CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Numbers 15
Chapter 15 of 36
Chapter Overview
What happens in Numbers 15
God gives rules about offerings for when the people eventually enter the Promised Land. He also explains the difference between sins done by accident and sins done on purpose. A man is caught gathering wood on the Sabbath and is put to death. God tells the people to put tassels on their clothes to remind them of his commands.
Scripture
Numbers 15
Grain and Drink Offerings
Study note
Even though God had just said the current generation would not enter Canaan, he gave laws for when the people eventually arrived. This showed that God still planned to keep his promise. The rules described the grain and drink offerings that went along with animal sacrifices. The same rules applied to both Israelites and foreigners living among them.
1 The Lord told Moses, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 "Give the Israelites these instructions: When you finally enter the land I am giving you to live in," 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 "You bring a fire gift to the Lord. It could be a burnt gift or a vow gift. It could be a free gift or a feast gift. It must come from your herds or flocks. It will make a pleasing smell to the Lord." 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 savour unto the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock:
4 "The person making the offering must also bring a grain offering. Mix two quarts of fine flour with one quart of oil." 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 an hin of oil.
5 "For each lamb used as a burnt gift, also prepare one quart of wine. Pour it out as a drink gift." And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb.
6 "If you are offering a ram, prepare a grain offering of four quarts of fine flour mixed with one and one-third quarts of oil." Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil.
7 "Also bring one and one-third quarts of wine as a drink offering. This will produce a pleasing smell to the Lord." And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
8 "When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering, to fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to the Lord," 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 "bring a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with two quarts of oil along with the bull." Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil.
10 "Also bring two quarts of wine as a drink offering. This fire offering produces a pleasing smell to the Lord." And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
11 "Follow these instructions for each bull, ram, lamb, or young goat you offer." Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid.
12 "Do this for every animal, no matter how many you are offering." According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number.
13 "Every native-born Israelite must follow these rules. They apply when bringing a fire gift that makes a pleasing smell to the Lord." All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
14 "A foreigner or anyone living among you might want to bring a fire gift. It must make a pleasing smell to the Lord. They must follow the same rules." And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do.
15 "The rules are the same for everyone in the community, whether you are an Israelite or a foreigner living among you. This is a permanent rule for all future generations. Before the Lord, there is no difference between you and the foreigner." 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 "The same laws and rules apply the same way to you and to any foreigner living with you." One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.
An Offering from the First Bread
Study note
When the people entered the land and began harvesting wheat and making bread, they were to give a portion of the first dough as an offering to the Lord. This gift recognized that the land and its produce belonged to God.
17 The Lord told Moses, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
18 "Tell the Israelites: When you arrive in the land I am taking you to," Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you,
19 "and you begin eating the food the land produces, you must set aside a portion as an offering to the Lord." Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD.
20 "Take a cake made from the first batch of your ground grain and offer it the same way you offer grain from the threshing floor." Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it.
21 "In every generation, you must give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground grain." Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering in your generations.
Offerings for Unintentional Sins
Study note
If the whole community sinned accidentally by failing to keep one of God's commands, they could offer a young bull as a burnt offering and a male goat as a sin offering. If an individual sinned accidentally, they brought a one-year-old female goat. The same rule applied to foreigners as to native Israelites.
22 "Now, what if you fail to follow any of the commands the Lord gave through Moses by accident —" And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses,
23 "any of these commands from the Lord given through Moses, from the day they were first given and for all time to come --" 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 "The whole group might make a mistake without knowing it. Then they must offer one young bull as a burnt gift. It makes a pleasing smell to the Lord. They also bring the grain gift and drink gift. They must also offer one male goat as a sin gift." Then it shall be, if ought 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 savour 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 "The priest must make things right for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven. It was an honest mistake, and they have brought their fire offering to the Lord along with their sin offering for their error." 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 "The entire Israelite community and any foreigners living among them will be forgiven. All the people were part of the mistake that was not done on purpose." 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.
27 "If just one person sins by accident, that person must bring a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering." And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering.
28 "The priest must make things right before the Lord for the person who sinned unintentionally. Once things are made right, that person will be forgiven." 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 "This same rule applies to anyone who sins by mistake. It covers native Israelites. It also covers foreigners living among you." 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.
Deliberate Sin Has No Sacrifice
Study note
But anyone who sinned defiantly, whether born in Israel or a foreigner, was insulting the Lord. That person would be completely cut off from the community. There was no sacrifice available for deliberate rebellion against God.
30 "But anyone who sins on purpose, whether Israelite or foreigner, is insulting the Lord. That person must be sent away from the community." But the soul that doeth ought 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 they showed contempt for the Lord's word and broke his command on purpose, that person must be completely cut off. Their guilt stays on them." 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.
A Man Breaks the Sabbath
Study note
While in the wilderness, the Israelites found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. They brought him to Moses and Aaron, but did not know what to do with him. The Lord told Moses the man must be put to death by stoning. This showed how seriously God took the Sabbath command.
32 While the Israelites were out in the wilderness, they caught a man picking up sticks on the Sabbath day. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 The people who caught him brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the whole community. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 They held him in custody because no one was sure yet what his punishment should be. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 The Lord told Moses, "The man must die. The whole community must take him outside the camp and stone him." 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 So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the Lord had told Moses. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Tassels on Their Clothes
Study note
God told the people to put tassels with a blue thread on the corners of their clothes. Whenever they looked at these tassels, they would remember all of God's commands and obey them. The tassels were a visual reminder to be holy and not to follow the desires of their own hearts and eyes.
37 The Lord told Moses, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
38 "Tell the Israelites to attach tassels to the corners of their clothes. Do this for every age to come. Weave a blue thread into each tassel." 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 "These tassels will help you remember. When you see them, you will think of all the Lord's commands and obey them. You will not chase after whatever your own hearts and eyes want, which leads you away from me." 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 "This way you will remember and obey all my commands, and you will be set apart as holy to your God." That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
41 "I am the Lord your God who rescued you from Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God." 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.
Key Themes
Themes in Numbers 15
Hope beyond the wildernessThe distinction between accidental and deliberate sinReminders to obey God's commandsOfferings that look forward to the Promised Land
Prophetic Connections
How this chapter points to Christ
Numbers 15:38-39 Matthew 9:20
The tassels (tzitzit) commanded here are the same fringe of Jesus' garment that the woman with the bleeding disorder reached out to touch in faith.
Apply This Today
Living Numbers 15
Even while Israel was sentenced to wander, God gave laws for 'when you enter the land,' affirming that His promises still stood. God distinguishes between sins of ignorance and deliberate rebellion. The tassels on clothing remind us that we need physical reminders to stay focused on God's commands.
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