THEN YOU WILL REMEMBER

Passage: Numbers 15:22-41

Key verse: 40

NIV

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

22 “‘Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses(A)— 23 any of the Lord’s commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come(B)— 24 and if this is done unintentionally(C) without the community being aware of it,(D) then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering(E) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord,(F) along with its prescribed grain offering(G) and drink offering,(H) and a male goat for a sin offering.[a](I) 25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven,(J) for it was not intentional(K) and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering(L) and a sin offering.(M) 26 The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.(N)

27 “‘But if just one person sins unintentionally,(O) that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering.(P) 28 The priest is to make atonement(Q) before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven.(R) 29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.(S)

30 “‘But anyone who sins defiantly,(T) whether native-born or foreigner,(U) blasphemes the Lord(V) and must be cut off from the people of Israel.(W) 31 Because they have despised(X) the Lord’s word and broken his commands,(Y) they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.(Z)’”

The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death

32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness,(AA) a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.(AB) 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.(AC) 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die.(AD) The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.(AE)” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him(AF) to death,(AG) as the Lord commanded Moses.(AH)

Tassels on Garments

37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come(AI) you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments,(AJ) with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember(AK) all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves(AL) by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts(AM) and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands(AN) and will be consecrated to your God.(AO) 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.(AP) I am the Lord your God.(AQ)’”

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Footnotes
  1. Numbers 15:24 Or purification offering; also in verses 25 and 27
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Laws About Unintentional Sins

22 (A)“But if you sin unintentionally,[a] and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23 all that the Lord has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done unintentionally (B)without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, (C)with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and (D)one male goat for a sin offering. 25 (E)And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their mistake. 26 And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.

27 (F)“If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 (G)And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 (H)You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. 30 (I)But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has (J)despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”

A Sabbathbreaker Executed

32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man (K)gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34 (L)They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said to Moses, (M)“The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall (N)stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Tassels on Garments

37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to (O)make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, (P)not to follow[b] after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined (Q)to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be (R)holy to your God. 41 (S)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.”

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Footnotes
  1. Numbers 15:22 Or by mistake; also verses 24, 27, 28, 29
  2. Numbers 15:39 Hebrew to spy out
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

God understands his people would not keep the law perfectly. God repeats the Levitical sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins for the sake of the next generation. God wants to forgive his people. At the same time, God reiterates the seriousness of defiant rebellion. The story of the Sabbath breaker who was stoned underscores how seriously God and his people must treat such rebellion. It also reminds us how great God’s kindness is to us through the gospel of Jesus (Ro 11:22).

The law of the tassels is far more important than style. That generation had proved their contempt (14:11). But God held hope for the generations to come. There is a saying: “The best defense is a good offense.” The tassels were to remind them of their identity as God’s people, redeemed from Egypt, and to help them keep in mind God’s commands, not following the lusts of the flesh. We, too, are told to seek God’s righteousness (Mt 6:33). This is to be done actively by offering every part of ourselves as instruments of righteousness (Ro 6:13). Our lives are not to be centered on avoiding sin, but obeying God’s commands as his beloved people whom he rescued in order to be his treasured possession (1Pe 2:9).

Prayer: Father, thank you for forgiving our sins through Jesus, making me your own. Help me to remember and obey your words.

One Word: I am the LORD your God