July 8, 2013
KEEPING SHORT ACCOUNTS
Numbers 5
Erica Ashley
Central Truth
God reminded His people in this passage of His holiness and their need for holiness as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land. With this comes a call to confess and reconcile.
Key Verse | Numbers 5:6–7
"Speak to the sons of Israel, 'When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the Lord, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of it, and give it to him whom he has wronged.'" (Numbers 5:6-7)
Numbers 5
Unclean People
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous 1 5:2 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 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. 2 5:7 Hebrew they shall confess their sin that they have 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 3 5:15 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters 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.”
Dive Deeper | Numbers 5
Relationships are hard. Everyone who is reading this today has experienced the effects of sin in their relationships. I've spent a majority of my life not understanding the importance of seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with people I have hurt or who have hurt me. This year, I participated in re:generation, Watermark's Christ-centered recovery ministry. Instead of blaming or pointing fingers at people who I feel have hurt me, I learned to examine my own heart and ask God to show me where I am responsible for the brokenness in my relationships. I very quickly realized my need for forgiveness.
In this passage, God is instructing Moses on how to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. In verse 6, God says that when men or women commit sins against another person, they not only sin against that person, but they break faith with the Lord. Wrongs committed against God's people are also wrongs committed against God. Oftentimes, we don't think about how our relationships with others impact our relationship with God.
In the New Testament, God speaks to our relationships with others again. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:23-24: "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering." To maintain a deep, growing, and intimate relationship with God, we all must learn to own our part and seek forgiveness from the people God has placed in our lives.
Now more than ever, I am convinced of the importance of keeping short accounts. The most loving and godly thing we can do when conflict arises is not to avoid it, but instead to lean into it. We do this by confessing our part, owning it, and asking for forgiveness. Oh, how much our world could change if we all prioritized and implemented this simple principle in our lives, especially within our families!
Discussion Questions
1. Why is God so adamant about His people paying attention to their relationships with others?
2. What is confession? Why is it important?
3. What is forgiveness? Why is it important?
4. Where in your life can you begin to implement this principle of keeping short accounts?