Numbers 15

Numbers 15

When the Israelites enter the land, God knew that there would be new foods for the Israelites as well as new spices. As a result, He had to clarify some of the laws that He had previously given them. It is not that God changed the way in which they offered the different sacrifices that He gave them in Leviticus, but He is now adding a few more guidelines in order to cover for some of the new items they will have in the new land. One specific instance of this is seen with the bread, which some call the “Dough Offering.” Just as the Israelites were to give their first fruits back to God, they were to also give back the first of their bread. This was a further symbol of their dependence on, trust in, and worship of God.

Ever since the Israelites had left Egypt (up until this point in the story), God had given them many different laws to follow. The consequences for breaking any of those laws always ranged from death, to exile, and to being unclean. In order to be considered clean again or be forgiven, they were to bring forth certain offerings and make sacrifices to God. Now God accounts for those times in which the Israelites sinned unintentionally, when they either sinned unknowingly or did not know that what they were doing was a sin. There is still punishment, because a sin is a sin, but there were those times in which they did not realize that they had sinned and when others around them failed to notice it as well. So God explained how to go about offering sacrifices for these sins and once again gave a clear set of instructions for these instances. Remember that we do not go by these various laws any more, due to the New Covenant. But we might still have unintentional sins. We are still forgiven for these sins by the blood of Jesus, but the more we read and study God’s Word, the more aware we will be about what we can and cannot do. This should never be seen as an excuse for sin, because drawing closer to God will reveal these areas in our lives so that we can correct them.

Whereas Numbers 15 speaks a great deal on unintentional sins, it briefly mentions the intentional sins, assuming that the Israelites already knew the requirements and consequences for those sins. Near the end of the chapter, an example is given about one of these intentional sins. It shows a man who worked on the Sabbath. After being brought to Moses and Moses seeking God’s advice, God commands that he be stoned to death for breaking the Sabbath, which was the punishment God sat forth for breaking that commandment from that moment forward. Also notice, that once again this brief example further fulfills God’s promise that no one from that generation of Israelites would enter the Promised Land.

The end of Numbers 15 is to me a great idea that I think could be incorporated today, but I am not sure how. In order to help the Israelites have a physical reminder of God’s commands each day, He commanded them to wear a tassel on the corners of their garments. Then, every time that they saw that tassel, they would be reminded of His commands and if they were in the middle of doing something they knew to be wrong, they might think twice before going through with it. Now while God’s Word should be in the forefront of our mind at all times anyways, that is not always the case. We should not need a reminder, for it should come natural each day to follow God’s commands. But I still think that it would be a great idea if there was some way that we could always have a physical reminder for times such as this. One practical way that I can think of right now is having Scripture posted in different places in our lives, where we will be sure to see it: such as at your desk, in your car, on your bathroom mirror, on the kitchen table, etc. This incorporates both ideas together. Scripture would serve as that physical reminder and it would help you in learning Scripture, so that His Word would be in your mind at all times.

Matt