Leviticus 4:27-35: a reflection

27“‘If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, 28if his sin which he has sinned is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has sinned. 29He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. 30The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. 32“‘If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without defect. 33He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35He shall remove all its fat, like the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of the LORD made by fire. The priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.

Just after the law for when a leader sins comes this: if anyone of the common people sins. The ordinary person, the one with no title or standing, is addressed directly and given the same provision. Bring your offering, lay your hand on its head, and atonement will be made for you, and you shall be forgiven. The refrain is the same one given to the ruler: he shall be forgiven.

Notice that there is no hierarchy at the altar. The leader in the previous verses and the common person here go through the same steps and receive the same promise. Forgiveness is not a privilege reserved for the important; it is not that important people get a better deal with God. The same door of atonement stands open to the ordinary person, with the same result: forgiven.

That is a quiet but important comfort. You do not need status, position, or importance to be forgiven by God. If you have ever felt too ordinary, too unremarkable, too insignificant to matter much to God, this plain law says otherwise. The common person is named, addressed, and given the very same access to cleansing as anyone else. In Christ, the door is open to you exactly as you are. Bring your sin, and receive the same promise: you shall be forgiven.

Lord, there is no hierarchy at your altar. Thank you that forgiveness is not reserved for the important, and that the same door of atonement in Christ stands open to me, ordinary as I am. I bring you my sin and receive your promise: forgiven.