Leviticus 12:8 (ESV)
And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”
The above verse is in the context of a mother having recently given birth and finished her purification time. Moses is writing God’s instruction for what the mother must do to worship God. The previous verse tells her to bring a one year old lamb to present as a burnt offering to honor God for the birth of her child. But, as the above verse states, if she can’t afford a lamb, she can bring either two turtle doves or two pigeons. Both the dove and the pigeon would be common for her to find. She would have to go out and find them, but even in poverty she could fulfill the requirement. Because the child was born in sin (all mankind are born in sin) she would need to make a sin offering to make atonement for the baby’s sin. God provides the way and the method and commands that she obey this. She can’t say I am poor and can’t afford the sacrifice. God provides for her to complete the requirement. This is a picture of what Christ did for us. We were poor in spirit and could not afford a sacrifice for the sin nature we received at birth. So, God sent a sacrifice (His Son) to die for us. Even in our poverty God makes allowance for our forgiveness. To the women in the OT God allowed them to find a dove or pigeon on the street to make atonement for their sin. It was to be a picture for the Lamb of God (His Son) who would die to make atonement for our sins.
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