Sunday, August 30, 2009

NUMBERS: Chapter 15

Chapter 15
Summary:God speaks to Moses telling him to speak to the people of Israel. Moses is to tell them that when they (meaning those who are actually allowed to enter the "promised land") are offering animal sacrifices by fire, whether a "burnt offering", a sacrifice in performing a vow, a "freewill offering", or a sacrifice during solemn feasts, to make a "sweet savor" for God, the animal must come from one of the Israelite's herds or flocks.

Each sacrifice by fire is also to be accompanied by a "grain offering":
  • When sacrificing a lamb, the "grain offering" is to contain a tenth of a deal* of flour mixed with a fourth part of a hin* of olive oil, and is to be accompanied by a fourth part of a hin* of wine for a "drink offering".
  • When sacrificing a ram, the "grain offering" is to contain two tenth deals* of flour mixed with a third of a hin* of olive oil, and is to be accompanied by a third of a hin* of wine for a "drink offering".
  • When sacrificing a bull, the "grain offering" is to contain three tenth deals* of flour mixed with a half of a hin* of olive oil, and is to be accompanied by a half of a hin* of wine for a "drink offering".
These rules apply both to those born in the "promised land", as well as to any foreigners, who wish to sacrifice by fire - for a "sweet savor" - to God. There is to be only one law for both native Israelis and for foreigners, and it is a law that shall be true forever from generation to generation.

God also states that once the people of Israel inhabit the "promised land", and "eat of the bread of the land", that they will have to make a "heave offering" to God. The Israelite will have to offer up a loaf of bread from the first of their dough, each year, which is a permanent law throughout the generations.

God continues on, stating that if the people of Israel have erred and have not observed these commandments that he has given to Moses, due to ignorance, then they will have to offer a young bull for a "burnt offering" - which is a "sweet savor" to God - along with a "grain offering", "drink offering", and a young goat as a "sin offering". The priest will make atonement for the people of Israel and they'll be forgiven as long as they sacrifice some animals by fire.

If any single person sins by ignorance, then they'll have to bring a female yearling goat to the tabernacle for a "sin offering". The priest will make atonement for them and they will be forgiven - for the price of sacrificing a yearling female goat. (This applies whether the person was born in the land, or is a foreigner living amongst the people.)

However, anyone who "sins" deliberately is to be excommunicated from their people, as apparently they "despise" God's word by breaking their commandment, and their iniquity will be upon them.

Meanwhile, as the people of Israel were camped in the wilderness they spotted a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day. The man was brought to Moses and Aaron in front of all of the people of Israel, and was subsequently jailed as it was not declared what should be done to him.

God tells Moses that the man is to be dragged out to the outskirts of the camp and stoned to death. The people of Israel then brought the man outside of the camp and stoned him until he died.

God now tells Moses to have the people make fringes upon their garments attached with blue ribbons (which is to be continued to be practiced by future generations) as a reminder of God's commandments. God continues, stating that the people of Israel are to follow all of God's commandments and not to seek after their own hearts and their own eyes - after which they "use to go a whoring". The fringes are again to remind the people to remember and follow God's commandments to be "holy" unto him.

God once again reminds the people of Israel that he brought them out of Egypt to be their god.
Notes:1.) Approximately three quarts.
2.) Approximately three pints.
3.) Approximately six quarts.
4.) Approximately four pints.
5.) Approximately nine quarts.
6.) Approximately six pints.
Thoughts:After our last chapter in which God had told the people of Israel that none of them over the age of twenty will live to inherit the "promised land", he now sets out some guidelines for the people who will be allowed (eventually - aside from Joshua and Caleb) to "inherit" the land. Perhaps it's just me, but I find this a bit bizarre that after sentencing the people of Israel to wander around in the desert for forty years, to allow the current generation to die off, that God immediately gives a bunch of laws to Moses concerning the "promised land", and tells him to relay these to the people, of whom the majority will never live to see the "promised land".

Anyways, not surprisingly, the laws are more regulations regarding animal sacrificing. The first of which being that the sacrificial animal must come from one of the Israeli flocks or herds - apparently non-Israeli animals won't do.

Next up God demands that all sacrifices by fire (which again are noted to be a "sweet savor" to God) are to be accompanied by a "grain offering" (flour mixed olive oil) and a "drink offering" (wine) set to a sliding scale based on the size of the animal being sacrificed.

When sacrificing a lamb, the "grain offering" is to contain three quarts of flour (a tenth of a deal) mixed with three pints of olive oil (a fourth of a hin), accompanied by three pints of wine. Whereas sacrificing a bull requires a "grain offering" to contain nine quarts (three tenths a deal) of flour mixed with six pints of olive oil, and accompanied by six pints of wine. We can probably assume that this sliding scale is to ensure that the rather earthly priests have enough side dishes and wine to wash down the meal you've given them with your animal sacrifices.

God tacks on that his sliding scale of side dishes and drinks apply to both the people of Israel and the foreigners living amongst them, and is to be a permanent law.

God's next law for the people who actually get to reside in the "promised land", is that they'll also be expected to offer up a loaf of bread for a "heave offering" annually from the first of their bread dough. Basically each year they'll have to bring their first loaf of bread down to the tabernacle to wave around in the air, which of course the priests will benefit from getting to eat the bread afterward. This too is a permanent law to be observed by all future generations.

God now states that if the people of Israel "sin unintentionally" then they can be forgiven as long as they sacrifice a young bull as a "burnt offering", a young goat as a "sin offering", and bring along a "grain offering" with some wine. A single individual "sinning" through ignorance can be forgiven for the price of sacrificing a female yearling goat, but anyone who "sins" deliberately is to be excommunicated for "despising" God's laws.

Next up we're treated to a story about a man found gathering sticks on the sabbath day - which seems fairly reminiscent of the story from Leviticus Chapter 24 about the "blasphemer". The stick gathering man is brought before Moses and Aaron and then jailed, with the chapter stating that "it was not declared what should be done to him" - which brings into question the time line of this story, as God clearly states both in Exodus 31:14-15:
31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
...as well as:Exodus 35:2:
35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Perhaps this story we're being told here - or perhaps even this whole chapter - might possibly occur before Exodus Chapter 31, but it's curious as to why it is included here in the book of Numbers considering that it has been repeated numerous times throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers God's stressed importance on his laws concerning the sabbath. In this context, this story (and actually the entire chapter) seems out of place with the continuity of our story.

Of course, considering that we've already read both Exodus Chapter 31 and Exodus Chapter 35, it comes as no surprise that God's answer as to what to do with the man caught gathering sticks on a Saturday is to drag him out to the outskirts of the camp and stone him to death. I suppose that's one way to get him to stop picking up sticks on Saturdays, but one can't help but question that perhaps keeping him in jail would accomplish the same thing with a lot less bloodshed.

God immediately shifts gears away from stonings to now tell Moses to have the people create fringes on their garments to remind them of God's commandments. However, I would think the blood stains on their garments from stoning people to death would serve as a much more effective reminder.

In any event, God states that these fringes will remind the people of Israel to follow God's laws instead of following their heart's desires, which he states leads them to "go a whoring".

He ends the chapter by once again reminding everyone that he was the guy who got everybody out of Egypt - which although God has stated this numerous times throughout Exodus and Leviticus, we oddly haven't yet heard God state this in the book of Numbers. This may be yet another reason to suspect that this chapter may actually occur prior to Exodus Chapter 31.

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