Numbers 15

Numbers 15:1-31

**Part Three: The Years of Wandering (Numbers 15; Numbers 16; Numbers 17; Numbers 18; Numbers 19; Numbers 20; Numbers 21)

I. IN PARAN (Numbers 15; Numbers 16; Numbers 17; Numbers 18; Numbers 19)

A. LAWS OF OFFERINGS vv. 1-31 TEXT**

Numbers 15:1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, 3. And will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savor to the Lord, of the herd, or of the flock: 4. Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the Lord bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of oil. 5. And the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb. 6. Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour, mingled with the third part of a hin of oil. 7. And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of a hin of wine, for a sweet savor unto the Lord. 8. And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the Lord; 9. Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour, mingled with half a hin of oil. 10. And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. 11. Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid. 12. According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number. 13. All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. 14. And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whatsoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord; as ye do, so shall he do. 15. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. 16. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

17. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 18. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, 19. Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up a heave offering unto the Lord. 20. Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for a heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. 21. Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord a heave offering in your generations.
18. And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses, 23. Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; 24. Then it shall be, if aught be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor unto the Lord, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. 25. And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance: 26. And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance.
19. And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. 28. And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29. Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
20. But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 15:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2. Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, -When you come to the land of your dwellings, which I give to you, 3. make an offering of fire to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or as a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts to make a sweet aroma to the Lord, from the herd or the flock; 4. then he who presents his offering to the Lord shall bring a meal offering of one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil. 5. You shall prepare wine for the drink offering: one-fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or sacrifice for each lamb. 6. Or for a ram, you shall prepare as a meal offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-third of a hin of oil. 7. And for a drink offering you shall give one-third of a hin of wine as a sweet aroma to the Lord. 8. And when you prepare a bull for a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a special vow, or as a peace offering to the Lord, 9. then he shall bring with the bull a meal offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-half a hin of oil. 10. And you shall bring for a drink offering, one-half hin of wine for an offering by fire, of a sweet aroma to the Lord.-’ 11. Thus it shall be done for a bull, for a ram, for a lamb, or for a goat. 12. According to the number you shall prepare, so you shall do for everyone according to their number. 13. All who are born in this country shall do these things -in the same manner in presenting an offering by fire, of a sweet aroma to the Lord. 14. And if an alien sojourns with you, or anyone who is among you throughout your generations, and if he wishes to present an offering by fire, of a sweet aroma to the Lord, he shall do as you do. 15. There shall be just one regulation for you of the congregation, as well as for the alien sojourning with you, a regulation forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the alien be before the Lord. 16. One law and one code shall apply both to you and to the alien who sojourns with you.

17. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18. Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, -When you come into the land into which I bring you, 19. it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land you shall offer up a gift to the Lord. 20. You shall offer a cake from the first of your dough as a gift; just as you offer the gift of your threshing floor, in the same manner you shall set it apart. 21. You shall give an offering to the Lord from the first of your dough throughout your generations.
18. If you have erred and have not kept all these commandments which the Lord spoke to Moses, 23. everything the Lord has commanded you through Moses, from the day the Lord gave commandment and onward throughout your generations; 24. then if it is done unintentionally or without the knowledge of the congregation, all of the congregation shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord, along with its meal offering and its drink offering according to the regulation; and one young goat shall be given as a sin offering. 25. Then the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; since it was unintentional, and they have brought their offering, a sacrifice brought by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering made before the Lord, for their ignorance. 26. And it shall be forgiven unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the alien sojourning among them, since all the people were in ignorance.
19. Also, if one person sins through ignorance, he shall bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28. And the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins in ignorance when he sins unintentionally before the Lord, to make atonement for him: it shall be forgiven him. 29. You shall have just one law for him who sins ignorantly, whether he is born among the children of Israel or the alien who sojourns among them.
20. But the person who acts defiantly, whether he is native born or an alien, dishonors the Lord: that person shall be excommunicated from among his people. 31. Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be entirely cut off; and his guilt shall be upon himself.

