THE TRESPASS OFFERING AND THE STATUTES OF THE SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS (Part 1) In this chapter, the divine inspiration presents to us the second kind of the trespass offering; namely, the sacrifice, together with which one is committed to give a restitution to his brethren on whom he has caused a material harm (1 – 7). And it presents, as well, some aspects of the rites of the sacrifices and offerings, that are of more interest to the priests, rather than to the common people: 1- The second kind of the trespass offering 1 - 7 2- The statute of the burnt offering 8 - 13 3- The statute of the grain offering 14 - 23 4- The statute of the sin offering 24 – 30 1- THE SECOND KIND OF THE TRESPASS OFFERING” After talking about the trespass offering that concerns him who betrayed the sanctities of the Lord; he comes now to talk about the trespass offering that concerns him “who lied to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping; or about a pledge or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor. Or who has found what was lost, and lies concerning it and swears falsely (3), by which he robs his neighbor of his right” (1). What was delivered by someone to another for safekeeping, he keeps only for a certain time, after which he has to give it back. The pledge, the betrayal, or the extortion from a neighbor, they are of a broader meaning, entailing for example the commitment to take care of the affairs of someone else, like a guardian over achild underage, sick, or incompetent to act by himself by a court’s order; which has to be done by complete honesty and faithfulness. The third is when someone happens to find what was lost, picks it up, hides it, lies and falsely swears concerning it; instead of returning it to its lawful possessor. Commenting on such betrayals as something unbefitting of believers to think of, let alone to do, the scholar Origen says: [He who does such things would fall under the judgment for a major sin, which, I believe is far from the mind of a true believer, who “has not so learned Christ” (Ephesians 4: 20)… “Knowing (according to the apostle), that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane; … and for any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1: 19, 20); I pray to God to keep His church from being treaded upon by such sins, but to let it be well instructed, and holy by the Spirit. Now, if this commandment, in its literal meaning, should not even come on the mind of the true believer, to betray his neighbor in things concerning safekeeping, a pledge, robbery, exhortation, or lying and swearing falsely concerning something he found, hid, and did not return to its lawful possessor; … What do these things mean according to the spiritual concept? a- The first thing given to man for safekeeping, is his ‘spirit’, which is created according to God’s image and likeness, delivered by God, to him to deliver back as it is without any distortion. As according to the scholar Origen: [You are committed to deliver it sound, perfect, and in the same condition you have got it: …. “To be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6: 36); “To be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5: 48); and so on, in all other things. If you are godly saint, righteous, and pure in heart, things that are in God by nature, you have to follow lead, in order to deliver the holy spirit given to you for safekeeping, sound and perfect. Otherwise, if you walk in life contrary to this: If you are cruel, instead of being merciful; wicked instead of being godly; violent instead of being compassionate; if you sow dissension instead of peace; if you rob instead of generously giving; … You would then be rejecting the image of God, to take upon yourself that of the devil; … You would be denying the good thing God has given you for safekeeping; that which the apostle Paul has given to his disciple, saying: “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust” (1 Timothy 6: 20). The Lord Christ, seeking from you to guard what was committed to your trust, says: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22: 21); And according to St. Augustine: [The way Caesar seeks his image on the coin, So God seeks His image in us}. b- What was committed to our trust from the church is the ‘tradition’, which, in essence is the true faith in the Holy Trinity, practically translated through worshipping and walking in Jesus Christ; which we are committed to deliver faithfully to the next generation, not only through writing and preaching, but through our whole life of worship, and our daily behavior at home, at work, and in the street… to deliver it as a living tradition without any deviation. According to St. Gregory, bishop of Nyssa: [As a proof of our worship, it is enough to deliver that tradition which came to us from the fathers; being the inheritance consequently got from the apostles, through the saints who followed them; a tradition which includes our faith in the salvation, the work of the Holy Trinity in us, our enjoyment of the Holy Book with its two testaments, our practice of worship, and our behavior by the Spirit, etc. c- According to the scholar Origen, Not betraying what was committed to our trust, implies keeping the life of fellowship with God in His Son Jesus Christ, and our fellowship with the saints and the heavenly creatures in the Lord without deviation; saying: [Let us see now what we should understand by the word “fellowship”. Do you