King James Version

The Book of Numbers

Chapter 15

Commentary

by G. Neil Armstrong

Numbers 15

            Oh, how quick the Lord is to forgive! Only one verse ago the People were in trouble again and the Lord speaks in this verse about when the People do finally enter into the Promise Land. The People presumed to go up against the inhabitants of the land, even after the Lord told them not to go. They were smote and discomfited, even unto Hormah...and yet God continues onward to lay out the law of the much anticipated land.

Num 15:3-15 KJV

            This Law, being established some 1,400 years before the birth of Christ, was never honored by any nation to any significant degree. In fact, the Romans who crucified Jesus did treat foreigners with a more harsh sentence. Never would a Roman die by crucifixion. Crucifixion was a punishment reserved only for the Jew and the stranger.

Num 15:16-29 KJV

More so now than then, a sin of ignorance is not an exceptable excuse. In Moses' time, a sin of ignorance would possibly indicate that everyone was ignorant of the sin, and not just the one who comitted the sin.

Today, however, more people are being brought up with little regard to law in general, knowing nothing, being full of ignorance and even though society don't tolerate that ignorance as an excusable offence, it is widely tolerated as an act, so long as it does not evolve into or is involved in any EXCUSE for the sin.

All must be atoned. No sin can go without reproof. When there is no obvious consequence it is likely for one of two reasons: 1) the decaying nature of sin is nearly never severe promptly. Almost always, sin will grow in you much like a cancer, and becomes terminal before the symptoms are discovered. 2) Reprobate Mind (Romans 1:28), and that is described in Lamentations 3:44,45. For a short time, God might seperate from the People, as He did in Moses time, with a cloud, and give a person over to do their own will. For it pleases not God that any would suffer, but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 KJV).

Num 15:30 KJV

Here is the difference between ignorant sin and presumptuous sin. This is a matter of the heart. This is where only God can judge with any measure of accurace. Nobody knows the heart of man except Christ be in him. Only by the word of God can one person know the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

Num 15:31-32 KJV

One scripture after the Law was passed concerning the difference between ignorant and presumptuous sin, the People must have departed in haste to find an offender, or perhaps it was their zeal?

It didn't seem to take long to find someone in err, for such a common thing among them was the seemingly insignificant sin, the ignorant sin. The "determination" of the People had led to an arrest in little time, but in all their haste, they did not know how to discern what is ignorant and what is presumptuous. The matter was brought to Moses, and the man was taken outside the camp and stoned to death.

This is not okay with me. While some people simply wish to be protected by a solid law, others are bent on seeing another person suffer, even unto death. I have done far worse things than dishonor the Sabbath Day, and the matter had gone on unnoticed. I have done presumptuous sin far worse than this.

Because the law was enacted, and because the Law is perfect, the sentence must be carried out. The Law is not unto life, Jesus is.

Rom 5:13 KJV

13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Rom 7:7 KJV

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Rom 7:8 KJV

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Num 15:33-35 KJV

It is assumed that this man was found guilty of presumptuous sin for the penalty to be so severe as death by stoning. It is a wicked condition of heart to know that what you want to do is sin, and so fresh of a law being just sworn in, that heart would deliberately violate that law, knowing full well of the potentual consequence.

This man's deliberate, presumptuous sin was evidence that he has no reverant awe (fear) of God, and that is not to be tolerated at all. The God who defied all law of nature, performing miracle after miracle to deliver the People out of the hand of knowledge so that all the world can know He is God, is not to be mocked! At this point, every man, woman and child in the camp ought to know the Lord in His evidences. That should be enough to regard Him in the highest esteem. But is it, though?

How often do you or I go along our day, sinning time and time again, disregarding it or muttering a simple "forgive me" prayer, to go along further still and repeat that sin along with many others that we no longer regard at all, for stoic heart. Where is the miracles of that day in our time?

Judg 6:13 KJV

13        And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

This is the story of Gideon and his "dumb ass" after the prophecy was delivered. This scripture suggests why we do not see the miracles as they were in Moses' time. Our sin separates us from God, and blinds our eyes.

Seldom do we recognize the blessings of God. Equally so, we seldom recognize the punishment, or consequence of our sin. We pass it off with a discontented sigh and go on behaving as though there were no God.

Num 15:36-39 KJV

From creation to now, as nations were forming, there has always been some sort of "token" by which we are to remember something. Be it a festival, a rite or a symbol of some kind, the People seem to always need a reminder. So it is today, "lest we see we will not believe".

John 6:30 KJV

30        They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

John 11:40 KJV

40        Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

     With God, believing is seeing. With man, seeing is believing.

John 14:11 KJV

11        Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

 Num 15:40-41 KJV

Time and time again God is establishing His name in the hearts of man, and yet we still need reminders. God's grace is sufficient for me.