Numbers 15:22-24
‘But when you unwittingly fail and do not observe all these commandments, which the LORD has spoken to Moses, even all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses, from the day when the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations, then it shall be, if it is done unintentionally, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one bull for a burnt offering, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.”
We are going to make mistakes. The Lord is gracious and gives a way out. Our present culture takes this to the extreme. We are so invested in our humanness and our making errors that “of course there would be mercy.” This is the wrong perspective. This is presuming too much. We need to allow the offended party to make that decision.
There was huge pressure for the Old Testament Israelite. The law was burdensome. In Acts 15:10 Peter describes the law as too difficult: “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” God gave a way out for mistakes.
As humans, we have quite a bit of shame. We beat ourselves up for a life time of mistakes and/or being criticized too harshly. Only God knows of all of the poison swirling around in our subconscious. This contributes to depression, shame and anxiety. God wants to give us a way out. His grace is sufficient. In the New Testament, we go to 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus has already cleansed us for all eternity, He wants us to acknowledge it, receive His forgiveness and put it away. Jesus roughly said that in John 13:10, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…” 1 John 1:9 is like a foot wash. Our sin has been forgiven, we just get our feet dirty as we walk through this world. We need to stop, admit to our issues, get clean and move on.
Lord, thank You that You have provided a way for us to deal with our sin as well as our mistakes.
Lord, thank You that You have provided a way for us to deal with our sin as well as our mistakes.