NUMBERS LESSON 8
We will begin the lesson in Numbers 5:1 "And the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying,"
This is the beginning of another section.
Numbers 5:2 "Command the children of Israel, that they put out of
the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever
is defiled by the dead:"
In our book on Leviticus, we dealt with this fully. Chapter 13
and 14 of Leviticus gives the law of the leper. Chapter 15 deals with
those who have an issue. Being defiled by the dead is spoken of in
Leviticus chapter 11 verse 24 and chapter 21 verse 1. We should
realize from the start, that this policy was carried out to keep down
the spread of disease. Leviticus 13:46 "All the days wherein the
plague [shall be] in him he shall be defiled; he [is] unclean: he
shall dwell alone; without the camp [shall] his habitation [be]." In
our land, today, there is a plague called A.I.D.S. If we do not,
somehow isolate this disease, it could wipe out our population. We
noticed in those lessons in Leviticus, that "leprosy's" symbolic
meaning was sin. We must consider A.I.D.S. in this spiritual sense, as
well, and repent of the sins associated with it. Then, perhaps, God
will stay this plague.
Numbers 5:3 "Both male and female shall ye put out, without the
camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst
whereof I dwell."
There is no difference here, because a female can be just as
contagious as a male. The removal of anything that might pollute their
camp, had to be because, in those days, they did not have
disinfectants as we do today. The main reason they were to be
physically and spiritually clean in every way, was because the
presence of God was in the camp with them. You must study the book on
Leviticus to realize the wholesomeness that God requires of each of
us.
Numbers 5:4 "And the children of Israel did so, and put them out
without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of
Israel."
This shows their obedience to the will of God. We do know that
their condition must be examined by the priest, before they could re-
enter the camp. This, then, had a spiritual significance, as well as a
physical.
Numbers 5:5 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
Now, we see a sudden break in the message from the LORD to Moses.
Numbers 5:6 "Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or
woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against
the LORD, and that person be guilty;"
In the 5th and 6th chapter of Leviticus, we see this very thing
talked about. Jesus said it so well, when he spoke of putting God
first and neighbor second, even before self. If we love God, we will
keep His commandments. If we love our neighbor, we will not commit sin
against him either. Actually, when we sin against our neighbor, we are
sinning against God's law. Someone may accuse us of sin, but the sin
is when we are not just accused, but guilty.
Numbers 5:7 "Then they shall confess their sin which they have
done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof,
and add unto it the fifth [part] thereof, and give [it] unto [him]
against whom he hath trespassed."
This principal is paying the last cent you owe them from
trespassing against them, and giving them 20% interest for the trouble
you caused. Being truly sorry for the sin you have committed is more
believable, when you compensate the person you sinned against. True
repentance is a turn away from sin.
Numbers 5:8 "But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the
trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, [even]
to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement
shall be made for him."
This is speaking of a time when the person has died that you
sinned against, and you have no one left to pay. True repentance is
shown when you take the same value you took, and add 20% to it, and
take it to the church. You have removed the worth of the sin from
yourself, and cleared your conscience. In this Scripture, we see a man
who wants to do God's will at all cost to himself. Luke 19:8 "And
Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my
goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
by false accusation, I restore [him] fourfold." We see in the
Scripture above, that the man who repents and restores what he has
taken, will have an atonement provided for him. The ram was the
sacrifice of atonement. Jesus is our atonement.
Numbers 5:9 "And every offering of all the holy things of the
children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his."
The high priest was to live of the gifts brought to the
tabernacle. This shows that these payments belong to the priest.
Exodus 29:28 "And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for
ever from the children of Israel: for it [is] an heave offering: and
it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the
sacrifice of their peace offerings, [even] their heave offering unto
the LORD."
Numbers 5:10 "And every man's hallowed things shall be his:
whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his."
This is pretty much a statement like unto the earlier statement.
I Corinthians 9:13 "Do ye not know that they which minister about holy
things live [of the things] of the temple? and they which wait at the
altar are partakers with the altar?"
