N
U M B E R S
CHAP. XV.
This
chapter, which is mostly concerning sacrifice and offering, comes in between
the story of two rebellions (one ch. xiv. the other ch. xvi.),
to signify that these legal institutions were typical of the gifts which
Christ was to receive even for the rebellious, Ps. lxviii. 18. In the
foregoing chapter, upon Israel's provocation, God had determined to destroy
them, and in token of his wrath had sentenced them to perish in the
wilderness. But, upon Moses' intercession, he said, "I have
pardoned;" and, in token of that mercy, in this chapter he repeats and
explains some of the laws concerning offerings, to show that he was reconciled
to them, notwithstanding the severe dispensation they wee under, and would not
unchurch them. Here is, I. The law concerning the meat-offerings and
drink-offerings (ver. 1-12) both for Israelites and for strangers (ver.
13-16), and a law concerning the heave-offerings of the first of their dough,
ver. 17-21. II. The law concerning sacrifices for sins of ignorance, ver.
22-29. III. The punishment of presumptuous sins (ver. 30, 31), and an instance
given in the sabbath-breaker, ver. 32-36. IV. A law concerning fringes, for
memorandums, upon the borders of their garments, ver. 37, &c.
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Laws
Concerning Sacrifices.
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B.
C. 1490.
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1 And the LORD
spake 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, 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 savour 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 an hin of oil. 5 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 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 And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part
of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour 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:
9 Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of
flour mingled with half an hin of oil. 10 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 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. 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 savour 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 savour
unto the LORD;
as ye do, so he shall do. 15 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 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that
sojourneth with you. 17 And the LORD
spake 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 an heave offering unto the LORD.
20 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 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the
LORD
an heave offering in your generations.
Here we have,
I. Full instructions given concerning the meat-offerings and drink-offerings,
which were appendages to all the sacrifices of animals. The beginning of this
law is very encouraging: When you come into the land of your habitation
which I give unto you, they you shall do so and so, v. 2. This was
a plain intimation, not only that God was reconciled to them notwithstanding
the sentence he had passed upon them, but that he would secure the promised
land to their seed notwithstanding their proneness to rebel against him. They
might think some time or other they should be guilty of a misdemeanour that
would be fatal to them, and would exclude them for ever, as the last had done
for one generation; but this intimates an assurance that they should be kept
from provoking God to such a degree as would amount to a forfeiture; for this
statute takes it for granted that there were some of them that should in due
time come into Canaan. The meat-offerings were of two sorts; some were offered
alone, and we have the law concerning those, Lev. ii. 1, &c. Others were
added to the burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and constantly attended
them, and about these direction is here given. It was requisite, since the
sacrifices of acknowledgment (specified in v. 3) were intended as the
food of God's table, that there should be a constant provision of bread, oil,
and wine, whatever the flesh-meat was. The caterers or purveyors for Solomon's
temple provided fine flour, 1 Kings iv. 22. And it was fit that God
should keep a good house, that his table should be furnished with bread as
well as flesh, and that his cup should run over. In my Father's house there is
bread enough. Now the intent of this law is to direct what proportion the
meat-offering and drink-offering should bear to several sacrifices to which
they were annexed. If the sacrifice was a lamb or a kid, then the
meat-offering must be a tenth-deal of flour, that is, an omer, which contained
about five pints; this must be mingled with oil, the fourth part of a hin (a
hin contained about five quarts), and the drink-offering must be the same
quantity of wine, about a quart and half a pint, v. 3-5. If it was a
ram, the meat-offering was doubled, two tenth-deals of flour, about five
quarts, and a third part of a hin of oil (which was to them as butter is to
us) mingled with it; and the same quantity of wine for a drink-offering, v.
6, 7. If the sacrifice was a bullock, the meat-offering was to be trebled,
three omers, with five pints of oil, and the same quantity of wine for a
drink-offering, v. 8-10. And thus for each sacrifice, whether offered
by a particular person or at the common charge. Note, Our religious services
should be governed, as by other rules, so by the rule of proportion.
