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Numbers Chapter
Fifteen
Numbers 15
Chapter Contents
The law of the meat-offering and the drink-offering The
stranger under the same law. (1-21) The sacrifice for the sin of ignorance.
(22-29) The punishment of presumption The sabbath-breaker stoned. (30-36) The
law for fringes on garment. (37-41)
Commentary on Numbers 15:1-21
Full instructions are given about the meat-offerings and
drink-offerings. The beginning of this law is very encouraging, When ye come
into the land of your habitation which I give unto you. This was a plain
intimation that God would secure the promised land to their seed. It was
requisite, since the sacrifices of acknowledgment were intended as the food of
God's table, that there should be a constant supply of bread, oil, and wine,
whatever the flesh-meat was. And the intent of this law is to direct the
proportions of the meat-offering and drink-offering. Natives and strangers are
placed on a level in this as in other like matters. It was a happy forewarning
of the calling of the Gentiles, and of their admission into the church. If the
law made so little difference between Jew and Gentile, much less would the
gospel, which broke down the partition-wall, and reconciled both to God.
Commentary on Numbers 15:22-29
Though ignorance will in a degree excuse, it will not
justify those who might have known their Lord's will, yet did it not. David
prayed to be cleansed from his secret faults, those sins which he himself was
not aware of. Sins committed ignorantly, shall be forgiven through Christ the
great Sacrifice, who, when he offered up himself once for all upon the cross,
seemed to explain one part of the intention of his offering, in that prayer,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. It looked favourably upon
the Gentiles, that this law of atoning for sins of ignorance, is expressly made
to extend to those who were strangers to Israel.
Commentary on Numbers 15:30-36
Those are to be reckoned presumptuous sinners, who sin
designedly against God's will and glory. Sins thus committed are exceedingly
sinful. He that thus breaks the commandment reproaches the Lord. He also
despises the word of the Lord. Presumptuous sinners despise it, thinking
themselves too great, too good, and too wise, to be ruled by it. A particular
instance of presumption in the sin of sabbath-breaking is related. The offence
was gathering sticks on the sabbath day, to make a fire, whereas the people
were to bake and seethe what they had occasion for, the day before, Exodus 16:23. This was done as an affront both
to the law and to the Lawgiver. God is jealous for the honour of his sabbaths,
and will not hold him guiltless who profanes them, whatever men may do. God
intended this punishment for a warning to all, to make conscience of keeping
holy the sabbath. And we may be assured that no command was ever given for the
punishment of sin, which, at the judgment day, shall not prove to have come
from perfect love and justice. The right of God to a day of devotion to
himself, will be disputed and denied only by such as listen to the pride and
unbelief of their hearts, rather than to the teaching of the Spirit of truth
and life. Wherein consists the difference between him who was detected
gathering sticks in the wilderness on the day of God, and the man who turns his
back upon the blessings of sabbath appointments, and the promises of sabbath
mercies, to use his time, his cares, and his soul, in heaping up riches; and
waste his hours, his property, and his strength in sinful pleasure? Wealth may
come by the unhallowed effort, but it will not come alone; it will have its awful
reward. Sinful pursuits lead to ruin.
Commentary on Numbers 15:37-41
The people are ordered by the Lord to make fringes on the
borders of their garments. The Jews were distinguished from their neighbours in
their dress, as well as in their diet, and thus taught not to be conformed to
the way of the heathen in other things. They proclaimed themselves Jews
wherever they were, as not ashamed of God and his law. The fringes were not
appointed for trimming and adorning their clothes, but to stir up their minds
by way of remembrance, 2 Peter 3:1. If they were tempted to sin, the
fringe would warn them not to break God's commandments. We should use every
means of refreshing our memories with the truths and precepts of God's word, to
strengthen and quicken our obedience, and arm our minds against temptation. Be
holy unto your God; cleansed from sin, and sincerely devoted to his service;
and that great reason for all the commandments is again and again repeated,
"I am the Lord your God."
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on
Numbers》
Numbers 15
Verse 2
[2]
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the
land of your habitations, which I give unto you,
I give you —
Will certainly give you, not withstanding this great provocation. And for their
better assurance hereof he repeats and amplifies the laws of sacrifices,
whereby through Christ he would be reconciled to them and theirs upon their
repentance.
