Leviticus 5:7 - Meaning and Application

Provision is made here for poor people among God’s people, and for easing their guilty consciences. Those who could not bring a lamb could bring two turtle-doves or two young pigeons for a sin offering. If someone was so poor that even these were too costly to offer as often as needed, he could bring a measure of fine flour, and that would be accepted.

This shows that the cost of the sin offering was set lower than that of any other offering. God wanted to teach that poverty would never keep a person from forgiveness. The poorest person could still have atonement, if the lack was not his own fault. In this way, the poor are given the good news too, and no one can say he had no means to travel toward heaven.

If the sinner brought two doves, one was to be offered as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering (Leviticus 5:7). The sin offering came first, before the burnt offering, which was for God’s honor and praise. A person had to make peace with God before expecting his other acts of service to be accepted. The sin offering had to open the way for the burnt offering.

After the sin offering had made atonement, the burnt offering followed as a sign of thankfulness for God’s great mercy in appointing and accepting that atonement.

If the person brought fine flour, only a handful was offered, and it was to be without oil or frankincense (Leviticus 5:11). This was partly so the offering would not be too costly for the poor, since this sacrifice was meant for their comfort. It was also because this was a sin offering. To show how hateful the sin was, the offering was not to be made pleasant to the taste with oil or to the smell with frankincense.

The plainness of the offering was meant to show that the sinner should never go back to enjoying his sin as before. Through these sacrifices, God was speaking in two ways. He gave comfort to those who had done wrong, so they would not fall into despair or waste away under their guilt. Since peace was made for them with God, they could have peace in him. He also gave a warning not to sin again, because making atonement was a costly and troublesome matter.