Leviticus 6

Notes on the verses

Chap. VI. Ver. 8—30. The law of the burnt-offerings &c.— In the preceding chapters, Moses instructed the people concerning their sacrifices; but here he directs the priests concerning some parts of their official duty, particularly as to the burnt-offerings, which constituted the morning and evening sacrifices; the latter of which were to be kept burning during the whole of the night, and the fire never to be extinguished. In order to this, it is probable that the evening sacrifice was laid on the altar, not all at once, but in separate portions, and that the priests relieved each other. Some of the oblations were intended for the priests’ families generally; but the meat-offerings, being most holy, were to be eaten by the males only, and not by them when under any ceremonial defilement: but the meat-offering for the priests (ver.

Ver. 15. Holy things.—(This law relates particularly to sacrilege and defrauds in spiritual matters—such as the first-born—the withholding the first-fruits, tithes, or other oblations—the having unwittingly kept back any part of the portion which God had demanded—or the having eaten of the holy things of which none but the priests should eat. Thus circumstanced, the offender was required, not only to make restitution in standard money, according to the estimation of the priest; but to offer a ram for a trespass-offering, as soon as he discovered his fraud, —Bagster.— With thy estimation.—That is, of the injury sustained, and restitution due. See (Leviticus 6:5), Ver. 17. Wist not.—That is, “knew it not.”—{This case is supposed to differ from the former, merely in that the person concerned was not certain whether he had or had not committed the trespass.

It is therefore called by the Hebrews a doubtful trespass-offering.|—Bagster the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the altar. 15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat-offering, and of the oil there- 0 ¢.2.1. of, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat-offering, and shall burn it upon the altar 20.) must be wholly burnt, because they must not live upon their own offerings. The Priest by eating the sin-offering of the people, was considered as typically bearing their sins; but no man could bear his own sins, or make an atonement for himself. The ordinance of a perpetual fire is three times repeated in this chapter, (verses 9, 12, 13.,) and merits our particular attention. If these sacrifices all pointed (as we know they did) to have represented the sacrifice of Christ himself, this fire must represent the awful attribute of the divine justice, by which his meritorious sacrifice was consumed.

This is a very serious subject for the divine perfections are the last topics on which we should presume to speculate: but there seems every reason to believe, that if God could, with perfect consistency and propriety, have pardoned sin without an adequate atonement, it would have been done. “In dealing;” Hebrew, “In