赎罪祭
利未记四章1至7节
1耶和华对摩西说：
2你晓谕以色列人说：若有人在耶和华所吩咐不可行的甚么事上误犯了一件，
3或是受膏的祭司犯罪，使百姓陷在罪里，就当为他所犯的罪把没有残疾的公牛犊献给耶和华为赎罪祭。
4他要牵公牛到会幕门口，在耶和华面前按手在牛的头上，把牛宰于耶和华面前。
5受膏的祭司要取些公牛的血带到会幕，
6把指头蘸于血中，在耶和华面前对着圣所的幔子弹血七次，
7又要把些血抹在会幕内、耶和华面前香坛的四角上，再把公牛所有的血倒在会幕门口、燔祭坛的脚那里。
信息分享
第四章对赎罪祭作出了详尽的描述。燔祭、素祭和平安祭都是甘心乐意的奉献，但赎罪祭却是人犯了过错之后必须献上的祭。人若想蒙神的接纳，就必须献上赎罪祭来求神赦罪。
然而，人若没有一颗真正悔罪和相信神的心，即使献祭也不会蒙神的悦纳。我们在旧约经常看到神借着先知指斥百姓，单是献祭而没有悔罪之心，是毫无作用的。
我们在这章经文看到，祭司必须先为自己的罪献上赎罪祭。由此可见，神的仆人更必须严肃处理自己的罪，绝对不可掉以轻心。
第3节告诉我们：「受膏的祭司犯罪，使百姓陷在罪里」──这实在是基督教教会最大的悲哀：作领袖的人犯罪，致使信徒也同样在罪中，或是羞辱了教会及基督的圣名。这事再次提醒我们，我们没有一个人是单为自己而活；我们的所言所行，不论是好是坏，都会对别人带来正面或负面影响。
我们应该怎样处理罪呢？不是单说一句：「我会改过」，就可以解决。犯罪的祭司或个人，必须献上祭牲；他要按手在牠的头上，表示与牠认同，祭牲就是代表自己。这表示他在神面前承认自己的罪，并知道他需要无罪的祭物流出的血来替他赎罪，他才能够得蒙神的赦免。
犯罪的人将祭物带到会幕面前献祭，表示他愿意公开认罪和渴望得到神的赦免──这是罪人的唯一希望。祭牲不单要没有瑕疵，而且，牠被宰杀之后，更要把血倒在会幕门口。犯罪的人只要凭着信心作这一切，就必得着神的赦免。请留意第20、26和31节。
你可以把这些献祭的原则，用在基督和我们作罪人的身上吗？你知道我们今天如何才能得蒙神的赦罪吗？
THE SIN OFFERING
Leviticus 4:1-7
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them,
3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.
4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord.
5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting.
6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
Message
Now in chapter 4 the details of the sin offerings are set out. The first three offerings described in Leviticus were voluntary. The sin offerings had to be made. If a man wanted to be accepted before God, he had to show it.
It was no good bringing the offering if there was no repentance or faith. In the Old Testament God often spoke through the prophets about an outward form that had no inner meaning.
In this long chapter, a sinning priest comes before us first of all. Sin, especially that of a servant of God is never dealt with lightly or carelessly in the Bible.
In one translation (NASB) verse 3 reads 'If the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people ...'. This is one of the greatest tragedies in the Christian church-a leader who sins and takes his people with him or brings shame on the church and the name of Christ. None of us live to ourselves. What we do for good or bad always affects the lives of others.
What is the answer to sin? It is not 'I am going to do better or I am going to be different'. The priest or person concerned had to bring an offering. Forgiveness had to be centred around the recognition of sin and the shedding of blood from an innocent victim. The offerer had to place his hand on the head of the animal, thus identifying himself with the sacrifice. The Hebrew words say 'he shall lean hard'.
That offering, as an open admission of repentance and the desire for forgiveness, was the sinner's only hope. The offering had to be killed. It not only had to be a perfect animal, but its blood had to be shed and applied. When this was done in faith, the sinner was forgiven. Notice verses 20, 26 and 31.
Can you apply these principles to Christ, our sacrifice and to ourselves as sinners today?