think there is any need to warn against betraying a partner in money or other business? How miserable will be, he who does such a thing! … Yet for such weakness, the apostle warned, “No one should take advantage and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such” (1 Thessalonians 4: 6). … Now let us see what the fellowship means on the spiritual aspect, according to the words of the apostle: “If there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy…” (Philippians 2: 1, 2). See how the apostle understood the law of “fellowship”? … Listen also to St. John proclaiming with the same spirit: “… Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1: 3); and to St. Peter, saying: “Through these you may be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1: 2), meaning to have fellowship with Him. The apostle Paul says: “What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6: 14). If, therefore, there is no communion between light and darkness, and we came to have fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, We, therefore are committed to watch, lest we would deny this holy divine fellowship; For if we do “the works of darkness” (Romans 13: 12), we would surely be denying the fellowship with the Light). Our faithfulness in the fellowship, or in what was committed to our trust by God, commits us to walk in the light, and to reject the works of darkness; For by that, we would enjoy the fellowship, by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Grantor of fellowship with God in our Lord Jesus Christ. Such fellowship binds us to a fellowship with the saints as fellow children of light with us, and also with the heavenly creatures. As according to the scholar Origen: [If we actually are in a fellowship with the Father and the Son, how could we not be in a fellowship with the saints, not only those on earth, but those in heaven as well?! For Christ, by His blood, “has reconciled all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven” (Colossians 1: 20), to unify heaven with earth. He made such a fellowship clear by saying that “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15: 7); and when He said, promising us the kingdom of heaven: “In the resurrection, they are like angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22: 30). Such a fellowship we would deny, if we separate ourselves from the heavenlies, by our wicked works and our evil feelings. d- As to robbing the others, according to the scholar Origen: [There are ‘good thieves’, as well as ‘evil thieves’. The ‘good thieves’ are like those about whom the Savior said: “Those who take the kingdom of heaven by force” (Matthew 11: 12); And ‘the evil thieves’ are those about whom the prophet says: “The plunder of the poor is in their houses” (Isaiah 3: 14); And whom the apostle Paul mean by his firm proclamation, saying: “Do not be deceived; Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves; … will inherit the kingdom of God” ( 1 Corinthians 6: 9, 10). Robbery in the spiritual concept, is when man hides himself among the saints, robbing their spiritual views and their divine understanding, yet without renewing his own life; to be counted like someone who robs new wine and put it into old wineskins; by which the wineskin breaks, and the wine is spilled” (see Mathew 9: 17). e- As to those who happen to find what was lost, hides it, lies and swears falsely concerning it, and refrains from returning it to its lawful possessor (3); That may refer to the heretics who take by force the souls of the simple, rob the church, and even rob God Himself of His children. Those, in case they return from their vain heretic views, they are also committed to return the souls that went astray, and forsook the true faith because of them. Getting back to the sacrifice to be offered by those who committed one of the mentioned sins, we notice the following: a- The Lord, being the Lover of mankind, and cares for their salvation, counts any oppression, betrayal, denial, or robbery, commited against our brethren, as though committed personally against Him. He also counts any love, and compassion, given to them, as though given personally to Him. For, on the last day, He will say: “Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25: 40). And according to St. Jerome: [Every time you stretch your hand to give, remember Christ]. b- The sinner is required “to restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has deceitfully obtained, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing he has found” (4). Although by the sacrifice, the sin could be forgiven, yet it could not work in a heart holding fast to evil; restoration of what was stolen to whomever it belongs, is an appropriate proclamation of repentance, and of receiving the work of salvation of God in a practical way. It is to be noticed that the law sought from the prophet Moses to evaluate the loss or the harm, Yet, not by the shekel of the sanctuary (5: 150, as it is the case with the sin directed toward the sanctuaries. c- He shall restore its full value, “add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs” (5), to represent a restitution for the harm done by the loss; On another aspect, it would be a kind of chastisement against the sinner, so as not to repeat what he has done.. On a third aspect, this one-fifth given to the one harmed, is counted as though given to God … d- “He shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock” (6) … for there is no purification from iniquity without the shedding of the Lamb of God; even with the restoration of double what was taken. According to the scholar Origen, the sinner purchases the bull or the lamb from the sellers; namely, from the prophets and apostles who brought forth the word of prophecy and preaching, for us to acquire by faith the precious blood of the Lord Christ, the Forgiver of sins; Those who exhort us to repent our sins, and to return to God, through receiving faith in the Savior of the world. 