Leviticus 4:27-31
Lev 4:27 “If any one soul of the people in the land makes a mistake inadvertently in doing any one of the things that by Yahveh’s commandments ought not to be done, and realises his offence,
Lev 4:28 or the mistake which he has made is made known to him, he will bring for his offering a goat, a perfect female, for his mistake which he has made.
Lev 4:29 And he will lay his hand on the head of the mistake offering and kill the mistake offering in the place of the ascending offering.
Lev 4:30 And the priest will take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of ascending offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
Lev 4:31 And all its fat he will remove, as the fat is removed from the sacrifice for healthy relationships, and the priest will burn it on the altar for a soothing aroma to Yahveh. And the priest will provide reconciliation for him, and he will be forgiven.
when I fail myself
The prescriptions have been given for a mistake offering applied to the entire nation (4:13-21), and for a leader within the community (4:22-26). Now, the prescription is given for when an individual makes a mistake. One of the principle differences in this prescription is that the animal sacrificed must be female. This detail probably draws attention to and reflects the fact that the first individual among humans to make a mistake was our mother, Eve. When we remember that fact, we should also remember that her sin was only the beginning of a long history of failures and consequences. The LORD offers forgiveness for my failure, but it does not come cheap. The penalty for all our sin was ultimately paid by Christ on the cross: his life.
LORD, thank you for a way of escape from the consequences of our personal failures.
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