“But I didn’t mean to”
“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them,” Leviticus 4:2 NASB
Unintentionally – Why must we atone for something we did in ignorance? Atonement seems to imply that there was some deliberate act that needs forgiveness, but if we didn’t know, how can the act be a deliberate violation? It can’t be, of course, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a sin. Why? Because there are two ideas of sin running through the Tanakh and both are significant.
One concept is that sin is the breaking of a law knowingly or unknowingly. This is the objective view of sin or the legal interpretation. And certainly the illustrations above taken from Lev 4–5 and Num 15 buttress this approach. Sin was a positive violation of the covenant relationship, whether voluntary or involuntary. The presence or absence of volition did not alter the objective situation. Sins done in “ignorance’ were still sins and needed atonement.
The other concept we may call the ethical understanding of sin. By this is meant the involvement of the human will and personal responsibility. The emphasis here is on the subjective. Neither view is correct to the exclusion of the other. Both are biblical and must be held in tension.[1]
Sacks points out that, “A culture that confines morality to the mind is one that lacks an adequate defence [sic] against harmful behavior.”[2] We see such folly in a legal system that excuses harmful acts on the basis of mental defect. In other words, if I didn’t know it was wrong at the time I did it, then I am not culpable for the action. Wrong! The action is still a reality. My culpability has nothing to do with the consequence. If I discover after the fact that I have committed a sin, it is still a sin. “Our acts leave traces in the world. The very fact that unintentional sins require atonement tells us that we cannot dissociate ourselves from our actions by saying, ‘I didn’t mean to do it.’ Wrong was done—and it was done by us.”[3] The continual stream of Hollywood movies that portray white-collar “victimless” crime as laudable is but one example of the extension of sin within the mind. “But I didn’t mean to do it,” is a useless excuse before those who were harmed and before God. Atonement is required. There must be atonement because this is real sin. It begins with the reality of the offense, not with an excuse of ignorance.
We are quick to concur when we see the tragedies of the failure of justice in our courts, but are we just as quick to realize the implications for those loved ones who continue to embrace religious practices that violate God’s ordinances? “But they just don’t know.” Is that really an excuse? Do you suppose their lack of conformity to the standard of Torah will stand them in good stead on Judgment Day? We have a motto: “Ignorance is no excuse under the law.” Apparently we don’t think this applies to God’s law.
Topical Index: unintentional sin, shegagah, Leviticus 4:2, atonement
[1] Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 2324 שָׁגַג. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
[2] Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation, p. 89.
[3] Ibid.
Oy [a traditional English greeting or salutation] whats this ‘sic’ after Jonathan Sacks’ ‘defence’. We spelt it thus first, the US ‘defense’ came afterwards!
Its wet and cold in England, I assume Florida is walm and balmy,
Best wishes, Herbie
Of course you spelt is correctly. I just needed to add that for my poor Americans. Florida is walm {sic} and balmy. 🙂
Skip
Welcome back, Skip.
Hello, Herbie. I’ve missed your special wit! Also, I’ve shown my mikva video you took of us in the Jordan to many. Your documentary of an almost international incident is famous already!
Yeh, who would have thought a limey and a yank would start the next middle east war! Is Simon back yet? And how are the rainy nights in Georgia?
Simon’s back and, yep, he’s the one that started all the mischief! It’s a bit crazy thinking such an innocent act could cause any trouble. Getting wet in some muddy water, what harm could it do?
And if it makes you feel better, Herbie, the weather here in Georgia is very schizophrenic. One day it’s chilly cold, the next it damp and icky, then the next day it’s bright and sunny shorts wearing weather. It’s a coin toss each day lately.
Shalom to you and Chris.
Exposed
Ignorance is no excuse for the law? The Law still stands. It is — “what it is.”
“But officer, I didn’t know I was doing over 55mph. “”Tell it to the Judge, perhaps he will have mercy on you.”
For the Law is Light. Light is that which reveals. The Light (or the Law) does it’s “job.” Light reveals. Darkness conceals. The Light or the Law “exposes” or reveals our true condition. We are rotten and ready to be redeemed. We need a repair. We need a Savior.
The Dentist draws closer to us, pulls down the bright Light from above, and peers into our souls.. er, mouths. “You’ve got some rottenness in there, -you want me to fix it?” “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5.6) Uhh. no. Just leave it alone.. I’ll deal with it later.. -and so it grows. Decay is in my head, a cure has been offered, and yet I have refused the offer of a cure. Something just does not seem right here.
~ The [Everlasting] Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through Him.. (John 1.6)
Him? A man? Who are referring to here? ~ John himself was not the Light; he was simply a witness to tell about the Light. The true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. [Who is this mystery Man?] What Child is this?
~ He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came unto His own, and His own received him not.
[Why?] He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. (Isaiah 53:3)
* But .. [Bible ‘buts’ are always big!]
~ But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right [the power, the authority] to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ~
How silently, how silently,
this wondrous Gift is given;
so God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of His Heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive Him, still
the dear Christ enters in.
O come to us, — abide with us,
Our LORD Emmanuel!
I love this: “The Dentist draws closer to us, pulls down the bright Light from above, and peers into our souls.. er, mouths. “You’ve got some rottenness in there, -you want me to fix it?” “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5.6) Uhh. no. Just leave it alone.. I’ll deal with it later.. -and so it grows. Decay is in my head, a cure has been offered, and yet I have refused the offer of a cure. Something just does not seem right here.” ….. Yeah, that! “Decay is in my head!!!!” Thanx, Carl.
