Leviticus 4 Summary: A Short Breakdown in 5 Minutes

Leviticus 4 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Leviticus picks up where Exodus left off. The children of Israel are on their way through the wilderness to the Canaan land.

• According to Leviticus 8, the Tabernacle had already been erected, which would place the year at approximately 1490 B.C. (one year after the Israelites left Egypt).

DEFINITIONS:

• Cattle Designations – A bull is a male which can be used for breeding. A steer (commonly called an ox) is a castrated male. A cow is a female. A calf is a young animal either male or female.

  Long Lobe of the Liver – The liver in humans and animals is made up of lobes. For example, a cow's liver has 4 lobes (right, left, caudate, and quadrate). The number of lobes depends on the animal.

TABERNACLE DIAGRAM

OUTLINE:

• SIN OFFERING FOR THE ANOINTED PRIESTS (4:1-12):

  • If one of the anointed priests sinned, he was to bring a bull without blemish as an offering to the Tabernacle.

  • He was to lay his hand on the bull’s head and kill it.

  • The priest was to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it 7 times in front of the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

  • Some of the blood was to be placed on the horns of the altar of incense.

  • The rest of the blood was to be poured out at the base of the bronze altar.

  • All the bull’s fat was to be removed, “the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails and the two kidneys with the fat this on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver.”

  • The fat and the removed portions were to be burned on the altar, but the rest of the animal was to be taken outside of the camp of Israel and burned.

• SIN OFFERING FOR THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL (4:13-21):

  • If the whole nation of Israel sinned and later realized their guilt, they were to bring a bull to the entrance of the Tabernacle.

  • The elders of Israel were to place their hands on the bull’s head before killing it.

  • The bull and its blood were then sacrificed in the same way prescribed for the sin offering of an anointed priest (verses 5-12).

• SIN OFFERINGS FOR THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL (4:22-26):

  • If a leader of the Israelites sinned, he was to bring a male goat without blemish to the Tabernacle.

  • He was to place his hand on the head of the goat before killing it.

  • The priest was to dip his finger in some of the goat’s blood and put it on the horns of the bronze altar.

  • The remaining blood was to be poured out at the base of the altar.

  • The goat’s fat was to be sacrificed in the same way prescribed for peace offerings (Leviticus 3).

• SIN OFFERINGS FOR THE COMMON PEOPLE (4:27-35):

  • If an Israelite citizen sinned, he was to bring either a female goat or a female lamb without blemish to be sacrificed.

  • He was to place his hand on the animals head before killing it.

  • The priests were then to take some of the animal’s blood on their finger and put it on the horns of the bronze altar.

  • The rest of the blood was to be poured out at the base of the altar.

  • The animal’s fat was to be sacrificed in the same way prescribed for peace offerings (Leviticus 3).

APPLICATION:

• Jesus’ cousin John (the Baptist) introduced Him as the “Lamb of God.”

• John 1:29 - The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

• Jesus was the Lamb of God, in part, because He was the sacrifice for the sins of the world.

• Jesus sacrificed His own life on the cross so we could be forgiven of sins.

• Jesus sacrifice was so powerful it only needed to be done once.

• If you’ve ever wondered why modern Christians don’t offer animal sacrifices, this is the reason.