Numbers 15:7-41
The children of Israel are again reminded here about offering the firs tfruits to the Lord. Their first dough was to be offered as a heave offering to Him. It is a joy to give the Lord first place, is it not? When we think of it, all that we have really belongs to Him, for He is the Giver of everything that is good. Let us always remember His claims.
Next we are told of the gracious provision the Lord made for sins of ignorance. This was the only way He could go on with an erring people, for God is holy and cannot pass over sin—it must be judged, even sins of ignorance. We remark again, as we have often done before, that all these sacrifices pointed on to the one perfect sacrifice of Christ which alone can put away sin. There was, however, no provision made for presumptuous sins under the law—such sins brought only the judgment of God.
At this time one of the children of Israel was found picking up sticks on the sabbath day, and they brought him to Moses. The Lord told Moses that they were to stone him to death for what he had done. Now it is well to remember that God shows His thoughts about a thing when He sets it up, and though, undoubtedly, many broke the Sabbath after this, in Israel, and were not stoned, God’s thoughts about it for those under law did not change. In this day, of course, we are not under law, but under grace, and the Chriian’s day is the first day of the week—a day of liberty to please the Lord, and not the bondage of law. We see, however, a similar case at the beginning of the Christian dispensation when Ananias and Sapphira were smitten dead for telling a lie. Alas, many Christians have told lies since then, and were not smitten dead. Why? Is it not just as serious to tell a lie today as it was then? Yes, it is just as serious, but God is forbearing in grace now (though He still deals in government with His own). He will, however, show His thoughts about sin in the believer’s life when all is manifested at the judgment seat of Christ, for loss or reward. At the great white throne the lost, too, will learn God’s estimate of sin, before they are sent to the lake of fire forever. Out thoughts about sin may change, as the days grow darker (though they should not!), but let us always remember that the holiness of God’s throne, and what is suited to the light of His presence, never changes.
We notice in our chapter that the whole assembly were called upon to stone this sabbath breaker with stones. It was not just a few of the people who acted. When sin manifests itself in an assembly, all are responsible, and so “all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died.”
The children of Israel were told in to put a ribbon of blue on the border of their garments. Blue is the heavenly color, like the blue sky, and the border, of their garment would be the park closest to the ground. It would tell us all, young and old, that when in company with people of this world, should remember that we are a heavenly people, so that they see in us “a ribbon of blue.” Between us and the world, just as between the Israelite’s garment and the ground, there should be that which lets them know we are not of the world, but belong to heaven. Even boys and girls can wear this “ribbon” and show to whom they belong. It is better than any school ribbon!
ML 10/21/1951