II. Natives and strangers are here set upon a level, in this as in other
matters (v. 13-16): "One law shall be for you and for the
stranger that is proselyted to the Jewish religion." Now, 1. This was
an invitation to the Gentiles to become proselytes, and to embrace the faith
and worship of the true God. In civil things there was a difference between
strangers and true-born Israelites, but not in the things of God; as you
are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord, for with him there is no
respect of persons. See Isa. lvi. 3. 2. This was an obligation upon the Jews
to be kind to strangers, and not to oppress them, because they saw them owned
and accepted of God. Communion in religion is a great engagement to mutual
affection, and should slay all enmities. 3. It was a mortification to the
pride of the Jews, who are apt to be puffed up with their birthright
privileges. "We are Abraham's seed." God let them know that the sons
of the stranger were as welcome to him as the sons of Jacob; no man's birth or
parentage shall turn either to his advantage or his prejudice in his
acceptance with God. This likewise intimated that, as believing strangers
should be accounted Israelites, so unbelieving Israelites should be accounted
strangers. 4. It was a happy presage of the calling of the Gentiles, and of
their admission into the church. If the law made so little difference between
Jew and Gentile, much less would the gospel make, which broke down the
partition-wall, and reconciled both to God in one sacrifice, without the
observance of the legal ceremonies.
III. A law for the offering of the first of their dough unto the Lord. This,
as the former, goes upon the comfortable supposition of their having come
into the promised land, v. 18. Now that they lived upon manna they
needed not such an express acknowledgment of God's title to their daily bread,
and their dependence upon him for it, the thing spoke for itself; but in
Canaan, where they should eat the fruit of their own industry, God required
that he should be owned as their landlord and their great benefactor. They
must not only offer him the first-fruits and tenths of the corn in their
fields (these had already been reserved); but when they had it in their
houses, in their kneading trough, when it was almost ready to be set upon
their tables, God must have a further tribute of acknowledgment, part of their
dough (the Jews say a fortieth part, at least, of the whole lump) must be
heaved or offered up to God (v. 20, 21), and the priest must have it
for the use of his family. Thus they must own their dependence upon God for
their daily bread, even when they had it in the house with them; they must
then wait on God for the comfortable use of it; for we read of that which was
brought home, and yet God did blow upon it, and it came to little, Hag. i. 9.
Christ has taught us to pray not, Give us this year our yearly harvest,
but Give us this day our daily bread. God by this law said to the
people, as the prophet long afterwards said to the widow of Sarepta (1 Kings
xvii. 13), Only make me thereof a little cake first. This offering was
expressly kept up by the laws of Ezekiel's visionary temple, and it is a
commandment with promise of family-mercies (Ezek. xliv. 30): You shall give
unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to
rest in thy house; for, when God has had his dues out of our estates, we
may expect the comfort of what falls to our share.
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Sacrifices
for Sins of Ignorance.
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B.
C. 1490.
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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 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 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. 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.
We have here the laws concerning sacrifices for sins of ignorance; the Jews
understand it of idolatry, or false worship, through the error of their
teachers. The case here supposed is that they had not observed all these
commandments, v. 22, 23. If they had failed in the offerings of
their acknowledgment, and had not brought them according to the law, then they
must bring an offering of atonement, yea, though the omission had been through
forgetfulness or mistake. If they failed in one part of the ceremony, they
must make it up by the observance of another part, which was in the nature of
a remedial law. 1. The case is put of a national sin, committed through
ignorance, and become customary through a vulgar error (v. 24)--the
congregation, that is, the body of the people, for so it is explained (v.
25): All the congregation of the children of Israel. The ceremonial
observances were so numerous, and so various, that, it might easily be
supposed, some of them by degrees would be forgotten and disused, as
particularly that immediately before concerning the heave-offering of their
dough: now if, in process of time, upon consulting the law, there should
appear to have been a general neglect of that or any other appointment, then a
sacrifice must be offered for the whole congregation, and the oversight shall
be forgiven (v. 25, 26) and not punished, as it deserved, with some
national judgment. The offering of the sacrifice according to the manner,
or ordinance, plainly refers to a former statute, of which this is the
repetition; and the same bullock which is there called a sin-offering
(Lev. iv. 13, 21) is here called a burnt-offering (v. 24),
because it was wholly burnt, though not upon the altar, yet without the camp.
And here is the addition of a kid of the goats for a sin-offering.
According to this law, we find that Hezekiah made atonement for the errors of
his father's reign, by seven bullocks, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven
he-goats, which he offered as a sin-offering for the kingdom, and for
the sanctuary, and for Judah (2 Chron. xxix. 21), and for all Israel,
v. 24. And we find the like done after the return out of captivity,
Ezra viii. 35. 2. It is likewise supposed to be the case of a particular
person: If any soul sin through ignorance (v. 27), neglecting
any part of his duty, he must bring his offering, as was appointed, Lev. iv.
