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Restitution in Trespasses
v. 5. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
v. 6. Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty,
v. 7. then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. The reference is to some form of trespass which concerned the neighbor's property, the guilt in that case consisting not only in depriving the neighbor of that which was his, but also in disturbing the relation of neighborliness in the people of God and thus in sinning directly against the Lord, Lev_6:1-7.
v. 8. But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, if he himself had died and there was no near relative to receive the ransom-money of the guilty one, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest, as the representative of the Lord; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him, Lev_6:6-7.
v. 9. And every offering, everything that the children of Israel lift off or take away from their property as a gift to the Sanctuary, of all the holy things of the children of Israel which they bring unto the priest, shall be his. This included all the gifts for the altar, especially the votive offerings and the firstlings.
v. 10. And every man's hallowed things shall be his, that is, the priest's; whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his. Thus the needs of the priests were provided for by special legislation, whereas in the New Testament the Lord expects the law of love, governed by a living faith, to provide for His servants.