“The sin offering”
Unto the LORD for a sin offering. —Leviticus 4:3
Read Leviticus 4:1-21
Chapter 4 of Leviticus deals with sin offerings. These were to be brought when a person sinned thoughtlessly or was overcome by sin. It is important to notice the divisions of this chapter: Verses 3-12 deal with the High Priest’s sin and the offering for it, and verses 13-21 deal with the sins of which the whole nation was guilty.
From verse 3 forward we read what the law commanded when an anointed priest sinned. This law refers to the High Priest, for he was the only one who was anointed, and even he was guilty of sin.
The High Priest was the most important representative of the people who appeared before God’s face. So when he sinned, he had to bring a most significant offering. When Christ came down from heaven as the sinless One, He came as the final High Priest to bring a sin offering that would never have to be repeated. How deeply Christ humiliated Himself! He gave Himself as a sin offering. The central idea concerning the sin offering was not the offering itself, but the blood that was spilled. For without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
What does the shedding of blood point to?