Numbers 15 - Introduction

Chapter 15 Hope For The Future.

The change of subject which now follows is so forceful, vivid and emphatic, that it is worth sitting and reading it with that in mind in order to gain its impression. It is awesome. The next thirty eight years is left as a blank. Yahweh is portrayed as simply passing on to speak to the next generation. Calmly He says, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When you are come into the land of your habitations, which I am giving to you.” The present generation, which will not be allowed to enter the land, is just to be ignored. There is no room for argument. The matter is seen as settled. And He gives to the new up-and-coming generation instructions for them to observe once they were in the land.

It is as though the present generation did not exist. It was seen as written off. But behind His words was an assurance, an assurance to their children that they as the next generation would enter the land and be established in their habitations, and that they would have plentiful grain and wine to offer. They need not fear for He was still with them, and the land would be theirs.

And His words were the ones that they wanted to hear, for He declared to them that in those days their offerings would be acceptable to Him. They would be His true people once again, as they fulfilled His commandments concerning the offerings and sacrifices, and especially the grain and wine offerings. These would be a sign of the fact that they were Yahweh's people in Yahweh's land. They had not been utterly cast off. The restoration of and building up of their faith was now beginning.

D. SUBSEQUENT RESTORATION AND HOPE: YAHWEH'S PROVISION FOR HIS ERRING PEOPLE (Chapter s 15-19).

In this section, which is a way of covering the period of the ‘penal' wandering in the wilderness subsequent to expulsion from the land of Canaan by the Amorites, Yahweh's provision for Israel's dealings with Him are laid bare. He wanted them to know that while they would be subjected to discipline and chastening, they, unlike their fathers, had not been rejected, and this was made apparent by the provisions that follow.

These provisions were:

a Provision was made for their walk before Him as His people, with offerings and sacrifices being offered once they were in the land and reminders of the covenant being worn on their clothing (Numbers 15).

b Provision was made for an authenticated priesthood of which there could be no doubt, made clear by the attempted coup by Korah and by the rod that budded, a priesthood that could effectively plead for them before Yahweh (Numbers 16-17).

b Provision was made for the priests and Levites to serve the Sanctuary and maintain its holiness, with special emphasis on the new level of tithes that would become available in the land for their maintenance (Numbers 18).

a Provision was made for the ‘water of uncleanness' to be provided for cleansing so they could walk before Him free from all taint of death. This new generation was the generation that would ‘live' (Numbers 19).

Thus their future would be secure. We will now look at all this in more detail.