Verse 3
[3] And will make an offering by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, or a
sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn
feasts, to make a sweet savour unto the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock:
A sacrifice — A
peace-offering.
Verse 4
[4] Then
shall he that offereth his offering unto the LORD bring a meat offering of a
tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oil.
A tenth deal —
The tenth part of an Ephah, that is, about five pints. An hin contained about
five quarts.
Verse 6
[6] Or
for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour
mingled with the third part of an hin of oil.
Two tenth-deals —
Because this belonged to a better sacrifice than the former; and therefore in
the next sacrifice of a bullock, there are three tenth deals. So the accessory
sacrifice grows proportionably with the principal.
Verse 8
[8] And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice
in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the LORD:
Peace-offerings —
Such as were offered either freely or by command, which may be called
peace-offerings or thank-offerings, by way of eminency, because such are
offered purely by way of gratitude to God, and with single respect to his
honour, whereas the peace-offerings made in performance of a vow were made and
offered, with design of getting some advantage by them.
Verse 12
[12]
According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one
according to their number.
Their number — As
many cattle as ye sacrifice, so many meal and drink-offerings ye shall offer.
Verse 15
[15] One
ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger
that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are,
so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
Before the Lord — As
to the worship of God: his sacrifices shall be offered in the same manner and
accepted by God upon the same terms, as yours: which was a presage of the
future calling of the Gentiles. And this is added by way of caution, to shew
that strangers were not upon this pretence to partake of their civil
privileges.
Verse 19
[19] Then
it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an
heave offering unto the LORD.
When ye eat —
When you are about to eat it: for before they eat it, they were to offer this
offering to God.
The bread —
That is, the bread-corn.
Verse 20
[20] Ye
shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye
do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it.
The threshing floor —
That is, of the corn in the threshing floor, when you have gathered in your
corn.
Verse 22
[22] And
if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath
spoken unto Moses,
All these commandments — Those now spoken of, which concern the outward service of God, or the
rites or ceremonies belonging to it. And herein principally this law may seem
to differ from that Leviticus 4:13, which speaks of some positive
miscarriage, or doing that which ought not to have been done, about the holy
things of God; whereas this speaks only of an omission of something which ought
to have been done about holy ceremonies.
Verse 30
[30] But
the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a
stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from
among his people.
Reproacheth the Lord — He sets God at defiance, and exposeth him to contempt, as if he were
unable to punish transgressors.
Verse 32
[32] And
while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that
gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
On the sabbath-day —
This seems to be added as an example of a presumptuous sin: for as the law of
the sabbath was plain and positive, so this transgression of it must needs be a
known and wilful sin.
Verse 33
[33] And
they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto
all the congregation.
To all the congregation — That is, to the rulers of the congregation.
Verse 34
[34] And
they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
They —
That is, Moses and Aaron, and the seventy rulers.
What should be done —
That is, in what manner he was to be cut off, or by what kind of death he was
to die, which therefore God here particularly determines: otherwise it was
known in general that sabbath-breakers were to be put to death.
Verse 38
[38]
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in
the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put
upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
Fringes —
These were certain threads or ends, standing out a little further than the rest
of their garments, lest there for this use.
In the borders —
That is, in the four borders or quarters, as it is, Deuteronomy 22:12.
Of their garments — Of
their upper garments. This was practiced by the Pharisees in Christ's time, who
are noted for making their borders larger than ordinary.
A ribband — To
make it more obvious to the sight, and consequently more serviceable to the use
here mentioned.
Of blue —
Or, purple.
Verse 39
[39] And
it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all
the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own
heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
For a fringe —
That is, the ribband, shall be unto you, shall serve you for a fringe, to
render it more visible by its distinct colour, whereas the fringe without this
was of the same piece and colour with the garment, and therefore less
observeable.
That ye seek not —
Or, enquire not for other rules and ways of serving me than I have prescribed
you.
Your own heart, and eyes — Neither after the devices of your own hearts, as Nadab and Abihu did
when they offered strange fire; nor after the examples of others which your
eyes see, as you did when you were set upon worshipping a calf after the manner
of Egypt. The phylacteries worn by the Pharisees in our Lord's time, were a
different thing from these. Those were of their own invention: these were a
divine institution.
