◄ Leviticus 5:12 ►
He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful from it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar atop the offerings made by fire to the LORD; it is a sin offering.
Study Bible
He is to bring it to the priest
In the Levitical system, the priest acted as a mediator between the people and God. This requirement underscores the necessity of approaching God through His appointed means. The priesthood, established through Aaron and his descendants, was integral to maintaining the covenant relationship. This foreshadows the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, who mediates the new covenant (Hebrews 4:14-16).

who shall take a handful from it as a memorial portion
The memorial portion signifies a representative part of the whole offering, symbolizing the entire sacrifice being presented to God. This act of taking a portion is reminiscent of the grain offerings, where a portion was burned, and the rest was consumed by the priests (Leviticus 2:2). It highlights the importance of remembrance in worship, pointing to the need for continual acknowledgment of sin and reliance on God's provision.

and burn it on the altar
Burning on the altar signifies the complete dedication of the offering to God. The altar, central to the tabernacle and later the temple, was the place where sacrifices were made, symbolizing atonement and reconciliation with God. This act of burning represents purification and the transformation of the offering into a pleasing aroma to the Lord (Leviticus 1:9).

atop the food offerings to the LORD
The placement atop the food offerings indicates the sin offering's connection to other sacrifices, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of worship and atonement. The food offerings, often associated with thanksgiving and fellowship, remind the worshiper of the need for a holistic approach to God, combining repentance with gratitude and communion.

it is a sin offering
The sin offering was specifically for unintentional sins or acts of impurity, highlighting the pervasive nature of sin and the need for atonement. This offering points to the seriousness with which God views sin and the necessity of a sacrificial system to maintain holiness. Ultimately, it prefigures Christ's sacrifice, the perfect sin offering, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Offerer
The individual bringing the offering, acknowledging their sin and seeking atonement.

2. The Priest
The mediator who performs the ritual, symbolizing the intercession between God and man.

3. The Altar
The sacred place where offerings are made, representing God's presence and the place of atonement.

4. The Memorial Portion
A part of the offering that is burned, symbolizing the remembrance of the covenant and the seriousness of sin.

5. The LORD
The covenant God of Israel, who provides the means for atonement and forgiveness.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Sin
Sin requires atonement, and God provides a way through the sacrificial system.

The Role of the Priest
The priest acts as a mediator, pointing to the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us.

The Importance of Remembrance
The memorial portion serves as a reminder of God's covenant and the need for continual repentance.

God's Provision for Forgiveness
God, in His mercy, provides a means for forgiveness, demonstrating His desire for reconciliation with His people.

The Symbolism of the Altar
The altar represents God's presence and the place where sin is dealt with, foreshadowing the cross of Christ.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of the priest in Leviticus 5:12 foreshadow the work of Jesus Christ as our High Priest?

2. In what ways does the concept of a "memorial portion" help us understand the importance of remembering God's covenant and our need for repentance?

3. How can we apply the principle of bringing our sins before God today, in light of 1 John 1:9?

4. What does the burning of the offering on the altar teach us about the seriousness with which God views sin?

5. How does the sacrificial system in Leviticus point us to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, and how should this impact our daily walk with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 4:35
This verse also discusses the sin offering, emphasizing the role of the priest and the altar in the atonement process.

Hebrews 9:22
This New Testament verse highlights the necessity of blood for the forgiveness of sins, connecting the Old Testament sacrificial system to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.

1 John 1:9
This verse speaks to the confession and forgiveness of sins, showing the continuity of God's provision for sin from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
Sermons
Cases of Concealment of Knowledge and Ceremonial UncleannessR.A. Redford Leviticus 5:1-13
Guilt RemovedS.R. Aldridge Leviticus 5:1-13
The Trespass OfferingJ.A. Macdonald Leviticus 5:1-13
Pardon Possible to AllW. Clarkson Leviticus 5:5-13
People
Ephah, Moses
Places
Teman
Topics
Altar, Bring, Burn, Burned, Fire, Fire-offerings, Fulness, Handful, Memorial, Memorial-part, Offer, Offering, Offerings, Perfume, Portion, Priest, Sign, Sin, Sin-offering, Smoke, Thereof
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 5:1-13

     7444   sin offering

Leviticus 5:11-13

     7394   memorial

Leviticus 5:12-13

     7422   ritual

Library
An Unalterable Law
EVERYWHERE under the old figurative dispensation, blood was sure to greet your eyes. It was the one most prominent thing under the Jewish economy, scarcely a ceremony was observed without it. You could not enter into any part of the tabernacle, but you saw traces of the blood-sprinkling. Sometimes there were bowls of blood cast at the foot of the altar. The place looked so like a shambles, that to visit it must have been far from attractive to the natural taste, and to delight in it, a man had need …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 60: 1914

List of Abbreviations Used in Reference to Rabbinic Writings Quoted in this Work.
THE Mishnah is always quoted according to Tractate, Chapter (Pereq) and Paragraph (Mishnah), the Chapter being marked in Roman, the paragraph in ordinary Numerals. Thus Ber. ii. 4 means the Mishnic Tractate Berakhoth, second Chapter, fourth Paragraph. The Jerusalem Talmud is distinguished by the abbreviation Jer. before the name of the Tractate. Thus, Jer. Ber. is the Jer. Gemara, or Talmud, of the Tractate Berakhoth. The edition, from which quotations are made, is that commonly used, Krotoschin, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Sanctification.
VI. Objections answered. I will consider those passages of scripture which are by some supposed to contradict the doctrine we have been considering. 1 Kings viii. 46: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near," etc. On this passage, I remark:-- 1. That this sentiment in nearly the same language, is repeated in 2 Chron. vi. 26, and in Eccl. …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Entire Sanctification
By Dr. Adam Clarke The word "sanctify" has two meanings. 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or pure. Many talk much, and indeed well, of what Christ has done for us: but how little is spoken of what he is to do in us! and yet all that he has done for us is in reference to what he is to do in us. He was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead; ascended to heaven, and there …
Adam Clarke—Entire Sanctification

Christ a Complete Saviour:
OR, THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST, AND WHO ARE PRIVILEGED IN IT. BY JOHN BUNYAN Advertisement by the Editor. However strange it may appear, it is a solemn fact, that the heart of man, unless prepared by a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, rejects Christ as a complete Saviour. The pride of human nature will not suffer it to fall, as helpless and utterly undone, into the arms of Divine mercy. Man prefers a partial Saviour; one who had done so much, that, with the sinner's aid, the work might be …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Second Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin.
(Palace of Caiaphas. Friday.) ^A Matt. XXVI. 57, 59-68; ^B Mark XIV. 53, 55-65; ^C Luke XXII. 54, 63-65; ^D John XVIII. 24. ^d 24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. [Foiled in his attempted examination of Jesus, Annas sends him to trial.] ^b and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. ^a 57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, ^c and brought him into the high priest's house. ^a where …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Earliest Christian Preaching
1. THUS far we have confined ourselves to the words of Jesus. The divine necessity of His death, indicated in the Old Testament and forming the basis of all His teaching regarding it, is the primary truth; the nature of that necessity begins to be revealed as the death is set in relation to the ransoming of many, and to the institution of a new covenant -- that is, a new religion, having as its fundamental blessing the forgiveness of sins. I do not think this view of our Lord's mind as to His own …
James Denney—The Death of Christ

Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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