Numbers 15
by Pastor David Groendyk

You might wonder why this chapter about various laws and commands is stuck here in the middle of two very long stories. Surely it would make more sense to move this section earlier in Numbers with all the other laws. Why then the placement? Because these laws are a direct comment on what happened in chapter 14. Israel’s failure to believe Joshua’s and Caleb’s report and desire to return to Egypt is one of Israel’s greatest sins in the Old Testament. Now, the Lord instructs his people more generally on the method of dealing with their sin through sacrifices. Keep in mind, also, that these statutes were meant for the next generation. The current adults would all die in the wilderness without ever seeing the Promised Land (Num. 14:21–23), but these statutes are for the time the people would enter the Promised Land (v. 2).

The various laws in verses 1–21 teach us a couple things. For one, God requires total devotion. Especially in light of the previous rebellion, the old generation was only half-heartedly trusting God and pursuing the Promised Land. The next generation would need to have that truth hammered home. Once the people would settle in Canaan and no longer be constantly traveling, they’d have a whole new industry to dedicate to God—crops and grains. The reiteration of these instructions now with the addition of the grain/oil offerings should reinforce that God requires everything of us. He wants our whole lives dedicated to him, not just certain parts. But another thing these laws teach us is that God is sure to fulfill his promises. Even with the 40 years of delay, Israel doesn’t need to worry about whether or not they’ll get to Canaan. As the ESV Study Bible puts it, “It is not a question of if they will enter the land, but rather when they will come in.” And not only would they get in, but they would have food and cattle in abundance. Even these laws are a reminder of God’s incredible grace to a sinful people.

God is so demanding, but would he even punish someone who sins by accident or without even knowing it? Verses 22–31 indicate ‘yes’. Even sinning unintentionally requires atonement to be made on our behalf in the form of a sacrifice. That’s how holy, pure, just, and consistent God is. Sin is not something that we only do consciously. We do it unconsciously, without thinking, and it arises naturally from our own hearts. And, yes, we need forgiveness from those sins as well. Those sins don’t get overlooked because “we weren’t thinking” or “that’s not really who I am”. There is no excuse. But praise God that he does forgive us for even those failings! We don’t need to make excuses, because God offers a way for those sins to be atoned for. But these unintentional sins are contrasted greatly with sins that are committed with a high hand (vv. 30–31). These are actions that we do deliberately, knowing what God commands, and yet premeditating a rebellious, sinful action. It seems in some instances, there was a sacrifice available for these offenses when the offender showed remorse and made restitution (see Lev. 6:1–7), but generally speaking an intentional, high-handed sin deserved immediate death. Hebrews 10:26–27 teaches us something similar: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” It is extremely serious to knowingly offend God. Yet how often do each one of us know exactly what we ought or not ought to do, and still do the opposite? We must have a more serious view of our sin, and a higher view of God’s holiness and justice.

This leads directly into a case example in verses 32–36. The man who chose to work on the Sabbath day by gathering firewood was not ignorant of the rule to not work on the Sabbath day. He certainly knew it, actively chose to disobey it, and flaunted it publicly. Therefore, he deserved death. This shows us what a high-handed sin deserves, but it also underscores the importance of keeping the Sabbath day. Even still as Christians, we are commanded to keep the Sabbath day and make it holy and devoted to God. As Pastor Lawrence taught us in one of his sermons a few weeks ago, each and every Sunday we’re commanded by God to rest from our ordinary, weekly activities so that we can devote the whole day to God in worship. Do we treat the Sabbath day like this? Is the whole of the day dedicated to God? Or is Sunday just another Saturday with a tacked-on hour-long church service in the morning? This commandment surely must be the most neglected of the Ten Commandments in the American church. Maybe we need to be reminded how seriously God takes his Sabbath day.

This chapter ends with a command to remember the commands of God and not follow our own hearts (vv. 37–41). Interestingly, the word for ‘follow’ is the same Hebrew word for ‘spy out’ (see Num. 13:2). What a cutting callback to Israel’s failure in the narrative of the 12 spies. Just as Israel was told to spy out, explore, search Canaan, so they are called to not spy out, explore, or search their own hearts for how to live. Our own hearts and desires are not the basis for good or right living. Only God’s commands show us what a good, right, and abundant life is.