Sticks and Stones

"And they found him gathering sticks and bought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in custody because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the lord said unto Moses, the man shall surely be put to death, by stoning of the congregation. Num. 15: 32-36

Sceptics of the Christian faith love to point out the above passage to "prove" that the God of the bible is an angry despot. Why do they accept this verse of the bible as true, but disbelieve the rest? They accept the part of the story that God put the man to death, but they refuse to accept the entire context the passage is set in. This verse has to be taken in the context of the exodus experience and God's manifestation to the jews. Many of the people were openly challenging God's authority, even though he had brought them out of Egypt, made them wealthy with their former master's goods, and destroyed the enemies that were pursuing them.

Throughout the exodus experience, and from chapter 11 to 15 in the book of numbers, God and Moses are continually being challenged, and to the point that Moses is almost stoned to death by some of the people. The individual excecuted had experienced God unlike most in human history, he had been given God's law in a unuique and extrordinary way, and was expected to keep it, but instead he openly, in broad daylight, before the entire tribe and God , says he will not due what his creator and deliverer requires. In Mathew 11:20-24 Jesus says: "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

Just like the people in Jesus day, this man had seen and experienced the living God in a series of miraculous events that few will ever see. His guilt is compounded by the events he was experiencing, and because in the presence of the one who delivered him from slavery, he openly despised his command to rest.

The Sabbath rest was not only to signify Gods rest from creation, but the jews rest from slavery. By intentionally, and publically despising the sabbath, he was mocking everything God had just accomplished before his fellow Israelites. From the context of chapters 11 to 15 he was more than likely in with the group who wanted to stone Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, and appoint another leader to take them back to Egypt (this would explain why his particular punishment was recorded.Sounds like treason). You might say it was the sticks that broke the camels back.

In chapter 15 God makes a distinction between offenses committed in ignorance and those committed by individuals who "despise" his laws, not those who accidentally break them. Those who break the laws out of ignorance or mistakenly were not put to death, but those who publically despised God and his laws were to be put to death, but even then under certain circumstances the capitol offense could be avoided. He was not stoned for picking up sticks, he was stoned for publically challenging God's ultimate authority. When somebody knowingly disrespects and taunts the power of nature and dies, we call him a fool, even if we are moved about their death. If there are natural powers we should respect, how much more the power that created them.

TOTT