Numbers 15:22–31

The opening words of Numbers 15 are remarkable. The people had just heard that their stay in the wilderness would be stretched out to forty years. Their self-willed effort to dodge this and push their way in at once had failed completely. Then come regulations to be in force "when you come into the land of your habitations, which I give to you." In speaking this way, God made it plain that His purpose for them stood firm despite all they had done, and that He would bring them in at last.

This chapter sets out the unchanging faithfulness of the Lord! He speaks to Moses with all the calm dignity of one who could not change, though Israel might destroy himself. God was faithful, and He had given them the Land.

Every class in Israel could sin, from the anointed priest to the lowest of the people. They could sin by mistake or without realising it, which is what the word sh'gagah, translated "ignorance," really means... Take these sins of mistake or oversight against any of the commandments of the Lord, things that ought not to be done. In such cases it is clear that man's will was not at work, though the evil of the person's nature still showed itself. So God could not pass the acts over, and He provided a sacrifice. But how deeply rooted evil must be in man, when he can sin against God without noticing. And how hateful our sins must be to God, since nothing less than the atoning death of the Lord Jesus can put them away from before Him.

The Lord does not allow the foolish modern idea that a thing is not sin so long as we think it is all right. Sin is sin, no matter what we think about it. Yet a sin done without realising it is very different from one boldly committed by someone who knows it is wrong.

If ignorant, yet why were we ignorant? Ignorance means negligence in some way... The plea of ignorance only counts in one way — to mark it off from presumptuous sin.

This time it is the whole congregation of Israel who have sinned through ignorance. That is a much more serious event. It is not only one individual, but sin that might have taken place in the whole company of God's people. This is a very serious thing indeed... Suppose a whole company have sinned and come to some wrong judgment about something. They have to come to God and own to Him that they came to a wrong judgment, and offended against a claim of God.

Who can say that the whole Church of today may not yet be found guilty of some similar error? We must not take this in a way that makes uncertain what we have really learnt from Scripture. Ignoring Scripture has always been the cause of error. Scripture is not uncertain; nor, where God has really taught the soul, will it be uncertain there.

So for every slip we must bring the sin offering. Notice, however, that here the burnt offering is larger than the sin offering. We do confess the guilt of ignorance. Yet the emphasis for the soul falls elsewhere: we need to know better the full value of that in which we stand before God.

The sacrifice was for unintentional sins. People fell into them through carelessness, and through a lack of proper exercise in the fear of God. God made no provision for sins of deliberate intent. Those sins showed the high-handed assertion of man's will in defiance of God's commandments.

The people had been full of unbelief... you might have supposed they had lost the land for ever. Yet it is beautiful, in chapter 15, to see the Lord return to the perfect rest of His purposes settled beforehand and of His unchanging being, and give instructions for the time when the people will have entered the land He has given them... God forgives sins of ignorance by means of the sacrifice that the perfection of His ways requires. Only sin committed presumptuously brings destruction.

Every class in Israel could sin, from the anointed priest down to the lowest of the people. They could also sin by error or oversight, which is what the word sh'gagah, translated "ignorance," really means... In such cases man's will clearly was not at work, though the evil of his nature still showed itself. So God could not pass those acts over, and He provided a sacrifice. But how deeply rooted evil must be in man, when he can sin against God without meaning to.

God's own claims mean that He must take notice of sins of ignorance. We might feel inclined to say, or at least to think, that He should pass such sins over. But God does not think so. His holiness must not sink to the level of our understanding. Grace has made provision for sins of ignorance. But holiness demands that we judge and confess such sins. Every true heart will bless God for this. What would become of us if what grace provides could not meet the claims of God's holiness?

God's Word is perfect, and it can equip us fully for every good work. So failure must be our own sin, whatever the point. If we were ignorant, why were we ignorant? Ignorance means negligence in some way... So the plea of ignorance only counts in one way — to mark the difference from presumptuous sin.

We believe we very often plead ignorance, when indifference would be the truer word to use. This is very sad. Our God, in His infinite goodness, has made full provision even for sins of ignorance. That is no reason for us to hide comfortably behind the plea of ignorance, when plenty of information lies within our reach, if only we had the energy to use it.

