Week 4, bring your missed mark….

(Read Leviticus 4 & 5)

Here we are, four weeks into Leviticus. Is it coming alive for you? Even in laws about sin and guilt offerings, we find whispers of Jesus, of restoration, love, and a God who makes a way back to Him even when we completely miss the mark.

Before we break down the specifics, it’s important to understand that both chapters focus on unintentional sin, ways people violate God’s commands without realizing it (Lev 5 also dives into intentional sin). These offerings were meant to restore relationship with God and protect the purity of the tabernacle and the community.

You’ll see the word “restore” pop up a lot. That’s because it’s at the heart of both chapters. So, you bet that’s my word for this week! Restoration means returning something to its original state, and that’s what these offerings did: they brought people back into fellowship with God. I’m soooo grateful for His restoration in my life!

Before we dig in, I want to acknowledge the similarities and difference between the sin offering (Lev 4) and the guilt offering (Lev 5). Leviticus chapters 4 and 5 both talk about what to do when people sin, but they focus on different kinds of situations. Leviticus 4 deals with unintentional sins, things people or the whole community did wrong without meaning to. Leviticus 5 gives more specific examples, like breaking a promise, touching something unclean, or failing to speak up when you should. It also introduces something called the guilt offering (or trespass offering). This was for sins that harmed God or other people, and it required not just a sacrifice but also making things right, like paying back what was lost or stolen.

Let’s dig in and break down the sin offering! Ready?

Sin Offering (Leviticus 4):

Leviticus 4 used to make me yawn until I wondered why the type of animal sacrificed for unintentional sin changed based on the sinner’s status. Upon my research, what I found made sense, but also fascinated me. A High Priest/ or the whole community had to offer a young bull, the largest and most valuable domestic animal sacrificed. This may have hurt a bit, giving something valuable away, but it represented the weight of their responsibility and how their sin could lead the entire nation astray. 

A leader was instructed to offer a male goat, still valuable, but a step down from a bull per say, symbolizing real influence but with more limited impact. A common person offered a female goat or lamb, more affordable and accessible. You’ll see in Lev 5 that in cases of poverty, turtledoves could be used. And in the most extreme poverty situations, fine flour could be substituted because, remember, it was found in every home! The type of animal used, or substitution, demonstrated that forgiveness was accessible to all, regardless of social status. Each animal also reflected the weight of responsibility per individual, reminding the community that sin carries consequences beyond the person and always impacts others. The bigger picture? Sin always matters, and no matter who you are, there’s always a way back to God. Restoration is such a beautiful thing!

And guess what? There’s a Jesus whisper woven within the animal sacrifice! In Leviticus 4: 12, 21 we see “the rest of the animal” not used for sacrifice instructed to be taken outside the camp and burned. Flip to Hebrews 13:11-12, which reads, “​​For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” Even in the ashes outside the camp, God was foreshadowing the cross where Jesus, cast out and crucified, became our sin offering to make us holy.


The Organs and the Blood…

Both the sin offering and peace offering (Lev. 3) involved animal sacrifice, the shedding of blood, and burning the fat, kidneys, and liver as God’s portion, which are symbols of devotion and relationship (along with all the facts you learned about the organs from last week!).

However, the purpose of these elements are used differently in Lev. 4. The peace offering was a voluntary, joyful communal celebration of restored fellowship with God. The sin offering, however, was mandatory, often private, and focused on purification from unintentional sin. And get this: in the instruction for the sin offering, blood was applied not just to the altar, but in sacred spaces, too! For example, before the veil and on the altar of incense showing that sin pollutes even the holiest places. Yikes, what a painful picture of our unintentional sin tainting what was meant to be holy! Sobering, isn’t it?

However, we see a Jesus whisper here. On the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), a direct echo of Leviticus 4! Praise the Lord for His blood that cleanses once and for all, even the sins we don’t realize we’re committing (Hebrews 9:7–14), purifying not just spaces but our very conscience, and restoring us fully to God.

And here’s something profound: the Hebrew word for sin: chattat (or chattath). It means “sin” or “wrongdoing,” but also “to miss the mark,” like an archer missing a target just like the Greek word hamartia used in the New Testament. In Scripture, it describes falling short of God’s way. But here’s what’s profound: chattat doesn’t just mean the sin, it can also mean the sin offering. The same word is used for both the problem and the solution. This brings Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:21 into sharp focus: “He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus became the offering for all the ways we’ve missed the mark restoring our relationship with God through His sacrifice!