Verse 40
[40] That
ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
Be ye holy —
Purged from sin and sincerely devoted to God.
Verse 41
[41] I am
the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God:
I am the LORD your God.
I am the Lord your God — Though I am justly displeased with you for your frequent rebellions, for
which also I will keep you forty years in the wilderness, yet I will not
utterly cast you off, but will continue to be your God.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Numbers》
15 Chapter 15
Verse 25
Sin-offering . . . for their ignorance.
Pardon of unknown sins through Christ
1. Because of our ignorance we are not fully aware of our sins of
ignorance. Yet they are many, in the form both of commission and omission. We
may be doing in all sincerity, as a service to God, that which He has not
commanded and can never accept.
2. The Lord knows these sins of ignorance every one. This may well
alarm us, since in justice He will require these trespasses at our hand; but,
again, faith spies comfort in this fact, for the Lord will see to it that
stains unseen by us shall yet be washed away. He sees the sin that He may cease
to see it by casting it behind His back.
3. Our great comfort is that Jesus, the true Priest, has made
atonement for all the congregation of Israel. That atonement secures the pardon
of unknown sins. His precious blood cleanses us from all sin. (C. H.
Spurgeon.)
Verse 30-31
The soul that doeth aught presumptuously.
The definition and danger of presumptuous sins
I. The definition.
We take, first, the case of an individual who sins against the positive
remonstrances of his conscience; and we say that he sins presumptuously. We
have all, at one time or another, withstood the clearest and most decisive
suggestions of conscience. We have all proved the power of inclination, when it
has come up in a pleasing shape, to bear down a consciousness of what is right,
whether by an invention of some ingenious subterfuge, or by some weapons of
unblushing hardihood. We could give no better definition of conscience than
that it is evidently the vicegerent of Deity. And what then is presumption?
Where shall it be found, if we describe not as presumptuous the conduct of the
man who walks one way whilst the voice of the internal monitor summons him to
walk another? Let us advance to other instances. The guilt of a sin is in a
great degree to be estimated by the strength of the temptation which solicits
its performance. But if you take the generality of men, you will find they
scarcely need any temptation at all to induce them to sin. They may be said to
give the devil no trouble, but to strike their colours without firing a shot: a
breath of air will make them swerve from allegiance. There must be presumption,
and that too of an enormity not easily measured, in conduct which is marked on
one side with such contempt of God that men will obey His despisers even
without strong inducement; and on the other, such neglect of the soul, that
they surrender it without requiring anything in exchange. Now let us glance at
the third sort of presumptuous sins. If I wantonly expose myself to temptation,
then, though I may afterwards struggle hard before I yield, I shall sin
presumptuously. It were better to see Christians--especially young ones--so
distrustful of themselves that they might pass for timid, than so overweening
of their own strength as to thrust themselves into danger. Take a still more
general case--where a man goes on sinning, calculating either that it will be
time enough by and by to repent, or that God will prove at last too merciful to
execute His threatenings--most assuredly that man sins presumptuously. If he
reckon on uncovenanted mercies, what is this but presumption?
