Numbers 15-16

Chapter 15: Garments

There are various sacrificial ordinances, as we have discusses throughout the books of Leviticus and the earlier chapters in Numbers to receive a forgiveness of your sins, or that of the congregation through Atonement.

Those who sin, with the knowledge of their sin, are shut out from among the congregation. Those however, who sin ignorantly are not and can be forgiven of their sins. But if they were to repeat them a second time, then they could be shut off from the people, because they would now be willfully sinning.

A group of Israelites go out into the wilderness and find a man who was gathering sticks on the Sabbath day, they take the man to Moses and Aaron to decide what should happen to the man. Aaron and Moses consult with the Lord, and are commanded to have the man stoned to death. So the entire congregation gathers stones and throws them at the man, until he dies.  This, although severe, reminds us of the importance of keeping the Lord’s commandments. He puts those commandments in place, for us to follow them.

The Lord, then speaks to Moses and commands him to make garments or fringes around their garments, so that they might remember the Lord and his commandments always.  The Lord commands the Israelites to not follow after their own heart and eyes, to go a whoring.

These garments are similar to sacred garments used, by worthy members of the LDS church throughout the world. Although the media and anti-Mormon groups go about telling the world about “the secret Mormon underwear”, the truth of the matter is… that the garments (which are just underwear) are to remind the person wearing them to keep the commandments of God.

Chapter 16: Israel Murmurs

Koran the son of Ishar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi and Dethan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben took 250 men (who were princes and leaders) to rise up against Moses, because they sought after priesthood offices.

The Earth opens and swallows up three of the rebels and their families. Fire comes down and consumes the 250 other rebels. The congregation of Israel then murmurs to Moses and Aaron, because of their deaths. The Lord doesn’t appreciate the murmurings and sends a plague that kills 14,700! The Moral of the Story… STOP MURMURING!