What I Noticed Today (Numbers 5-6)
Numbers 5
Numbers 5 restates some of what we read in Leviticus.
In verses 1-4, because God lived inside the camp, He required the people to remain clean so anyone who had become defiled need to remain outside the camp until they were restored (Leviticus 13-14).
In verses 5-10, for those had sinned, as soon as they were made aware of their sin, they needed not only to confess their sin (Leviticus 6:1-7) but also to make restitution plus a 20% penalty. It was not enough to say you were sorry and move on; you must also make restitution for the offense. If the person was no longer alive, restitution was to be paid to the priests.
In verses 11-31, the test for unfaithfulness is an interesting one. If a man became suspicious of his wife having an affair, he could bring her before the priest who would, through the ceremony, determine whether or not she had been unfaithful. God takes marriage vows very seriously. Breaking the vow, even when in secret, is known to God, and He punished the guilty and exonerated the innocent.
- If a man becomes jealous of his wife believing that she has been unfaithful to him, he must bring to the priest with a grain offering.
- The priest will bring her forward standing before the Lord swear an oath that she has not been unfaithful. The priest will pronounce a curse on her if she has been unfaithful. He will write the curses on a piece of a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water.
- The priest will then make her drink the bitter water, and if she has been unfaithful, the water will cause bitter suffering. If she has not been unfaithful, the bitter water will not affect her.
Note: The woman would be brought to stand before the Lord because He is the judge who knows whether any unfaithfulness occurred, even in secret.
Numbers 6
Numbers 6 focuses on the Nazarite vow and God’s blessing upon the people.
Note: Nazarite comes from the Hebrew word nazir, which means “consecrated” or “separated.” So the Nazarite vow was a voluntary vow that a man or woman could take to dedicate themselves to God for a period of time or even a lifetime. (We’ll see an example when we read Samson’s story in Judges.)
In verses 1-21, the Lord spoke to Moses and gave him instructions regarding the Nazirite vow:
- During the period of the vow, the person was to follow the rules similar to a priest to remain clean: they were to avoid wine, grapes, and wine vinegar.
- They were not cut their hair.
- They were not to come in contact with a dead person.
- If someone died near them, they must shave their heads and make sin and burnt offerings to make atonement for his sin. He must rededicate his vow by bringing a lamb as a restitution offering.
- If any conditions of the vow were violated, then the term of their vow started all over.
- When the vow was completed, a burnt offering (for consecration), a sin offering (for purification), and a fellowship offering (for celebration) were made for them by the priest.
- The Nazarite was to shave his head at the entrance to the tent of meeting and take the hair and put it on the fire under the fellowship offering.
- The priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake, and one unleavened wafer and present them as a wave offering before the Lord.
- After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
In verses 22-27, the chapter concludes with the Lord’s blessing to the people through Aaron and his sons. God promises to bless the people who are faithful to Him, keep them, look upon them with favor, be gracious to them, and give them peace!
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- We are able to receive God’s promised blessing directly because Jesus is our high priest who sits at the right hand of the Father!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
