View Numbers 15 in the note window.
Laws, concerning meal - offerings and drink offerings, ver. 1 - 16.
Concerning dough for heave - offerings, ver. 17 - 21.
Sacrifices for sins of ignorance, ver. 22 - 29.
Concerning presumptuous sinners, ver. 30,31.
An instance in the sabbath - breaker, ver. 32 - 36.
Concerning fringes on the borders of their garments, ver. 37 - 41.
2: 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.
3: A sacrifice - A peace - offering.
4: A tenth deal - The tenth part of an Ephah, that is,
about five pints. An hin contained about five quarts.
6: 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.
8: 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.
12: Their number - As many cattle as ye sacrifice, so many meal and
drink - offerings ye shall offer.
15: 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.
19: 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.
20: The threshing floor - That is, of the corn in the threshing
floor, when you have gathered in your corn.
22: 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 (Le 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.
30: Reproacheth the Lord - He sets God at defiance, and exposeth him
to contempt, as if he were unable to punish transgressors.
32: 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.
33: To all the congregation - That is, to the rulers of the
congregation.
34: 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.
38: 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,(De 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.
39: 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.
40: Be ye holy - Purged from sin and sincerely devoted to God.
41: 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.
