Numbers
chapter 15 begins with a message of hope that springs from God’s
trustworthy promise. The nation has just been judged because of
their lack of faith in believing God’s promise to enter into the
Promised Land. The sentence was pronounced and the punishment
issued. They would wander in the desert for forty years and they
would not enter the land. God’s next words are, “After
you enter the land I am giving you as a home, and you present
offerings to the Lord… as a pleasing aroma to the Lord…”
Even as sin is being judged, the promise of coming back to their
God-ordained home is repeated. Isn’t it interesting this also comes
immediately after the people REPENT. Here we see the pattern that is
repeated time after time with the nation Israel and also in the life
of individual believers: sin, judgment, repentance, and then
restoration. But notice the restoration always comes after true
repentance. We always want to skip the consequences and the
repentance part. Saying you are sorry is not the same thing. True
repentance requires a “turning away”. It is more than a mental
acknowledgement. It is more than a heartfelt change. It often
requires a change in behavior.
God
gives the people a supplementary offering that is only to be
performed AFTER they enter the Promised Land. All of the sacrifices
that have already been described in detail (in Leviticus) are then to
be offered with “fine
flour mixed with oil”
and “wine
as a drink offering“.
They are offered after the sacrifice. We are also told, “This
is a lasting ordinance… the same law and regulations will apply to
both you and the alien living among you.”
This is for both the Jew and the Gentile once they reach the Promised
Land. What an amazing symbol of the celebration that awaits us in
heaven. Bread is a symbol of life, and oil, the Holy Spirit. Jesus
told the disciples at the last supper, “This
is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of the fruit of
the vine from now until the day when I drink it anew with you in My
Father’s kingdom”
(Matthew 26:28-29). After the atoning blood of Jesus (the Lamb of
God) was shed, the Holy Spirit was poured out into the lives of all
who believed. God’s promise of eternity in heaven was received.
Additionally, God also declares, “When
you enter the land to which I am taking you and you eat of the food
of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord“.
Two times we are reminded, “Give
this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal“.
As believers, we need to understand all of our abundance is from
God. We acknowledge that by giving our first fruits as an act of
worship, rather than giving God our leftovers.
The
text then discusses the remedy for “unintentionally
failing to follow God’s commands“.
As discussed in Leviticus chapter 4, the “Sin
Offering”
was to make atonement for the individual and the community. After
the offering of the sacrifice, “The
whole Israelite community and the aliens living among them will be
forgiven.”
But note, the next section flatly states, “But
anyone who sins defiantly, whether native born or alien… that
person must be cut off from the people, because he despised the
Lord’s Word… his guilt remains on him.”
It would appear that the difference is our attitude. It seems we
can ask God for forgiveness out of humility, or we can choose to deny
our need for a Savior. Will you stand alone before God? The apostle
John lovingly encourages us, “If
anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God“,
he “will
have confidence on the day of judgment”
(1 John 4:17). How confident are you?