Intentional or Unintentional?

Today we are discussing a topic that has been on my heart for weeks now. In my personal Bible study, I had been going through the book of Numbers, and the section of scripture that we will discuss today challenged my thinking on sin and how God punishes those who choose not to follow Him. Since this is a topic that I think many believers and nonbelievers alike struggle with, I want to share what the Holy Spirit has taught me.

“32 Now while the children 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 under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.”

Numbers 15:32-36

This may seem like a strange place to begin, but this passage truly challenged me to think about my actions. It seems cruel that God would punish a man for gathering sticks on a Sabbath day, especially considering we have the knowledge of the completed Bible and know that this nameless man was not the only one to break the Sabbath but so did David and his men. How could the simple action of gathering sticks warrant a man’s death? To find this answer, we need to look at a couple of verses above this passage.

“30 ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he 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 completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’ ”

Numbers 15:30-31

At the beginning of Numbers 15, we see that God is speaking to Moses and commanding him to tell the sons of Israel what He is saying. Now in Numbers 15:30-31, we see that God is telling Moses that anyone who behaves defiantly is blaspheming the Lord. This means that that person’s sin was on them and they were to be cast off from the rest. God is already setting a stage here. The sacrifices for sins have already been established, and the Mosaic Law has been given; the people of Israel knew what was required of them. So to behave in a way that went against all of that was a direct act of defiance against God. In the case of this nameless man, he knew that the Sabbath was for rest, but through his pride, he intentionally sinned. He knew the perimeters God had given and decided that his way was greater than God’s. It was intentional sin.

I also want to point out one other thing regarding Numbers 15:30-31. It ends with God stating that those who despise the word of the Lord, who intentionally continue in their sin, will have their guilt upon themselves. God is already laying the groundwork that there is going to be a coming Messiah who will place the sins of the world on Himself. Which is exactly what Jesus came to do.

So what did this passage challenge me to consider? It was the fact that it seemed unloving for God to condemn a man to death for the simple act of picking up sticks. If a man could be condemned and killed for this, then there is no way that God could care enough about me to wipe away my sins. I know that my sins have been greater than picking up sticks, but there is a difference. It comes down to intention. Mankind is not perfect, and we will not be perfect until Jesus reigns on Earth. This means that even though I have placed my faith in Jesus and I know He has removed my sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), it comes down to my intention in those sins. Am I sinning because I am a fallen human, but repent of the sin and turn away? Or am I sinning and continuing to sin regardless of what Scripture tells me that I should stop? One is the result of a heart striving to be more like Christ. The other is a heart that is hardened and is acting in direct defiance towards God. And this is my challenge to you, dear readers. Look into your life and see what your intention is toward sin. Are you sinning but striving to change and follow after God’s own heart? Or have you seen what scripture says and decided to continue to do it your own way, regardless of the consequences?

Next week, we will look at two men who faced this challenge and see their results.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex