Daily Devotion | Leviticus 5:14–6:7 | 2026 January 22

Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you. We thank God for His grace that we can come again to a new day to study our daily devotion. The passage we study today is Leviticus chapter 5, verse 14, through chapter 6, verse 7.

Let us pray.

Lord, have mercy on us. Our hearts are so weak, and how greatly we need Your mercy. Lord, every moment we cannot live apart from Your grace. Lord, we ask that in this morning You would still grant us Your grace, so that throughout this day we may continue to receive Your grace, live a holy life, fight the victorious battle, and may You be with us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now today we look at the latter half of Leviticus chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6, speaking about the guilt offering. Yes, yesterday we talked about the transition between the sin offering and the guilt offering, in chapter 5 verses 1 to 13. There are indeed some places where they overlap. But strictly speaking, the guilt offering begins from chapter 5 verse 14.

The guilt offering has a very special feature. That is, it contains a concept of compensation. That is, besides offering a sacrifice, whether it is a ram or the sacrifice you bring after you have sinned — the guilt offering requires a ram, a male ram — besides this, you must also add one fifth, that is, you must add another twenty percent, add twenty percent.

Now, if this sin is committed unintentionally concerning the holy things, then what are the holy things? For example, in the temple there are certain things, there are certain offerings that people are not allowed to eat. If you eat them, what happens? You must repay God, and repay one fifth more, add one fifth. This is something you sinned unintentionally. This thing you were not allowed to touch, you were not allowed to eat, you were not allowed to use, but you used it. Then you must repay one fifth more. Then another case is when you offend people, you also must add one fifth.

So we divide this into two parts. One is, what kinds of sins require you to offer the guilt offering? The other is, why must you add one fifth? We speak from these two aspects.

First, we look at what kind of sin is committed. One is when a person sins unintentionally in the holy things of the Lord. As we said, this means you offended God. Of course, all sins are offenses against God, but here it mainly refers to the misuse of holy things. For example, what we just said, you ate what you were not allowed to eat, you used what you were not allowed to use. In this case, you must offer the guilt offering, and according to the valuation of the sanctuary silver, you must add one fifth. This is what you repay to God. This is the part where you offended God.

Then there is another part, concerning people. What kind of sin is this? Scripture says, if a person sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or by robbery, or by oppressing his neighbor. First, all sins are offenses against the Lord. This is why you must make atonement before the Lord, because all sins are offenses against God. Then there is also the matter of offending people.

For example, in the law there are regulations about items entrusted to you by your neighbor, what must be repaid and what does not need to be repaid. Or you rob someone, or you oppress your neighbor, or you deceive someone in a transaction. If you oppress someone, that person suffers loss. You offend God, and you also offend people. So you offend God — what do you do? After you offend God, you offer a sacrifice to remove your guilt before God.

Then what about people? You offended this person. For example, you cheated him ten dollars. When you return it, you cannot only return ten dollars. You must return twelve dollars. Remember this principle. And then there is the case of acting deceitfully with something lost. For example, I find something, I pick up a watch. After picking it up, I do not want to return it. Later it is discovered. When I return the watch, it is not that returning it and apologizing is enough. Remember this is the guilt offering. One very important point: it is not enough just to apologize. You must add another twenty percent. If this watch is worth one thousand, you must add two hundred. You return the watch, and you also compensate him two hundred.

And then there is also the case of returning what you stole, what you gained by oppression, what was entrusted to you, what you found and kept, or what you swore falsely about. You must return it in full. This is a very important point of the guilt offering: return it in full, and add one fifth. On the day you realize your guilt, you must return it to its owner.

So remember these several things. If you offended God, how do you offer the guilt offering? First, you offended God, so you must bring a male ram to offer as a sacrifice. This is the part of offending God. Then what about the human part? Besides returning in full — if I cheated you ten dollars or one hundred dollars, I return it to you — I must also add twenty percent. I must give you one hundred twenty. This is from Exodus. I think this is something we must especially remember: after you offend people, in the matter of oppression and deceit, and when you pick up things and do not return them, all this money you must not only return in full, but you must also add one fifth. So this is why it is called the compensation offering.

Then why do people say the sin offering and the guilt offering overlap? I think this can be understood. In terms of the sacrifice, although the animals are different — the sin offering uses a female sheep, the guilt offering uses a male ram — besides this difference in the sacrifice, the method of offering may be the same. You still make atonement before God. But the guilt offering has one more thing: you must compensate the injured person, and you must add extra.

So here we are talking about what kind of sin requires the guilt offering. It is in daily relationships with people. In your dealings with people, if you deceive, if you commit fraud, if you do business dishonestly, if you sell fake goods, when you do these things, you must not only return in full, this is required, but you must also add twenty percent. And before God you must offer a sacrifice. You lose a sheep, and you lose more money. This is actually a very heavy punishment for this kind of sin.

