the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 1 of 5
Numbers 15:1-21
After the tragic scenes of Numbers 14, it would be reasonable to think that the people’s unbelief and rebellion had taken away all their rights to the land of Canaan. This is why God comes to speak immediately afterwards of the land of promise, by which He shows that nothing will dissuade Him from accomplishing His purposes of grace. At the same time He makes mention in ch. 15 of the different sacrifices: burnt offering (v. 3), peace offering (v. 8), sin offering (v. 24), with the meat offerings and drink offerings, as if to remind them that He has the resources to deal with the worst crimes, or rather one single resource which is, in its multiple aspects, the work of His Beloved. From this there arises, however sad the people’s condition may be, "a sweet savour unto the LORD" (an expression repeated five times). The work of Christ presented figuratively in its many varied aspects is also displayed as being for the benefit of the greatest number of people. The law for the stranger was identical to that for the Israelite by birth; he was allowed to offer the same sacrifices and the same drink offerings, prefiguring a grace reaching out beyond Israel, a gospel preached to every creature under heaven (Colossians 1:23).
Vv. 17-21 deal with the firstfruits and remind us that the Lord always has the first claim upon everything we possess (Matthew 6:33).
