Year 1, Day 120: Numbers 5

Separating Clean From the Unclean

Today we get a great lesson right off the bat.  No, I’m not going to plunge into a scene of casting out of people who aren’t like us.  I’m not going to advocate some community development that mimics a Monty Python-ish scene with monk roaming about saying “Bring out yer dead!”

But, I am going to take a glance at the fact that we see a clear point here to separate the unclean from within the camp.  If you will, think of the camp as the people who dwell with God and the outside of the camp as people who dwell outside of the presence of God.  Not literally, of course, but figuratively.  God does not literally abandon us based upon our cleanliness, as He clearly portrayed through Jesus Christ. 

This separation of the peoples is a symbol to all who follow God that it is important to take notice of our spirituality – Cleanliness, if you will – when we are in the presence of God.  Of course, anyone who claims to have the Holy Spirit within them is always in the presence of God.  I think you see where I am going with this.  If we always are in the presence of God, then we need to take this idea of spiritual cleanliness pretty seriously.  We cannot be perfect, but we should at least be concerned with being as clean as possible before our God.

The “Adulterous Wife” Test

The next bit – confession and then the case scenario of the adulterous wife – should not be seen in the light of some sort of magical test.  This is not some sort of “hocus pocus” where the magical words are said and fate will resolve and bring about truth.  Rather, this is a legitimate ceremony of public faithfulness.  Sure, it can be taken as some sort of ritualistic magic – and probably was taken that way in ancient times quite often!  But that is not what is really going on here.

What happens is that a man and woman come before the Lord.  The make an honest presentation before the Lord.  They give the Lord an offering.  They make their claims.  Then they place their trust in the Lord to judge them.

When stated in that way is this any more different than what we do every day – or at the very least every time we come in worship?  We come before the Lord: sometimes wrongly accused by others, sometimes in honest confession of our sin, occasionally in stubborn rebellion while hiding our sin, and sometimes in blessed ignorance that we have even sinned against God.  We ask God to judge us, forgive us, help us to change, etc.  Sometimes we are like the innocent woman falsely accused.  Sometimes we are like a repentant wife caught but honestly desiring change.  Sometimes we are the stubborn wife still desiring to hide the sin.  But our faith in God is not hocus pocus.  We honestly ask and know that God will stand before us in judgment.

“Communal Sin”

Another thing that this passage can bring out is that sin is communal.  We may not think about it that way, but it really is communal.  Let’s take a simple act like adultery, since it is the example given in Numbers 5.  Adultery may at first glance only involve the two people in an adulterous relationship.  But, since it is sex outside of marriage, it also involves their spouses.  If they are not married it technically involves their future spouses since this act will almost assuredly become a mental and emotional idol in their coming marriage.  So even for unmarried people sex outside of marriage is communally dangerous.  At the very least an adulterous relationship involves four people. 

But who can have an adulterous relationship without talking about it with their closest friends?  Now the friends are forced to keep a secret – and at the very least are introduced into the seductive emotional lie saying that one can be involved in something so wrong and get away with it.  And of course, if someone we know does something, that only opens the door for temptation for us to do likewise!  How many friends of the two involved in the adultery will be affected by the temptation to sin while also being put into a position of having to keep the lie from the adulterous person’s spouse?

And what of the wronged spouses?  When it is discovered – and most are – those spouses will be scarred.  They will have anger to deal with.  And who can deal with anger alone?  So those spouses will speak to friends who will then share in the anger against the adulterous pair.  How many people will have to deal with anger and disappointment towards the adulterous pair?

And what of the families?  The families of the victim spouses will have to deal with their feelings towards the adulterous pair and figure out how to still “do” community.  The families of the adulterous pair will share in their shame.  How many of the families will have their lives affected?

I think there is a reason that adultery is lifted up in this chapter as the “test case” for people who are wronged.  The reason is because we typically think of adultery as a “hidden” sin.  It is so easily disclosed and done in secret.  Many believe that something only involving two people can be easily hidden and kept from affecting others.  But it is just a lie.  Look how many people are affected here in this most hidden of all sins.  Sin is absolutely communal! 

Now imagine how many people are affected by openly public sinfulness!

No, this is why we publically turn to God and confess our sins before Him.  This is why we anticipate His judgment.  Sin is sticky business and always involves more people than we think that it will.  Flee from sin, turn to God.  Live righteous in our community according to God’s ways.

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