Unintentional

 If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.

Numbers 15:27 ESV

I'm sure it's still the case, but when I were a lad and we got into trouble, me and my siblings/friends would often say 'I didn't mean to!' That didn't tend to exonerate us from being disciplined for whatever it was we may have done. Thankfully I've forgotten 99% of the things we got in trouble for!

Biblically, 'I didn't mean to' doesn't wash it. Although our intentions matter, what we actually do matters more. I could have the best of intentions in the world, but if I do wrong, a price still has to be paid.

That's what this verse is about. Even if we 'accidently'/unintentionally do wrong, we still need blood sacrifice to atone for our wrongdoing. Of course, a female goat isn't really going to wash our sins away.

The old testament animal sacrifices were a picture of the ultimate sacrifice, that of the eternal Son of God on the cross. Because He gave His life for us, we can be forgiven. Even our unintentional sins can be washed in the blood of Jesus.

'Abba God, please forgive our unintentional sins too, because of Christ crucified, in whose name we pray, amen'.

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