Leviticus 14:21-57
An Offering for the Poor
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21If, however, the person is poor and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil,
22and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
23On the eighth day he is to bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD.
24The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25And after he slaughters the lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
26Then the priest is to pour some of the oil into his left palm
27and sprinkle with his right forefinger some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the LORD.
28The priest shall also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot—on the same places as the blood of the guilt offering.
29The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.
30Then he must sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford,
31one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the one to be cleansed.
32This is the law for someone who has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”
33Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land,
35the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’
36The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.
37He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall,
38the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.
39On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls,
40he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city.
41And he shall have the inside of the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the city.
42So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.
43If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered,
44the priest must come and inspect it. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean.
45It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place.
46Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening.
47And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.
48If, however, the priest comes and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.
49He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house;
50and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
51Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
52And he shall cleanse the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.
53Finally, he is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
54This is the law for any infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak,
55for mildew in clothing or in a house,
56and for a swelling, rash, or spot,
57to determine when something is clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and mildew.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
A person who cannot afford the full cleansing offering still brings one male lamb for the guilt offering, with flour and oil. Two birds replace the other lambs: one is a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. The priest carries out the prescribed cleansing on the eighth day, including the blood and oil on the person's right ear, thumb, and big toe.
God then gives instructions for houses in the land He is giving Israel. An owner reports something that looks like mildew. Before the priest inspects it, the house is emptied so its contents will not be declared unclean with it.
If the priest sees the specified marks, he closes the house for seven days. If the mildew has spread, the affected stones are removed, the inside is scraped, and new stones and plaster replace what was taken away. If the contamination returns and spreads, the house must be demolished.
If the mildew has not spread after replastering, the priest declares the house clean. He carries out a cleansing with two birds, water, cedar, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, releasing the live bird outside the city. The law attends to both people and the places where they live.
How We Know
Leviticus 5:7–13 also adjusts an offering for a person who cannot afford the usual animals. The provisions are not identical: here one lamb is still required, while Leviticus 5 eventually allows flour for someone unable to afford birds. Both passages explicitly make provision for people with limited means.
Questions
1 What could a poor person bring?
AnswerA poor person could bring one lamb, two birds, fine flour, and oil according to the prescribed offerings.
2 Where were blood and oil placed?
AnswerBlood and oil were placed on the person's right ear, right thumb, and right big toe.
3 What happened when a house showed a spreading mark?
AnswerThe affected stones were removed and taken outside the city to an unclean place.
4 What if the mark returned after repair?
AnswerThe house was demolished and its materials were carried away as unclean.
What This Means for Us
The poor person receives the same declaration of cleanness through a provision suited to limited means. Poverty does not leave the person permanently outside God's appointed way of restoration.
Consider whether the cost of joining in leaves someone on the outside of your church or family activities. Offer help discreetly or choose something everyone can afford. A welcome becomes more meaningful when people can actually take part.
Prayer
Lord, help us notice when cost keeps someone from joining us. Give us generosity that preserves dignity and a willingness to change our plans so others can belong. Amen.