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Leviticus 5:7a &11a
“But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the LORD as his compensation for the sin that he has committed two turtledoves or two pigeons. … But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering … a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering.”
It’s no small thing that in God’s economy of mercy, an offering for sin is a basic necessity that everyone can afford.
What if you went to your local grocery store later today and discovered that eggs and milk were no longer stocked on the shelves and the few items that remained were being sold at triple their regular price? What if you kept walking down the aisles and found that bread and diapers and toilet paper and medicine and fruits and vegetables were just as scarce and just as pricey? To make matters worse, what if you stopped at the gas station on the way home to fill up your tank and discovered that the price of gas had also tripled? Then, when you finally arrived home, discouraged by the expenditure, what if you waded through that pile of bills on your counter and discovered that your electrical and water bills had—you guessed it—tripled as well?! We don’t have to be expert economists to understand the basic principle that the strength of an economy is measured by the affordability of basic essentials. And there’s nothing more essential to human flourishing than forgiveness of sin.
Leviticus 5:7-11 provides both a paradigm for a society’s economic health as well as a picture of God’s providential care for each individual. Some people are wealthy, some are poor; some are free and some are slaves; some are priests and some are sojourners; but everyone in this society can afford the atoning offering. God enshrines the moral agency of each individual into law. He doesn’t add interest or place a premium on it. He doesn’t offer only a select number of vouchers to the poorest of the poor on a first-come first-serve basis. He doesn’t compensate those who bring a ribbon-winning lamb more than those who bring a spoonful of flour. Which says a lot about the character of our LORD, doesn’t it?
May we treat others around us today by the same measure.