Sometimes we sin without recognizing right away what we have done. Then, after some period of time, we become aware of how we have gone wrong. What do we do about that? God gave Moses instructions regarding what to do when that happens (Leviticus 4:1)

There are prescribed sacrifices for inadvertent sins of the community as a whole (4:13), and for individuals (4:27, 5:7); but there is a special section for the religious leader, for the anointed priest who sins, “thus making the people guilty” (4:3). When religious leaders get it right, they can be a blessing for the whole community; but their influence extends to others just as much when they get it wrong, affecting the souls of many, not just themselves.

For many of the sacrifices brought by others, there is a portion that is burned as an offering and a portion of the meat that is given to feed the priest and his family (10:12-15); but when the priest is making an offering for his own sin, he and his family do not receive any part for this offering. The blood is sprinkled at the altar (4:5), the fat is burned on the altar (4:8-10), and then all the rest of the animal, including all the meat, is carried outside the camp and burned there (4:11-12). Priests are not to profit by their inadvertent sin, not even to the extent of getting a meal for their family.

We should note as well that the purpose of the offerings in Leviticus is always restoration. When you bring your offering to the sanctuary, “the priest shall make atonement on your behalf before the Lord, and you shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and incur guilt thereby” (6:7). The context of this verse addresses all kinds of financial sin: robbery, scam, or bank fraud (6:4), or finding lost property and lying about it (6:3). Both the mugger and the hedge fund manager can be forgiven. And everyone else as well? It is a breathtakingly large promise: we “shall be forgiven for any of the things” that make us guilty before our Lord.

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Help us, Lord! We work so hard to convince ourselves that we don’t have any guilt: but you are the one who asks us to acknowledge our guilt and find forgiveness. Change our hearts, we pray, and grant us your grace, that we may recognize our folly, and turn to you for restoration.