Let’s switch gears…

Guilt Offering (Leviticus 5)

You’ll find similar animal sacrifices for the guilt offering and yet there are are differences. Unlike the sin offering, which adjusts the animal based on the status of who sinned, the guilt offering usually required a ram without defect, more based on the type of offense. Plus a repayment of what was taken or harmed, with an extra 20% added (a “fifth part more”)!

Two key points that grabbed my attention within the guilt offering… and an echo of Jesus:

1) In Leviticus 5, God gives instructions for when someone sins, not just by doing something wrong, but by not doing something right. If a person stays silent when they should speak up for truth, justice, or what is right, God says it matters. Silence can be sin too. Yikes, yikes, yikes. I am SO GUILTY of this!!! Many times I stay silent because I don’t want to impose my opinion or become politically incorrect. After reading Lev 5 I am very convicted that GOD’S OPINION matters more than mine. In a world full of conflict, injustice, and pain, it’s tempting to stay quiet to stay safe. But God’s people are called to be truth-tellers, even when it’s hard. Speaking up matters to God, because people matter to God.

2) In Mark 5:25–34, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years reached out and touched Jesus. According to Leviticus 15 (discharges causing uncleanness), she was considered “unclean.” Touching anyone, especially a teacher like Jesus, was a serious violation of the law. I imagine the people around may have gasped and been shocked when she reached out and touched Jesus. Were they thinking things like, “how dare this unclean woman touch a man like Jesus”? If in that moment they were considering their current law, Leviticus 5 and 15, is it possible they would have expected Jesus to become unclean by her touch and need a guilt offering? But something shocking happened instead.

"Immediately her bleeding stopped... Jesus realized that power had gone out from him."
— Mark 5:29–30 (NIV)

Jesus didn’t become unclean. She became clean. Instead of shame being passed on, healing was passed down. Very opposite of Levitical Law, isn’t it? He turned the law inside out…not dismissing it, but fulfilling it. How? Because HE was the OFFERING. (PS: Jesus definitely didn’t “fit” into the societal norms of His time!)

Also, Jesus didn’t step back in disgust when she touched him. Instead, he healed her AND gave her a new identity. No longer was she “the woman who bled”… to him she was “Daughter”. While everyone around her may have looked on with judgment or disgust, they would have witnessed Jesus fix his eyes on her, call her daughter and commend her for her faith!! Her story reminds us: Jesus isn’t afraid of our mess. He also isn’t changed by it! He draws near to restore us not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. (Put this story, one of my most favorites, in your back pocket because it will come up again in a few weeks!!!)

Whatever you’ve been known as, whatever has been said about you, whatever troubles you…Jesus takes it all away and DEFINES who you are…what you are. HIS DAUGHTER. HIS.

Leviticus 4 and 5 remind us that God takes sin seriously, even the kind we don’t see. But even more, they show a God who provides a way to come home again. Ah, RESTORATION.

In Jesus, the sin and guilt offerings find their fulfillment. He doesn’t just “fix our mess”, per se, but instead He becomes the way back. He speaks for us when we’re silent. He touches our hearts when we’re unclean. He restores what we could never repay.

Sin may miss the mark. But Jesus always hits the target of restoration. ALWAYS.

REFLECTION: Ask yourself…

When have I “missed the mark” unintentionally and how have I experienced God’s gentle restoration afterward?
Consider a moment you didn’t realize your actions (or inaction) had consequences until later. How did God meet you there?

What is my response to the idea that silence can be sin?
Are there areas in your life where God may be calling you to speak up for truth or justice?

Which image of Jesus from this week’s devotional stood out most to me?
Was it Him being sacrificed “outside the camp,” His cleansing power like in Mark 5, or something else entirely?

Do I believe restoration with God is accessible to me, no matter what I’ve done or where I come from?
If not, why? What truth can I cling to about His character in this season?

PRAYER: Father, I don’t always see where I fall short. Thank You for making a way through Jesus, even for the sins I don’t recognize. Search my heart, Lord, and show me where I’m missing the mark. Help me to walk in Your truth, with a tender conscience and a teachable spirit. Jesus, give me courage to speak when it’s easier to stay quiet. Thank You for taking on my guilt and shame so I could be clean. Help me believe that no part of my story is too messy for Your touch. Amen.

A song that has been in my mind, thought I’d share! Listen here.