2- THE STATUTE OF THE BURNT OFFERING: In the previous chapters, the words of the Lord to the prophet Moses were: “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them…”; but here, “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Command Aaron and his sons, saying:…” (8, 24). That led some scholar to believe that this part and the one following in chapters 6 and 7, are addressed to the priests and not to the people. Now, presenting to the priests the statute of the burnt offering, He concentrated on the following important points: a- “The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it” (9). What is this burnt offering that is to be put on the hearth on the altar, all night long until the morning, but our life we present by the fire of the Holy Spirit, a burnt offering of love all along the night of this world, with no lukewarm heart, nor slothful spirit, until the morning of eternity shines with no darkness, when we encounter the Sun of Righteousness, face to face. Speaking about this sacrifice which we unceasingly offer on the fire -- being priests of God by the general spiritual concept, which we get through the sacrament of baptism – the scholar Origen says:: [You have to have an unceasing fire on the altar. If you intend to be a priest of God, according to what is written: “You shall be named the priests of God” (Isaiah 61: 6); and “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2: 9); … If you intend to practice your priesthood, do not ever forsake the fire of your altar, according to the command of the Lord in the gospel, saying: “Let your waist be girded, and your lamps burning” (Luke 12: 35); Let the fire of your faith, and the lamp of your knowledge be unceasingly lighted]. b- “And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body, and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar” (10). According to human reason, taking up the ashes would require putting old garments on; bur according to the spiritual concept, taking up the ashes is actually an integral part of a holy task that touches the holiness of man through his reconciliation with the Holy God. If the animal sacrifices leave behind them ashes for the priest to take up with awe and holiness to put beside the altar, then carry away to outside; the Lord Christ was risen from the dead, granting us His Holy non-corrupt body as the secret of life; to carry us forth from our own ashes to eternity. The Lord Christ, Himself, is the sacrifice, and the Grantor of life, to us -- ashes and dust. c- Being committed to carry the ashes to outside the camp, the priest have to take off the garments of ministry, put on other ones instead; then cast the ashes away in a clean holy place (4: 12), surrounded by a fence, to keep away any trespassers, and to protect the ashes against being blown away by the wind…. How amazing! Even the ashes of the sacrifice are holy, and should not be touched! … It is a portrait sanctifying everything that has to do with the true Sacrifice, like the tomb of the Lord Christ, where the Grantor of life was laid; about which was written: “His resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11: 10). When we carry the sacrifice in us, we, the dust, become holy … our souls, spirits, and bodies would be sanctified! We would become like the tomb of the Lord Christ, that was blessed by being laid in it. d- “A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar, it shall never go out” (13). The priests are committed to keep the fire burning on the altar day and night. The fire which came from God after Aaron and his sons were anointed (9: 24) was kept burning by the Jews, and were put on three places on the altar of the burnt offering. According to the second book of the Maccabians, when the Jews were captivated to Babylon, they hid the holy fire in a well without water; and when Nehemiah and his companions were sent back to Jerusalem by the king of Persia, they did not find the fire in the well, but found water instead. They put the wood on the altar, laid the sacrifices, and poured water from the well over it, And once the sun appeared covered with cloud, a great fire ignited over the altar, and everyone glorified God. When the king of Persia knew about it, he gave a command to set a fence around the well, counting it as a holy place. 