Chapter Fifteen
Regulations Regarding Sacrifices
15:1 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,
The narrative stops briefly in this chapter to supplement several already-written regulations. There is much debate as to why these rules are inserted here in-between two stories of rebellion. One possible explanation is that God chose this time to offer hope. Once again God uses the statement, “When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you” (see also Leviticus 14:34; 19:23; 23:3; 25:2), giving reassurance to the now-despondent people, that God still intends to bring their descendants into the Promised Land.
15:3 and you offer to the LORD from the herd or from the flock a food offering 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 of fine flour, mixed with a quarter of a hin 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.
Previously, we learned that whenever someone was to offer a burnt offering there would be additional offerings required (first encountered in Leviticus 23:18),[1] it is here in this section that outlines those regulations. This section is divided into three groups, depending on the animal being offered, beginning with offerings of lambs.
Any time a food offering (see commentaries under Exodus 29:15-18 and Leviticus 1:3-9; 23:23-25); a burnt offering; a sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow (see Leviticus 7:16-18; 22:17-21);[2] a freewill offering (see Leviticus 7:16-18; 22:17-21); or any sacrifice offered during one of the appointed feasts; they were to also offer to YHWH a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with a quarter hin of oil. In addition, with the burnt offering and any of the other sacrifices listed above, they were also to offer a quarter of a hin of wine for a drink offering for each lamb sacrificed.
15:6 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.
When offering a ram, the grain offering was to consist of two-tenths of an ephah of flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil and the drink offering was to be a third of a hin of wine,
15:8 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.
When the offering was a bull for a burnt offering, sacrifice for a vow or for a peace offering, then the appropriate grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of flour mixed with a half a hin of oil along with a half of a hin of wine as a drink offering.
These grain and drink offerings were to be considered food offerings, each being a pleasing aroma to YHWH.
15:11 “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.”
These regulations were to apply for each of these sacrifices regardless of whether a bull, ram, lamb, or young goat (text states with any kid, sheep or goat) was being offered and regardless of number, these grain and drink offerings were to be given for each one. The regulations were to be followed by every native Israelite as well as any person traveling through or living permanently among them, anyone who wished to offer a food offering to YHWH. In this regard, a sojourner and a native person are alike, the same instructions and regulations are to apply to both.
15:17 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.
God told Moses to tell the people that when they come into the Promised Land and after they have planted crops and are eating the grain from those crops, that they are to present a contribution to YHWH (see Leviticus 23:9-17; Joshua 5:10-12). The first of the dough made with the best of grain was to be presented like a contribution from the threshing floor (this language assumes knowledge of Numbers 18:8-32 regarding contributions made to God, as all presentations to God are to be first received by the priests).
Regulations Regarding Unintentional Sins
15:22 “But if you sin unintentionally, 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.
Referring to a collective act of unintentional sin, when the community as a whole fail to observe one or more of God’s commandments, once they recognize their actions as a sin, they are to follow this procedure: One bull is to be offered as a burnt offering, along with the appropriate grain and drink offerings, and one male goat for a sin offering, which would allow the priest to make atonement for the entire congregation and as a result be forgiven, since the sin was a mistake. Everyone, including strangers in the land, would be forgiven through this process.
15:27 “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.”
In the situation that only one person sins unintentionally, they only needed to offer a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering. The priest would then make atonement for them and be forgiven. The same rule applied for the stranger who is passing through town, as well as for the native.
However, if a person disobeys a command and defies God, regardless if a native Israelite or a foreigner, they must be cut off from their people and their guilt remains. The word translated as ‘reviles’ is the Hebrew word ‘meḡǎd·dēp’,[3] seen for the first time in Scripture, it means to blaspheme, referring to a conscious and intentional verbal abuse. The text further explains, “Because he has despised the word of the LORD,” someone who does not respect God and His Word. Just as a person cannot be a Christian and at the same time despise or reject the Bible, no one was allowed to intentionally sin, disrespect God or despise His Word and remain affiliated with the people of Israel.
Sabbath-breaker Executed
15:32 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.
This is the sad story previously reported regarding the dilemma of the Sabbath (see the commentary under Exodus 31:15-17).[4] The people of Israel found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath, the text does not offer any additional information, just that he was brought to Moses, Aaron and apparently the rest of the community (perhaps the commotion alerted everyone else). They put him in custody, interestingly, even though the penalty for working on the Sabbath was death (see Exodus 31:15); the text notes that they were not sure what should be done to him. Based on the previous section regarding unintentional sin, it is possible that the punishment could possibly be reduced if the sin was done unintentionally, but how could they perceive the difference? They probably could not, so God told Moses what to do. They took the man outside of the camp and stoned him to death.
Tassels to Help Remember God's Commandments
15:37 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 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.”
A new regulation is presented to Moses, they are to attach blue ‘tassels’ (Hebrew ‘ṣî·ṣîṯ’,[5] also spelled ‘tsitsit’, an ornamental tuft of threads, cords, or strings) onto the corners of their outer garments. The need for human beings to have reminders is an ongoing theme in the Bible.[6] The tassels were to remind the people of Israel about God and His commandments. Like the apostle Paul’s plead to all Christians to, “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) which, when first read may sound impossible, means to keep a person’s mind focused on Jesus, making it less likely for one to desire to sin. Here, by seeing the blue tassels, people would keep their thoughts on God and not be inclined to lust after false gods.
God again reminds them that He is the one who brought them out of Egypt to be their God, twice saying that He is YHWH, their God.
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[1] See commentary under Leviticus 23:16b-21.
[2] See also commentary under Leviticus 22:17-21.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 1442.
[4] See also Considerations under Leviticus 23:3.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 6734.
[6] See Considerations under Exodus 12:28; 13:16, and commentaries under Exodus 20:8-10; 28:12-14, 29; Leviticus 23:1-2, see also Exodus 12:14; 13:3, 9; 17:14; 20:8; 28:12; Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 5:15, 18; 10:10.