August 22, 2013
BY HIS BLOOD
Numbers 31:1-24
Amanda Renee Smith
Central Truth
We must be pure before entering into God's holy, righteous, and perfect presence.
Key Verse | Numbers 31:23–24
"[E]verything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water. And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may enter the camp." (Numbers 31:23-24)
Numbers 31:1-24
Vengeance on Midian
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” 3 So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD's vengeance on Midian. 4 You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” 5 So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7 They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9 And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10 All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, 11 and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. 12 Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 14 And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? 16 Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18 But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. 19 Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. 20 You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats' hair, and every article of wood.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded Moses: 22 only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”
Dive Deeper | Numbers 31:1-24
Yes! We must be pure before we can enter into God's holy, righteous, and perfect presence. In Numbers 31, God commanded His people to take vengeance against the Midianites. Even though the battle was His command, we see that His people were still required to purify themselves and their spoils before entering back into camp. This demonstrates the barrier uncleanliness places between God and us. It also shows just how high His standards of righteousness are. He spoke through Moses to His people, giving them laws and instructions to follow so they would be able to come into His presence completely pure.
This still holds true today. God desires to be in relationship with us, and it still requires cleansing, purification, and righteousness. We know from reading over His laws and commands that His standards are set very high, and we realize we cannot accomplish them by or with our own efforts. This immediately points us directly to the One who can! God has provided us a way to enter into His holy presence through the sacrifice of His pure and perfect Son, Jesus Christ, who came not to abolish but to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). In accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, we have been released from our sins by His blood (Revelation 1:5). Therefore, we no longer need to bathe in special water mixtures for God to see us as purified. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit." (1 Peter 3:18).
I am so thankful that I do not have to undergo any specific bathing rituals to be considered pure before God! "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). What an amazing gift!
Discussion Questions
1. Have you taken a moment today to approach God with "boldness and confidence" (Ephesians 3:12) to thank Him for the blood of Jesus? If not, go ahead and have at it! He's excited and can't wait to spend time with you!
2. Just as God used Moses to speak to His people in the Old Testament, He speaks to His church through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit today. What are some ways the Holy Spirit is leading you to live like Christ?
3. What in your schedule might be keeping you from consistent, purposeful time to wash yourself in God's Word daily?