Parashat Vayikra 2025: Getting Over Guilt

Torah: Lev 1:1-6:7

Haftarah: Is 43:21-44:23

Brit Chadashah: Heb 10:1-18, Heb 13:10-15

Main Points:

Five offerings (korbanot) described.

The Burnt Offering (Olah)

The Grain Offering (Mincha).

The Peace Offering (Zevach Shelachim)

The Sin Offering (Chatat).

The Guilt Offering (Asham).

The book of Leviticus begins with detailing the specifics around the burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, and sin offering. Beginning in chapter five the discussion proceeds to the laws of the guilt offering and gives some direction for dealing with “earned guilt”. Chapter six reveals an ethic that if someone sins against another, a breach of faith is also committed against Hashem. The sages point out that this could be a universal ethic or one that is committed while under a vow. Either way, our treatment of others directly affects our relationship with God. The offending person had to realize his guilt (repent), restore, and bring an offering (or its equivalent Lev 6:4-7). Guilt or feelings of guilt are difficult to deal with and can damage us emotionally if we allow them to continue. Understanding Yeshua’s sacrificial work is the key to dealing with earned guilt (real guilt from sin) and unearned guilt (guilty feelings).

We are all guilty before God. Fortunately, we are guilty before a loving God who wants to be with his people. God forgives us, justifies us, cleanses us, and heals us (Col 2:14). Our guilt cannot hinder us and does not stand a chance to survive in our lives when we are walking with God, repentant, and obedient to scripture. So why do we deal with so many guilt-laden emotions? We don’t normally struggle with understanding what God is capable of. Where we stumble is realizing that he will work on our behalf. Sometimes our bad emotions linger, things pile up, and our feelings can paint a very different picture than what God has spoken over us. We can be in a place where God has forgiven us and is rejoicing over us, but we cannot connect with the spiritual reality because of our emotions. This is because along the way, somewhere, we stopped loving ourselves and seeing ourselves as being loved by God and/or others. When we get to this place, guilt bottlenecks our faith.

In both Tanach and Brit Chadashah, real guilt is the prime focus. Most of the scripture is dedicated to dealing with our sin, guilt, and atonement first through the sacrifices, then the completed work of Yeshuah our Messiah. But there are other types of guilt that are the result of emotional temptation that the Accuser constantly torments us with (Zech 3:1-2, Rev 12:10). This constant torment of guilt, when not coming from a godly conscience, comes from how Satan lures us through our carnal nature or yetzer harah. We all have a yetzer hara (evil impulse) to deal with that is contrary to the word of God and must be tamed. Part of that impulse is the negative emotions we all have to deal with in life. In this lesson, we will discuss the emotional guilt that plagues the Body of Messiah.

We tend to look at guilt strictly in feeling terms, but the actual concept involves several components. First, guilt is an emotional weight when we know we have done something wrong or at least feel we have. It is the result of our violating a standard and that sense of violation will continue until repentance and restitution are made. The end of guilt is forgiveness with God, self, and man. To be whole from guilt, we must embrace our repentance to God and self enough to leave the person we were and intentionally pursue who God has called us to be. This may involve rejecting old thinking patterns, ways of devaluing or slandering self, and constantly confronting a value system of failure. This also may include getting better boundaries or walking away from abusive relationships.

Guilt can be an emotion, but it can also be a type of thinking. Typical guilt complex thinking includes things like harboring negative, blaming thoughts toward self, and extreme self-criticism even for minor things that happen. Sometimes it is self-blame over things you cannot control, for what might have happened (but didn't), or what you might have done (but didn't). Guilt can be experienced over desires or thoughts that are brief and fleeting. In guilt thinking, a person can also experience guilt for the emotions of others or constantly worry that others are upset for something they may not have actually done. Guilt thinking can also be focused on a “should list” and causes guilt emotions because ideals and perfect standards can seldom be met.

Guilt relates to our concepts of right and wrong, but those concepts are not always synonymous with biblical right and wrong. They can be right and wrong concepts placed by parents, culture, experience, and even our religion. Guilt can come from a sense of regret (charatah), from a sense of violating self or another, or when we harbor a sense of responsibility for something that happened. All of these forms can exist outside of scripturally defined, earned guilt and we can find ourselves under continual torment of mind. Guilt, especially if shame is involved, can be the emotional justification we use to continually assail and attack our own person and self-image. When we are demeaning, insulting, and constantly tearing ourselves down, our faith will always be hindered. The enemy uses guilt to make us feel separated from God and weak. Our strength comes when we understand God’s forgiveness and healing for our hearts and souls.

Rav Calev

Apostolic Messianic International

Next Feasts:

Passover begins April 12th at sunset and ends April 20th, 2025 at sunset.

Hebrew words to know:

Booshah- Modern Hebrew for shame.

Korban- To draw close. A general term for animal, grain, and monetary offerings.  (pl. Korbanot)

Kohen- Priestly officials performing sacrificial offerings. (pl. Kohenim)

Kalon- Modern Hebrew for disgrace or lack of respect.

Regshot Ashmah- Modern Hebrew for guilty feelings.