Numbers 5:11 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
This is a break in the last message, and is going to a new
subject. We are reminded that these are not Moses' thoughts. They are
the LORD's instruction.
Numbers 5:12 "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,"
This "trespass" is speaking of her ruining the good name of her
husband. The key word in this is "if". It would be embarrassing to the
man for his wife to be thought of as a woman of sin.
Numbers 5:13 "And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from
the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and
[there be] no witness against her, neither she be taken [with the
manner];"
"To lie carnally with her" is speaking of adultery. In this
particular verse, they were not caught in the act, nor was there a
witness to the sin.
Numbers 5:14 "And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be
jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy
come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:"
This jealousy is caused, because the husband is suspicious that
she has lain with another man. It is not proven, but he has become
jealous, because he believes she has committed adultery.
Numbers 5:15 "Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest,
and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah
of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense
thereon; for it [is] an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial,
bringing iniquity to remembrance."
The man should not work on suspicion. He should not take it upon
himself to decide whether she is guilty, or not. They bring her to the
priest, and he determines whether she is guilty, or not. The priest is
compensated for the time he spends on this, by the tenth part of an
ephah of barley he brings to the priest. This offering is not
accompanied with frankincense. This is a jealousy offering. God had
given them this formula of determining whether she had sinned or not.
Numbers 5:16 "And the priest shall bring her near, and set her
before the LORD:"
This is, probably, speaking of her being at the brazen altar. It
certainly does not mean that she was in the very presence of God in
the most holy place. This just means that the LORD will judge her.
Numbers 5:17 "And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen
vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the
priest shall take, and put [it] into the water:"
Holy water is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. I assume this
is speaking of water that had been dedicated for use in the
tabernacle. It could be water that was in the laver nearby. The fact
that it was in an earthen vessel shows the association of the possible
sin with worldliness. Again, the floor of the tabernacle is not
mentioned elsewhere. This is not like any other offering in the
tabernacle. This is to determine innocence, or guilt.
Numbers 5:18 "And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD,
and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her
hands, which [is] the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in
his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:"
Other Scriptures speak of the woman's hair as being her covering.
This I do not believe means shaving of her head as an adulteress, but,
possibly, means removing a veil, or hair covering. This shows, she has
embarrassed her husband. She holds the water and dust in her hands in
the earthen vessel. This bitter water is bitter in judgement.
Numbers 5:19 "And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say
unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not
gone aside to uncleanness [with another] instead of thy husband, be
thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:"
This oath speaks of her innocence, until proven guilty. Again
"if" is the key word.
Numbers 5:20 "But if thou hast gone aside [to another] instead of
thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee
beside thine husband:"
This is a terrible sin in God's sight. This involves the body
which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, if you are a Christian. This
would be doubly sinful for someone proclaiming Christianity, because
you would be trying to include the Holy Spirit in your sin.
Numbers 5:21 "Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath
of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make
thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy
thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;"
The curse that comes with this type of, sin, is a curse upon her
body. This seems as though the curse is just on the woman who
committed adultery, but it is not. The priest is dealing with the
jealous husband in this. The man involved in the adultery is not even
present here. In God's sight, adultery is a terrible sin for the man
and woman involved in the sin.
Numbers 5:22 "And this water that causeth the curse shall go into
thy bowels, to make [thy] belly to swell, and [thy] thigh to rot: And
the woman shall say, Amen, amen."
The woman has agreed when she said amen. "Amen" means so be it.
The priest speaks the curse on the woman, if she has sinned. The woman
has not been proven guilty, so the curse is not in effect, until she
is proven guilty.
Numbers 5:23 "And the priest shall write these curses in a book,
and he shall blot [them] out with the bitter water:"
The washing shows that this curse for this sin goes off into the
water. The writing of the sin being washed into the water, along with
the curses, would frighten a person who was guilty. The ink is now in
the water, with the dirt and water. This water is getting more bitter
all the time.