3- THE STATUTE OF THE GRAIN OFFERING: In the second chapter, God addressed His talk concerning the grain offering, to all the children of Israel through the prophet Moses, which we have already discussed in detail. Here, we shall concentrate on the role of the priest on several aspects: a- “He shall take from it his handful of the fine flour of the grain offering, with its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the grain offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma, as a memorial to the Lord” (15). In our previous study of certain books of the Old Testament, we saw that ‘the arm and the hand’ refer to (the incarnate Word of God), who came to consummate the salvation, as though by His hand ; and that ‘the finger of God’ refers to (His Holy Spirit). The hand of the priest, while holding the flour and the oil, probably refers to the Lord Christ, who held our nature in His hand, to make us in Him, an offering of love to God. We said, as well, that ‘the oil’ refers to (the Holy Spirit), by which the incarnation of the Word has been realized in the Virgin’s womb; the same Spirit granted to us for the sake of our sanctification, to be counted as an offering to please God. b- “And the remainder of flour and oil, Aaron and his sons shall eat, with unleavened bread, it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting they shall eat it; … All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat it; … Everyone who touches it shall be holy” (16, 18). Referring to our enjoyment of the unity with the Lord Christ through His given body, it should be eaten, not by the spoiled, feminine-like men, nor by those spiritually under-developed. It is to be enjoyed only by the spiritual who walk like men of God, in maturity and seriousness. Commenting on this phrase, the scholar Origen says: [Christ, our Passover (1 Corinthians 5: 7) is the only perfect sacrifice, according to whose image all the other sacrifices were offered. Whoever touches the body of Christ will be sanctified, will be healed of his infirmities; as it happened to the woman with the flow of blood, who, perceiving the holiness of the body of Christ, she approached and touched it]. St. John Chrysostom, perceiving the activity of this holy sacrifice, called it: “the sacrament of the Eucharist”, “a divine sacrament”, “an awesome divine banquet”, and “an unutterable sacrament”. Eating it in a holy place, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting, refers to our enjoyment of the heavenly life through this sacrifice, as expressed by St. John Chrysostom, saying: [It is as though man is taken up to heaven itself, where he stands beside the throne of glory, flies together with the seraphim, and sings the holy praise]. It is amazing to know that the priest, while enjoying a portion of this offering, of the flour and oil, he is committed on his part, to offer to the Lord, a morning offering and an evening one. According to Josephus, the Jewish Historian, and most of the Jewish scholars, the high priest, on account of his high position, used to offer it on a daily basis, whereas the regular priest offers it only once, on the day he is anointed]. The wisdom behind this offering by the priests, is to let them, on one aspect, perceive that, although they, in the name of the Lord, enjoy several portions of the people’s offering, yet, being themselves an integral part of the people, they are committed, as well, to offer offerings. And on another aspect, the priest, while receiving, is committed to give … to give his heart, as well as his effort, and what his hand possesses, to God, and to his spiritual children; as said by the prophet Paul about himself: “I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (2 Corinthians 12: 15).. What is the morning offering that the priest is committed to offer, but the law of the Lord, received by the church of the old covenant, as though in the morning of the spiritual life, offered on the fire of the Holy Spirit, who takes the letter away, and emits the sweet fragrance of the Spirit. The evening offering, on the other hand, is the offering of the gospel by the Lord Christ, who delivered His life as a ransom on behalf of mankind in the fullness of time, as though at the evening of our life on earth. On the same altar, therefore, we receive the law, spiritually melded to the preaching of the gospel. As confirmed by the law, the offering of the priest has to be completely burned, and not to be eaten (23); for it is befitting of him to deliver his whole life a burnt offering to the Lord. … Even while delivering his whole life to others, he is delivering it to God alone. 4- THE STATUTE OF THE SIN OFFERING: The most prominent points of the sin offering are: a- “It is most holy” (25), “The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting” (26); “Everyone who touches it must be holy” (27). Namely it is to be eaten only by him who is ready; And on another aspect, he who touches it is counted as the Lord’s possession. b- The most important thing in this offering is the holiness of the blood. “When its blood is sprinkled on any garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled, in a holy place. But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. And if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water” (28); on account of that the bronze does not absorb the blood. According to St. John Chrysostom: [This blood makes the image of our King apparent on us; brings forth on us an unutterable beauty; and does not allow our exaltation to be taken away, but waters it and makes it more pronounced. … This blood, if taken with worthiness, would drive demons away from us, and invite angels. … Once the blood of the Lord appears, the demons escape, and the angels gather up. … This shed blood purifies the whole world. … This blood will show up the secret and the most holy place …This blood sanctifies the golden altar . This blood sanctifies the priests…. This blood is the salvation of our souls … By it the soul is cleansed, beautified, and kindled; … By it our understanding is kindled like fire; and our souls glitter more than gold].
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