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Series E -- God’s Laws |
Lesson 16
OFFERINGS COMMANDED
From Numbers 15
“Here are some instructions which the Lord
told Moses to give to the people of Israel: When your children arrive in the
Promised Land, they will want to present burnt offerings or offerings by fire to
the Lord, sometimes to fulfil a vow or to make a freewill offering or at a
festival, presenting a pleasant fragrance to the Lord from their herds and
flocks. These offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering. When a lamb is
offered, the grain or meal offering will be two quarts of fine flour mixed with
three pints of oil, as well as a drink offering of three pints of wine. When a
ram is offered, the grain offering will be six quarts of fine flour mixed with
two quarts of oil, along with a drink offering of two quarts of wine. When a
young bull is offered, the grain offering will be nine quarts of fine flour with
three quarts of oil, as well as a drink offering of three quarts of wine. The
young bull may be presented as a burnt offering, an offering to fulfil a special
vow or as a peace offering to the Lord. Whatever the reason, the offering shall
be by fire, as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.
Every bull, ram, lamb or goat must be
presented in this way, no matter how many you offer, whether one or many. This
rule must be followed by all persons who make an offering, whether he is an
Israelite or a foreigner living among you. Everyone who wants to please the
Lord, now or in future generations must do it this way, thus offering a pleasing
fragrance to the Lord by fire. There is one Law for all, whether Israelite or
foreigner and this will remain true throughout all generations. The Lord also
told Moses to give these instructions to the people: When you arrive in the
Promised Land and begin to eat the food of that land, present the first part of
each harvest to the Lord. From the first of the grain that is harvested, make a
cake with the coarse flour. This will be a heave offering, waved to and fro
before the Lord as a sign of offering. This must be done each year, from one
generation to the next. If the people make a mistake and fail to do this, then
when they realize their mistake, they shall offer a young bull as a burnt
offering. The young bull shall be presented to the Lord for a pleasing
fragrance, along with the grain and drink offering and a male goat for a sin
offering.
The priest will make atonement for the people
and they will be forgiven, because it was a mistake and because they have tried
to correct their mistake with the offering they have made by fire to the Lord
and by their sin offering in the Lord’s presence. All the people, Israelite or
foreigner living among you, shall be forgiven, for all the people were involved
in the mistake. If only one person sins unknowingly, he shall present a year-old
female goat for a sin offering. Then the priest shall make atonement for this
person before the Lord, for he has sinned unknowingly and he will be forgiven.
The same law will apply to an Israelite or to a foreigner living among you. But
the person, whether Israelite or foreigner, who deliberately sins, being
rebellious and defiant against the Lord, that person shall be cut off from the
rest of the people. Such a person has rejected the Lord’s Word with contempt,
deliberately breaking the Lord’s commandments. He must be cut off from the
people and his sin will be upon him.
One day while the people of Israel were
camping in the wilderness, a man was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath. The
men who caught him brought him to Moses, Aaron and the whole congregation. But
since there was no specific rule about this, they put him in confinement and
asked the Lord what to do. The Lord told Moses that the man must be executed, so
he was taken outside the camp and there the people of Israel stoned him. Once
more the Lord gave Moses instructions for the people of Israel: Throughout all
generations, make tassels for the hems of your garments. Attach them to the
clothing with a blue cord. Whenever you see the tassels, they will remind you of
the Lord’s commandments, that you must obey His ways instead of your own heart
and eyes, as you have often done. They will remind you to be holy to Me, for I
am the Lord your God Who has brought you from the land of Egypt to be your God.
I am the Lord!”
COMMENTS
KADESH-BARNEA
For the Israelites trekking across miles of
endless desert, the oasis of Kadesh-barnea at the very edge of Edom was more
than a pleasant surprise; it was where they would remain for a while. From here
Moses sent spies into Canaan. When the Israelites’ attempt to invade the land
failed miserably, they returned to camp in Kadesh-barnea. Both Miriam and Aaron
died and were buried near the site. When the four springs in the oasis dried up,
Moses produced water by striking a rock with his staff. Not until they conquered
Edom many years later did the Israelites, led by Joshua leave Kadesh-barnea.
TEST YOURSELF
1.) What was a required “side-dish” for
each offering?
A)
A
fruit offering
B) A
pineapple
C) A
small turtle
D) A
grain offering
2.) What was the required sacrifice for
an inadvertent sin?
A)
A
female year-old goat
B) A
year-old lamb
C) A
bolt of purple cloth
D) A
pair of turtle doves
3.) What were the Israelites supposed
to sew onto their clothes as a reminder that they were holy to God?
A)
A
square of cloth from the temple veil
B) A
patch with their tribal crest
C) A
round circle of brass
D) A
tassel
4.) What was the name of the oasis that
became Israel’s base of operations in the wilderness?
A)
Keth-Baria
B)
Rebin-Murgo
C)
Beth-Kedra
D)
Kadesh-Barnea
5.) How many springs were located at
this oasis?
A)
Two
B)
Three
C)
Four
D) One
6.) What nation had to be overcome
before the Israelites could leave this oasis?
A)
Egypt
B)
Edom
C)
Syria
D)
Beria
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