The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) Day 64: Consequences of Sin (2026)
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Mar 5, 2026 A close look at why severe penalties appear in the law and how they fit within a larger divine plan and mercy. Discussion of unwitting versus deliberate sin, communal atonement, and the Sabbath violation story. Exploration of tassels as reminders, laws on idolatry and city purification, dietary rules, tithing for the vulnerable, and Psalm 96’s call to praise and judgment.
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The Man Who Gathered Sticks On The Sabbath
- Fr. Mike recounts the episode of a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath from Numbers 15.
- The congregation brought him before Moses and, acting on God's instruction, stoned him outside the camp.
Distinction Between Error And Open Rebellion
- God's law distinguishes between unwitting sin and open, defiant rebellion with very different consequences.
- Numbers 15 allows atonement and forgiveness for accidental sin but prescribes capital punishment for someone who sins "with a high hand" as public rejection of the covenant.
Sabbath Penalty Reflects Covenant Membership Logic
- Capital punishment for Sabbath violation shocks modern sensibilities but follows covenant logic about communal holiness.
- The community treats a flagrant violator as someone who renounces membership and thus faces exclusion.