NUMBERS

Numbers Chapter 15

• Numbers 15:1 And the LORD spoke 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, 

They already had been giving offerings and making sacrifices in the wilderness at the place where the tabernacle abode. These offerings and sacrifices were to continue even when they settled in the land that was before them. Offerings, sacrifices and the worship of God was to continue. Specific instructions were given and they were to be faithful in these things whether they dwelt in the wilderness or the land of promise. 

Until the perfect way that came through Jesus the Christ (Messiah), they had to have a constant reminder of God. Nations that surrounded Israel served false gods and idols. The children of Israel had a tendency to pattern after and get their eyes on other nations instead of staying faithful to God. 

Thus we have all these ordinances and sacrifices to keep in memory the importance of the need to be cleansed of sin and stay in a right relationship with a holy God. 

Through Jesus, the Holy Spirit is given to aid us in all these things. The Holy Spirit empowers for service. The gifts of the spirit that accompany the Holy Spirit will send forth preachers and teachers of the gospel and anoint them to teach. 

The Holy Spirit also is a comforter, a teacher, and will convict not only the sinner of sin but the believer will have a "check" in the spirit if he or she is in danger of sinning or making a serious mistake that would harm the soul or hinder the work of God in some way. He will help us to be strong enough around unbelievers that we will not desire to pattern after them but keep our eyes on the will and purpose of God. We must daily yield to this and not give into temptation to follow after those that do not follow the Lord.

The bible tells us not to forsake the assembling of our selves together; so even believers in Christ need the fellowship and worship as a reminder of who God is and what Jesus did to save us from sin. 

If we who are filled with the Holy Spirit need to worship, study and pray, how much more did the Israelites need to be reminded not to forsake God and that their sin needed to be dealt with on a regular basis until the promised savior came to take away their sin forever. 

This was the reason for all these offerings and sacrifices. To keep iniquity from spreading and getting to the point of no return like some of the nations surrounding them. The law was given as a schoolmaster to point them to Jesus the Christ when He did come.

The law points out how serious sin is and that is separates us from God. The law shows all mankind that they need to be saved and could not escape sin or the penalty of sin without outside help. There is only one way to be saved from the consequences of sin and that is through faith in Jesus. 

Before Christ came every time they offered an offering for sin they were exercising faith in the promise to come that God would send someone like Moses to save them from sin. 

When he did come though instead of acknowledging their sin and receiving this savior, they were looking for a deliverer similar to Moses that delivered them from the Egyptians. At the time of the first coming of the one God sent who was Jesus, they were expecting deliverance from the Roman authority that suppressed them, not someone to save them from sin.

Christ will come the second time to deliver Israel from their enemies but the first coming was to give a final once and for all offering for sin. 

Before the kingdom can be set up, Israel will have to acknowledge their sin and receive Jesus as the Messiah to save them from sin. When they are brought back to God through faith in Christ as a nation, then and only then will Jesus's earthly kingdom be set up. 

By the way, Jesus Himself will set up His own kingdom. We are not to attempt to do it by the use of force or any such ridiculous stuff many church-state type of organizations have tried. We don't need the help of the governments of this world. God Himself will set up the future eternal kingdom on earth. Right now our job is to preach of the kingdom of God that comes within us the moment we believe in Jesus as our Christ and Lord. In other words, the church is to preach the gospel of the kingdom not set up the literal kingdom ahead of the 2nd coming of Christ. 

The gospel of the kingdom is simple: 
Repent from sin, believe in Jesus to save us from sin.

Jesus is going to return literally again to set up the visible literal kingdom of righteousness forever. 

Jesus said many times: Repent the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

When we come to Christ we receive the kingdom in our innermost being. The kingdom of heaven is within a believer in Christ Jesus. The visible kingdom though is to literally come when Christ returns. We cannot set up the literal visible kingdom ahead of time but we can preach the gospel which will bring the spiritual kingdom within our souls.

The message of being "Born again" by the Holy Spirit is the message we need to emphasize and let Jesus take care of the earthly visible kingdom. To try to set up a kingdom with all good Christian people can't be done by us ahead of His coming. The Holy Spirit has to change each individual soul when they come to Christ by faith. We can't force this and attempt to build any kingdom by the use of force and even water baptism. 

Forcing someone to accept Christianity as a religion is really stupid. It changes no one. A person can accept the religion of Christianity and still be lost and on their way to hell. "You must be "Born again" by the spirit of God to enter heaven and be saved. It is an inward change of our nature we are talking of, not an outward acceptance of a religion. 

