. 19.) One of the main purposes of Yom Kippur is to provide a covering for sins against the set-apart things. (Deut. 26:13; 32:43) So how is this different? At Yom Kippur it is on behalf of an abuse by the nation as a whole, such as when we are all witnesses to a mistake the priest makes, yet we say nothing about it. It may also relate to something done on a feast day as opposed to an ordinary day. Here, someone is bringing his own offering, and makes a mistake in the process. Or he has deprived the sanctuary of some object or some degree of holiness by bringing some impurity into it, rendering it unfit for service while in this unclean state. One could do this by so much as scratching one's back on the stones in YHWH's house, deriving coolness from a half-sheqel Temple tax on a hot day, or any other way of treating something set-apart as common. The priests could not take the vessels from the Temple home to cook in, for that would be misappropriating it for their own use. The Temple's implements have the sanctity of the Temple itself. If used once in the service of YHWH, they are set apart to Him. We can start to prepare for this by treating the places we now meet with YHWH and His people as special. Ritual impurity (selfishness) is not a sin per se, but it has the same effect of depriving the Temple (which we are collectively) of some gift. Only set-apart vessels are an acceptable place to put set-apart bread. (1 Shmuel 21:5-6) Those who bear YHWH's vessels are not to touch anything unclean. (Yeshayahu 52:11) Our own bodies are not to be misused for our own purposes; we bear His vessels by being His vessels. We cannot even use the fact that we are in exile as an excuse. These vessels are meant to be brought back out of Babylon. (Yirmeyahu 27:21) Israel as His set-apart nation is responsible to keep our bodies (His Temple) clean. (1 Cor. 6:19) We are responsible for what goes into our vessels (what we touch, what we promise to do, as in vv. 1-4), for what spills over the top can defile other people's vessels. He is thus unfaithful toward those who serve YHWH. If we slander them, no one else will be able to make use of those vessels. It takes both parties to clean the vessel at that point. When we realize what we have done, the proper response is to not only undo what we have done, but go an extra step, "paying interest" by being extra scrupulous about selflessness in our service to one another:

Forgiveness is not the blank check that many make it out to be. In Scripture it is not unconditional. It is only given when asked for, in response to true repentance and confession, and usually after being rebuked and corrected by another member of the Body. Here, the sin is first paid for, then it is forgiven. Both an animal and its worth in silver, as well as 20% extra are required. If Yahshua paid for our sin, this is all the more reason to not take YHWH's forgiveness for granted; will we trample his sacrifice in the mud? And just because our guilt is lifted does not remove the physical consequences. Even Moshe (though he was 120 years old and could not be permitted live any longer anyway, coming as he did after Noach) was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because of an act which stained a picture YHWH wanted to show us about the Messiah. Would you urinate in one of the Temple's implements? Yet by our attitudes we can defile other people who are His vessels. Yahshua's congregation has been given the authority to bind and loose, and if we loose when we should bind, we will be taken advantage of and people will just come back for the free loaves and fishes. We will make Elohim look like a fool. He told King Sha'ul NOT to forgive anyone from Amaleq, even the best and the greatest. His failure to do so resulted in the crisis in Persia under Queen Hadassah (Esther) some 600 years later, which we recall during Purim, because Haman was the descendant of King Agag, whom Sha'ul spared and who thus survived long enough to father at least one more son. And remember that willful sin has no remedy in Torah; you will pay heavily for that.

If done unintentionally, it can be paid for and forgiven at that point. But ignorance is no excuse, for since we have the Torah right in front of us, to be unaware of it we have to indeed be ignoring it.

Make coverings: Aram., "achieve atonement". By the time of the second Temple, the "moneychangers" of Yochanan 2, made it easy to be sure one's offering was without blemish, for they sold them to the worshippers right on the site of the Temple. The offerer did not have to bother with this, but it made it too convenient, and took away both the accountability of the offerer and the scenario by which the offerer could learn to discern what was valid and what was not, and thus know how to choose.

When we do something wrong inadvertently, we are still truly guilty, contrary to popular belief today. "I apologize" is not enough; saying no more than that is not even truly apologizing, which means providing an explanation of why something was done. But even that would not be appropriate; the only acceptable response is to fix what one broke! That it was unintentional does not remove the guilt. Try telling a state policeman that "it was an accident" and see if he lets you get away with your mistake! Why should the one it affects pay for it? The perpetrator must take responsibility. This is the mature way of thinking in Torah.

