Cannot Afford לֹ֨א תַגִּ֣יע יָדוֹ֮ דֵּ֣י

We are in chapter five of Leviticus with our word for today which is several variations of a phrase all translated the same way. לֹ֨א תַגִּ֣יע יָדוֹ֮ דֵּ֣י not touch the hand enough, not strike the hand sufficiently. It is used just once in the Old Testament. Our next variation is: לֹא֩ תַשִּׂ֨יג יָד֜ו not reach the hand enough. This one is used twice in the Old Testament. Our chapter has both of these phrases in them. Let’s look at these. Leviticus 5:7, 11 Anyone לֹ֨א תַגִּ֣יע יָדוֹ֮ דֵּ֣י [literally not touch the hand enough or as we would say light or empty handed] who cannot afford a lamb is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering … If, however, לֹא֩ תַשִּׂ֨יג יָד֜וֹ [literally not reach the hand enough] they cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour for a sin offering. Here is the other use of our second variation not in our chapter. Leviticus 14:32 These are the regulations for anyone who has a defiling skin disease and לֹֽא־תַשִּׂ֥יג יָד֖וֹ [literally not reach the hand enough] who cannot afford the regular offerings for their cleansing. Here is another variation of our phrase. Leviticus 12:8 But if לֹ֨א תִמְצָ֣א יָדָהּ֮ דֵּ֣י [Literally not find the hand enough] she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean. And let’s look at our last variation of our phrase. Leviticus 14:21 If, however, they are poor ה֗וּא וְאֵ֣ין יָדוֹ֮ [literally not their hand we would say not in hand this time we have the word poor to help us understand the meaning clearly] and cannot afford these, they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of oil. I find it interesting that we have not touch, reach, find or be in the hand enough. All to basically say that one can’t afford or doesn’t have access to what is required. We are talking about an offering to give to God. In the Old Testament God found a way for people who didn’t have access to what was required to give for their sin God made a way for them to participate. God wants everyone to be connected to him through worship. As we have seen no one has access to what they need to give as a sacrifice to truly take away our sins that separated us from God. Only Christ death in our place was able to pay the price that we didn’t have access to. I’ll close with this great passage that reminds us of our reality that we were poor in that we didn’t have access to God but because of God’s love for us we were made rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.