According to Numbers 15, a “high-handed” sin is intentional, premeditated, and knowing rebellion against God. Now the Law of Moses makes provision for sacrifice to cover certain sins. Unintentional or unwitting sin can be covered by a guilt or a sin offering (Lev. 4:2, 13, 22, 27; also 5:1-13, where the statement “it was hidden from him” refers to unwitting sin; also Lev. 5:14, 18). Even certain intentional sins can be covered (Lev. 6:1-7), but only if: a) they are sins relating to property; b) they are against other human beings; c) restitution is possible. For these sins, God will graciously treat these sins as if they are “unintentional” if (following Leviticus 6:4) the guilt is recognized (conviction), there is willingness to make restitution (repentance), and the sinner confesses the sin.
However, that leaves the question of premeditated and intentional sins where restitution is impossible, and/or where the crime is against God himself. How can such crimes be dealt with under the law? There’s no way. The Law is insufficient to cover these sins.
What was the Old Testament saint to do? The only hope they had was to throw themselves on the mercy of God, confessing their sin, demonstrating contrition, and pray that God does not give them what they deserve. And that’s exactly what David does in the next verse of Psalm 51: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
What can we learn from this today?
1. The Atonement of Christ is better than that of the Law.
Christ’s death, as the author of Hebrews points out, is better in that it actually takes away sins. The blood of bulls and goats could not, and so the sacrifices needed to be made again and again. The once-for-all sacrifice of Christ actually deals with sin.
But there’s more than that. The problem of “high-handed sin” showed even the ancient Israelites that the Law was insufficient. Everyone commits high-handed sin. How could anyone be saved if the Law did not cover those sins?
So high-handed sin pointed to the need for something better, in the same way as the repetition of the sacrifices. Christ is better than the Law.
2. There can be no atonement or taking away of sin without conviction, confession, repentance and faith.
The Law made clear that restitution was required. Since, in the case of high-handed sin, restitution is impossible for man under the Law, God made restitution himself by taking the punishment himself in the person of Jesus Christ and vindicating his justice and glory in a way that man never could do.
But salvation still cannot come without confession of sin, an attitude of deep contrition and repentance, and an empty-handed faith and trust in God’s mercy. Indeed, without that repentance, the Law made clear that the priest could make no atonement for sin. The implication of that is that Christ’s atonement is always and forever coupled with repentance – or, more precisely, God grants repentance only to those for whom their sin has been taken away in Christ.
An immediate implication of this is that so-called “no-lordship salvation” is impossible. God never gives atonement without repentance.
3. A persistent, unrepentant, defiance of God is not covered by the atonement of Christ (because those whose sins are covered will not persist but will be drawn to faith). This persistent and hardened unbelief, often seen in apostasy, is the New Covenant “high-handed sin.”
Jesus says as much when he talks of the “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 12:22-32) where men who should know better are so hardened in their sin that they attribute the obvious work of God to Satan. Hebrews refers to this when it warns Christians (Hebrews 6, 10:26-31) that deliberate, knowing, and persistent rejection of sin leaves one with no atonement or salvation.
Now God’s grace is irresistible, and can overcome even this kind of rebellion. He did for every one of us who believes. But the danger is that this kind of unbelief and rebellion, if persistent and stubborn, is a sign that faith is false, that God has left the sinner to his own fate, that Christ’s blood was not offered for their sin in the first place, that they were never of the elect at all.
This is why it is so vital that repentance be made and faith be placed in Christ while the hour of salvation is here. We dare not persist in unbelief or high-handed sin, lest it show that our calling and election were never real and we were never “of” the brethren.
Let us all consider the beauty and sufficiency of the atonement and the response it demands. And let us never take the grace of God for granted, lest we find ourselves committing the true “high-handed sin” that demonstrates our true nature to be that of the lost.