Numbers 5:24 "And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter
water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse
shall enter into her, [and become] bitter."
This is speaking of the curse going down into her innermost
being.
Numbers 5:25 "Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering
out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD,
and offer it upon the altar:"
This just means that a very small portion was offered on the
altar to burn. The rest of it, in the earthen vessel, is beside the
altar.
Numbers 5:26 "And the priest shall take an handful of the
offering, [even] the memorial thereof, and burn [it] upon the altar,
and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water."
The water the woman drinks will not hurt her, unless she is
guilty of the sin she has been charged with.
Numbers 5:27 "And when he hath made her to drink the water, then
it shall come to pass, [that], if she be defiled, and have done
trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse
shall enter into her, [and become] bitter, and her belly shall swell,
and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her
people."
The curse has no effect on her at all, if she is not guilty of
this sin. If she has sinned, she is cursed and terrible punishment
comes upon her body. This is a sin of the flesh, and it is the flesh
that pays the penalty for this sin. It is interesting, to me, that
many diseases that harm the body greatly are sexually transmitted
diseases. Sin then, is sin now. Adultery and sodomy are sin.
Numbers 5:28 "And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then
she shall be free, and shall conceive seed."
This is a terrible thing to go through, if you are innocent. God
blesses her with a child, if she has not committed this sin. This
shows the world her innocence.
Numbers 5:29 "This [is] the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth
aside [to another] instead of her husband, and is defiled;"
The guilt, or innocence, is verified by God in this ceremony.
Women must set a high standard of conduct. The husband and wife are
symbols of God and His church. II Corinthians 11:2 "For I am jealous
over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ." Jesus is the
Bridegroom, and all believers in Christ are His bride. The one thing
He will not allow from us, is unfaithfulness. This practice ceased
during the time of Jesus.
Numbers 5:30 "Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and
he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD,
and the priest shall execute upon her all this law."
This is just stating that jealousy should not go on by the
husband, but should be settled in the tabernacle, before the priest.
The LORD determines innocence, or guilt.
Numbers 5:31 "Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and
this woman shall bear her iniquity."
Jealousy, without a cause, is sin. The jealousy must be done away
with. The best thing to do is let God settle it. The woman should be
willing to pay for her own indiscretion. One way or the other, the
matter is settled.
Numbers 8 Questions
1. Who were to be put out of the camp?
2. Where, in the Bible, do we find the law of the leper?
3. Quote Leviticus chapter 13 verse 46.
4. What is the plague in our land today?
5. "Leprosy" symbolically means _______.
6. Is there any difference in the law between male and female?
7. What was their main reason for being physically and spiritually
clean in the camp?
8. What does verse 4 show?
9. What sin is verse 6 speaking of?
10. How did Jesus explain this very thing?
11. If we love our neighbor, we will not do what?
12. If we truly love God, we will keep His _________-.
13. What was required above the repaying of the amount you took?
14. When is it more believable, that you are truly sorry for sinning
against someone?
15. What do you do with the money, if the people you owe are dead?
16. Quote Luke chapter 19 verse 8.
17. Who will the money belong to that you bring to the temple?
18. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 13.
19. What is the "trespass" in verse 12?
20. "To lie with her carnally" is speaking of ____________.
21. What spirit came on the husband?
22. Who shall judge whether she is guilty, or not?
23. Where did they bring the woman?
24. What is the holy water, probably?
25. What is meant by putting it in an earthen vessel?
26. What does the uncovering of her head show?
27. What is the temple of the Holy Spirit?
28. What curse is spoken upon the woman, if she is guilty of adultery?
29. What happens, if she is not guilty?
30. Why is the guilty man not punished here?
31. "Amen" means what?
32. The washing of the book that was written on with the water shows
what?
33. What does the priest burn in offering?
34. This is sin of the ________.
35. The author finds it very interesting, that many diseases that harm
the body greatly are ____________ transmitted.
Home