Leviticus 6

Today’s Passage: Leviticus 6

The last chapter closed on the guilt offering for holy things. This chapter opens on a neighbor — a deposit lied about, a thing stolen, extortion, lost property hidden under a false oath. That is unfaithfulness against the LORD. The person returns what he took, adds a fifth, pays the owner the day he acknowledges it, and then brings a ram. After that the LORD turns to Aaron’s sons and the daily work of the altar. And twice He says the fire must not go out. Wrongs against a neighbor are wrongs against the LORD, and the fire must not go out.

As you read, hold this: Wrongs against a neighbor are wrongs against the LORD, and the fire must not go out.

Leviticus 6:1–7 (BSB)

¹ And the LORD said to Moses, ² “If someone sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard to a deposit or security entrusted to him or stolen, or if he extorts his neighbor ³ or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit—

⁴ once he has sinned and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost property he found, ⁵ or anything else about which he has sworn falsely. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value, and pay it to the owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt. ⁶ Then he must bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock. ⁷ In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”

He deceives his neighbor about a deposit, or he steals, or he extorts, or he finds what was lost and lies and swears it is not so. That is not a private quarrel. He has acted unfaithfully against the LORD. Once he becomes guilty, he returns the thing, adds a fifth, and pays the owner that same day. Then he brings an unblemished ram to the priest. Atonement before the LORD, and he will be forgiven. You cannot keep the stolen thing and call the ram enough. You cannot skip the ram and call the payback enough. The neighbor was wronged. The LORD was wronged. God named both parts of the way.

Leviticus 6:8–13 (BSB)

⁸ Then the LORD said to Moses, ⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. ¹⁰ And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it. ¹¹ Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place.

¹² The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. ¹³ The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.

Now the priests are commanded. The burnt offering remains on the hearth all night, until morning. The fire must be kept burning. In linen the priest takes the ashes off and sets them beside the altar. Then he changes clothes and carries them outside the camp to a clean place. Every morning he adds wood, arranges the burnt offering, and burns the fat of the peace offerings on it. Then the line comes again: the fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually (תָּמִיד) tāmîd, pronounced tah-MEED. Strong's H8548, continually, perpetually, without interruption. What does not quit. Morning wood. Night hearth. The fire is not a mood the priest lights when he feels ready. It is kept. It must not be extinguished. ; it must not be extinguished. The same LORD who will not let a stolen thing stay stolen will not let the altar go cold.

Leviticus 6:14–23 (BSB)

¹⁴ Now this is the law of the grain offering: Aaron’s sons shall present it before the LORD in front of the altar. ¹⁵ The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil, together with all the frankincense from the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons are to eat the remainder. It must be eaten without leaven in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁷ It must not be baked with leaven; I have assigned it as their portion of My offerings made by fire. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. ¹⁸ Any male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. This is a permanent portion from the offerings made by fire to the LORD for the generations to come. Anything that touches them will become holy.”

¹⁹ Then the LORD said to Moses, ²⁰ “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a grain offering broken in pieces, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

²² The priest, who is one of Aaron’s sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. As a permanent portion for the LORD, it must be burned completely. ²³ Every grain offering for a priest shall be burned completely; it is not to be eaten.”

The grain offering is presented in front of the altar. A handful of flour and oil, with all the frankincense, goes up as a pleasing aroma. Aaron and his sons eat the rest, unleavened, in the courtyard. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. On the day a priest is anointed he brings his own regular grain, half in the morning and half in the evening, broken in pieces on a griddle. That one is burned completely. They feed on the people’s holy portion. They do not feed on their own.

Leviticus 6:24–30 (BSB)

²⁴ And the LORD said to Moses, ²⁵ “Tell Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the LORD; it is most holy. ²⁶ The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.

²⁷ Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place. ²⁸ The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy. ³⁰ But no sin offering may be eaten if its blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it must be burned.

The sin offering is slaughtered where the burnt offering is slaughtered. It is most holy. The priest who offers it eats it in the courtyard. Blood on a garment is washed in a holy place. A clay pot is broken; a bronze pot is scoured and rinsed. Any male among the priests may eat it — unless the blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place. Then no one eats it. It must be burned. That is the priest’s bull and the assembly’s bull from the last chapter, still handled the way God named. The fire on the altar is still burning while they do it.