• Numbers 15:3 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 unto 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: 

In a way it was encouraging and comforting to know that after the incident in chapter 14, in which most of them went into fear, rebellion and unbelief, we see God is still with them. The unbelief caused them to have to stay in the wilderness another 40 years but we see here that God was showing them that He was a God that wanted them to be reconciled to Him both at this time and also later when their descendants would dwell in their new land. 

• Numbers 15:9 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. 

They were to make offerings according to how many were making the offering. 

• Numbers 15:13 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 whosoever 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 he shall do. 

The stranger is the Gentile or one who is not Israeli. This shows that even under the law, there was a way for Gentiles to be saved and partake of the blessings of God. 

• Numbers 15:15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance forever 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. 

God never once only offered salvation and cleansing from sin to the Jews only. It was given through them (Jesus came through the tribe of Judah) but meant for any who would believe. 

• Numbers 15:17 And the LORD spoke 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. 

A heave offering was raised above the altar. It was a tithe and was to be eaten by the priests and their families. 

• Numbers 15:21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD a heave offering in your generations. 
• 22 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. 

They had to atone for sin done in ignorance which was an offense against God but unknowingly. 

• Numbers 15:25 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. 

God would forgive the whole nation because they were being obedient and making a sacrifice just in case someone sinned ignorantly. 

• Numbers 15:27 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. 

The sin of ignorance could be forgiven to both Israelis and the stranger dwelling among them. 

We see here how serious sin against God is that they had to make provision to acknowledge and be cleansed from that sin even if they didn't know they sinned. 

Through Christ, we can trust in His one time sacrifice to cover this type of sin. If something needs to be changed or made right in our lives, God will draw us to Him by the Holy Spirit by someone preaching the gospel, by us reading the word or even just by the Holy Spirit drawing us. Some have seen visions of Jesus, when they didn't know anything about Him in countries where the gospel is rarely preached. In the book of Revelation we see even angels preaching the gospel. Through the words of one preaching, teaching etc. the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin and show us the need for repentance and correction. God gives us the free will to receive or reject this good way.

• Numbers 15:30 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. 

Sinning against what we know is sin and we know that it shouldn't be done would separate us from God. That is a more serious thing. 

• Numbers 15:31 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. 

When we sin willfully, it is actually saying that we do not care what God says or what His word commands, yet we do this anyway. This is very serious. 

• Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 

When Jesus died for our sins when He Himself was sinless, the sacrifice had been made. There is no other way to be saved. We must return to the throne of grace and repent, forsaking that willful sin. If we do not do this, we might be lost according to the way some interpret the New Testament teaching. There are others that believe once one is saved, they can never be lost. I lean toward the first teaching of the danger of being lost but I don't believe it is easy as we once thought. God is merciful and prefers to save.

Willful sin must be repented of and we must stop the sin and not repeat it or we might sear the conscience so much that we go past the point of no return. 

• 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. 

In today's world when we treat every day the same this seems rather harsh but it is given to us to show us the seriousness of breaking even one law of God. We are not to take the law lightly. 

Christ came to redeem us from the curse of the law. He became our Sabbath. We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together though. For our own health we should observe one day of rest a week at least. We need also a day in which we set aside to worship God. But now we do this by the law of love rather than a commandment. 

When we walk in the Holy Spirit though we are to worship God every day but we need a day in which we worship as a congregation. Some choose Sunday and some Saturday. We need that day for our own good although we are no longer under the law of compulsion but of freewill because Christ Jesus is our Sabbath rest. Now we give our financial support out of love, we worship out of love and we serve God out of love for Him. We are under a new way. Willingness, joy, peace and thanksgiving to God for sending a savior to save us from sin and the whole curse of the law. 

These in chapter 15 of Numbers was years before Christ fulfilled the law. The law was in full effect and had to be obeyed showing us how serious sin against God was and how much we needed the savior that was to come. 

• Hebrews 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 
• 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 

It is even more serious to despise the grace and forgiveness that was brought to us through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

• Numbers 15:37 And the LORD spoke 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 ribbon 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: 

So we see here that the fringes upon the garments were to serve as a reminder of all the commandments of the Lord. 

• Numbers 15:40 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. 

They needed a reminder then which is one reason for the feast days, the offerings, the sacrifices and public worship. The flesh is weak and we tend to forget. 

Our flesh is weak but it doesn't have to be. We have been given more help than they had and that is the power of the Holy Spirit. He is ours for the asking after we first confess our sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. 

We then gather with believers of the same faith in order to keep in memory the holiness of God and the need for His word. 

God is good to provide all these things so that we are saved in the end and not lost. -DC