May 17, 2023

God's Instruction Is Intentional.

Numbers 15

McKenna Whitaker
Wednesday's Devo

May 17, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 17, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 17, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 17, 2023

Big Idea

God's instruction can always be trusted.

Key Verse | Numbers 15:39-41

"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 after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 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."

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.”

Footnotes

[1] 15:3 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Numbers
[2] 15:4 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
[3] 15:4 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
[4] 15:22 Or by mistake; also verses 24, 27, 28, 29
[5] 15:39 Hebrew to spy out

S2:093 Numbers 15

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Numbers 15

Do you have an object in your life that holds significant value to you, reminding you of a person, moment, or time?

Remembering can seem simple because it's in our nature; and yet God would not have instructed the Israelites, His chosen people, to put tassels on the garments they wore, had they not needed the consistent discipline of remembering.

What did God want His people to recall through this physical reminder of the tassels? God says in Numbers 15:41:

  • "I am the LORD your God"—First, remember who God is!
  • "who brought you out of Egypt"—Second, remember His character and what He has done.
  • "to be your God"—Third, remember why He rescued you and gave you new life (He has a purpose for you!).
  • "I am the LORD your God"—Fourth, remember His Lordship over your life.

Psalm 143:5 states, "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands."

God told the Israelites to put a tangible reminder of His commands on their clothing because it's easy to forget. Thinking about who He is and what He has done ultimately spurs you into action. When your mind is set on God, it moves you toward obedience to Him and His Word, which brings life and peace. God instructs His people in Numbers 15:40 to do all His commands. When you walk in the Lord's instruction, it sets you apart in holiness, which secures your devotion to your Maker and draws you deeper into relationship and fellowship with Him.

Biblical scholar D.A. Carson said, "People do not drift toward holiness," hence our need for physical reminders. When we come into a personal relationship with Jesus, we are a new creation, but we are still prone to chase after the lusts of our own hearts and eyes (Numbers 15:39). So, when we set our minds on things that are above and remember to walk in His decrees, we are actively feeding our heart and informing our future of that which brings ultimate life and freedom in Him.

This month's memory verse

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

– Philippians 2:3-4

Discussion Questions

1. Where is God asking you to be obedient and to remember what He has instructed you? What are some steps you can take?

2. What "tassels" do you have or could you have in your life that daily remind you of God's faithfulness to you in the past? What aspects of who He is and His character do you need to come back to?

3. In what area of your life is it hard to trust God right now? How are you feeding your thoughts concerning this area of life on a daily basis?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

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Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, McKenna. Thank you for a great devo and the strong link into the tassels. I didn’t even know about tassels until The Chosen episode about the healing of the hemorrhaging woman. More on that below. Also LOVE your parsing of Numbers 15:41. Q1. A primary struggle is the two-headed tyranny of the inbox and task list. The command for attention is hard to ignore or even put off- so that I can live out the old admonition, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” And the main thing is to keep my eyes focused on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:1-3). Q2. I would say my main “tassels” are daily reading and study via The Journey, review and study of our curriculum for Prodigal and various podcasts but especially The Briefing with Albert Mohler. Q3. Rebuilding relationships with our two non-believing children is a tough call. The prior chaos has grown quiet. They seem to be moving towards faith. But there is still a knot in my stomach. It’s “easy” to trust God though because I have no other option. I’m sure this is exactly what He wants. If there was an option I’d go after it and not fully trust Him. Smart guy, that Yahweh.
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Hugh Stephenson

2 Timothy 3:16- God wants me to clearly understand the difference between intentional sins and unintentional sins. For unintentional sins, these chapters plus Leviticus and others convey God’s unending patience, mercy, and grace through offerings that provide atonement for seemingly every kind of sin or uncleanliness. Where He draws the line is on intentional sins. These sins such as failure to observe Passover and the Sabbath were a direct rebellion against God’s sovereignty. The notes indicate that the death penalty is the consequence. Only a few sins merit this penalty. "In Numbers, disobedience often results from disbelief (cf. Heb. 3:7-19). God used suffering to alert his people to their lack of faith, as seen in their disobedience. Some suffering allows time for God's people to repent." “The Israelites refused to accept God's discipline, just as they had refused to accept (believe) His promise. Thus they rebelled against Him again, even though Moses sounded the ominous warning, "the LORD will not be with you" (v. 43). They tried to gain His blessings without Him. Consequently, God allowed their enemies to rout them. The key to success would not be their military might or psychological advantage, but their obedient trust in God.” "The spy story in Number[s] 13—14 gathers together a host of central themes in the theology of the Old and New Testaments. The story explores sin; the interplay of forgiveness and judgment; the death of the old and the birth of the new; trusting in God's power versus trusting in estimates of human power and resolve; and God's power over 'giants' versus God's grace on 'the little ones.'" "Sadly we must lay aside our too readily begotten confidence in vain, fallen man, and turn to God." "The people ceased to be pilgrims and became nomads."
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Hugh Stephenson

