THEN YOU WILL REMEMBER

Numbers 15:22-41 / Keywords 15:40

Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.

 15:22 “‘Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses— 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— 24 and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering.[g] 25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering and a sin offering. 26 The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.

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

30 “‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. 31 Because they have despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.’”

The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death

32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 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. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Tassels on Garments

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

g. Numbers 15:24 Or purification offering; also in verses 25 and 27

1. 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).

 

2. 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