It is very important to learn that we find life in God only by coming to him in his way.
This truth is made clear by the death penalty for disobedience (see also Numbers 15:32–36). This does not mean that God’s people must punish these sins in the same way. But at the beginning, God needed to make this truth clear (see Acts 5:1–11).
If people do not understand this spiritual lesson, ritual obedience will not help them. Ritual obedience means simply following religious rules. It has no value without true faith and trust in God (see Colossians 2:16–19).