27, &c. Thus atonement shall be made for the soul that sins, when he
sins through ignorance, v. 28. Observe, (1.) Sins committed
ignorantly need to have atonement made for them; for, though ignorance will in
a degree excuse, it will not justify those that might have known their Lord's
will and did it not. David prayed to be cleansed from his secret faults,
that is, those sins which he himself was not aware of, the errors he did not
understand, Ps. xix. 12. (2.) Sins committed ignorantly shall be forgiven,
through Christ the great sacrifice, who, when he offered up himself once for
all upon the cross, seemed to explain the intention of his offering in that
prayer, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And Paul
seems to allude to this law concerning sins of ignorance (1 Tim. i. 13), I
obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly and in unbelief. And it looked
favourable upon the Gentiles that this law of atoning for sins of ignorance is
expressly made to extend to those who were strangers to the commonwealth of
Israel (v. 29), but supposed to be proselytes of righteousness.
Thus the blessing of Abraham comes upon the Gentiles.
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Doom
of Presumptuous Sinners.
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B.
C. 1490.
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30 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
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. 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.
Here is, I. The general doom passed upon presumptuous sinners. 1. Those are to
be reckoned presumptuous sinners that sin with a high hand, as the
original phrase is (v. 30), that is, that avowedly confront God's
authority, and set up their own lust in competition with it, that sin for
sinning-sake, in contradiction to the precept of the law, and in defiance of
the penalty, that fight against God, and dare him to do his worst; see Job xv.
25. It is not only to sin against knowledge, but to sin designedly against
God's will and glory. 2. Sins thus committed are exceedingly sinful. He that
thus breaks the commandment, (1.) Reproaches the Lord (v. 30);
he says the worst he can of him, and most unjustly. The language of
presumptuous sin is, "Eternal truth is not fit to be believed, the Lord
of all not fit to be obeyed, and almighty power not fit to be either feared or
trusted." It imputes folly to Infinite Wisdom, and iniquity to the
righteous Judge of heaven and earth; such is the malignity of wilful sin. (2.)
He despises the word of the Lord, v. 31. There are those who, in
many instances, come short of fulfilling the word, and yet have a great value
for it, and count the law honourable; but presumptuous sinners despise it,
thinking themselves too great, too good, and too wise, to be ruled by it. What
is the Almighty that we should serve him? Whatever the sin itself is, it
is contumacy that incurs the anathema. It is rebellion added to the sin that
is as witch-craft, and stubbornness as idolatry. 3. The sentence passed on
such is dreadful. There remains no sacrifice for those sins; the law provided
none: That soul shall be cut off from among his people (v. 30), utterly
cut off (v. 31); and that God may be for ever justified, and the
sinner for ever confounded, his iniquity shall be upon him, and there
needs no more to sink him to the lowest hell. Thus the Jewish doctors
understand it, that the iniquity shall cleave to the soul, after it is cut
off, and that man shall give an account of his sin at the great day of
judgment. Perhaps the kind of offence might be such as did not expose the
offender to the censure of the civil magistrate, but, if it was done
presumptuously, God himself would take the punishment of it into his own
hands, and into them it is a fearful thing to fall. In the New Testament we
find the like sentence of exclusion from all benefit by the great sacrifice
passed upon the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, and a total apostasy from
Christianity.
II. A particular instance of presumption in the sin of sabbath-breaking. 1.
The offence was the gathering of sticks on the sabbath day (v. 32),
which, it is probable, were designed to make a fire of, whereas they were
commanded to bake and seeth what they had occasion for the day before, Exod.
xvi. 23. This seemed but a small offence, but it was a violation of the law of
the sabbath, and so was a tacit contempt of the Creator, to whose honour the
sabbath was dedicated, and an incursion upon the whole law, which the sabbath
was intended as a hedge about. And it appears by the context to have been done
presumptuously, and in affront both of the law and to the Law-maker. 2. The
offender was secured, v. 33, 34. Those that found him gathering
sticks, in their zeal for the honour of the sabbath, brought him to
Moses and Aaron, and all the congregation, which intimates that being the
sabbath day the congregation was at that time gathered to Moses and Aaron, to
receive instruction from them, and to join with them in religious worship. It
seems, even common Israelites, though there was much amiss among them, yet
would not contentedly see the sabbath profaned, which was a good sign that
they had not quite forsaken God, nor were utterly forsaken of him. 3. God was
consulted, because it was not declared what should be done to him. The
law had already made the profanation of the sabbath a capital crime (Exod.
