Before we get into the text, I think it’s important to understand what’s been happening up to this point, because this chapter begins with Israel leaving Mount Sinai. There’s very little information given here concerning Israel’s thirty-eight years in the wilderness.
When Israel was in the wilderness, God continue to take care of their needs by feeding them quail and manna, and the ongoing miracle of their sandals and clothes not wearing out, Deuteronomy 8:2-6 / Deuteronomy 29:5-6.
It was during this time, they stopped circumcising their children, Joshua 5:2-8, and they didn’t celebrate the Passover, Joshua 5:10. However, they did observe the laws concerning the Sabbath, Numbers 15:32-36. God had punished them for forty years to humble them so that they would fully trust God, Deuteronomy 8:2-3.
This chapter tells us that Israel were commanded to offer different kinds of offerings to Lord in order to please Him, Leviticus 1:2 / Leviticus 1:7. The offerings were going to be a sweet-smelling aroma, pleasing to the Lord, Numbers 15:1-3. This is always the way God sees our offerings when they are made with the proper heart and attitude, Mark 7:1-9.
Israel were not only to enjoy the blessings which come from God but they must also recognise the God who is providing for them. The grain offering along with the drink offering of wine, Numbers 15:4-5, were meant to accompany the blood sacrifice and they speak of thanksgiving and joy, Exodus 29:40 / Leviticus 23:13.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The Apostle Paul spoke of his life as a drink offering poured out as a sacrifice to God, Philippians 2:17 / 2 Timothy 4:6.’
With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, which is around seven pounds, Exodus 29:40, mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil, which is around a litre, and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering, Numbers 15:6-7. They are to offer it as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, Numbers 15:7 / Numbers 15:3 / Numbers 15:10 Numbers 15:13.
When they prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the LORD, they are to bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with half a hin of olive oil and also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering, Numbers 15:8-10.
This will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD, Numbers 15:10 / Numbers 15:7 / Numbers 15:3 / Numbers 15:13. Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner and they are to do this for each one, for as many as they prepare, Numbers 15:11-12.
Notice that the offering of the ram and bull, Leviticus 2:1-10, each needed progressively greater amounts of grain and wine to accompany them because they were progressively bigger sacrifices. Notice also that everyone who made a sacrifice had to bring it with the thanksgiving of grain and the joy of wine, Exodus 22:29 / Exodus 23:19. In other words, God didn’t want sacrifices given to Him grudgingly.
Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when they present a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, Numbers 15:13 / Numbers 15:10 / Numbers 15:7 / Numbers 15:3. For the generations to come, whenever a foreigner or anyone else living among them presents a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, they must do exactly as Israel does, Numbers 15:14.
The community is to have the same rules for Israel and for the foreigner residing among them and this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, Numbers 15:15. Israel and the foreigner shall be the same before the LORD: The same laws and regulations will apply both to Israel and to the foreigner residing among the,, Numbers 15:15-16.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘We can see the absolute necessity of having one form of worship in the land. That alone was genuine which was prescribed by God Almighty, and no others could be tolerated, because they were idolatrous.’
God tells Moses to speak to the Israelites and tell them, when they enter the land to which God is taking them and they eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the LORD, Numbers 15:17-19 / Exodus 22:29 / Exodus 23:19. They are to present a loaf from the first of their ground meal, Nehemiah 10:37 / Ezekiel 44:30, and present it as an offering from the threshing floor, Numbers 15:20. God says, throughout the generations to come they are to give this offering to the LORD from the first of their ground meal, Numbers 15:21.
Here we read about offerings which were made for those who committed unintentional sins, Leviticus 4:13-35. These were sins which were committed out of ignorance but atonement could be made for such sins.
If Israel as a whole unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the LORD gave Moses, any of the LORD’s commands to them through Moses, from the day God gave them and continuing through the generations to come, 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, Numbers 15:22-24 / Leviticus 4:2 / Leviticus 5:17.
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, Numbers 15:25. The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong, Numbers 15:26. In other words, unintentional sins needed a blood atonement, a bull had to be sacrificed with the nation as a whole being guilty.
If just one person sins unintentionally, a female goat had to be sacrificed as a sin offering, Numbers 15:27. 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, Numbers 15:28. One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among them, Numbers 15:29.
We also read of sins which were done defiantly, that is, sins against the will of God, Numbers 15:30 / Ezekiel 20:27. Anyone who committed this sin would be automatically cut off from the rest of Israel because they despised God’s Word, Numbers 15:31.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Probably the presumption mentioned here implied an utter contempt of the word and authority of God, springing from an idolatrous or atheistically mind. ln such a case all repentance was precluded, because of the denial of the word and being of God. It is probably a case similar to that mentioned in Hebrews 6:4-8 and Hebrews 10:26-31.’
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This does not indicate a date for Numbers after their settlement in Canaan but has the utility of placing this incident within the period of the 38 years sojourn in the wilderness following the rebellion at Kadesh. It applies to all of the events recorded here through Numbers 19.’
Here, Moses gives us an example of someone who gathered wood on the Sabbath, Numbers 15:32. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him, Numbers 15:33-34 / Exodus 31:14 / Exodus 35:2.
God says the penalty for breaking this Sabbath rule was death by stoning, Numbers 15:35, because they should have known what the law taught, but chose to ignore it, Exodus 31:14-15 / Exodus 35:2-3.
God says, the whole assembly must stone him outside the camp and notice they did exactly what God told them to do, Numbers 15:36 God commanded the death penalty so that everyone would fear Him. Israel had to learn that God’s laws were more important to obey than anyone’s right to break His laws.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Moses mentions here, as is his wont, Leviticus 24:10-16, the first open transgression and its punishment in order to exemplify the laws which he is laying down. The offence of Sabbath-breaking was one for which there could be no excuse. This law at least might be observed even in the wilderness. Transgression of it was therefore a presumptuous sin and was punished accordingly.’
Riggans, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There are eleven offenses punishable by stoning according to the Old Testament: idolatry, Deuteronomy 17:2-7, encouragement of idolatry, Deuteronomy 13:6-10, child sacrifice, Leviticus 20:2-5, prophecy in the name of another god, Deuteronomy 13:1-5, divination, Leviticus 20:27; blasphemy, Leviticus 24:15-16, breaking the Sabbath (here), murder by an ox, Exodus 21:28-29, adultery, Deuteronomy 22:22-24, rebellion by a son, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, violation of God’s ban on plunder devoted to him, Joshua 7:25.’
God now tells Moses to speak to the Israelites and tell them, throughout the generations to come they are to make tassels on the corners of their garments, with a blue cord on each tassel, Numbers 15:37-38 / Deuteronomy 6:6-9 / Deuteronomy 22:12 / Matthew 9:20. Some commentators suggest that the colour blue was used because the ark of the covenant was covered with a blue cloth, blue curtains adorned the tabernacle, and blue was in the high priest’s garments.
These tassels which Israel were to make were fringes on the borders of their clothing. They were put there so that they would remember the laws of God, Numbers 15:39-40. The other reason for wearing these tassels was to prevent them from committing idolatry, the lusts of their own hearts and eyes, Numbers 15:39. The idea is, if they remember, they wouldn’t sin ignorantly against God.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In our Lord’s time the Pharisees enlarged their fringes, Matthew 23:5, in order to obtain reputation for their piety. In later times, however, the Jews have worn the fringed garment of a smaller size and as an underdress. Its use is still retained, especially at morning prayer in the Synagogue.’
They are to remember that it was the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt to be their God, Numbers 15:41.