Verse for the Day, 20 April 2015.

Numbers 5:1-4  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  (2)  "Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.  (3)  You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell."  (4)  And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the LORD said to Moses, so the people of Israel did.

This chapter in Numbers is very similar to that of chapters in Exodus and Leviticus. God is giving commands and instructions as to how those who are unclean are to be dealt with, how restitution for sin is to be made and how accusations of adultery are to be discerned. We can easily see why these commands and directions are important. With such a large group of people living in very close proximity with each other, and with the poor conditions of sanitation disease could spread very quickly. Thus those who had contagious diseases had to be separated, for the good and well-being of the nation as a whole.

Amongst such a large group of people, sinning against each other was inevitable, there would be deceit, dishonesty, falsehood, greed, theft, lust and many other sinful actions. To prevent people taking justice into their own hands, God set in place a means to deal with sin and how it should be rectified. There would also be times when severe sin, sin such as adultery, may take place unnoticed by human eyes. This would lead to suspicions and then to accusations of adultery, yet without any evidence. Furthermore such is the heart of man that jealousy can so seize our hearts and lead us to make false accusations against another person.

The reality of all these things taking place is inevitable, and God in His grace gives them a means, a way of dealing with each of these three issues. Each of them requires truthfulness and obedience, but when there is falsehood and disobedience to these commands, the results are greatly detrimental to the entire nation.

But all these dangers, and potential consequences are not the sole or primary reason for which the people of Israel should live in obedience and faithfulness to the commands of God. Take special note of the end of verse 3, “that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” The reason as to why the people of Israel should seek to live in purity, obedience and truth is because God is in their midst, they live in the presence of God. Every time they opened their tent in the morning and saw the tabernacle, it reminded them that God is amongst them, He is present then and there with them. If they are living in the presence of God, before the sight of God, then they need to live as God lives, in perfect holiness. The people of Israel needed to be imitators of God, just as Leviticus taught us that we need to be holy as God is holy.

They should care for their nation, for each other’s property and should remain faithful to their spouse because God is holy and is among them. The knowledge of this and because they should love the holiness, truth and faithfulness of God, means that they should live accordingly. Knowing that as they practice holiness, truth and faithfulness to God, they will find the pathway to blessing.

As Christians we can often view chapters such as this one in a very negative light, it is yet another list of do’s and don’ts. But it is not negative, it is for the greater glory of God and is for our eternal good and blessing. We may not have a tabernacle, but we have something greater, for we have the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. Therefore we don’t just live in the presence of a holy, faithful, pure and true God, we also have the very presence of this same God living in us. What a privilege to have God’s Spirit in us! What a privilege to live in the sight of a God such as ours! What greater joy can there be than the joy that comes from living in holiness before a holy God?

Let us not think of obedience to God as a burdensome and negative duty, rather let us understand that we are living in the presence of a holy God, and the presence of the holy God is within us. Let us focus upon the fact that we have the pleasure, privilege and joy of living for the delight of God, for He will delight in us as we walk in greater holiness. And the greater the delight and joy of God, so the greater our delight and joy in Him will become.

We live our lives before the presence, sight and knowledge of a holy God, therefore let us imitate Him as we seek to show His glory and goodness to the world. Let us live in holiness before God, so that the world might see the great and unique joy and delight that comes to those who love God and live holy lives.

Almighty God You are the Holy One, true and pure in all that which You are and do. Thank You that through the Lord Jesus Christ, You have made us who once were filled with sin and impurity, now clean, pure and holy in Your sight. Forgive us for thinking of living in holiness as a burdensome and joyless task. Help us to understand the great joy that comes to us by living in holiness, and the great glory that is given to Your name. May we remember each day, that we are living in Your presence, in Your full view, and may that lead us to deeper, greater and more sincere holiness. Amen.