This time the whole congregation of Israel has sinned through ignorance. That is a much more serious matter: not one person only, but sin that may have happened in the whole company of God's people... Suppose a whole company has sinned, and has come to some wrong judgment about something. They have to come to God and own to Him that they judged that thing wrongly, and that they have offended against a claim of God.

Notice that in the case before us the burnt offering is larger than the sin offering. We do confess the guilt of ignorance. But what this stresses for the soul is our need to know better the full value of that in which we stand before God. Such knowing means drawing near, and it is there that we enter rightly into the truth God has given us. We learn His mind better as we come closer to Him, and God reveals the glory of Christ to our hearts with more power.

The opening words of Numbers 15 are remarkable. God had just told the people that their time in the wilderness would be stretched out to forty years. Their self-willed attempt to dodge this and push their way in at once was completely beaten back. And the next thing is a set of rules to take effect "when you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you." By speaking this way, God made it plain that His purpose for them stood firm despite all they had done, and that He would bring them in at last.

We would simply add that the claims of God demand that sins of ignorance be taken into account. We might feel inclined to say, or at least to think, that such sins ought to be passed over. But God does not think so. His holiness must not sink to the level of our understanding. Grace has made provision for sins of ignorance; but holiness demands that such sins be judged and confessed. Every true heart will bless God for this. For what would become of us if God's grace did not provide enough to meet the claims of His holiness? And it could not be enough if it never reached beyond the range of our understanding.

If ignorant, yet why were we ignorant? Ignorance means carelessness of some kind. Slowness of mind, or lack of ability to take in the truth, is not excused as if the fault lay in the mind only. God gives wisdom to the simple... This being true, the plea of ignorance only holds good in one way — to mark the difference from presumptuous sin.

This time it is the whole congregation of Israel who have sinned through ignorance. That is far more serious — not one person only, but sin in the whole company of God's people... If a whole company have sinned and come to some wrong judgment about something, they must come to God and own to Him that they have judged wrongly, and have offended against one of the claims of God.

The burnt offering speaks of God's glory being the first consideration in this matter. With it comes the reminder that the perfect Man, Christ Jesus (the grain offering) is the one standard of sinlessness, and therefore the only acceptable burnt offering. The drink offering was to picture Israel's joy in being so blessed by the offering. The sin offering was essential too, as that which fully atones for sin, so that Israel could be forgiven.

Notice, however, that in the case before us the burnt offering is larger than the sin offering. We confess the guilt of ignorance, but what is pressed on the soul is the need to know better the full value of that in which we stand before God. This nearness is how we enter rightly into the truth God has given us. We learn His mind better as we draw nearer to Him, and the glory of Christ is revealed to our hearts with more power.

See how God's heart runs out to the stranger... Here God is saying, I cannot have a person in My land, and not a worshipper, not enjoying God. All must be happy there. If any person is in the land of God, he must know the mind and temper of the God of the land. There is one law for all. God will be Himself, and make Himself known.

At this point the history breaks off, in what at first seems a strange way, to introduce certain laws about sacrifices they should offer when they come into the land. They have just refused the land and been turned back from it. So the mention of their possessing it now is a plain encouragement to faith, and an assurance of God's unfailing grace toward the people. But if we look deeper, there are also principles of divine government in it, and they apply plainly to the history. How God maintains His grace and yet His government we find very clearly here.

The claims of God demand that sins of ignorance be taken account of. We might feel inclined to say, or at least to think, that such sins ought to be passed over. But God does not think so. His holiness must not be reduced to the standard of our intelligence. Grace has made provision for sins of ignorance; but holiness demands that such sins be judged and confessed.

Where God's Word is perfect, and able to equip us thoroughly for every good work, failure must be our own sin, no matter what the point. If ignorant, then why were we ignorant? Ignorance means negligence in some way… This being true, the plea of ignorance only serves one purpose — to distinguish such sin from presumptuous sin.

