Numbers Chapter 15 — Laws of Sacrifice and Remembrance
Numbers 15 outlines the specific requirements for grain and drink offerings, rules regarding unintentional sin, and the command to wear tassels on garments.
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Notable Verses
Numbers 15:15
“For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations. As you are, so the foreigner shall be before the LORD.”
This verse establishes the principle of legal and spiritual equality for everyone living within the community of Israel.
Numbers 15:30
“But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That soul shall be cut off from among his people.”
It draws a sharp distinction between mistakes made in ignorance and deliberate, defiant rebellion against God.
Numbers 15:39
“It shall be to you for a fringe, that you may see it, and remember all the LORD’s commandments, and do them; and that you don’t follow your own heart and your own eyes, after which you used to play the prostitute;”
This explains the purpose of the tzitzit (tassels) as a practical tool for maintaining spiritual focus and obedience.
Chapter Summary
Numbers 15 focuses on instructions for the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. The chapter begins by detailing the specific proportions of flour, oil, and wine that must accompany animal sacrifices, emphasizing that these laws apply equally to native-born Israelites and foreigners living among them. It introduces the wave offering of the first dough as a gift to the LORD. The text then distinguishes between unintentional sins, which can be atoned for through sacrifice and priestly mediation, and 'high-handed' or defiant sins, which result in the individual being cut off from the community. A specific instance is recorded where a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath is executed by stoning at the LORD's command. The chapter concludes with the instruction to wear blue tassels on the corners of garments. These tassels serve as a visual aid to help the people remember God's commandments and resist the urge to follow their own hearts and eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions
God requires a meal offering of fine flour mixed with oil and a drink offering of wine. The specific amounts of these ingredients vary based on whether the animal being sacrificed is a lamb, a ram, or a bull.
If the whole congregation or an individual sins unintentionally, they must bring a specific offering, such as a young bull or a female goat, to the priest. The priest then makes atonement for them, and they are forgiven.
In this chapter, a man found gathering sticks on the Sabbath is brought before Moses and the congregation. By the LORD's command, he is taken outside the camp and stoned to death because he violated the Sabbath law.
The tassels, or fringes, were commanded to be worn on the corners of garments with a cord of blue. They served as a constant visual reminder for the people to remember and obey all of God's commandments rather than following their own desires.
Study Note
The phrase 'high hand' used in verse 30 specifically describes a state of arrogant rebellion where an individual knows the law but chooses to publicly and defiantly break it.
Related Chapters
Leviticus 4
Leviticus 4 provides more comprehensive instructions on the sin offerings for unintentional sins mentioned in this chapter.
Exodus 31
Exodus 31 explains the significance of the Sabbath, providing context for the punishment of the Sabbath-breaker in Numbers 15.
Deuteronomy 22
Deuteronomy 22 reiterates the requirement for tassels on the corners of garments as a reminder of the law.
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