Some equipping on sacrifices, offerings and blue tassels/cords https://www.gotquestions.org/Old-Testament-sacrifices.html https://www.gotquestions.org/aroma-sacrifice.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-verses-about-offerings.html Some detail on tassels and the Blue Cord. A friend has a whole book on it. https://ihopeministries.org/bluecord/ Numbers 15:37–41 Tassels on Clothes. In the ancient world, tassels were worn by nobles and other high-class people. In Israel they are to be worn by everyone as a mark of their status as the chosen people. Blue was used in the tabernacle curtains and in the priests’ vestments (Exodus 26:31; 28:31). So the blue threads reminded the Israelites that they were “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). This meant they had to remember and do all my commandments(Num. 15:40). In particular, they had to avoid the mistake of the spies of following after your own heart(v. 39). (ESV SB Notes).
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Michael Sisson

Re: Num 15:37-41 These five verses make up the third section of the most important piece of liturgy in Judaism, commonly known as “the Shema Israel” or simply “the Shema.” (“Hear, O Israel!”; Dt 6:4) See the Shema: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shema_Yisrael Num 15:38 (NASB) “Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves >>>tassels on the corners of their garments<<< throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of >>>blue.<<< “blue” = Heb. “tekhelet” Tekhelet (blue) figures prominently in Scripture, particularly in its use for the “tzitzit” (“fringe” or “tassels” on the corners the prayer shawls or tabard like undershirts worn by Jewish males) prescribed here in Num 15:38-40. (See “tzitzit,” “tallit,” and “tallit katan” below) Easton’s Bible Dictionary describes this particular blue thusly: “BLUE” “generally associated with purple (Ex 25:4; 26:1,31,36, etc.). It is supposed to have been obtained from a shellfish of the Mediterranean, the Helix ianthina of Linnaeus. The robe of the high priest's ephod was to be all of this colour (Ex 28:31), also the loops of the curtains (26:4) and the ribbon of the breastplate (28:28). Blue cloths were also made for various sacred purposes (Nu 4:6,7,9,11,12).” — Easton’s Bible Dictionary Conceivably, Acts 16:14 >>>may<<< be alluding to tekhelet when it describes Lydia as, “a purveyor of purple goods.” (See also Mk 15:17-18) Rashi (11th century French rabbi and Judaism’s foremost commentator) describes the source of tekhelet as a “worm,” (see Ps 22:6) known to modern marine biologists as the sea snail “Murex trunculus,” or “Hexaplex trunculus.” See Hexaplex trunculus: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexaplex_trunculus See also Tekhelet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekhelet Num 15:39-40 (NASB) “It shall be >>>a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD,<<< so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God. The prescribed “tassels” or “fringe” are more commonly known as (Heb.) “tzitzit” by those who wear them. WWJD? Mt 9:20; 14:36; Mk 6:56; and Lk 8:44 record Yeshua (Jesus) wearing tzitzit Himself. In Mt 23:5, Messiah Yeshua chides the Pharisees for deliberately lengthening their tzitzit as an expression of their piety to be seen by others. You’ll find 613 knots in the tzitzit on the four corners of a modern tallit or tallit katan (detailed below). Theses knots allude the 613 commandments found in the Torah. See also tzitzit: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzitzit The Jewish prayer shawl, on which tzitzit may be found, is know as a “tallit.” (or “tallis”) Elijah’s “mantle” or “cloak” mentioned in 1Kgs 19:13, 19; 2Kgs 2:8, 13, 14 likely referred to his tallit. A tallit is typically only donned for prayer. Whereas, the more discreet, tabard-like undergarment worn at all times by religiously observant Jewish men is called a “tallit katan.” You might also see a bride and groom wed under a tallit…their “chuppah” (wedding canopy). Newborns may be swaddled in a father’s tallit. If a man doesn’t choose to be buried in his tallit, it’s frequently passed down to his son or grandson. See also tallit and tallit katan: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallit#/search
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Sue Bohlin

Super devo, McKenna! Thanks for highlighting 15;41, where God makes Himself a "Yahweh sandwich." Start and end with Him--always a good plan! I get the need for a visual reminder to obey. I need memory help all the time. After reading about how a friend's father assigned individuals and families to his clothing (his left sock was his cue to pray for a particular family, a dear promise they clung to) , I now create "prayer triggers" from regular parts of my day. Putting on my deodorant reminds me to pray for my niece during her pregnancy. Donning an undergarment reminds me to pray for my friend battling cancer. Brushing my teeth is my reminder to pray for another friend in the dental profession going through a trial. I also enjoy connecting the dots with more sporadic prayer reminders. Every UPS truck triggers me to pray for a friend who drives for Brown. A particular part of editing audio files for Probe reminds me to pray for a supporter's prodigal. Speaking of which, reading Hugh's wonderful comments is my prayer trigger to pray for HIS prodigals.
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Michael Scaman

A stranger with you temporarily or permanently can offer a pleasing sacrifice to God. A surprise? The law not exclusively for Israel and showcases God for the world in some sense. "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. " Disney may have songs like 'a dream is a wish your heart makes' but the Bible doesn't put a blanket stamp of approval on the 'if it feels good do it' or 'follow your heart' Here it is follow tGod's word and not your heart if they are in conflict.
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Amy Lowther

1. Everywhere. Steps which help me remember God and His instructions include studying the Bible, attending Sunday service, volunteering, and applying what I learn from all of them in daily life. 2. Completed devotional books, completed workbooks from Women’s Bible Study, and completed Regen workbooks are tassels for me. God’s words and consistency in all of them ensure these books will be valuable reviews for many years. 3. Things are pretty good right now. I trust God because I know a few things about Him and what He values. I also trust God because I experience great results from practicing His values in daily life.