Sunday Sermonette: Drowning in blood

Leviticus 4 continues with the instructions for animal sacrifice. In this case the cause for the sacrifice is reasonably well specified, although it seems a bit odd. It ' s how people are to expiate sins they didn ' t realize they were committing. The text is silent as to how this might come about, or how the transgression might be recognized. Oddly, however, as we shall see the next chapter does specify some possibilities, but applies a slightly different penalty, at least for common people. As always, the strong inference is that this is a compilation of various source materials, that aren ' t always entirely consistent.4 TheLord said to Moses,2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of theLord’s commands—3 “‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to theLord a young bull without defect as a sin offering[a] for the sin he has committed.4 He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before theLord. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before theLord.5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull ’s blood and carry it into the tent of meeting.6 He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before theLord, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.7 The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before theLord in the te...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs