Numbers 15

1
Living the Life of Worship

• Numbers 15

2
Num 13-14

• The story of the 12 scouts is the epicenter of
  the book of Numbers
• The story of the 12 scouts is the conclusion of a
  series about distrusting God

3
The Ending that ties it all together

• Num 13-14
• Num 13.2, 25 14.34 "scouting"
• Num 14.33 "your whoring"

• Num 15.39
• ". . . not scouting after your own heart and your
  eyes"
• "and not whoring after them."

4
Num 15.1-16 Hope to Celebrate an Extravagant
Worship

• 15.2 Speak to the children of Israel and say to
  them, "When you enter the land where your
  dwelling will be, which I am giving to you."
• To the people of Israel
• Hope gt God's promise of the land still continues.

5
Num 15.1-16 Hope to Celebrate an Extravagant
Worship

• 15.3ff. You shall make an offering by fire to
  Yahweh from the herd or from the flock, a whole
  burnt offering, a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a
  freewill offering or at your appointed festivals,
  producing a pleasing odor for Yahweh. . . . meal
  offering . . . with fine flour . . . . oil . . .
  wine

6
Parallels to Numbers 15.1-16

• 1. Leviticus 2 gt no amounts of oil and flour
  offerings designated
• 2. Ezekiel 46 gt amounts are larger, but the same
  irrespective of animals offered no libation
  offerings focuses on the prince.

7
Num 15.1-16 Hope to Celebrate an Extravagant
Worship

• 15.15 As for the Community, there shall be for
  you and the resident alien a single statute, a
  perpetual statute throughout your generations.
  You and the alien will be before Yahweh.

Wrong kind of Alien!
8
Worship Daily Life Num 15.17-31

• 15.18 Speak to the children of Israel and say to
  them, "When you enter the land which I am
  bringing you there . . . .

9
Worship Daily Life Num 15.17-31

• 15.19 and when you eat of the bread of the land,
  you shall set some side as a gift to Yahweh.
• 15.20-21 "first batch of dough" / "first yield
  of baking"
• Lev 23 Deut 26 firstfruits

10
Worship Daily Life Num 15.17-31

• 15.22-23 If you unintentionally fail and do not
  do all these commandments which Yahweh has spoken
  to Moses . . . .
• 15.24 . . . if without the community eye-ing,
  unintentionally . . . the whole community . . . .

11
Worship Daily Life Num 15.17-31

• 15.25 The priest shall make atonement for the
  whole children of Israel community. . . . by fire
  and a purgation offering . . . .
• 15.26 The whole community of the children of
  Israel will be forgiven and the resident aliens .
  . . .

12
Worship Daily Life Num 15.17-31

• 15.27 And if one person has sinned
  unintentionally
• 15.28 The priest shall make atonement . . .
  before Yahweh . . . he will be forgiven.
• 15.29 One law . . .

13
3 Types of Sin

• Promethean Sin
• Sin as Sloth
• Philanthropic Sin

• Karl Barth

14
Worship Daily Life Num 15.17-31

• 15.30 But the person, citizen or alien, who does
  with a 'high hand' against Yahweh, that one
  reviles and that person shall be cut off from
  among the people.

15
Worship Daily Life Num 15.17-31

• Despised Yahweh's words
• Broke his commandments
• The guilt of that person is in him

16
A Parallel to Num 15.22-31

• Leviticus 4-5
• 1. Lev. has 4 categories high priests rulers
• 2. Types of sacrifices are slightly different
• 3. Lev. has provisions for the poor, while Num.
  deals with the alien
• 4. Lev. does not emphasize the issue of
  deliberate sin.

17
Example of 'High Handed' Sin Num 15.32-36

• Once, when the children of Israel were in the
  wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on
  the sabbath day.

18
Sabbath Laws

• Exod 20.8-11 God's creation
• Exod 31.12-17 death penalty
• Exod 352-3 making a fire

19
Example of 'High Handed' Sin Num 15.32-36

• . . . they brought him to Moses and Aaron, and
  the whole congregation.
• He was placed in custody, for it had not been
  specified what to do to him.
• Yahweh. . . "The man shall be put to death, the
  whole congregation shall pelt him with stones
  outside the camp.

20
The Tsitsit to Remember Num 15.37-41

• Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to
  make fringes/tsitsit on the corners of their
  garments . . . to put a blue cord on the fringe
  at each corner

21
The Tsitsit to Remember Num 15.37-41

• And it shall be your fringe. Look at it and
  remember all the commandments of Yahweh, so as to
  do them and not scout after your hear and after
  your eyes, which you whored after them.

22
The Tsitsit to Remember Num 15.37-41

• So that you will remember and do all my
  commandments and be holy to your God.

23
Yahweh

• I am Yahweh your God, who brought you from the
  land of Egypt to be your God I am Yahweh your
  God.