July 26, 2013
THE SABBATH ISN'T JUST ABOUT HAVING A DAY OFF.
Numbers 15
Taylor Beam
Central Truth
Sometimes being still isn't just about rest; it is about trusting God to work beyond your doing. Taking a Sabbath is another way of letting go of things you hold tightly and try to control and instead handing them straight to the Lord, saying, "You are able."
Key Verse | Numbers 15:32–34
While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation; and they put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him. (Numbers 15:32-34)
Numbers 15
Laws About Sacrifices
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 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, 3 and you offer to the LORD from the herd or from the flock a food offering 1 15:3 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Numbers or a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or at your appointed feasts, to make a pleasing aroma to the LORD, 4 then he who brings his offering shall offer to the LORD a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah 2 15:4 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters of fine flour, mixed with a quarter of a hin 3 15:4 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters of oil; 5 and you shall offer with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, a quarter of a hin of wine for the drink offering for each lamb. 6 Or for a ram, you shall offer for a grain offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil. 7 And for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 8 And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or for peace offerings to the LORD, 9 then one shall offer with the bull a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with half a hin of oil. 10 And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
11 Thus it shall be done for each bull or ram, or for each lamb or young goat. 12 As many as you offer, so shall you do with each one, as many as there are. 13 Every native Israelite shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 14 And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he shall do as you do. 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. 16 One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”
17 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you 19 and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD. 20 Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it. 21 Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations.
Laws About Unintentional Sins
22 But if you sin unintentionally, 4 15:22 Or by mistake; also verses 24, 27, 28, 29 and do not observe all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses, 23 all that the LORD has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD for their mistake. 26 And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.
27 If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns 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. 31 Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”
A Sabbathbreaker Executed
32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34 They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. 35 And the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Tassels on Garments
37 The LORD said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 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 5 15:39 Hebrew to spy out after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD your God.”
Dive Deeper | Numbers 15
When I was 19 and in art school, I hit a massive wall. I didn't want to stand still. I was constantly filling my planner with things to do and people to see. It got to the point where I was filling my schedule in fifteen minute increments because I wanted to be that busy. Now, this mixed with my self-denied introverted personality in a very toxic way. As I was trying to fill every second of my day, I was also trying to control and handle each thing on my own and do them all well. I didn't leave any room for God's hand in my life or daily tasks. I was afraid to sit and hear what He wanted from me. I had it all down! I could do this! It was my life!
This cycle led to some serious anxiety and depression and eventually a much needed heart to heart with my mentor and, more importantly, with my Savior. I needed room for rest. I needed room for God to work in my life. I needed to trust God's direction for me. And finally, I needed to trust that He would handle things in my life if I just let Him have them.
There's a reason why honoring the Sabbath is in the same list of commandments in Exodus 20 as things such as murder and adultery. It's a big deal. We are commanded multiple times throughout Scripture to "keep the Sabbath holy." And that's what it is -- HOLY. In the Old Testament, the consequence for not honoring the Sabbath was death (Exodus 31:15)! So see, big deal!
Although we may not be publicly stoned today for ignoring the Sabbath, we can still find ourselves dead in another way. Our soul will be weary, and our work will grow strenuous. We will lose life (Matthew 16:24-25). Honoring the Sabbath isn't always just about being still, it's about trusting that God will go before and between your to-do list and that it will all get done. In that, He will be GLORIFIED!
Discussion Questions
1. How have you distracted yourself from taking a Sabbath? (To-do list, schedule, people, etc.)
2. Are there areas in your life that you simply aren't trusting the Lord to handle?
3. Are there areas in which you find it hard to let go and simply trust Him?
4. Read Ecclesiastes 5:1 and Matthew 16:24-25. How do these verses relate to our busy world and taking a Sabbath? What does this say God wants from us?