(Note: We are starting today’s Bible reading in Numbers 5-6 because the first ten chapters of Numbers are not chronologically ordered. This passage seems to be a second appendix to the book of Leviticus. It gives further guidance to standards of behavior addressed there, so we study it first (see the chronology of the Numbers’ book, more…).

God’s Expectation–Holiness

God’s standard for the entire congregation of his people is holiness. He says, “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 20:7, NIV). God’s people of every age in history need to be holy because he is holy—we cannot approach the LORD without it.

Holiness in its moral and physical sense means absolute purity and cleanliness. The term carries the idea of separation. God’s people are to be separated in holiness to the LORD, away from ungodliness, idol worship, false teaching, and anything else profane, impure, and unclean. Things separated to the LORD are not for regular use but are dedicated to the LORD. They cannot be redeemed without penalties and sometimes not at all. In Bible terminology, people, things, or acceptable animals devoted to the LORD are consecrated or separated for his use.

Because being absolutely pure and clean is impossible for the Israelites, substitutionary animal sacrifices are offered to atone (make amends) for their sins. Absolute purity is impossible for us, too, so later in history, Jesus Christ offered a perfect once for all sacrifice for our sins. Faith in his sacrifice in payment for our sins makes us holy (Hebrews 10:10,14).

Infectious diseases, contact with dead bodies, and bodily discharges also make people unclean. What were the Israelites to do if they touched someone unclean and became unclean themselves? Because God requires purity and cleanliness, they were separated from the camp (Numbers 5:2-3). This protected the large body of Israel. If later, they were determined to be clean and free of disease, they were readmitted into the congregation.

Another regulation for holiness needed more clarification, that of the guilt offerings. The guilty person’s requirements are to

• confess the wrong to the injured
• offer an acceptable sacrifice for his own sins
• make full and complete restitution
• add twenty percent as a penalty.

What are the Israelites to do with guilt offerings, however, when there is no one to whom they can confess and make restitution? Some of us face this same problem—we feel guilty about some sin we committed in the past, but the person we wronged is dead. How do we make it right?

God gives this answer to the Israelites:

• Give restitution to a close relative.
• If there is no close relative, the restitution belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest, along with a ram to sacrifice and make amends for their sins (Numbers 5:8-10).

Although this was a ceremonial law for the Israelites, there might be a principle we can apply to make restitution for our wrongs. If there are no close relatives to whom we might make things right, perhaps a gift might be offered to the LORD through a church or church ministry.

God’s Expectations Regarding Marriage

Another way to maintain God’s holy standard of conduct is through faithfulness in marriage. Earlier, God gave Moses and the Israelites these commands on Mt. Sinai: “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) and “thou shalt not covet” (with its various applications, Exodus 20:17). “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10, NIV).

But what happens if a husband is feeling jealous because he suspects his wife of committing adultery but has no proof of it? The ceremony described in Numbers 5:11-31 is meant to deal with this situation and ferret out guilt if there is any. This, of course, would be very humiliating and devastating for the wife but certainly a strong deterrent to flirtations. God provides a way for the Israelite priests to determine her guilt or innocence in the matter. If she is guilty, she suffers terribly, and if not, her reputation is cleared. Her innocence in the case would shame her jealous husband.

Although the Bible says her husband won’t be guilty for making her go through this, he will look like a foolish and overly suspicious man. Obviously, this is not a ceremony for either party to take lightly, and most people would loathe doing it.

A reasonable question after reading Numbers 5 would be, “Where is the test for the man to prove his faithfulness?” We don’t know. Perhaps the issue of a man’s unfaithfulness didn’t come up at that time and was not recorded in the Bible. We only know that this issue of jealousy surfaced and needed clarification.

Most of us are not Israelites and have no test like this for women or men today. However, there is a principle we might learn from this strange ceremony—husbands and wives need to be pure in their behavior toward others of the opposite sex.

Do we give our spouse cause to worry by spending too much private time on the Internet, mobile devices, or in meetings with the opposite sex? Do we speak well of that person but criticize our mate? God wants to bless us, but we must be holy in all we do (1Peter 1:15-16).

God’s Expectations Regarding Vows

Another issue that needs further clarification is in the making of vows. If individuals want to dedicate themselves totally to God, how do they do it? Today’s Bible reading gives regulations for those who wish to take the Nazirite vow, a commitment of total separation to the LORD for a specified time. Here are the rules (Numbers 6:3-6)

• Abstain from all fermented drinks or anything related to grapes
• No haircuts
• He must not go near a dead body

If the Nazarites break these vows during their dedication, they have to start over again. At the end of their commitment, they appear before the priest. He shaves their heads. Then the hair is offered on the burnt altar as part of a fellowship offering, along with burnt and sin offerings.

We may not be Nazirites, but as Christians,

… because of God’s mercy, [we are] “to offer [our] bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is [our] spiritual act of worship.” We are not to “conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind…” (Romans 12:1-2, NIV).

Why should we meet God’s expectations?

We want to do this so God’s blessing will be upon us. The LORD says to Moses,

Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

‘The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27, NIV)

Do we want the blessing of the LORD? Of course, we do. Then, we must maintain God’s holy standards of conduct.

Discussion

What are God’s expectations for Christians, and how can they live up to them?

Why should we try to live up to God’s holy standards?

(Brown, Driver and Briggs 1979, p.872b)

Focus Verse

Leviticus 20:8 (NIV) “Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” God sent his Son as a perfect sacrifice in our place. He forgives our sins, gives us peace and makes us holy (more…)