Restful Sabbath
It was a relaxing day, especially after a busy prep day. We read from Leviticus today, all about sacrifices, and discussed what a "sin offering" is in relation to the sacrifice of Yeshua and how it relates to us in our daily lives.
We found this passage interesting:
If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering. Leviticus 5:15
Many people (ourselves included) have trespassed and sinned in ignorance or misunderstanding of the Holy things, yet Yah has offered us a way of covering unintentional errors, through our advocate the Messiah Yeshua. He is the way, the truth and the life, and he offered an eternal sacrifice for all sins of ignorance. More than that, unlike the blood of bulls and goats, he takes away the sins of the world and disciples us so we will no longer be ignorant of the Holy things.
Storytime
The words that caught my attention in the scripture above are "trespass" and "ignorance".
It's like a person lost in the woods looking for a place to camp and wanders into someone's yard. They set up their campsite (in ignorance) on property that is not his, which is trespassing. The owner of the property has every right to be unhappy with this situation, especially if the trespasser is a unknown to them and does not have permission to camp there. Once the person realizes his trespass, and wants to make things right, the owner of the property is not greedy or vindictive if they require compensation for their trouble. If the trespasser's heart is right, they will apologize and make things right as a show of sincere regret.
If you were the property owner, how would you feel after you learn that discovered that not only did this person trespass in ignorance ("I thought it was a public park") but also was cheerfully willing to compensate the property owner with a $50 gift card to a restaurant and gave them a large silver coin for their trouble - not as a bribe, but as a way to display sincere regret and desire to make things right.
If I were that property owner, I would be making suggestions for the best place to camp on my property, or even better, I'd say "Come inside, I have an extra room, are you hungry?"
This is a little glimpse into the favor that the Most High wants to show those who are sincerely sorry for errors done in ignorance - if only we would soften our hearts in repentance, instead of insisting "I did nothing wrong!"
It's not like that stranger EARNED favor from the property owner, he didn't BRIBE him, the transgressor displayed his heart and it was recognized by the property owner and forgiven.
Likewise, we don't EARN favor from the Most High through sacrifices and charity, but it displays our hearts, that we sincerely want to please Him and are grateful for all that He has already done for us.
Especially when we do things we shouldn't in complete ignorance!
Bless the Most High!
