I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Leviticus 1-4.

The passage describes three types of animal sacrifices which the people might make.  The first is a burnt offering where the entire animal is burnt on the altar, except for the skin.  The second is a peace offering, where only select portions are burnt on the altar.  This passage does not specify who eats the remaining meat of the offering, but the context suggests that it is eaten. The final type of offering is the sin offering, which differs depending on whose sin is being covered by the offering.  In all cases, a select portion is burnt on the altar, with the rest being dealt with differently depending for whom the offering is made.  Also in this passage is a description of various grain offerings.

When a sin offering is made, only a select portion is burned on the altar.  How the rest is disposed of depends on whose sin the offering is for.  If the sin offering is for sin committed by the high priest or for sin committed by the people as a whole, the parts of the offering not burned on the altar are burned outside of the camp at a designated location.  For everyone else no method of disposal is specified for the portions not burned on the altar.   The implication of several phrases is that the rest of the meat is consumed by someone.  The point I want to ficus on is that sin by the high priest is treated the same as if the entire people had committed the sin.  Whereas for all other leaders of the people the only difference between their sin offerings and that of the common people is that the leaders offer a male animal and the common people offer a female animal.  I am quite sure that there is meaning to this difference, but I am unsure what it is.