The weather here in Indiana is warmer than the weather back home in California. Just adding to today’s weather report!
What a pleasure to hear the camaraderie from the written voices as I mentally see your smiling faces. May your day be as joyful as the memory of each of your loving hearts is to me.
P.S. Thank you Skip, for today’s reminding Word.
Weather: please don’t rub it in! It was a great holiday! Herbie & Chris
a mere 81 degrees here today. Warmer tomorrow. Will summer never end?
Welcome back Skip from your Canadian readers, hope that you are refreshed, and rearing to enlighten our hearts and mind some. More SHALOM
Welcome back Skip. I hope you received some of the rest and refreshment. May blessing and shalom surround you as you get back to work. I know there are many, like me, who look forward to the challenging insights that you share with us daily as well as the teaching you do around the world.
What a good reminder you shared with us today. It made me think of some strong words in the first epistle of John: “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” – 1 John 2:4-6 (NASB).
Skip, I intended to say I hope you received some of the rest and refreshment that you needed.
Hello everyone
I have been on the road and without regular access to the internet and so have only just read “Today’s Word” – 12/14/2015 – “But I didn’t mean to” .
I am struggling with some of it.
The notion that sin is sin whether it is knowing and intentional or not, seems to me to be entirely valid for there are indeed consequences that flow from unlawful behaviour; even when it is perpetrated unknowingly and without intent to harm or hinder.
However, the other bit about the likelihood of condemnation on judgement day for sins that were committed unknowingly and without intent; has me in a bind.
This suggestion if carried to its logical conclusion, must include within its ambit, the mentally retarded and all those simply born into circumstances where there is no opportunity to learn anything about Scripture and in fact, it must include anyone who for whatever reason, has insufficient opportunity and/or ability to access the necessary knowledge and mentally process it in a way that leads to the correct conclusions.
Is it the intention of YHWH to only save those who are smart enough and who are fortuitous enough in a broken world, to have the capacity and the opportunity to figure it all out?
Does not Scripture declare that YHWH is just and that He looks at the heart as well as outward behaviour?
There are many, many sincere believers out there who simply do not have the scholarly ability to work their way through the mire of sophisticated sounding theological arguments that abound out there on every conceivable aspect of doctrine.
Such believers may be naïve in thinking that the leaders of their particular religious community have it all together, but the reality is that most of them do not have the education or a snowball’s chance in hell given the constraints of their daily lives, to successfully confront, analyse and draw the correct conclusions from the incredibly conflicting and confusing array of theological schools of thought out there.
My first reaction therefore, is to reject the notion that someone could be condemned on judgement day, on the grounds that even though the heart might have been sincere, the person concerned was just not smart enough or opportune enough, to be able to see through the theological mire out there and draw the correct conclusions.
I am happy to be corrected however and look forward to any thoughts that you may have on this matter.
Best wishes
Richard
Condemnation is the logical result of disobedience and does NOT depend on ignorance as an excuse. BUT, God is full of grace. What would grace mean if there were no condemnation? God is just (not fair) and justice requires both condemnation and grace. Yes, there are many who SHOULD know and are therefore condemned (even we say that ignorance is no excuse under the law), but that only makes room for grace which is NOT a function of LAW but rather a product of loving care.
I posed such a question to my spiritual mother, prior to making confession of faith. She responded “i believe we will be judged on the light we hold”.
Like mother, like daughter.
I’m not quite in agreement. I believe we will be JUDGED on what God revealed. His revelation should be sufficient for all men if they seek Him. But judgment is not the same as punishment and I believe we will be punished according to the light we hold. That gives room for mercy, without which none would survive. That makes room for those who truly could not know and, perhaps, for those who would not know. But it gives no room for those who should have known.
In the Marines when we went to different countries we were warned that if we broke a law in those countries we would be judged on the law of the land, NOT if we knew or understood said law. That pretty much sucked, and we could expect no mercy.
Many times we got it tho, much to our relief.
So point well taken. I just don’t agree that individuals who had no clue of Torah, yet lived a life a righteously as they could, in the light they had, will be judged on what they didn’t have.
And if, in fact, i am wrong, then we must re-evaulated those Scriptures that speak of the sins of the father’s being visited up on generations. Because those generations are being raised in the same ignorance the father’s were raised on and the whole families, generations of families will be judged for their generational sins. (lack of Torah, for lack of a better description).
And there you have. Generational Sin exposed and defined. Case closed. **bows and departs podium**
PS: and TOMORROW i will be addressing world peace. Feel free to stand by. (but don’t hold your breath)
😉
But read my piece on the meaning of the text is Exodus 34:7
I did, and I do not believe my statement on generational sin and your commentary on mercy to be mutually exclusive. Sin be sin, as they say, and even tho there IS mercy, there is also the continual, generational sin that will be dealt with.
You can discuss till you are hoarse and blue in the face, the facts will be as you stated, Judgement for breaking the law and Mercy.
The other fact is that the mercy will be in the future. the ramifications of sin, continual sin, will be in the here and and now. If someone in the generations wakes up to the sin and changes their ways and, in effect, nudges their generational boat in a new direction, mercy will be in the IMMEDIATE here and now, as well.
if not? then not. I don’t see how there can be any disagreement in that.