Part 2 of 7 · Without Shedding of Blood: The Old Testament Foundation
In Part 1 we saw that Hebrews 9:22 allows no remission without the shedding of blood, and that God sheltered Israel by the blood on the door posts.
The law of Moses carried the same lesson into Israel’s regular worship. Leviticus 4 sets out the sin offering for sins committed through ignorance. God gave a law for the anointed priest, for the whole congregation, for a ruler, and for one of the common people. In every case the sinner brought an animal without blemish to the door of the tabernacle. The offerer laid his hand upon its head, and the animal was killed before the LORD.
Where the Blood Went
What happened to the blood depended on who had sinned. For the anointed priest and for the whole congregation, the priest dipped his finger in the blood and sprinkled it seven times before the vail (Leviticus 4:6, 4:17). He put blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense (Leviticus 4:7, 4:18). For a ruler or one of the common people, the blood went on the horns of the altar of burnt offering (Leviticus 4:25, 4:30). In every case the priest poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
“And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.” (Leviticus 4:20, KJV)
To make an atonement is to deal with sin before God so that the sinner no longer stands under its guilt. In the sin offering, God did that through the death of a substitute. Four times in this chapter God promises that the sin shall be forgiven (Leviticus 4:20, 4:26, 4:31, 4:35). Each promise follows the shedding and application of blood, and Leviticus 4 never mentions water in the ritual.
These offerings were not reserved for one day a year. An Israelite brought one when his sin came to his knowledge (Leviticus 4:14, 4:23, 4:28). The work belonged to the priest, and nothing in Leviticus 4 limits it to the high priest or to a single day. The once-a-year work of the high priest alone belongs to Leviticus 16, which is the subject of Part 3.
Two Questions from the Law
Careful readers may raise two details from the law, and both deserve an honest answer.
God made room for the poorest Israelite. A man who could not afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons brought a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour (Leviticus 5:11). The priest burned it on the altar as a sin offering, among the offerings made by fire (Leviticus 5:12-13). This may be part of what the writer of Hebrews meant by “almost all things.” Even so, that flour went to the altar where the blood of the sin offerings was poured, and never to a washing of water.
Water also appears in the law of the sin offering. If the blood of the sin offering was sprinkled on a garment, the garment was washed in the holy place (Leviticus 6:27). A brasen pot used to boil the flesh was scoured and rinsed in water (Leviticus 6:28). That water washed the blood off garments and vessels. It never made atonement for anyone.
Search these Scriptures for yourself: Leviticus 4:1-35; Leviticus 5:11-13; Leviticus 6:24-30; Hebrews 9:22.
Next in this series: Part 3, The Day of Atonement: Blood Within the Vail.
Go Deeper
- Jesus Christ, the Fulfillment of the Old Testament Sacrificial System
- The Blood of Christ and Salvation
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“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (KJV)
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