John Calvin Commentary Numbers 15:1

"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying," — Numbers 15:1 (ASV)

And the Lord spake. He partly refers here to those precepts which he had treated more distinctly and fully in Leviticus, and partly gathers into one place what he had previously spoken of in various places and more obscurely. For he had not yet delivered any certain regulations concerning the accessories to the meat-offering of oil and wine. However, what he had previously designated for particular cases, he now commands to be generally observed, and what he had treated more accurately, he now passes over lightly. He does not enter into full particulars but only forbids sacrifices from being offered without flour, a libation of wine, and oil.

We have seen elsewhere that in the sacrifices and oblations, in which God accommodated Himself to the undeveloped state of the people, He took, as it were, the character of a man, as if He feasted there familiarly with them. In this sense He elsewhere calls the sacrifices His meat,²⁹¹ not because He, who is life in Himself and inspires the life of all, requires the supports of life, but because, unless He condescends to people, He cannot lift up their minds to things above.

Still, since there was a danger, on the other hand, that the people might introduce many senseless and superfluous displays (as we see that in their sacred feasts the Gentiles were foolishly and immoderately extravagant, as if their delicacies pleased God), the measure of each particular thing is prescribed. This was so they would not dare to invent anything arbitrarily.

The conjecture is probable that what had been previously delivered with sufficient clearness is here recalled to their memory. However, since this reason is not expressly given, it will be enough to hold fast to what has been frequently stated: although the ceremonies might be of minor importance, it was still necessary that the lawful be carefully distinguished from the unauthorized. This distinction was crucial to prevent human licentiousness, as people would otherwise surely have mixed in their own leaven.

The sum of this passage is that in both the solemn sacrifices which the Law demands and the free-will offerings, they should observe that proportion of which we have treated elsewhere.

²⁹¹ “Son pain et sa viande;” his bread and meat. — ;” his bread and meat. — Fr..