Purification Offering Completed [Leviticus 4]

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  ²"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, ³if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. ⁴'He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the LORD. ⁵'Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, ⁶and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. ⁷'The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ⁸'He shall remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails, ⁹and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys ¹⁰(just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings), and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹'But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse, ¹²that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned. 

This offering has been traditionally translated to be the sin offering but the terminology has shifted to "purification offering" because of the way it it used in Scripture.  This is the offering that a person, leader, congregation and even the common person was called to bring if they unintentionally became "unclean."  It is different than the burnt offering in that only the fat of the animal was burned on the altar and the rest of the animal was burned outside the camp.  The other part was the sprinkling of blood, "seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 'The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting." This was important so they could be in the presence of the holy God.

In the New Testament we again see how Christ fulfilled this purification offering.  Hebrews 1:3 reminds us "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." In 2 Peter 1:9 we are reminded about how important understand this purification is in living out God's righteousness. "For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins."

Father, we praise You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, that purified us and cleansed us from all unrighteousness.  Thank You that it has already been accomplished and now He is sitting at "down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."  By Your power cause us to to not be blind by forgetting this amazing purification that has been given to us.