1 – ““If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt,” (Leviticus 4:13, ESV)
RAF: We must realize that there are times when God’s people as a whole will slip into sin over time. The condition of the Church in a city, a region, even a nation can slid into sin in a general way. The law here regarding the sacrifice for such an occasion bring to mind the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation. In all but two of the 7, the group as a group had taken on a particular sinful bent. Thus the need even now to avoid movements and trends and fads within the Church. Sectarianism can lead us to such places as well. Once we have broken off into our “purer” group, the group atmosphere becomes the test of orthodoxy more than the ongoing vitality of intimacy with the Lord, and fidelity to His Word.
