민수기 Chapter 15

Translation: ESV

2

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you,

Key Message

God's promise is not cancelled by human failure; even after judgment, God keeps open a new beginning and a future.

▸Immediately after the judgment declaration of chapter 14, chapter 15 begins with a future-oriented word: 'when you come into the land I am giving you.

Immediately after the judgment declaration of chapter 14, chapter 15 begins with a future-oriented word: 'when you come into the land I am giving you.' This is a remarkable declaration of grace — that God's promise remains valid even after the judgment of forty years in the wilderness. Judgment is not the ultimate purpose; God causes the new generation to look forward to the fulfillment of the promise.

15

For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD.

Key Message

God's law and grace transcend ethnicity; everyone who belongs to the community that worships God is equally God's people.

▸This is a declaration that the offering regulations apply equally to native Israelites and to foreigners who sojourn among them.

30

But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people.

Key Message

Sins committed intentionally before God and sins committed through mistake are different; deliberate rebellion brings more serious consequences.

▸Sinning 'with a high hand' (beyad ramah, with an upraised hand) is a deliberate act of rebellion, different from sins committed out of mistake or ignorance.

39

And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.

Key Message

God understands our sensory nature and helps us remember spiritual truth in daily life through physical symbols and memory aids.

▸Along with the command to put tassels on the corners of their garments, the purpose is explained: to remember the commandments of the LORD.