II. But wherein,
you will now ask, lies the peculiar guilt and danger of presumptuous sins? Why
should David pray so earnestly to be kept from them? Why should our text be so
emphatic in its condemnation? We will just take in succession several cases of
presumptuous sins, and endeavour to answer the question in each. If, in the
first place, it be sinning presumptuously to sin against conscience and
conviction, there must be special guilt when a man does a thing in spite of the
warnings of the delegate of God; he strips himself of every excuse of ignorance
or inadvertence; and hence a special guilt. But conscience also will grow less
sensitive, in proportion as it be less heeded. If, again, it be sinning
presumptuously to sin on slight temptation, surely there must be peculiar
guilt, inasmuch as there must be a readiness, nay, even an eagerness, to fail in
spiritual matters. He is indeed guilty who is flung in wrestling with a giant,
forasmuch as God is ready to give strength in proportion to the opponent; but
what shall we say of him who is flung in wrestling with a dwarf? Then is there
not peculiar danger and peculiar guilt in sinning on slight temptation,
inasmuch as a man grows confirmed in habits of sin? For the moment sin becomes
habitual, the breaking loose from it becomes miraculous. If you take our third
class of presumptuous sins--sins, the result of temptation that we have
ourselves sought, or at least not avoided, who sees not the guilt, who
perceives not the danger? Christ would not throw Himself from the pinnacle of
the temple, because it was unlawful to tempt the Lord. Yet we do that from which
the Mediator indignantly recoiled, when we enter into scenes, or mingle with
companies which we know likely to minister incentives to passions, or oppose
hindrances to piety. Such is the guilt: and the danger is that of growing
familiar with vice after having been vanquished by it. Mixed with the world,
let the world once seduce you, and the world will appear to you not half so
formidable as before, and not half so pernicious. Thus sinning presumptuously,
through presumptuously exposing yourselves, you will be more and more inclined
to continue the exposure, and the presumption, as it were, will propagate
itself; and your danger will be that of growing apathy: issuing, at last, in
total apostacy. Again, there is one other class. If I continue sinning in the
vain hope that there will be time hereafter for repentance, or because I
calculate that God will be too merciful to punish, I incur a special guilt,
inasmuch as I trifle with the Almighty, or mock the Almighty; and I run a
special risk as I deal with possibilities as though they were certainties, or
stake on a minute chance the results of a long hereafter. So that, surveying
successively the several descriptions of presumptuous sins, we bring out in
each case the same result; and we are forced to pronounce that he who sins
presumptuously--whether the presumption consist in withstanding conscience, or
in yielding to slight temptation, or in seeking peril, or in reckoning on
future repentance or future mercy--he who sins presumptuously, deserves, and
may expect to have it said of him, “The soul that reproacheth the Lord, shall
be out off from
among His people.” (H. Melvill, B. D.)
Presumption
I. What
presumption includes. It signifies--
1. Boldness in evil. Sinning without fear. Hardihood, recklessness.
2. Arrogance in evil. Setting ourselves up against God. Pride of
heart and spirit and tongue (Psalms 73:6; Psalms 9:2; Acts 2:18).
3. Irreverence towards God. All profanity. As in the case of Pharaoh,
“Who is the Lord?” &c.
4. Confidence of escape from the threatenings of God. Not dreading
nor caring for consequences, &c.
II. The chief
causes of presumption.
1. Spiritual ignorance. Ignorance of self and God. It is the
offspring of darkness.
2. Recklessness and inconsideration.
3. Confirmed unbelief, giving no credit to the Word.
4. Hardness of heart. This is both a cause and a result.
III. The terrible
results of presumptuousness.
1. God, defied, will vindicate His authority. He cannot let it pass.
His majesty and law concerned, &c.
2. Threatening despised, He will terribly execute. Not one jot fail.
There may be delay, longsuffering, but the execution of vengeance is certain.
3. Mercy despised will involve in fearful retribution. Hear God (Proverbs 1:24; Psalms 2:4, &c.). The instances of
this, how numerous. The old world, Pharaoh, Sodom, &c., nations of Canaan,
Jerusalem (see Luke 19:41-44).
Application--
1. How needful is consideration.
2. Repentance, how imperative.
3. To seek mercy. The gospel publishes it in Christ, and offers it to
every sinner. (J. Burns, D. D.)
Sins dangerous and deadly
I. that there are
degrees in sin. People sometimes say, as an excuse for their sin, that as they
have gone wrong they might as wall suffer for much as for little. No! it is
false. With every sin the man gets worse; sinfulness increases. Sins of
ignorance through trifling may grow to be those of presumption.
II. That while all
sins are dangerous, some are deadly. The text shows that all sin is dangerous
by the fact that an atonement had to be made for sins of ignorance; none could
be forgiven without. While ignorance may excuse, nothing can justify any sin.
1. That God is merciful. He sent His Son to die that He might put
away sin, and restore us unto Himself.
2. That there is a limit to His mercy. What cost Him so much He will
let no one despise. (D. Lloyd.)
Progress of presumption
Presumption never stops in its first attempt. If Caesar comes once
to pass the Rubicon, he will be sure to march farther on, even till he enters
the very bowels of Rome, and break open the Capitol itself. He that wades so
far as to wet and foul himself, cares not how much he trashes farther. (R.
