“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips,” says the prophet in his book, Isaiah 6:5 as he stands in awe of The King of Kings. He is aware of His sin and the sins that silently surround. What is to be done?

Imagine walking in the wilderness with over 600,000 others for 40 years. We see that God has already ordered His people, given them good work to do, and is establishing a relationship with them through Moses. Yet, it is in Numbers 5 we first see how God will deal with cleansing, sin, and restoration.

God prepares His people through Moses with boundaries and what should be done when one transgresses the boundary. He established confession and restitution to sustain His precious community. Why? He knows His people will sin against Him and one another again and again. The law prescribed in Numbers, leads to a broader sustenance and provision by a loving God as His people journey with Him through generations. This Yahweh knows, sees, understands, and loves and He ultimately provides a new way of healing, forgiveness, and redemption through Himself.

Numbers 5

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. 3 You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” 4 And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the people of Israel did.

Confession and Restitution

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, 7 he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. 8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. 9 And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his. 10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his.”

A Test for Adultery

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Speak to the people of Israel, If any man's wife goes astray and breaks faith with him, 13 if a man lies with her sexually, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not taken in the act, 14 and if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself, 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 “And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord. 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord and unbind the hair of the woman's head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse. 19 Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband's authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse. 20 But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband's authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you, 21 then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) ‘the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell. 22 May this water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman shall say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

23 “Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain. 25 And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand and shall wave the grain offering before the Lord and bring it to the altar. 26 And the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.

29 “This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife. Then he shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall carry out for her all this law. 31 The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.”

[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?

+ Who is the Lord speaking to in Verse 1 and in all of Numbers 5? What is the relationship between the Lord and this man?

+ What is he to do with the Lord’s words in verse 2, 6, and 12?

+ In the places you lead, how difficult is it to communicate the words of those in authority over you? How difficult is it to enforce the standards given to you to uphold? Why is it important to do so?

+ Why were certain people “put out of the camp” in verse 3? How does this idea sit in our 2020 mindset?

+ In verse 3, what do those who are “unclean” do to the camp?

+ How do you see God’s presence with His people in verse 3? Why is this important?

+ Do the people obey in verse 4?

+ Read verses 5-7 again. Summarize in your own words. What New Testament idea is presented in these verses? Did it surprise you to see it here in Numbers?

+ What should the person in the camp do as they realize their guilt in verse 6 and 7

+ What might it look like to give full restitution for a wrong...plus a fifth?

+ Verses 11-31 address a concern for covenant unfaithfulness in the marriage relationship. The marriage relationship is near and dear to God’s heart throughout scripture and it is interesting that this specific suspected sin has such a detailed procedure to find justice.

+ What started the process?

+ What words sound similar to Genesis 3?

+ How was justice accomplished?

+ Why might this be the first sin that is named in numbers?

+ How does this sin affect the relationship between God and one’s spouse?

[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?

+ Is there a sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?

+ Is there an area of your life that is “unclean” and should not dwell in the presence of the Lord? How do you intend to take steps to remove that defilement from the camp and the tabernacle?

+ Is there someone you need to confess your sin to and then make restitution?

+ Is there a covenant relationship that may need attention?

[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?

+ What is my next step?

+ How are you communicating God’s vision to His people? Are you being true to His Word? Are you upholding God’s boundaries? Are you asking God to bring justice, mercy, truth, love, and grace into the lives of others through His Spirit?