COMMENTARY

At this point comes a most abrupt break in the account of Israel’s history. For thirty-seven years, with the exception of a single item, in chapter 16, no actions of the people are recorded. It is as if the time spent in the wilderness should be forgotten. True, the places of their encampments are given (Numbers 33:19-30); but even these are all but unidentifiable. We must not assume that God abandoned the people. They were certainly provided their daily manna, and, just as certainly, it would have been necessary that He furnish copious supplies of water for the people and their animals. In addition, the fire and the cloud went before them (see Exodus 40:34-37), so that the -wandering-’ was not aimless and undirected; the Lord led them from place to place as it was appropriate. In analyzing the general circumstance, KD suggests the silence of the account is to be attributed to the fact that the fighting men of Israel had fallen under the judgment of Jehovah, and the sacred history, therefore, was no longer concerned with them; whilst the youth, in whom the life and hope of Israel were preserved, had as yet no history at all, (p. 100).

Anticipating the time when the young generation should arrive in the Promised Land, the Lord reveals certain provisions which complete previous laws. When KD proposes that the reason for this revelation is to revive the hopes of the oncoming generation and direct their minds toward the Land, the reasoning seems too thin. It is hard to see how such a minor factor could serve as such a buoy for forty years. Perhaps a better reason is that of PC: it is evident that the primary object of their promulgation was simply to supply certain defects and omissions in the Levitical legislation, (p. 181).

The laws pertain to certain meal offerings, which are to be added to other sacrifices, The first of these relates all burnt offerings and all offerings which were killed to meat and drink offerings. A fixed amount of meal, oil and wine should be presented with each animal. The quantity differed according to the kind of animal being sacrificed, The occasion of the offering had no effect upon this lawit did not matter whether the animal was being given during the observation of a feast, or in confirmation of a vow, or as a free will offering.

The second law, Numbers 15:17-21, establishes a procedure for offering the first-fruitscoarsely ground meal was to be made into a cake, which, in turn, was lifted up or heaved unto the Lord in token of gratitude and blessing. It then became food for the priests.

A final enlargement, Numbers 15:22-31, relates to offerings occasioned by sins of omission. Considering the broad expanses of the terms of the Law, and countless points upon which questions of personal interpretation might arise in carrying out the Law, it is not at all surprising that provision is made for those who, in ignorance or oversight, err. This law had no relationship whatever to deliberate or willful sins, such as blasphemy or rebellion against the Lord. In each of the three provisions, the same details are to apply to both stranger and native-born (see Numbers 15:16; Numbers 15:26; Numbers 15:30).

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

What purposes would be served in giving the Israelites instructions for sacrificial procedures they would not use until they occupied their new land?

Is it logical for Moses to change the account so abruptly at this point in his history of the people? Enlarge upon your answer.

The period in Israel’s history between Kadesh-Barnea and the end of their days in the desert have commonly been called the Wilderness Wanderings. How is this both accurate and inaccurate?

Why are the special provisions given in this section to be applicable to both native Israelites and strangers alike?

Under what circumstances should an Israelite make an offering for unknown sins?

Numbers 15:32-36

B. STONING OF THE SABBATH-BREAKER vv. 32-36 TEXT

Numbers 15:32. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 15:32. Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day. 3 3. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34. And they held him in custody, since it had not been told what should be done to him. 35. And the Lord said to Moses, The man shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp. 36. And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

COMMENTARY

Following immediately upon the law distinguishing between unwitting and deliberate sins, the brief account of the Sabbath-breaker may well be introduced as an exemplum, as well as a concrete reference for future cases in which labor on the Sabbath might require judgment. The man appears to be acting presumptuously rather than in ignorance of the law. Much of the discussion upon the incident, especially that of liberal scholarship, purports to find a basic contradiction between the statement here that it was not declared what should be done to him, (Numbers 15:34), and the clear teaching of Exo 31:14 ff; Exodus 35:2that Sabbath-breaking is a capital offenseoverlooks a basic point. Labor on the Sabbath clearly is such an offense; but, is gathering sticks considered labor, or is it an excusable necessity under the circumstances? God’s answer is quick and decisive: the man had broken the law, and must suffer the consequences previously prescribed. He is stoned by the congregation to his death.

