Sin-Eater
God desires His people to get their hands and feet dirty.
Leviticus(12) (Part of the Leviticus(9) series)
by Marc Webb(145) on February 8, 2026 (Sunday Morning(419))
Accountability(7), Faith(21), Love(24), Service(13)
Sin-Eater
Old Celtic villages used to have a strange, haunting tradition. When someone died, the family would place a piece of bread on the chest of the deceased. Then they’d call for a person known as the sin eater. His job was to take that bread, eat it, and symbolically absorb all the sins of the dead person—every failure, every lie, every cruelty—and carry them away. It was a lonely role. Nobody wanted to sit next to the sin eater. Nobody wanted to touch him. He was considered contaminated, unclean, the one who bore what no one else wanted to deal with. This sin eater tradition may have even made its way from the borderlands of Wales and England to the Appalachian Mountains, hidden among the folds of isolation, poverty, and deeply rooted superstition. It wasn’t widespread, and it was never “mainstream” even in the regions where it existed. But it happened. And it left behind a strange and unsettling legacy.
Today, most of us are uncomfortable with the idea of someone else dealing with our mess. We don’t mind forgiveness in theory, but the thought of another person handling the consequences of our guilt, our failure, or our shame feels unsettling. We prefer to clean ourselves up, manage our own mistakes, and present something respectable to the world. Yet from the very beginning, God’s plan for dealing with sin has never been self-service. In the ancient world, there was a strange and sobering reality built into Israel’s worship. When someone sinned, the priest didn’t just say a prayer and send them on their way. Blood was spilled. Flesh was handled. And according to Leviticus 6, the priest actually ate of the sacrifice. The guilt of the sinner was symbolically transferred, and the priest consumed what had been offered for sin. In a very real sense, the priest became a sin eater.
This wasn’t symbolic poetry, it was physical, messy, and costly. Sin had weight. Atonement had a smell. Forgiveness required someone else to step in, get their hands dirty, and bear what the sinner could not remove on their own. The sins of the Israelites could not simply be ignored, and they couldn’t be erased without being carried. God designed a system where guilt was dealt with through substitution—through another standing in the sinner’s place. Of course, this practice points us forward to someone far greater. Because the priests of Leviticus were only temporary sin eaters, their work had to be repeated again and again. Long before the Celtic and Appalachian superstition ever existed God had already provided the true Sin Eater. Not a village outcast but a crucified Savior. Jesus didn’t symbolically take on sin—He actually became sin for us, the Scriptures say, so that we might become the righteousness of God. He stepped into the filth we tried to avoid. He touched what others would not touch. He entered the pain, the brokenness, and the mess of human life and He carried it all on His shoulders to Calvary.
But here’s the part we often miss: Jesus didn’t get His hands and feet dirty so that His people could keep theirs clean. If we follow a Savior who knelt in the dirt with the guilty woman, who touched lepers, who dined with sinners, who washed feet, who carried a cross—then we are called to enter the dirt too. God desires a church that isn’t afraid of mess—emotional mess, spiritual mess, relational mess, societal mess. A church willing to kneel where Jesus knelt, walk where Jesus walked, and love the people Jesus loved. This morning, as we study the “Sin Eater,” we’re reminded of the One who carried our sins—and the calling He places on us to carry His love and compassion into the places everyone else avoids. God calls His followers to active, sometimes messy up close and personal involvement in the work of service, worship, and community. That brings us to our big idea that God desires His people to get their hands and feet dirty.
Let’s pray: Lord, thank you for your Word and that we can open it up, read it and study it. Thank you that we can learn more about who you are and what you’ve done for us and how much you love us. We humbly ask that you pour out your Holy Spirit on us so we can discern and know you more as you reveal yourself to us. Help us to leave this place in obedience, applying your teachings to our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
So far in Leviticus, God has been instructing the Israelites in the way He wanted them to worship Him. In order to worship properly they needed to be a right relationship with their covenant God. To do this they needed to know how to sustain relationship with Him and regain relationship when they sinned. After instructing the people, God then instructed the priests in how they were to facilitate worship the way He demanded. Last week, we studied the regulations for how the priests were to handle the burnt and grain offerings. Today, we will study the regulations for sin and guilt offerings. These regulations were given specifically to the priests, outlining how they were to handle sacrificial meat, blood, ashes, and ceremonial objects. These regulations emphasized holiness, obedience, and the physical tasks required.
