Charles Spurgeon Commentary Numbers 9

I would almost fear that they had omitted keeping the Passover for a year. There was a first celebration of it when they came out of Egypt; but then it was not so much a type as a matter of fact. It was the thing itself—not the remembrance of the coming out of Egypt, but the actual coming out, the exodus.

One might gather from this command of the Lord that, on the first anniversary of that memorable season, the children of Israel had omitted its observance, and so Jehovah said to Moses, Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. If this conjecture is correct, it is very significant that a rite that belonged to the law, and was therefore to pass away, was so soon neglected—and certainly it was afterwards neglected for many, many years. In contrast, the great memorial ordinance of the Christian dispensation—the Lord’s Supper—was not neglected even when Christians were under fierce persecution from the Jews or other nations.

Even when observing that rite among the pagans was almost certain to bring death, Christians still met together on the first day of the week and continually broke bread in remembrance of their Lord's death, just as we do to this day. I suppose that the Supper, which is the memorial of Christ our Passover, has never been entirely neglected throughout the world, but has been constantly observed in the Church of Christ, and will be till he come.

They were in a great difficulty. They were commanded to come to the Passover; they sinned if they did not come. But they had defiled themselves, either through accident or necessity, and if they came to the Passover in this state, they would be committing sin, so that either way they were in a difficult situation.

There must be someone to bury the dead. I suppose that these persons had fulfilled that necessary duty, and there had not been time for them to purge themselves from the ceremonial defilement involved in touching the dead; so what were they to do?

Oh, how wisely we should give advice if we would never decide until we had prayed about the matter! Possibly, we think ourselves so experienced, and so well acquainted with the mind of God, that we can answer offhand; or, perhaps, we think that we need not consult the Lord at all, but that our own opinion will be sufficient guide. Moses was greater and wiser than we are, yet he said to these men, "Stand still, and I will hear what Jehovah will command concerning you."

Therefore, provision was made for holding a second Passover, so that persons who were defiled at the first observance might have the opportunity to keep the feast a month later.

What a solemn sentence that is! Let me read it apart from its connection: Because he did not bring the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. You see, the great offering of the Lord, the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the only way by which sin can be put away; and if any man will not bring that, in other words, if he will not believe in Jesus, then here is his certain doom, that man shall bear his sin. No more terrible judgment can be pronounced upon any one of us than this, that man shall bear his sin. If you do not believe that I am he, said Christ, you shall die in your sins.