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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
15:1-41 The Law-giving at Kadesh. At each place where Israel encamped for a long time, laws were given: at Sinai (Exodus 20--Numbers 9), Kadesh (Numbers 15), and the plains of Moab (Numbers 28-36). The Kadesh laws are the briefest and are mainly clarifications of the Sinai laws.
15:1-16 Meal, Oil, and Wine to Accompany Sacrifice. Leviticus 1-7, which explains how each type of sacrifice is to be conducted, does not explain that burnt offerings (Leviticus 1) and peace offerings (Leviticus 3) must be accompanied by appropriate quantities of meal, oil, and wine. This may be because such materials were not available in the wilderness. But when you come into the land (Num. 15:2), the situation will be different. Then these other products will be available and (along with animal sacrifices) must be offered to God. The imagery of sacrifice is drawn from that of a meal: the worshiper must act as the generous host and give to God all that he would give an important guest (Gen. 18:1-8). It was not that God needed food, but these gifts showed the worshiper's devotion (Ps. 50:12-15). The giving of these laws at this point is very telling. The entry into Canaan has just been delayed , and an attempt to enter has failed (Num. 14:20-45), so the question could be asked: would Israel ever enter the Promised Land? These laws emphatically answer yes. It is not a question of if they will enter the land, but rather when they will come in. In this way the laws reaffirm the land promise. Further, the continuing instructions show that God has indeed retained Israel as his people (see note on 14:36-38). But more than that, the laws are an assurance that their harvests in the land would be abundant, as they stipulate that large quantities must be offered with each animal. The sacrifice of a lamb must be accompanied by about
15:17-21 The Dough Offering. The book of Leviticus (19:24-25; 23:10-11) insists that the firstfruits of the crops must be given to God. This principle is now extended to baking. The first dough is given to the priests. Observant Jews today still remember this rule when they bake, by throwing a small lump of dough into the fire.
15:22-31 Sacrifices for Unintentional Sins. Sins by mistake (i.e., unpremeditated sins, or sins done when the person did not know the action was sinful; cf. Lev. 4:1-5:13) may be atoned for by offering a sin offering.
15:22-26 These verses recall the rule for a sin of the congregation (cf. Lev. 4:13-21).
15:27-29 This is the rule for an individual (one person, cf. Lev. 4:27-35). Minor changes from Leviticus are introduced (e.g., the congregation must offer a bull and a goat, not just a bull, while the individual may offer only a female goat a year old, not a lamb). The reason for these changes is unclear. The fact that a sacrifice must be given even for the person who makes a mistake, or who sins unintentionally, implies that such sin still requires atonement, though it is not counted to be as serious as willful sin. An immigrant (the stranger who sojourns among them, Num. 15:29) may also seek atonement for unintentional sin (see also vv. 14-16).
15:30-31 Sins committed with a high hand must refer to deliberate, intentional sins, since these are contrasted with unintentional sins (vv. 22, 24, 27). A "high hand" suggests lifting up a hand in defiance against God, and such a sin cannot be atoned for (see Heb. 10:26-30). Those who sin consciously and deliberately shall be cut off (i.e., die suddenly and mysteriously as punishment from God; see Gen. 17:14; Ex. 12:15; 31:14; Num. 9:13 and note on 9:6-14).
15:32-36 A Sabbathbreaker Executed. This seems to be a case of sinning "with a high hand"--and publicly, too--so that the offender is actually executed, not just left to be "cut off" (cf. vv. 30-31), which applied only when the offender escaped human detection. In this case it is clear that the man has sinned, since all work on the Sabbath is prohibited (Ex. 20:10), including lighting a fire (Ex. 35:3). However, in this case the people did not know what his punishment should be: it had not been made clear what should be done to him (Num. 15:34). The mode of his execution underlines the importance of observing the Sabbath.
15:37-41 Tassels on Clothes. In the ancient world, tassels were worn by nobles and other high-class people. In Israel they are to be worn by everyone as a mark of their status as the chosen people. Blue was used in the tabernacle curtains and in the priests' vestments (Ex. 26:31; 28:31). So the blue threads reminded the Israelites that they were "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). This meant they had to remember and do all my commandments (Num. 15:40). In particular, they had to avoid the mistake of the spies of following after your own heart (v. 39). There is a play on words with the expression to follow, for this verb (Hb. tur) means both "to spy" and "to follow," and thus alludes to the danger found in following their own whims rather than being absolutely loyal to the divine commandments. It seems that tassels were part of Jesus' clothing in observance of this requirement and that the "fringes" touched for healing by the sick in Matthew's Gospel would have been "tassels," since the same Greek word used for "tassel" in the Septuagint is also used in Matthew (Gk. kraspedon, "tassel" or "fringe"; see Matt. 9:20; 14:36).
