seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
November 15:32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.
This is one of those times when the discussion is longer than the verses.
Here's is the discussion from the easy English site.
This passage provides an example of a person who was sinning defiantly. He was opposing God’s laws on purpose. The Sabbath was (and it is still) a very special day for the Jews. They did no work. This was because God had told them to rest.
One of the 10 most important rules that God gave to Moses was about the Sabbath (Deuteronomy 5:12). God told the people to remember always that the Sabbath was a holy day. All the people had to rest. God did not want them to work. On the Sabbath, he wanted them to remember that he had rescued them from the Egyptians. He wanted them to remember that they belonged to him.
It was a very serious crime to work on the Sabbath. Every Israelite knew this. The punishment was death for anyone who worked on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:15; 35:2-3). But ‘nobody knew what to do’ about this man (verse 34). They did not know whether he had sinned defiantly. Perhaps he had not realised that it was the Sabbath. Or perhaps he had a mental illness, so he was not able to understand about God’s laws. Because of these or other reasons, the man may not have sinned defiantly. The man was clearly guilty because of his actions. But only God knew whether he had blasphemed. Only God knew whether he had sinned defiantly.
God told Moses that they had to punish the man. He had sinned defiantly. The man knew God’s rules. But he had decided not to obey them. In other words, the man was rebelling against God on purpose. The man was guilty of blasphemy. The punishment for blasphemy was death. So the people obeyed God’s rules (Leviticus 24:10-23).
One of the 10 most important rules that God gave to Moses was about the Sabbath (Deuteronomy 5:12). God told the people to remember always that the Sabbath was a holy day. All the people had to rest. God did not want them to work. On the Sabbath, he wanted them to remember that he had rescued them from the Egyptians. He wanted them to remember that they belonged to him.
It was a very serious crime to work on the Sabbath. Every Israelite knew this. The punishment was death for anyone who worked on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:15; 35:2-3). But ‘nobody knew what to do’ about this man (verse 34). They did not know whether he had sinned defiantly. Perhaps he had not realised that it was the Sabbath. Or perhaps he had a mental illness, so he was not able to understand about God’s laws. Because of these or other reasons, the man may not have sinned defiantly. The man was clearly guilty because of his actions. But only God knew whether he had blasphemed. Only God knew whether he had sinned defiantly.
God told Moses that they had to punish the man. He had sinned defiantly. The man knew God’s rules. But he had decided not to obey them. In other words, the man was rebelling against God on purpose. The man was guilty of blasphemy. The punishment for blasphemy was death. So the people obeyed God’s rules (Leviticus 24:10-23).
Meanwhile, studylight.org shows the man in the light of social reformer.
This was an immediate example of dealing with someone who sinned presumptuously. All of Israel knew the Sabbath law, and this man no doubt thought him self a courageous social reformer, trying by his example to free the nation from the shackles of heaven’s law.
Instead, God commanded the execution of this presumptuous sinner, that all might fear. This was so all would know that the social order and law of God are more important than any individual’s “right” to attack or destroy that social order or law of God.
“It seems likely that the following story of the sabbath breaker illustrates what sinning with a high hand means.”
Instead, God commanded the execution of this presumptuous sinner, that all might fear. This was so all would know that the social order and law of God are more important than any individual’s “right” to attack or destroy that social order or law of God.
This is from GodVine.
Moses mentions here, as is his wont (compare Leviticus 24:10-16), the first open transgression and its punishment in order to exemplify the laws which he is laying down. The offence of Sabbath-breaking was one for which there could be no excuse. This law at least might be observed even in the wilderness. Transgression of it was therefore a presumptuous sin, and was punished accordingly.
Jesus had a lot to say about working on the Sabbath. I'll get to that eventually.... but for now... I have to remember that working on the Sabbath is serious. A body could get stoned to death for working on the Sabbath.
