Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Numbers chapter 15, verses 32 through 35.

While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath

day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the

congregation. They put him in custody because it had not been made clear what should be done to him.

And the Lord said to Moses, the man shall be put to death.

All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.

Whoa.

What a story.

This one is hard to comprehend, isn't it? Like the man is caught gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. He's picking up sticks when he should not be picking up sticks. So they bring him

before God. They don't know what to do So they bring them before God.

They don't know what to do.

They bring them before God.

And God says he should be stoned for picking up sticks.

This can seem really extreme to us, can't it?

Like it seems extreme to me.

Even hard to wrestle with and reconcile, but that's just it. Our reaction to this story shows us what a small view of the holiness of God we have and what a small view of the holiness of God we have,

and what a small view of the sinfulness of man we have.

Meaning, we think, it's not that big a deal, right?

Picking up sticks.

He should have been picking up sticks,

but it's not worth stoning over but that's because

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