The incident offends certain modern minds which find the death penalty horrendous under any or all circumstances. They are especially disturbed that death should come upon an individual for such an apparently trivial reason. Where such an attitude can be found, it is evidence of a more deeply seated reaction against the sovereign right of God to prescribe laws and govern human conduct by standards which do not rest upon human reasoning. Much more than our present age, the Israelites were taught from infancy to recognize the holiness of the Lord. Since His laws were nothing less than the extension of His will and His person into the ideal human society, they were always justifiable, always above question. Such conclusions were inevitable and essential in a truly theocratic system. Stoning without the camp preserved the undefiled nature of the camp. In no manner were the people to be held accountable for the presumptuous man’s sins; they were to be totally dissociated from both the living violator and the dead victim of the law of God.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

Upon what grounds can we justify the death sentence for this apparently trivial offense?

What point of the Law needed clarification before the man’s fate could be decided?

Why should the congregation participate in execution of the sentence?

What important fact is impressed upon us regarding the Sabbath in the incident?

Numbers 15:37-41

C. LAW OF THE TASSELS vv. 37-41 TEXT

Numbers 15:37. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 38. Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments, throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue; 39. And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40. That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 15:37. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 38. speak to the children of Israel and tell them that they shall make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they shall put on the tassel of each corner a blue cord. 39. And it shall be a tassel for you to see and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them. Do not seek after your own heart or your own eyes, after which you wander, 40. in order that you may remember to do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 41. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God.

COMMENTARY

Tzitzit, the Hebrew term used in Numbers 15:38, probably means tassels. Ezekiel used the word (Numbers 8:3) where its apparent meaning is lock of hair. They were placed at the corners of the garments, attached by a blue cord. Two purposes have been ascribed to the tassels: they are to remind the people of their living relationship to the Lord and His Laws; and, they serve as a readily recognizable means of identification for His people. Wherever they went, and among whatsoever people they might mingle, they were uniquely marked unless, in repudiation of this commandment, they should be ashamed or unwilling to comply with God’s requirement.

Historically, the Israelites complied with the commandment by wearing the tallith, a special garment worn by all males beyond the age of thirteen. It was a long, narrow cloth with a tassel at each corner and a hole in the center. The head was passed through the hole, and the cloth fell to the chest and the mid-back. Among the many other aberrations and showy practices of the Pharisees, making these tassels extremely large was a practice which Jesus condemned (Matthew 23:5). Their actions had become exhibitions of pridefar from the purpose for which the Lord had prescribed the tassels in the first place. Numerology has figured in the rabbinical attitude toward the tzitzit, whose gematria is six hundred. Adding eight threads and five knots (arbitrarily assigned as components of the garment), one arrives at the total of 613, the total number of commandments accepted as obligatory upon the Jews. Of further interest is the fact that the blue dye used for the tassels was derived from the blood of the hilazon, a shellfish, and was very expensive. It was later determined, perhaps because of the prohibitive cost, that the knotted cord might be white.

Non-Jewish scholars have usually cited the psychological importance of the tzitzit as constant reminders of the individual’s relationship to God. Following their own heart and their own eyes would mean spiritual defection according to their personal whims rather than the righteous laws God had delivered to them. Such a defection is termed a whoring here in KJa strong, symbolical term frequently applied to such conduct in both testaments.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

Describe the tzitzit, its appearance and function.

What use, and what abuse, was made of the tassels?

Discuss the numerological significance attached to the tassels.

For what reason were the Israelites later permitted to make the tassels white rather than blue?

Do you find any memorials or instructions in the New Testament which resemble the one given here?