The regulations for the sin offering are found in Leviticus 6:24-30 and the guilt offering is found in Leviticus 7:1-10. I will be jumping around a little and will read the relevant verses as they overlap these two chapters. The first point, Sin is Serious, is found in Leviticus 6:24-25 and 7:1-5. Follow along as I read these verses, This is what God’s Word says, “The Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy.” And 7:1-5 says, “These are the regulations for the guilt offering, which is most holy: The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be splashed against the sides of the altar. All its fat shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the internal organs, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. It is a guilt offering.”
We have seen some of these commands before in chapter 4 when God instructed four kinds of people about the sin offering, they were to bring before Him. If the High Priest or the entire Israelite community sinned, a young bull without defect was to be brought as a sin offering. When a leader in the community sinned, he was to bring a male goat without defect. And if a member of the community sinned, they could bring either a female goat or lamb without defect. Whichever animal was brought it was to be slaughtered before the Lord on the north side of the altar near the door to the tent of meeting. This symbolized that the worshipper could now enter into fellowship with the Lord. The sin offering was called “most holy” because it was offered before the Lord in the holy space and because of who was allowed to eat of it.
As we look at the guilt offering, we notice it is also slaughtered at the north side of the altar and is also called “most holy.” Another reason it was called “most holy” is because of who these offerings pointed to, which was Jesus. The worshipper’s guilt offering was to be a ram without defect, and the priest was to splash the blood of the sacrifice against the sides of the altar. This symbolized complete atonement which completely paid the debt and penalty of their sin and covered it. It also completely consecrated the altar from sin. Next, we see that all the fat of the ram was to be offered just like the sin offering. If you remember, in the Near East there was a special species of sheep that had very large tail and was considered a delicacy. It was the richest, choicest and most abundant part of the animal and so it, along with all the fat, was always reserved for the Lord. Naming, offering and burning all the distinct fat parts of the ram symbolized that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was wholly acceptable to God. It symbolized that Christ is the very essence of the richness and abundance of God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we appropriate the richness and abundance of God for ourselves. The people were then reminded that their offering was for their guilt and by offering it before the Lord their sin and guilt was forgiven.
Our scripture this morning reminds us that sin is serious. It creates a problem that the Israelites couldn’t fix and that we can’t fix on our own. It produces real guilt that will not be removed through regret, good intentions or with an empty apology. God does not ignore or minimize sin, and he doesn’t allow it to stay untreated. He deals with sin by exposing it so it can be removed. When God declared the sin and guilt offerings “most holy” it meant these offerings had to be handled with the reverence and gravity due them. They could not be rushed by the worshipper or the priests. We also see that the priests in performing their duties literally got their hands and feet dirty. Slaughtering the animal sacrifices and tending the fire and ashes were messy and physically demanding. God handpicked Aaron and his sons to be priests and to daily be involved in the gritty realities of worship. He called them into hands-on service of the tabernacle, maintaining holiness and facilitating reconciliation for their people.
That brings us to our second point, Sin Requires a Substitute, found in Leviticus 6:26-30 and 7:6-10. This is what God’s Word says, “The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in the sanctuary area, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. Any male in a priest’s family may eat it; it is most holy. But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place must not be eaten; it must be burned up.” And Leviticus 7:6-10 says, “Any male in a priest’s family may eat it, but it must be eaten in the sanctuary area; it is most holy. “‘The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them. The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself. Every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who offers it, and every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.”
The way that God would handle the sin of His people was through a mediator, a substitute, who would bear the weight of another’s sin and guilt. The way that Aaron and his sons, the priests, bore the weight of the people’s sin and guilt was to eat a portion of the offerings. God is showing that forgiveness requires a sin eater, one who stands in the place of the guilty, identifies with the sin being removed, and takes the sin upon themselves. The priests in effect absorbed the burden so the worshipper could remain clean. They participated in removing sins by their personal involvement in performing the sacrificial ritual. Any male in the priest’s family was allowed to eat of the sin and guilt offerings, but they had to eat it in the sanctuary area, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. Why did these offerings have to be eaten in the sanctuary area? First, because the offerings were “most holy” they couldn’t be taken from the holy place. Second, this was not by mistake. God designed this visible transfer of sin and guilt so the worshipper would know that their sin and guilt had been taken from them and put on the substitute. It also signified that forgiveness comes at a personal cost to the substitute.