So brothers and sisters, you know God especially reminds us through the guilt offering that in our relationships with people we must be very careful. When we interact with people, where are our boundaries? The previous offerings — burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering — these seem to all deal with our relationship with God. I offend God, so I come to offer sacrifices. But if you compare with the law, you will find that many of our sins are related to offending people.

The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. If you sin in those, you offer those offerings. But the last six commandments deal with our relationship with people. And in those cases, the guilt offering applies. So the guilt offering should actually be offered very often, because when you violate the last six commandments, you must do this. Besides returning what you owe, you must also add twenty percent. What is this doing? It restrains human sin. This preparation is the concept of compensation.

In fact, today many Christians, when I offend you, I apologize. In fact, apologizing is not enough. The loss you caused must be restored. Not only restored, you must add twenty percent. This is the requirement of the guilt offering. So on the one hand, God reminds His people to be careful in relationships. Do not treat them casually. After offending people, the cost is very high.

God uses this regulation to restrain people. Do not practice deceit. Love your neighbor as yourself. Otherwise, after you offend people, you must offer the guilt offering. Not only return in full, you must also add twenty percent. This restrains the people’s sin.

Then I think this also gives us a great reminder: do not think that offending people is nothing. Or that after apologizing it is finished. No. God’s requirement is to return in full and add twenty percent. This is what God considers fair and reasonable.

So before the compensation offering, before the guilt offering, all of us should stop and think carefully about our relationships with people. Do not think offending people is nothing. Do not think causing loss is nothing. No. God’s requirement is to return in full and add twenty percent. God uses this to teach His people how to love one another, because this is a covenant community, a people who bear God’s glorious kingdom.

You cheat someone, you oppress someone, you get one thousand. In the end, you must return everything and add twenty percent. And you must also go to offer sacrifice, because you offended God. So God wants His people to establish relationships of mutual love, not mutual oppression.

From a heavenly perspective, when we look at this world, we see how crazy it is. The world uses deception, oppression, and fraud to gain money and feels joy and satisfaction. People think, how can I cheat you, how can I harm you, how can I get money? Those who commit fraud today cheat money and think it is fine.

But before the law, before what we studied today, this is utter vanity. You must repay and add twenty percent. So why commit fraud? Why oppress people? Such people will receive heavier punishment in hell, because they completely violate the law and do not know that there is a God.

This regulation is clearly stated in Exodus chapter 22. Exodus chapter 22 verse 1 says, if a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. This is the principle of added restitution.

This is a great reminder to us as Christians. We need to compensate more, so that our conduct will be more cautious. In God’s eyes, those who cause others loss must add twenty percent to show true repentance. This is a concept we must establish.

Then there is a touching story in Luke chapter 19, about the tax collector Zacchaeus. We said before how tax collectors made money. They paid Rome a fixed amount, and whatever extra they collected they kept. They made money by oppression.

When Jesus came to Zacchaeus’ house, in Luke chapter 19 verse 8, Zacchaeus stood and said, “Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” He gave half to the poor, and repaid four times to those he cheated. Very quickly he would become poor. But why was Zacchaeus willing to make himself poor? Because he knew there was something better. Earthly money cannot buy life, so he was willing to use money to prove his faith.

Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

So this gives us a reminder, brothers and sisters. Sin is not only that we offend God and confess and that is enough. If we offend people and cause loss, we must compensate. This concept must be engraved in our hearts and slowly form an awareness of obeying the law.

Why is there the guilt offering? It reminds us not to sin casually. Sin requires a cost. Of course, the final cost was paid by our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Without Christ, we could never be redeemed. But personally, we must still pay the cost of sin. This cost is that you must not only return what you gained by oppression, but you must also compensate.

I think this is a great reminder for us. We must be careful in our words and deeds. We must know that sin has a cost. Today many Christians have a wrong idea. When we talk about Christ’s atonement, we speak too lightly. We say Christ redeemed us, so that is it. What does it have to do with me? He has borne it all. When we speak lightly like this, we ignore the danger of sin and the terror of sin. Sin was so terrible that God’s only Son had to die on the cross.

So what should we do? First, in our lives we must obey the law and carry the cross. Second, in material matters we must also pay the cost. If you really offend someone, I believe this regulation is still useful today.

Brothers and sisters, do not misunderstand. Do not say Christ has fulfilled it all, so I do not need to compensate. No. You still need to compensate. This is the requirement of fairness. This responsibility has not been removed from you. Although you no longer need to offer sacrifices, the regulation of compensation is still valid today. The sacrifice is fulfilled, but moral compensation remains.

So brothers and sisters, if you offend someone, remember, besides returning the money, add twenty percent. This is what God considers fair.

At that point, God will no longer pursue you, because you have confessed. But if you do not do this, and stubbornly resist, God in His justice will find His way to deal with it. Since God’s law and God’s will are clearly revealed, we should obey.

May God help us to be careful in our conduct, to be more cautious in matters of oppressing people and offending people, lest we suffer even greater loss. May God have mercy on us.

This is all for today. Thank you, everyone.