Suppose a whole company has sinned and come to some wrong judgment about something. They have to come to God and admit to Him that they came to a wrong judgment about that thing, and offended against one of the claims of God.

And the whole congregation might be guilty in this way — for us, the whole Church. Looking back, it is only too plain that the whole Church has in fact been involved in ignorance of things now so plain to us that we marvel how anyone could have missed them. Who then can say that the whole Church of today may not yet be convicted of some similar error?

When the whole congregation sinned unknowingly, they first offered a burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering in the prescribed way. Only then did they offer the special sacrifice that met their error… The standing of the whole congregation is recognised first, as set in acceptance and happy communion with the Lord. Then, in keeping with that, the error is now seen in its true character. It is judged as sin atoned for in the sin offering, and it is forgiven. The standing of the congregation belongs to all alike, so in the case of one person there is only the judgment of the sin, and it is forgiven.

Notice that in the case before us the burnt offering is larger than the sin offering. While the guilt of ignorance is confessed, what is pressed on the soul is the need to know better the full value of that in which we stand before God.

The stranger is placed on the very same platform with Israel! "You and the stranger shall be alike" — and this too, "before the LORD."… Israel had forfeited everything. The rebellious generation was to be set aside and cut off; but God's eternal purpose of grace must stand… On what ground? On the ground of sovereign mercy. And it is on that very same ground that "the stranger" is brought in.

Verse 30 deals with presumptuous sins, in despising the word of the Lord, and no offering is prescribed for such.

The people had shown all this unbelief. God had declared that the earth would be filled with His glory, and He did it by cutting off the rebellious congregation. One might have supposed they had lost the land for ever. So it is beautiful to see the Lord, in chapter 15, going back into the perfect rest of the purposes He settled beforehand... Sins of ignorance are forgiven through the sacrifice that the perfection of God's ways requires. Only sin done in open defiance brings destruction.

Because of our sinful nature there are sins we commit without realizing at the time that such things are sin. The Lord does not allow the foolish modern notion that as long as we think a thing is all right, it is not sin. Sin is sin, no matter what we think about it. Yet a sin done by accident is very different from one we commit boldly while knowing it is wrong.

We would only add that God's claims require sins of ignorance to be taken into account. We might feel inclined to say, or at least to think, that such sins ought to be passed over. But God does not think so. His holiness must not be lowered to the level of our understanding. Grace has made provision for sins of ignorance, but holiness demands that such sins be judged and confessed. Every true heart will bless God for this. For what would become of us if the provisions of divine grace were not enough to meet the claims of divine holiness?

If we were ignorant, why were we ignorant? Ignorance means carelessness of some kind... Since this is true, the plea of ignorance helps in only one way — it marks the sin off from open, defiant sin.

But who can say he is free from these sins of ignorance? Not the psalm writer, who asks the same kind of question: "Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults" (Psalm 19:12). Not the apostle, who says, "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Corinthians 4:4).

The case of an individual's unintentional sin required only the sacrifice of a young female goat (v.27), a picture of Christ as the substitute who takes our place in suffering for sin. The female shows the personal side of this. The individual is to take deeply to heart the truth that the innocent victim, the Lord Jesus, has taken his place in suffering for sin.

The Lord would have the lowliest soul among His people feel that He shared his concern about his sin — a sin done without knowing it, and now troubling him once he knew... He stooped to notice the lowly man by a special mark of communion: the burning of the fat for him when the offering for his sin was made.

After all this unbelief of the people, God had declared that the earth would be filled with His glory, by cutting off the rebellious congregation. One might have supposed they had forfeited the land for ever. Yet it is perfectly beautiful, in chapter 15, to see the Lord returning into the perfect rest of the purposes He settled beforehand... Sins of ignorance are forgiven by means of the sacrifice that the perfection of God's ways requires. Only the sin committed on purpose brings destruction.

Every class in Israel could sin, from the anointed priest down to the lowest of the people. They could sin by mistake or by carelessness, which is what the word sh'gagah, translated "ignorance," really means... In such cases a man's will was clearly not at work, yet the evil of his nature showed itself. So God could not pass those acts over, and He provided a sacrifice. But how deeply rooted evil must be in man, when he can sin against God without even meaning to.

