Numbers 15:22 ¶ And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses, 23 Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; 24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance: 26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance. 27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
If the people commit the sin of perhaps by incorrect teaching and
common error fail to observe all of these commandments there is a remedy for
them. As has been noted before there was a remedy for the Jewish council if
they, having crucified Christ through ignorance were to repent of their sin.
Luke
23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do…
For
this collective sin through ignorance we have this from Peter.
Acts
3:1 ¶ Now Peter and John went up
together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb
was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called
Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into
the temple asked an alms. 4 And Peter,
fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to
receive something of them. 6 Then Peter
said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately
his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the
temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and
praising God: 10 And they knew that it
was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were
filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. 11 And as the lame man which was healed held
Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is
called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
12 ¶
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel,
why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own
power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and
denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the
Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath
raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16 And his name through faith in his name hath
made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath
given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 And now, brethren, I wot that through
ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things, which God before had shewed
by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so
fulfilled. 19 Repent ye therefore, and
be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing
shall come from
the
presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall
send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times
of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his
holy prophets since the world began.
Numbers 15:30 ¶ 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. 31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. 32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
The severity of the punishment for deliberately sinning is
contrasted with the opportunity to atone for the ignorant disobedience of God’s
commandments previously. To be cut off typically means to be killed as
it does here.
Ezekiel
25:7 Behold, therefore I will stretch
out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and
I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the
countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
Zechariah
13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in
all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but
the third shall be left therein.
In some contexts it appears that banishment or shunning is the consequence
of being cut off from one’s people rather than execution.
Zechariah
11:16 For, lo, I will raise up a
shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither
shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that
standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in
pieces.
Malachi
2:12 The LORD will cut off the man that
doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and
him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts.
A man is stoned for gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. This is a
too-strict punishment for our sensibilities but God has made His point to these
people. We must remember that we are not under the Law given to Moses but live
under the grace afforded to us by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ
based on our faith and belief. It is a grievous error to try to apply the civil
and religious laws given to the Hebrews to the spiritual relationship we have
with God through Christ.
Galatians
3:24 Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are
no longer under a schoolmaster.
You, Christian, have no justification under Grace to execute someone
who violates the Sabbath, homosexuals, witches, fornicating couples, or wayward
children. You have laws in your own country wherever you are you should obey,
civil laws, as commanded by our Saviour and Paul; paying your taxes and
honoring your secular leaders in their mandated mission of punishing evildoers
and protecting the weak.
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