Chapter 14 was about rebellion. Right after the rebellion of our previous chapter comes this chapter which deals with various supplementary offerings that the people will bring to the Lord after they arrive in the promised land. Following the shame of their rebellion and their resounding defeat when they went up against their enemies without the Lord's approval, the people may be harboring some doubts about whether God still loves them. The Lord's words in Chapter 15 are proof that He still intends to give the land to Israel and make her into a great nation. He would not speak of offerings in the promised land if He wasn't going to take them there. Because of their rebellion there will be a forty-year delay in taking possession of the land, but it is still going to happen. And because it is still going to happen, the Lord talks about supplementary offerings the people will bring to him there.
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'After you enter the land I am giving you as a home and you present to the Lord food offerings from the herd or the flock, as an aroma pleasing to the Lord---whether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings---then the person who brings an offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of olive oil. With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.'" (Numbers 15:1-5) The Lord's words are very reassuring when He says, "After you enter the land I am giving you as a home". He doesn't say, "If you enter the promised land," or, "If I still give you the land for your home". He has not given up on Israel and I am glad He is not a God who gives up easily. If He were, where would I be today? He had to put a lot of effort into bringing me---a little lost lamb---into the sheepfold. I wasn't seeking Him; He was seeking me. I was living in rebellion and sin but He kept working with me anyway. The Lord is patient and I am glad He is.
The amount of flour, olive oil, or wine brought with an offering varies according to the size of an offering. "With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil, and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the Lord, bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with half a hin of olive oil, and also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. This will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner. Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare." (Numbers 15:6-12) The material in this chapter may not seem all that exciting to us after the action included in some of the previous chapters, but I think it's important at this point for the Lord to get the people back to the basics. He's helping them to focus their minds on their worship services in the future in the promised land.
When we realize we've gotten off track and out of the Lord's will, the first thing we need to do is confess and repent. But the second thing we need to do is get back to the basics of our faith: spending time in the Lord's word and spending time in prayer with Him. In Chapter 14 we found the people being sorry for their rebellion, although they went about trying to "fix it" in the wrong way by going up to attack some of the tribes in Canaan even though the Lord had already said that, as discipline for their rebellion, He would not be with the army during this generation of fighting men. We can't "fix" our own sin, so the Lord brings the people back to the basics of their faith, and these basics include sacrifices and offerings for sin. In doing this He reminds them that righteousness comes from Him. No one can do enough good works to make themselves righteous. No one can perform enough deeds to undo or make up for their sins. We sin daily, multiple times a day. We could never keep an accurate count of our sins, much less do enough to atone for them. Salvation is by faith, not by works. Here in Chapter 15 the Lord reminds the people that their righteousness comes through faith in Him, not through any works they can perform with sinful human hands.
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