God's Word is perfect, and able to fully equip us for every good work. So failure must be our own sin, whatever the point. If we were ignorant, why were we ignorant? Ignorance means negligence in some way... So the plea of ignorance only counts in one way — to mark the difference from presumptuous sin. So the apostle could say this about his sin before he was converted: "though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief."

The priest had to make a different atonement in each case, and that difference shows that the ignorance of the congregation is a more serious thing than ignorance in one person... For the individual God appoints only the sin offering, his own confession of sin done in ignorance. The other offerings are just as necessary to restore one soul as to restore a congregation. But they are included when the individual is restored to his place in the congregation, where he stands as one accepted through the power of the burnt offering.

...the guilty one could go home with the assurance from the Lord Himself that his sin was forgiven. The Lord took such care to impress this on the offender that He states it three times in these few verses... If the offender brought the appointed sacrifice and met the demands of the law, he had the Lord's own assurance of forgiveness. A pardon from the priest was not the question. No priest in Aaron's family could pardon a man's sins. But he could tell him what the Lord had promised, and assure him of it on the authority of the written revelation given through Moses.

But from these sins of ignorance, who can declare that he is free? Not the Psalmist, when he asks the same question: "Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults." Not the apostle, when he declares, "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me." Here is the integrity of a man who has searched and judged himself. He is free from every known offence. Yet he fully admits there might easily be things wrong that he knew nothing about.

See how "the branches run over the wall," in God's heart running out, as in verse 14, to the stranger. Christ said He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But a poor Gentile woman appealed to the nature of God as a giver. He could not deny her, because He could not deny what He was. Here God is saying, I cannot have a person in My land, and not a worshipper, not enjoying God. All must be happy there. If any person is in the land of God, he must know the mind and temper of the God of the land. There is one law for all. God will be Himself, and make Himself known. ... God says, There may be failure, therefore I will make provision for sin in grace. And here comes in the sin-offering — so that when man fails, God may still maintain and keep him in the place of blessing.

The stranger is placed on the very same platform with Israel! "As you are, so shall the stranger be," and this, too, "before the Lord." ... Israel had forfeited everything. God was about to set aside and cut off the rebellious generation. But His eternal purpose of grace must stand, and all His promises must be fulfilled. All Israel will be saved. They will have the land. They will offer pure offerings, pay their vows, and taste the joy of the Kingdom. On what ground? On the ground of sovereign mercy. Well, it is on the very same ground that "the stranger" shall be brought in.

An individual's unintentional sin required only the sacrifice of a young female goat (v.27). The goat is a picture of Christ as the substitute who takes our place in suffering for sin. The female shows the personal side of this. The individual is to take deeply to heart the truth that the innocent victim, the Lord Jesus, has taken his place in suffering for sin. Again the passage stresses that one law covers both natives of Israel and strangers who live among them (v.29).

We learn that death falls on the defiant sinner. Yet ignorance does not stop sin from being sin: atonement must be made for it.

We might feel inclined to say, or at least to think, that such sins should be passed over. But God does not think so. He will not lower His holiness to the level of our understanding. Grace has made provision for sins of ignorance. But holiness demands that we judge and confess such sins. Every true heart will bless God for this. For what would become of us if God's provisions of grace were not enough to meet the claims of His holiness?

If ignorant, yet why were we ignorant? Ignorance means negligence in some way ... Since that is true, the plea of ignorance helps in only one way. It marks the sin off from defiant sin. So of the sin he committed before his conversion the apostle could say, "I formerly was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:13).

This was clearly a presumptuous sin. It went straight against a plain and definite commandment of God. That is what marks a presumptuous sin and leaves it completely inexcusable. No one can plead ignorance when God has given a command.

The presumptuous sinner cannot plead ignorance. He breaks a command he knows well… To despise the word of the LORD is presumptuous. It is sin whatever the act itself may be… One man gathered sticks on the sabbath day, and another blasphemed the Name; both were stoned. In the one case the act was sin because it had been forbidden. The other was sin even if there had been no command. Each was equal to the other in guilt, despising the authority of God.

