In the book of the law, sin was forgiven when a clean animal bore the guilt of the offerer. The animal was spotless, without blemish, and the offerer had the blemish. The animal without blemish was given for the man with blemish. The animal acted as a substitute for the offerer. The sacrifice also became holy when offered on the alter, meaning whatever touched the altar became holy. This is a type of Christ, who by a single touch, many were healed of their infirmities. He is the holy Sacrifice, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
The animal was from one’s own flock or herd; as David says, “I will not offer to the Lord that has cost me nothing.” However, the system of sacrifice has been done away with, but the teachings have not gone away for us who are under the new covenant, but they lead us to Christ; they become a teacher to us through the Spirit of Christ. As John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins.“
The offerers needed to acknowledge that they had unintentionally sinned and bring the appropriate offering to the priests: Aaron's sons. They could have refused to acknowledge sin and stayed in their tent saying, 'I have not sinned.' As it says by Jeremiah: "Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor; you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things, yet you said 'I am innocent, surely His anger is turned away from me.' Behold, I will enter into judgement with you because you say, 'I have not sinned.'" The Israelite who did not bring in the offering of sin, but stayed indoors, did not have a lamb to bear his sin, so he bore his own sin. For God gave the offering to take away sins as long as they acknowledged sin and brought the appropriate sacrifice to the priests.
The leper, who did not bring sacrifice to the temple, but hid his sin like Adam — as Job says, "Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom, because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, and kept silent and did not go out of doors?" — God judged. And the leper bore the sin of himself, not in secret, but on the flesh, since he did not confess his sin, his sin was made public and clung to him. The unblemished lamb was to bear his blemish, but he instead bears his own blemish because he did not obey. Let it be known to confess our sins just as John, the apostle, who seen the risen Lord, who did not hide his sin in his bosom, but ate with Christ at His bosom, said in his epistle quoted above.
He (the leper) was forced then to make his home outside the camp, out of the fellowship of his countrymen and his God. He lived alone. As Job says, "And kept silent and did not go out of doors?" And John, "If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." And elsewhere, "So that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." For they were cut off from the people and the fellowship of God’s saints because they loved darkness more than the light.
Let us beware that we do not love the wages of wickedness more than right-doing, "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" And, “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and reproof for discipline are the way of life”.
Therefore, as Yahweh the Eternal of the heavenly armies says through Jeremiah the prophet, "Return faithless Israel, I will not look upon you in anger, for I am gracious, I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity that you have transgressed against the LORD your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice." As it says, “The One who conceals a transgression seeks love”, for our God will hide our sins from His sight; for love is what He seeks, only acknowledge your sins, turning from them to Him.
Oh, if only we would not destroy ourselves, but seek God's Way of salvation through His Son! As Isaiah prophesies, “In repentance and peace you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.” As David confesses after not confessing for some time, "When I kept silent, my body wasted away through my groanings all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away with the fever heat of summer." And also, "There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds grow fowl and fester because of my folly. I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. For my loins are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; and the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I like a mute man who does not open his mouth. Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no arguments. For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin."
And afterward he confessed and said, "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'; And you forgave the guilt of my sin."
Beware, ye proud! "It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying 'I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered with the dry' The LORD shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. Then the LORD will single him out for adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which are written in this book of the law." And, "In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, to shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die'. But the LORD of hosts revealed Himself to me, Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you until you die, says the LORD God of hosts." So beware of unforgivable sins which will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come, for they are eternal sins. Only confess.
Know therefore, there is no grace outside of truth and in the land you are entering, it is a land of milk and honey, not honey alone and not milk alone. Under the old system of law, the Israelites merely covered iniquities and hid them from sight for a time by the blood of bulls and goats. In the new covenant system, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, takes away sins, removing them, cutting away the body of flesh, and removing it as far as the east is from the west. Forsake your sin to death, and weep, and gnash, and hate yourself for your sin and find deliverance and salvation for your souls which is in Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep. He has forgiven us our sins, laying them aside through faith in His name. And this is faith living: believing in the true Son and true God who is living.