xxxi. 14, ch. xxxv. 2); but they were in doubt, either concerning the
offence (whether this that he had done should be deemed a profanation or no)
or concerning the punishment, which death he should die. God was the Judge,
and before him they brought this cause. 4. Sentence was passed; the prisoner
was adjudged a sabbath-breaker, according to the intent of that law, and as
such he must be put to death; and to show how great the crime was, and how
displeasing to God, and that others might hear and fear and not do in like
manner presumptuously, that death is appointed him which was looked upon as
most terrible: He must be stoned with stones, v. 35. Note, God
is jealous for the honour of his sabbaths, and will not hold those guiltless,
whatever men do, that profane them. 5. Execution was done pursuant to the
sentence, v. 36. He was stoned to death by the congregation.
As many as could were employed in the execution, that those, at least, might
be afraid of breaking the sabbath, who had thrown a stone at this sabbath-breaker.
This intimates that the open profanation of the sabbath is a sin which ought
to be punished and restrained by the civil magistrate, who, as far as overt
acts go, is keeper of both tables. See Neh. xiii. 17. One would think there
could be no great harm in gathering a few sticks, on what day soever it was,
but God intended the exemplary punishment of him that did so for a standing
warning to us all, to make conscience of keeping holy the sabbath.
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The
Law Concerning Fringes.
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B.
C. 1490.
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37 And the LORD
spake 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 ribband 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: 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.
Provision had been just now made by the law for the pardon of sins of
ignorance and infirmity; now here is an expedient provided for the preventing
of such sins. They are ordered to make fringes upon the borders of their
garments, which were to be memorandums to them of their duty, that they might
not sin through forgetfulness. 1. The sign appointed is a fringe of silk, or
thread, or worsted, or the garment itself ravelled at the bottom, and a blue
riband bound on the top of it to keep it tight, v. 38. The Jews being a
peculiar people, they were thus distinguished from their neighbours in their
dress, as well as in their diet, and taught by such little instances of
singularity not to be conformed to the way of the heathen in greater things.
Thus likewise they proclaimed themselves Jews wherever they were, as those
that were not ashamed of God and his law. Our Saviour, being made under the
law, wore these fringes; hence we read of the hem or border, of his garment,
Matt. ix. 20. These borders the Pharisees enlarged, that they might be thought
more holy and devout than other people. The phylacteries were different
things; these were their own invention, the fringes were a divine institution.
The Jews at this day wear them, saying, when they put them on, Blessed be
he who has sanctified us unto himself, and commanded us to wear fringes.
2. The intention of it was to remind them that they were a peculiar people.
They were not appointed for the trimming and adorning of their clothes, but to
stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance (2 Pet. iii. 1), that they
might look upon the fringe and remember the commandments. Many look
upon their ornaments to feed their pride, but they must look upon these
ornaments to awaken their consciences to a sense of their duty, that their
religion might constantly beset them, and that they might carry it about with
them, as they did their clothes, wherever they went. If they were tempted to
sin, the fringe would be a monitor to them not to break God's commandments: If
a duty was forgotten to be done in its season, the fringe would remind them of
it. This institution, though it is not an imposition upon us, is an
instruction to us, always to remember the commandments of the Lord our God,
that we may do them, to treasure them up in our memories, and to apply
them to particular cases as there is occasion to use them. It was intended
particularly to be a preservative from idolatry: that you seek not after
your own heart, and your own eyes, in your religious worship. Yet it may
extend also to the whole conversation, for nothing is more contrary to God's
honour, and our own true interest, than to walk in the way of our heart
and in the sight of our eyes; for the imagination of the heart is
evil, and so is the lust of the eyes.
After the repetition of some ceremonial appointments, the chapter closes with
that great and fundamental law of religion, Be holy unto your God,
purged from sin, and sincerely devoted to his service; and that great reason
for all the commandments is again and again inculcated, I am the Lord your
God. Did we more firmly believe, and more frequently and seriously
consider, that God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, we should see
ourselves bound in duty, interest, and gratitude, to keep all his
commandments.
Contents
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Section