South, D. D.)
Presumption punished
A young man who had inherited an estate from an uncle was exhorted
to seek Christ, and said that he would do so as soon as he had paid off the
debts which encumbered the estate. “Young man,” said the pastor, “beware: you
may never see that day: whilst you are gaining the world you may lose your
soul.” The young heir said, “I’ll run the risk.” He went into the woods and was
engaged in felling a tree, when a falling limb caused his instant death within a
few hours of his bold presumption.
Verses 32-36
A man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath.
Gathering sticks on the Sabbath
An Oriental legend tells us that, while Solomon was once on his
way to visit the Queen of Sheba, he came to a valley in which dwelt a peculiar
tribe of monkeys. Upon asking about their history, be was informed that they
were the descendants of a colony of Jews, who settling in that region years
before, had, by habitual neglect of the Sabbath, gradually degenerated to the
condition of brutes. The story is, of course, a mere fable, but the moral is
worth remembering. The ceremonial part of the Sabbath is done away, so that
greater liberty is allowed to us than was given to the Jews. Works of necessity
and mercy take precedence even of the regularly appointed duties of the day (Hosea 6:6). The moral part is, however,
as strongly in force as ever. To have the mind exercised on spiritual subjects,
and occupied in advancing the interests of our souls, is an imperative duty. To
be guilty of a wilful profanation of the Lord’s day is--
I. An unreasonable
sin. A young man, well off in the world, and an elderly man of business, were
riding in a railway carriage together, between London and a country town, when
the question of Sunday amusements came up. “I maintain that Sunday ought to be
a general holiday,” said the younger, in a tone which betokened assurance and
presumption, “and the people ought not to be kept out of such places as the
Zoological Gardens and the Crystal Palace grounds. I would have Sunday used for
recreation.” “Recreation!” answered the elder, gravely, “yes, that is the very
word. The Sabbath is meant for recreation, and if people were recreated, they
would want very little of the so-called recreation which they now make so much
of.” The conversation on that subject dropped.
II. A presumptuous
sin. The man who was so signally punished, for merely gathering a few sticks on
the Sabbath, might have argued that he could only be charged with a very small
breach of the Divine law, and that the bundle of faggots was really necessary
for his comfort. Such flimsy excuses would be of no avail. His conduct was a
decided act of rebellion against God, and he was, in fact, accusing Him with
being a hard master, who did not deserve to be obeyed. Those who believe in
taking God at His word, cannot doubt that any wilful neglect of His commandments
is always followed, sooner or later, by loss! A thrifty merchant remarked to
his physician, “Had it not been for the rest which I have enjoyed on the Lord’s
Day, I should long ago have been a maniac!” Many are the instances of those who
have dug their own graves, because they had no Sundays. (J. N. Norton, D. D.)
Obedience tested in the little
This incident has often been quoted as an instance of extreme and
intolerable severity, and has been cited against those whose reading of the
Scriptures leads them to propose to keep the Sabbath day. The mocker has found
quite a little treasure here. The poor man was gathering sticks on the Sabbath
day, and he had to forfeit his life for the violation of the law. Had the text
read--And a certain man was found in the wilderness openly blaspheming God, and
he was stoned to death--we should have had some sense of rest and harmony in
the mind : the balance would seem to be complete. But that is the very sophism
that is ruining us. We do not see the reality of the case. We think of huge
sins; there are none. We think of little sins; there are none. It is the spot
that is ruin; it is the one little thing that spoils the universe. Obedience
can only be tested by so-called little things. Where one man is called to be a
hero on some great scale, ten thousand men are called to be courteous, gentle,
patient; where one has the opportunity of being great on the battle-field of a
death-bed, all have opportunity of being good in hopefulness, charity,
forgiveness, and every grace that belongs to the Cross of Christ; where one has
the opportunity of joining a great procession, ten thousand have the
opportunity of assisting the aged, helping the blind, speaking a word for the
speechless, and putting a donation into the hand of honest poverty. Let us
realise the truth of the doctrine that we are not called upon to display our
obedience upon a gigantic scale within the theatre of the universe and under
the observation of angels--but to go out into the field and work with bent back
and willing hands and glad hearts, doing life’s simple duty under Heaven’s
inspiration and encouragement. The man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day
might have been quite a great man on festival occasions when all Israel had to
be dressed in its best; he might have been one of the foremost of the show. You
discover what men are by their secret deeds, by what they do when they suppose
nobody is looking, by what they are about when they are suddenly pounced upon.
