Leviticus 5:14-19
Restitution Before the LORD
14Then the LORD said to Moses,
15“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.
16Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
17If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
18He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven.
19It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the LORD.”
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD gives Moses instructions for a person who acts unfaithfully regarding holy things. The person brings a ram without blemish as a guilt offering, along with the required valuation in silver.
If someone sins unintentionally against any of the LORD's holy things, the person must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value. The priest makes atonement, and the person is forgiven.
The same pattern applies when a person violates a command without knowing it. The sin may not have been deliberate, but the person is still guilty and must bring a guilt offering. The text does not make ignorance a shield against every consequence.
The offering and the added payment belong together. Worship does not replace repair when another person's trust or God's holy things have been treated carelessly. Forgiveness sends the guilty person back toward faithful action.
Questions
1 What offering was required for unfaithfulness regarding holy things?
AnswerA person was to bring a ram without blemish as a guilt offering.
2 What was added to the value being restored?
AnswerThe person added one-fifth of the value when making restitution.
3 Did unintentional wrongdoing still create guilt?
AnswerYes, the person was guilty even when the violation had happened without awareness.
4 What did the priest's atonement bring?
AnswerThe priest made atonement, and the guilty person was forgiven.
What This Means for Us
Leviticus joins forgiveness to restitution. Saying that we are sorry does not automatically return what was taken or restore what was damaged.
When your actions have cost someone else, ask what repair requires. A sincere apology should be willing to become inconvenient, measurable, and costly enough to help set things right.
Prayer
God of justice and mercy, keep our repentance from stopping at words. Show us what we owe, give us courage to make restitution, and help those we have harmed receive genuine repair. Amen.