Law – Numbers 5-8

The records in the Old Testament are indeed quite detail in many aspects. From what the people of God had done and the consequences that God had caused them to experience, to the prophecies of the things to come, all of these contain precious spiritual teachings that are vital for our spiritual lives today.

This is one of the reasons why we call the Holy Bible, the Living Word of God. No matter what era or generation we may be, these ancient records still apply to our daily walk with God.

So let’s continue with our journey with Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness to see what God had instructed and to find the teachings we can gather as we tread on the path towards the Promised Land.

Bible Passage: Numbers 5 to 8

Remove, Restitution, Truthfulness

God commanded Moses to remove those among the people who were ceremonially unclean. God wanted the camp of the Israelites to be free of defilement from these unclean people.

Look into our hearts, which is the dwelling place of the Spirit of God, to see if there is any uncleanness that may defile our whole being, and the community of God’s children, the church. Paul exhorts,

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1Cor. 5:8

This verse also exhorts us on the importance of restitution, not in the form of material things, but in the form of being responsible for our actions towards God and our fellow brethren. God can see our hearts, whether or not we serve and worship Him with sincerity, but what about towards our fellow brethren, can they see our sincerity? If we have wronged any of them, are we sincere enough to admit our fault and to put in our utmost effort to restitute for our actions?

Numbers 5: 11 to 31 record of the instruction regarding unfaithful wives. The fact in this process of making the woman in question to drink of the water that would determine her fate, is that God already knows whether or not this woman has been faithful or not. Now it is the woman’s conscience that is going to work when the water is being brought to her face. If this woman has been faithful and truthful to her husband, there would not be any fear in her, as her conscience would be clear and not condemning herself.

Now let us put ourselves in the shoes of this woman in question. When the water is being brought to our faces, what would be going through our minds? Will it be clear, or will it be trembling in fear? We are rightfully the bride of Christ, so let us ask ourselves, are we truthful to our groom? Are we doing things that can incur the jealousy of our God?

Consecrated Unto The Lord

There are 3 specific requirements in a Nazarite vow, and they are, 1. Complete and total abstinence from all produce of the vine, 2. Complete abdication from any trimming of the hair, and 3. To avoid all contact with a dead body.

Wine made from grapes is intoxicated drink and so it is understandable that it is prohibited as wine is often associated with sin and enjoyment of the flesh (ref. Isaiah 28:7). But why is it that even grapes and grapefruits are prohibited? Some Bible commentaries suggest that it may be that the forbidding of all products of the grapevine is a way of saying that he or she was not to have even a remote association with wine. This I can agree, for temptations that can affect our pursuit of holiness can come in many subtle ways. So we have to be weary of the slightest hint of lure that can slowly blind us from seeing the danger that can eventually cause us to let down our guard, and we depart from the grace of God.

Direct Guidance from God

Chapter 7 has a long list of names of the leaders with the items they brought to offer to God at the dedication of the altar. After the offerings were made, Moses went into the tabernacle and God spoke to him again. God’s desire to guide His people personally is seen here. God could have sent an angel to do the conveying of the laws and instructions, but He chose to come close to Moses and spoke face to face with him.

God came personally as Jesus to preach the Good News, and He died for the sins of the world; and now He dwells intimately in the hearts of His children as the Holy Spirit. God’s loving nature is truly the same yesterday, today and forever! Therefore we must also desire to draw near to God, for He desires to draw near to us, to guide us personally.

Be The Light of The World

The lamps in the tabernacle were to face towards the front of the tabernacle, so that people could see the light. Aaron was to light the lamps when the tabernacle was ready, but subsequently the Levites had to tend the lamps to keep them lighted, but before the Levites could start their works in the tabernacle, they were to be first cleansed and consecrated according to the command of God.

What significance can we see from the instruction of the arrangement of the lamps and the cleansing of the Levites?

The Levites, who were consecrated to the Lord, were the living lamps that shine forth the light to the people. As what I had mention in my previous post, the tribe of Levi proved to be the most faithful in the Lord among the other tribes of Israel. God wanted the Levites to be the examples to the people of Israel.

Personally, the arrangement of the lamps and the cleansing of the Levites give me the warning regarding my life as a Christian. As a Christian, I know I have to shine forth the light of Christ, which is the Word of God, but am I worthy? Do I have a clean heart to shine the pure light of Christ?

I may be actively preaching the word of God, or behaving well like a Christian should, but is my heart sincere and pure in the eyes of God? For that I have to search into my heart with the help of the Holy Spirit.

I hope all of us can serve the Lord with a cleansed and consecrated heart unto the Lord, so that our service can be pleasing and acceptable to God.