(J. Parker, D. D.)
The Sabbath-breaker and his doom
I. The sin.
1. The transgression of a moral law, which was enforced by the most
solemn commands and by the severest penalty.
2. The transgression of this law wilfully.
II. The arrest. The
offender was seized in the act of transgression, and taken before the judicial
authorities.
III. The
consultation. The direction of the Lord is sought as to the mode by which the
sentence of death is to be executed upon him.
IV. The sentence.
This was determined by the Lord. The transgressor must be put to death (Exodus 31:14-15); he must be put to death
by stoning (Numbers 15:35).
V. The execution.
“And all the congregation brought him without,” &c. (Numbers 15:36). The people were the
executioners. This would increase the force of the warning which the event gave
to the nation.
Conclusion:
1. The moral element in the law of the Sabbath is of perpetual
obligation. We still rest for body and mind; we still need worship for the
spirit.
2. The neglecters of religious duties and privileges will do well to
take warning. If any man fails to observe religiously the Lord’s day, he does
so at his own loss and peril. (W. Jones.)
Punishment of Sabbath-breaking
1. The perpetration of one particular presumptuous sin, together with
its circumstances, as what, where, when, and how. The fact was seemingly but a
small matter, namely, gathering a few sticks, &c., and possibly he might
pretend some necessity or conveniency to himself thereby, &c., but because
really it was done with an high hand, in contempt of God and His law, and a
profaning of His holy Sabbath.
2. The punishment for this perpetrated fact of profaning the Sabbath,
wherein--
For though the matter of the fact was twice doomed with death (Exodus 31:14; Exodus 35:2), yet was it not declared
what manner of death such a sinner should die. Therefore God is consulted about
this, who expressly declareth it (Numbers 15:35). Besides, though the law
be in the rigour of it a killing letter, yet might it admit of some favourable
construction from necessity, &c., which might make the offender capable of
pardon. So Moses did not rashly doom him; nor ought magistrates be hasty in
matters of life and death, as in other cases of an inferior nature. They ought
to be wary: God and His Word ought to be consulted.
Verses 38-40
Put upon the fringe . . . a ribband of blue.
The law of the fringe and ribband
Provision had been just now made by the law for the pardon of sins
of ignorance and infirmity, now here is an expedient provided for the
preventing of such sins. They are ordered to make fringes upon the borders of
their garments, which were to be memorandums to them of their duty, that they
might not sin through forgetfulness.
1. The sign appointed is a fringe of silk, or thread, or worsted, or
the garment itself ravelled at the bottom, and a blue ribband bound on the top
of it to keep it tight (Numbers 15:38). The Jews being a peculiar
people, they were thus distinguished from their neighbours in their dress, as
well as in their diet; and taught by such little instances of singularity, not
to be conformed to the way of the heathen in greater things. Thus likewise they
proclaimed themselves Jews wherever they were, as those that were not ashamed
of God and His law.
2. The intention of it was to remind them that they were a peculiar
people. They were not appointed for the trimming and adorning of their clothes,
but to “stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance” (2 Peter 3:1). That they might look
upon the fringe, and remember the commandments. Many look upon their ornaments
to feed their pride, but they must look upon these ornaments to awaken their
consciences to a sense of their duty, that their religion might constantly
beset them, and they might carry it about with them, as they did their clothes,
wherever they went. It was intended particularly to be a preservation from
idolatry, That ye “seek not after your own heart,” and your own eyes, in your
religious worship. Yet it may extend also to the whole conversation; for
nothing is more contrary to God’s honour and our own true interest than to walk
in the way of our heart, and in the sight of our eyes; for the imagination of the
heart is evil, and so is the lust of the eyes. (Matthew Henry, D. D.)