20. [6:1 in English] Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,

21. "If a person misses the mark and is deceptively disloyal against YHWH by lying to his countryman about something he has committed to him for safekeeping or left in his hand as a security deposit, or something which he has stolen or acquired from his countryman by deceit,

Is deceptively disloyal: or, acts unfaithfully; LXX, "has willfully overlooked". I.e., this time it is on purpose, . Security deposit: or a pledge of the hand; Aram., "a joint investment". Countryman: or, kinsman--anyone who is a part of Israel. The sin is against our brother, but when we deceive our brothers (except to keep them from trouble), our disloyalty is to YHWH, and we have therefore involved Him in the equation, because He is the One who has commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is half of what being Israel is about. This is about what kind of people we are to be. It is the very heart of the Kingdom. We have a right to assume those with whom we are unified are walking in Torah. To break that trust in any of these ways is to essentially shatter the second tablet of the Torah. It is treason against the King, and YHWH takes it personally. It would be very foolish to approach Him while we are still in a traitorous state! We cannot be faithful to YHWH without being loyal to one another within Israel. YHWH will not accept our offerings or gifts unless we first fix what we broke in regard to our neighbor. (Mat. 5:23ff) But we can rob one another in less obvious ways. Becoming part of a local body is pledging one's strength to that body, and one's presence is therefore expected whenever that body gathers, so one's gift is available to the rest. Even coming to the assembly with a bad attitude can steal someone's joy, and withdrawing your presence can rob your brother of courage when he faces a formidable challenge.

23. "‘whenever [he] sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he got by robbery, that which he extorted, the deposit that had been left with him, the lost things that he had found,

Return what he got: LXX, "redress the injury". Robbery: Aram., "wrongdoing".

Guilt offering: Aramaic, "the day he realizes his guilt". Confession or a promise to repay later is not enough; there must be repayment to the fellow Israelite before we are permitted to bring our offering to YHWH. And giving back what one took is inadequate; one must add 20% of its value.

The ram is brought to the sanctuary in addition to all that one needs to pay back to his neighbor. This time there is no "wiggle room" about what one can or cannot afford. There is one set penalty for everyone. It is not the most expensive offering, but it is substantial enough that no one will take this lightly. YHWH knows what motivates us, and He knows how to discipline us. If one lives in a distant part of Israel, this whole process may take a week or two, so he will have plenty of time to think about what he has done. Gentiles do not like the Torah because its penalties are so stiff, but the master Psychologist knows we would not learn otherwise. This way one will think twice before repeating the offense, and even knowing the penalty will deter many from doing it the first time. It is sad that fear of punishment has to be our motivation, but if we will not act out of love in the first place, there must be something else to prod us to do right to one another. Such a sin must be more trouble for us than it is worth. It is more profitable for our souls if we have to go through all of these consequences to show that we regret what we have done than if we merely say, "I'm sorry", which is often all that people require today. This is part of what will make the nations look at Israel and say, "Wow! They know how to treat one another!" (Deut. 4:6) It differentiates us from strict religious systems that appear honorable in wanting things to be more decent than foreign ways in which everything is about money. But when one looks closely, they are still using their zeal and fervor as a means to personal power, and not loving one another except when threatened from outside. Proverbs 6:23 says that the road to life is one of corrective discipline, lighted by the commandments and instruction (torah). If we are not held to standards, we will not experience complete forgiveness, because as foreign objects or broken bone fragments in the body try to work themselves to the surface, if we do not submit to the "surgery" YHWH prescribes to fully remove the sin, there will be even more pain later. He knows the process that will do the least damage in the long run. Sin is a foreign object in Israel, and it will cost money, time, and pride to get rid of it, but when someone holds you accountable, he is like a concerned neighbor driving you to the hospital.

After he makes things right on the vertical level (with the human being he has wronged), he also has to deal with his guilt before YHWH, for any sin against one of His people is first and foremost a transgression against Him. (Compare Matithyahu 5:24.) It must be dealt with on both levels in order to be fully forgiven. Our ultimate goal is "YHWH is one", but to get to that point we must first have all Israel united, then Israel united with Messiah, then Messiah again subjected to YHWH. (1 Cor. 15:24-28) So unifications with our true neighbors are steps toward unity with YHWH. Sinning against one another throws the whole process into turmoil. Pledging our hand (which would even include a handshake, in modern terms) is an oath to do all that is in one's power to protect what he has bothered. To fail to deliver the item or action thus promised removes part of the foundation of what YHWH is building. This process seems foreign to us all now, even to Yehudah, who has not lived under a fully Torah-based system either. We might argue that these rules apply only in the Land of Israel. But we are unlikely to be able to return there until we begin to fulfill them at least in an analogous way. They, too, are part of the "all things" that must be restored.