With Us in the Wilderness: A Study of the Book of NumbersSample

Cleansing the Camp

Pause. Breathe. Pray.

Read Numbers 5.

Today’s text isn’t likely to be the most popular for devotional reading, but my prayer is that you would see God’s consistent character and be comforted that He never changes. He is consistently holy and compassionate, just and merciful. When everything else seems to change, He alone remains.

Unclean

God was preparing His people to march into the promised land. The only real shot they had was to enter with the Lord in their midst. Without Him, it couldn’t happen. Because God is holy, in order for Him to remain in their midst, they had to be consecrated.

Restitution

Numbers 5:5-10 addresses moral “uncleanness,” focusing on a man or woman who had sinned against another (most likely they had stolen or damaged someone else’s property).3 Notice, though, that the Lord referred to their sin as “breaking faith with the Lord” (v. 5). Our sin against one another is ultimately sin against God.

The Ordeal of Jealousy

Read Numbers 5:11-31 again.

Now we come to another strange text.

This ceremony was a sad occasion. At best, it showed that a spirit of jealousy had come over a man; he didn’t trust his wife. Trustlost is a painful thing. At worst, it proved the breaking of the covenant between a man and a woman and caused suffering for both. The usual grain offering included oil and frankincense which symbolized joy and the Spirit of God. Both of these were missing from this particular offering. Unbinding the woman’s hair was considered shameful.4

There she was, naked, in a sense, before the Lord. The holy water mixed with dust from the floor of the tabernacle would have been disastrous to drink if she were guilty. Because of her uncleanness, she could have died taking in the holy water. And if she didn’t die, she would become barren. Her sin would be manifest, and her life would be forever changed.

Marriage was (and still is) a picture of God’s love for His people. To break faith in marriage is to break faith with God. Time and again, Old Testament prophets used the language of marriage to describe Israel’s rebellion and idolatry. They were adulterers and harlots who chose another lover over their husband. The uncleanness of adultery could not be tolerated within the camp.

For believers today, we see that God is still serious about marriage and preserving its purity. Jesus took it a step further in Matthew 5 by saying that even lusting in one’s heart is the same as committing adultery (v. 28). But He also makes a way for the adulterer who is repentant.

Read 1 John 1:9.

Is there something for you to confess? Something hidden? Sin against a brother or sister? Unforgiveness? Unfaithfulness? Use this time to confess and receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing. If appropriate, find someone you trust to share this with who can help you walk in the light.