The ribband of blue
The chief use of clothing is defence against the chills and
variations of the weather; two subordinate uses are for the promotion of
beauty, and for distinction of office. We can be at no loss to perceive that
there are mental uses corresponding to the above which require for the soul
spiritual clothing. The soul has its summer and its winter, and all the varieties of a mental
year. There are seasons of hopefulness and brilliancy in which we have all the
elasticity and promise of spring; there are states of peaceful warmth, of
continued serene happiness; “the soul’s calm sunshine and the heartfelt joy”
which bespeak the spirit’s summer; but there are likewise periods of decreasing
warmth, of incipient depressions, and coolnesses to what has formerly yielded
the highest pleasure; until at length we arrive at states of painful cold, the
joylessness, the hopelessness, and the sadness, which ate the characteristics
of the winter of the soul. In this wintry state storms of distressing fears and
darkening doubts will rush upon the soul. Strong delusions that we may believe
a lie, will, like fierce tempests, howl about us. Thrice happy are they who remember that the Divine Word will
be a blessing in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, in summer and in
winter; but they should also bear in mind, that to be a protection in all
seasons the Divine mercy has provided us with spiritual clothing. The doctrines
of religion, when intelligently adopted and adapted to our particular states,
serve this important purpose. And when those doctrines are, as they ought to
be, full, comprehensive, and complete, applying themselves to all the
departments of human affection, thought, and life, they make a complete dress.
We are, then, to speak to the Israelites who are typified by those of our text,
the spiritual Israelites; and say first that they clothe themselves with
genuine doctrines of Divine truth, with the garments of salvation, and next,
that they especially make them fringes in the borders of their garments. After
we have meditated upon the doctrines of religion, and seen their fitness to our
own states of mind and heart, thus clothed ourselves in them, the next part of
our duty is to bring them into life. Many there are who put on religion as a
dress for the head, and even also for the breast, but do not bring it down to
the feet. But we are to make a border for our garments, and the border must be
a fringe. The distinctive feature of a fringe is, that the material of which it
is composed is divided into small portions firmly united at the upper part, but
hanging with separate forms of beauty at the lower. The idea suggested by this
is, that religion must be employed in all the small affairs of daily life as
well as on great occasions; the lowest part of our spiritual dress must be a
fringe. We are, however, not only commanded to have a fringe to our garments,
but to have upon the fringe a ribband of blue. And this leads us to consider
the correspondence of colours. Natural colours, we know, originate in natural
light. They are the separation of the beauties which are bound up in the
sunbeam, and their reflection to the human eye. There is a trinity of
fundamental colours, red, blue, and yellow. From the blending of these in
varied proportions all others are made. Red, the colour of fire, is the symbol
of the truths of love, the fire of the soul. Blue, the colour of the azure
depths of the sky, is symbolic of the deep things of the Spirit of God, on
which faith delights to gaze. Yellow is the hue of truth which applies to
outward life, and in combination with blue it makes green, which corresponds to
truth in the letter of the Word, made simple to the common eye of mankind. Blue
gives a sense of clearness and depth, in which it surpasses all other hues.
Blue, then, is the colour which represents the spirit of the Holy Word, the
depths of heavenly wisdom. There is, however, cold blue, as it has more of
white in it, and warm blue, as it derives a certain hue from red. There has
also been some difficulty in determining the exact shade meant by Techeleth,
the Hebrew name for this colour. But from a full consideration of this subject
we are satisfied it was the name for blue tinged with red, from violet to
purple. And this very strikingly brings out the Divine lesson by
correspondence. While the blue indicates that in our demeanour in life we
should be correct, in harmony with the spirit of truth, the red hue indicates
that all our truth ought to be softened and warmed by love. “Speak the truth in
love,” said the apostle, and to remind them of this duty God commanded the
ribband of warm blue to be worn upon the fringe of their garments by the sons
of Israel. It is religion in life that is observed by and is attractive to good
men. When it not only enlightens the head and rules the heart, but comes down
to the skirt of the garment, infusing justice, kindness, and courtesy in every
act and word, then it has an eloquence which will inspire many a well-disposed
heart to say, “We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. Let
your good works and your good words so shine before men, that they may glorify
your Father who is in heaven.” (J. Bayley, Ph. D.)