We also learn that facilitating holiness cannot be achieved at a distance. It is achieved through obedient up close and personal contact. Because God commanded it, the priests, who were set apart as holy, could come in close contact with sin and impurity. Holiness was not achieved by avoiding dirt, blood or brokenness but by engaging it on God’s terms. This even included the priests’ garments and the instruments used in the performance of their duties such as a clay or bronze pot. Any garment that got the blood of the sacrifice on it had to be washed in the sanctuary area. Because the blood of the sacrifice was symbolic of the blood of Jesus it had to be treated with the utmost respect. Also, the clay pot that the meat was cooked in had to be broken because it absorbed the blood and there was no way to get it completely out. But a bronze pot could be salvaged by scouring it and rinsing it with water. All this signifies that sin contaminates everything it touches. Anything that comes in contact with sin had to be cleansed or destroyed. We also see that sin was costly in that any sin offering whose blood was taken into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place could not be eaten but had to be completely burned up. This refers to the sin offerings of the high priest and of the whole community. It was not to be eaten by the priests as it would symbolize the sin returning to the one who needed atonement in the first place.
Lastly, we see a couple more regulations. One for the burnt offerings and two for the grain offerings. The priest who offered a burnt offering for anyone was allowed to keep the hide of the animal for himself. This again showed that God provided tangibly for his servants. They would be able to use the hide for themselves and their family or could use it to trade for other goods and services. The word for “hide” means “skin” and the first time it was used in the Bible is in Genesis 3:2: “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Something had to die in order to cover the nakedness and sin of Adam and Eve. The word for skin comes from the word which means “to be exposed, or bare.” The hide symbolically “covered” the nakedness or sin of the priest signifying that he was clothed with the righteousness of the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Garrett says, “The skin of the offering which makes atonement, typical of Christ, is that which belongs to the officiating priest, also typical of Christ. And thus, it is Christ alone who possesses the correct covering of the atonement, which is Himself.” It was also a visible sign that the relationship between the offeror and God was fully restored, and it distinguished the voluntary burnt offering from the sin offering. The hide and other parts of the sin offering had to be taken outside the camp and burned on the ash heap symbolizing the complete removal of sin and impurity from the people and the tabernacle area. It also highlighted God's holiness, signified total atonement, and foreshadowed Jesus, who suffered and was crucified "outside the gate" to sanctify the people.
Lastly, we see two regulations for the grain offerings. First, every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle, namely any prepared grain offering, belonged to the priest who offered it. Second, every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, namely any unprepared grain offering, belonged equally to all the sons of Aaron. We are not told specifically why this is, but the speculation is that since the prepared grain offering would spoil pretty quickly, it was to be eaten by the officiating priest. The unprepared grain offering would last longer and so was to be split equally between all the priests. It ensured that the priests were supported in their ministry but also reflected a system designed for fairness among the priesthood.
What can we learn and how can we apply these two points? We must take our sin seriously and not ignore it or minimize it. We must learn that we cannot fix our own sin and guilt. We must be willing to deal with it by exposing it, confessing it and repenting of it. Then once we learn, although imperfectly, to deal with our sin, we are called by God to walk alongside our fellow Christians and help them to deal with their sin, too. Galatians 6:1-2 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” As we stumble and fall and grow as God’s saints, God asks us to help other Christians grow as His saints, as well. We become like a substitute helping others to carry their burdens. But how do we do this? We do this by speaking words of comfort to those who are suffering through sin and guilt, and we are even called to address the sin in their lives, if needed. These will probably be the hardest conversations we would ever have, but if we are to truly pursue, grow and multiply disciples the way God wants us to, we must willing to go deep.
We must also be willing to take the risk. If a fellow believer is ensnared in Satan’s trap of sin and guilt, how can we be silent or just walk away? We must also truly love God and one another and be willing to cultivate accountability relationships with other believers that gives each other permission to be held accountable. These relationships keep us from doing this Christian life alone and in isolation which is never a good thing. We must ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment in best how to help others through their struggles because everyone struggles differently. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 says, “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” And we are also to speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15 says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” We need to ask ourselves: “how does what I intend to say help my fellow Christian become more like Jesus? And Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” We need to ask ourselves: “what impact will my words have on others? Will it corrupt them or will it build them up? Are they fitting or do they go off track? Will it reflect the grace of God? As we live this Christian life among other like-minded people, let us not be afraid to face our sin, for Christ has completely taken it away. Instead, let us humbly bring ourselves before Him and then out of gratitude, help others do likewise. True service to God and others takes work, effort, sacrifice and a willingness to enter into the messiness of others. Through the example of the priests, we see that facilitating holiness is not about avoidance, but about faithful engagement, even with the messiest people and places (Big Idea). That brings us to our first next step which I will Faithfully engage my fellow believers in accountability discipleship relationships in service to God.
