Numbers 15:29
Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
One law for sin committed through ignorance applies equally to the native-born Israelite and to the foreigner sojourning among them, with no difference between them in the service of God. Sin committed without knowing it is still real sin even when the person is living up to all the light he has, and ignorance does not make the transgression cease to be sin. When the sin becomes known the sinner is guilty and must confess and repent and receive forgiveness through the appointed offering and atonement, which point to atonement through Christ. Ignorance makes such sins less heinous than sins committed presumptuously against light, yet it does not leave the person free from sin. For willful presumptuous sin there is no such provision, and the persistent sinner is cut off from Israel and from life.
Israelite and Stranger Equal
One law governs wrongdoing committed without full awareness, and it binds the native-born Israelite and the resident foreigner living among them in exactly the same way. Such failure remains real wrongdoing even when the person does not recognize it at the time, and it does not cease to be sin because of lack of knowledge. Atonement is therefore still required, and forgiveness is granted when the prescribed offering is made and when the sinner, upon learning of the fault, repents and seeks pardon. Ignorance renders the offense less heinous and less serious than deliberate defiance, giving some excuse compared with sin against light, yet it does not leave the person wholly free from guilt or from accountability. No provision extends to sin willfully persisted in, for the persistent offender is cut off from Israel and from life. When people from other nations gave themselves to God, they came under that same law as Israel, since a stranger joining Israel took on the same obligations as a native Israelite as part of belonging to Israel. In the service of the Lord there is in this respect no difference between Jew and Gentile, and Gentiles were likewise bound to observe the Sabbath.
The stranger stands as one born among the people and is to be loved as oneself, under one equal law before the Lord for native and sojourner alike. Foreign servants obtained with money were circumcised and thereby incorporated into the household, made as naturalized citizens of the state and members of the congregation sharing all common rites and privileges. They were equally answerable to the laws and equally protected by them, an arrangement that furnished help in cultivating the land and enlarged the numbers of the commonwealth. That mutual benefit demonstrates that the relation was voluntary service rather than chattel ownership.
Sabbath-breaking committed in ignorance was distinguished from willful Sabbath-breaking and was not to be punished immediately with stoning as the willful act was. On a contrasting understanding, the verse belongs to a portion of the Mosaic code consisting of temporary sanitary or police regulations fitted to that people, time, and wilderness setting, including provision for special and flagrant cases of presumptuous sin as illustrated by the stoning of the man who defiantly gathered sticks on the Sabbath. That code is therefore readily distinguished from the Decalogue as the great constitution of divine government, which by its very nature is eternal.
Ignorant and Presumptuous Sin
Sin committed through ignorance is still real sin even when the person does not know it at the time or is living up to the light he has, and ignorance does not make breaking the law acceptable or make the transgression cease to be sin. Such sins are not merely mistakes even when they have left no conscious guilt. A person may sin without knowing it even before having complete knowledge, but when the sin becomes known to him he is deemed guilty. When the wrongdoing becomes known it must be confessed and repented of, and steps must be taken to receive forgiveness through the required offering and atonement, or the guilt remains.
Ignorance makes these sins less heinous and less serious in God's sight than sins committed presumptuously, and one who sins ignorantly has some excuse as distinct from one who sins against light, but it does not leave a person completely free from sin. Abundant atonement and forgiveness are provided for ignorant sin when the sinner repents after learning of it, and forgiveness is granted when the prescribed offering is made. Those offerings point to the atonement through Christ. Its provision for ignorant sin applies to the people addressed in the law, and it explains why Paul could receive mercy for sinning ignorantly.
By contrast, presumptuous or willful sin is punishable by death and the persistent sinner is cut off from Israel and from life, and God makes no provision for sin willfully persisted in. The verse stands right in connection with the gathering of sticks on the Sabbath as an illustration of the demerit of presumptuous sins. Saul failed to consider the distinction between an ignorant offense that could be atoned for by a sin offering and deliberate rebellion when he swore that the suspected offender must die. Once light has come, ignoring it leaves the sin unforgiven and answerable in the Judgment, and repeating the act is no longer sin through ignorance.
Rejecting Christ is presumptuous sin that destroys hopelessly, because it combines pride, rebellion, and high treason in rejecting a king, and the sin of unbelief blackens every other sin and sharpens each one as a file sharpens an ax. With Christ taking away the cloak so that real character stands uncovered, this warning applies most to this generation, who will have more to account for than others when the coming storm sweeps pollution and sin from the earth. Even though His people had departed from Him and done things that dishonored Him, it was not necessary for Jerusalem to be overthrown or for the people to go into captivity. The unpardonable sin is the sin that refuses to be pardoned: refusal to hear Him concerning sin and to turn from that sin, refusal of His instruction, unbelief concerning His warnings, and stubbornness of heart that will not turn from sin, and this seals the fate of any people or any individual.