The ordinance of the fringes: gracious reminders of Divine
commands
I. The proneness
of man to forget the commandments of the Lord. This tendency arises from--
1. The sinfulness of human nature.
2. The worldly spirit which so largely prevails in human society.
II. The
arrangements which God has made to remind man of his commandments.
1. The means which God employs to remind us of His commandments.
2. The design of God in reminding us of His commandments. “That ye
wander not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring;
that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God.”
Recollection of the will of God must be followed by obedience to that will, or
it will be worse than useless.
III. The grounds
upon which God requires from us this recollection of and obedience to His
commands.
1. His personal relation to us.
2. His gracious doings for us. (W. Jones.)
Remembrancers
How wonderful is what we call association! I hang some thought
upon an object, and say, “Whenever I come hither, ring for me as a bell of joy”;
and upon another I fasten an experience, saying to it, “Toll to me of sadness”;
and to another, “Give forth some bold, inspiring strain”; and to another,
“Speak to me always of hope.” And, thereafter, each thing, true to its nature, whether it
be tree, or place, or rock, or house, or that which is therein, never forgets
its lesson. Yea, and when we forget, they make us to remember, singing to us
the notes which we had taught them. Thus the heart, though it may not dismember
itself, to give a soul to the material world, has yet a power half to create in physical
things a soul in each for itself. So its life is written out, and it keeps a
journal upon trees, upon hills, upon the face of heaven. Is it not for this,
then, that in turn God has used every object in nature, every event in life,
every function of society, every affection and endearment of human love, yea,
and things that are not, the very silences of the world, and memories that are
but disembodied events, to represent to us by association His nature and
affections? Thus the heaven
and the earth do speak of God, and the great natural world is but another
Bible, which clasps and binds the written one; for nature and grace are one.
Grace is the heart of the flower, and nature but its surrounding petals. (H.
W. Beecher.)
Association
Thus a house becomes sacred. Every room has a thousand
memories. Every door and window is clustered with associations. And when, after
long years, we go back to the house of our infancy, faces look out upon us, and an invisible
multitude stand in gate and portal to welcome us, and we hear airy voices
speaking again the old words of our childhood. (H. W. Beecher.)
Verse 41
I am the Lord your God.
Everlasting relationship
Can anything be more blessed to God’s people than the assurance of
the everlasting relationship existing between Himself and them? This
everlasting relationship is a hiding-place, refuge, and defence in this desert
land; a safe retreat, where the soul may obtain repose, satisfaction, in trying
moments.
I. To say that
eternal relationship leads to licentiousness, and induces a disregard to all
moral and social duties, is the same as to say, that to bring any individual
into the clear, bright light of the sun will cause a pebble to become a
stumbling-block unto him. Here is a threefold assertion of relationship in my
text, which relationship now is but rarely understood, still less enjoyed, and
often reviled. But, now, notice the nature of this relationship. It is a
relationship of a father, a Brother, a Comforter, a Guide, a Preceptor. It is a
relationship of King and subject, Parent and child, Husband and wife, Friend
and friend.
II. The deliverance
effected as a proof of this relationship. The proof is that He brought His
people out of Egypt. “Oh!” says one timid soul, “but I do not belong to Him. I
do not think the Lord speaks to me.” Well, I do not desire you to make the assertion, unless God
has brought you from Egypt. But mock not His love, deny not His grace, insult
not His Spirit by questioning the relationship if He has rescued you from the
bondage of sin, Satan, and self, the world, and the devil. He has delivered you
on purpose to be your God, openly and avowedly.
III. The claim of
God is upon us, for devotedness to His glory and activity in His cause. He has
brought you out for His own use; and He has a right to all the ardour of your
spirit, all the activity of your life, all the affections of your soul.
Remember, you are not your own, but bought with a price; therefore glorify God
with your body and spirit, which are His. Oh! what ties bind us to devotedness
to His name--ties of blood, ties of love, ties of grace. As a King, He created
me His subject;
as a Deliverer, He brought me to liberty; as my God, He allied me to Himself in
everlasting relationship. And if all these ties fail to produce the effect of consecration
of heart, and soul, and life to Him, I have one more tie left--namely, the constraint of love. (J.
Irons.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》