The sacrifice was for unintentional sins, done when a person was not watchful and not living in the fear of God. God made no provision for deliberate sins. Such sins showed man's will asserting itself high-handedly against God's commandments.

Presumptuous sins were not acts of gross immorality. They were direct insults to the majesty of the Law-giver, such as picking up sticks on the sabbath day. Now God deals out grace, not law, and He announces the effective work of His Son. So presumptuous sin now means dishonouring that work by going back to legal, self-righteous confidence in oneself.

The person who sins presumptuously — someone who has no life in him — is to be cut off; "his iniquity shall be on him." Under the law the presumptuous sinner met the law in all its severity. No mercy; but "stone him with stones outside the camp."

Under the law there was no forgiveness for sins done with a high hand. The law says clearly, "if one person sins unintentionally." Paul says he received mercy "because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief." So in earlier days, if a man sinned in pride, as in blasphemy, they stoned him. There is forgiveness for such sins now. But there is none if a man sins after full knowledge of Christ, so as to give Him up.

The Holy Spirit, in Hebrews 10:26, is no doubt referring to this. Sinning wilfully there does not mean a true child of God drifting from the Lord and falling into sin. It means someone who gave up Christianity altogether — a person who abandons the faith and denies the value of the precious blood. It does not refer to a backsliding Christian at all.

Peter in the high priest's palace is a clear example. When he swore and cursed that he did not know the Man, it was not ignorance speaking; and yet he was not an "adversary." Through self-confidence he had got into a place where the pressure was too much for him… The passage before us does not deal with this kind of sin.

The presumptuous sinner cannot plead ignorance. His sin breaks a command he knew well… To despise the word of Jehovah is presumptuous. It is sin apart from the nature of the thing done.

This surely was a presumptuous sin — it was flying in the face of a most plain and positive commandment of God. It is this that specially marks a presumptuous sin, and leaves it utterly inexcusable. Ignorance cannot be pleaded in the face of a divine command.

The presumptuous sin recorded in Numbers 15 seems trivial. That is to show the absolute and perfect obedience Israel was to render in that day… Compared with the blasphemer of Leviticus 24, human judgment would see a great difference between the two. It would give the blasphemer the heaviest penalty and treat gathering sticks on the sabbath as trifling. But in divine things human judgment is always wrong. Each was equal to the other in guilt, despising the authority of God.

God did not put to death everyone who sinned. He made a distinction between an act of weakness, which is sin, and the presumptuous deeds of a man who acts by the dictates of his own evil will. Had the Lord acted in righteousness alone, every sinner must have been cut off. There is no child of Adam who has not sinned (1 John 1:10)… So the Lord provided the sin-offering. It was a token that, on the ground of an accepted sacrifice, He could act in grace towards one who had sinned.

The person who sins presumptuously — the case of one who has no life in him — is cut off: "his iniquity shall be on him." Under the law, the presumptuous sinner faced the law's rigour. No mercy; but "stone him with stones outside the camp."

No sacrifice could be offered, for he had sinned presumptuously (Psalm 51:16; Numbers 15:30-31). There was nothing for him but the sovereign mercy of God. Could that be extended to him? God did not leave him in doubt for a moment. The prophet did not have to go away and wait before he could assure him of pardon. As soon as David confessed, Nathan declared it with authority: "The Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die."

For Israel under law, wilful sin was without resource. The law allowed none. Whoever committed it was to be put away from among the people. Take the case of Achan. He was a wilful sinner who had to be cut off. Israel on the same occasion had sinned through ignorance, and could be restored. Under grace there is a perfect resource for all sins — "the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." Only one wilful sin is now without resource. That is apostasy from Christianity: the abandonment of Christ and His sacrifice. "If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26).

A tender conscience always gives a true response to the action of the word of God. It bows down without a question to its plain statements… So long as it stays true to the touch of Scripture, as the Holy Spirit applies it, there is always a safe and sure regulating power. But if it becomes sluggish, hardened, or twisted — if it refuses to give a true response to "Thus says the Lord" — there is little if any hope.