The third point is, Sin Eater, and of course, the priests as sin eaters foreshadowed the ultimate sin eater, Jesus Christ. Whereas the priest ate of sin symbolically, Jesus Christ became sin for us. What Leviticus portrays physically, Christ fulfils completely. The priests stood in the gap between God and the people. Being God’s mediator required suffering and up close and personal involvement, not at a distance. Their work was also ongoing. The work of the priest as Sin-Eater was never done. Sin kept returning, the priest kept eating and the problem of sin was never resolved. Jesus didn’t just bear our sin and guilt temporarily like the priests but carried it to the cross and dealt with it once and for all. Also, the priests had to eat the sin and guilt offerings in a holy place and under strict guidelines. This is because sin was dangerous and contaminated what it touched. The priests were required to bring their own offerings and to be continually sanctified before the Lord. But Jesus Christ became the ultimate mediator who stood in the gap for all people and who didn’t need to atone for himself. He fully ate our sin, He became our sacrifice and in Him our restoration was complete. What Leviticus showed in shadow, Christ completed in substance. Jesus also consistently came in contact with sinful and impure people. He didn’t lose His holiness or become impure and sinful. He remained righteous while being fully exposed to judgment. He touched the untouchables, He ate with sinners, He healed the sick and He washed feet. He modeled an up close and personal ministry that was unafraid to get his hands and feet dirty. He modeled this for His disciple’s, and He modeled it for us, His disciple’s, today.
How do we apply this? It means engaging directly with people and situations that may be uncomfortable, inconvenient or messy. It could be serving the poor, comforting the grieving, mentoring the next generation, or advocating for justice. True discipleship demands physical presence, emotional investment and sacrificial action. When we do these for the least of these, as scripture says, we do it for Jesus, but also lives are changed and transformed, ours and theirs. Most importantly it reflects the heart of our Lord who left heaven’s perfection to enter our world as a vulnerable baby, embrace our brokenness, and redeem us for a relationship with Himself. God desires His people to be willing to roll up their sleeves, step out in faith and love others as He loved, even if it means getting our hands and feet dirty (Big Idea). I want to conclude with this illustration.
A young boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his small suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer before starting on his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met a lonely, elderly gentleman, who was sitting in a park just staring at some pigeons. The lad sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a swig of root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry. So he offered him a Twinkie. The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at the small boy. The smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, the elderly man smiled. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling but never said a word. As it grew dark the boy realized how tired he was and got up to leave. But after going a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. That brought the biggest smile of all. When the boy walked in the door of his house a few minutes later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” Before his mother could respond he added, “You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!” Meanwhile the old man also went home full of joy. Amazed by the look of peace on his face, his son asked, “Dad what did you do today that made you so happy? He replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God,” and he added, “You know he's much younger than I expected.” Christ takes personally our willingness to contact and help people in unfortunate circumstances. Let us be people who are not content with physically clean hands and feet that never serve or move. But let us be people who walk boldly into our uncomfortable, inconvenient and messy world, ready to make a difference for His honor and glory. That brings us to our second and last next step which is I will Examine where God might be calling me to serve, to risk and to enter the lives of others with an authentic faith and His kind of love.
As Gene & Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for meeting us here through Your Word. Thank You for reminding us that our sin is serious, but Your grace is greater. Thank You for Jesus, our true Sin Eater, who bore our guilt completely and carried it to the cross so that we might be forgiven, restored, and made new. As we go, show us where You are calling us to get our hands and feet dirty. Give us eyes to see the hurting, the broken, and the overlooked. Give us wisdom to walk alongside one another in love, accountability, and discipleship. Make us a people who are not afraid of the mess, but who faithfully engage it with grace, truth, and compassion. We ask all of this in the powerful and precious name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
Closing: Gane, Roy. The NIV Application Commentary: Leviticus and Numbers. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004: p. 152
