Num 5:1-4 | KingComments | STEP | Everything in the camp is organized and arranged. What now must happen is cleansing the camp of evil, that God, in Whom only their power is, may be with them. It is God’s wisdom, the wisdom that is from above and which is first and foremost pure ( ), to give His precepts for this. Defilement is to His dishonor and takes away the strength from the people for the journey. Eliphaz knows this, although he applies his statement in Job 22 to Job iniquitously ( ). The importance of this chapter is that it shows that the presence of the LORD among His people can never be connected with evil. In Leviticus it is about the priests, they must be clean to be able to perform their service in the sanctuary in the presence of God. Here, in Numbers, it is about the people as the camp where the LORD dwells. Anything connected with sin must be removed: 1. Sometimes the person therefore had to be sent away ( ). 2. Sometimes the evil is removed because there is confession and compensation ( ). 3. Sometimes there is only suspicion and first the guilt or innocence must be determined, after which it must be acted upon according to the precept of the LORD ( ). The command to send away anyone who is unclean applies to the whole of Israel. The whole people are responsible to act with what does not suit God’s presence in their midst. For us, the different forms of defilement are not literal, but spiritual. It is about being influenced by the world, the flesh, sin, things with which God cannot have fellowship. He has judged these things in the Lord Jesus on the cross. That is why we must also judge them. Three forms of evil are mentioned: 1. leprosy: this is a picture of sin that breaks out and is not judged; 2. a discharge: this is a picture of sin that comes from someone and flows to other people who are also defiled by it; 3. touching a dead person: here sin does not originate from anyone, but is the picture that someone is defiled by touching something that is not in connection with the living God. The Israelites deal with these cases as the LORD has spoken and as it has been made known to them by Moses. Likewise, we must act on what God has made known to us in His Word about uncleanness. The reason for all discipline is that God dwells in the midst of the church. Therefore, all evil must be removed. This can happen in self-judgment, that is, when we have sinned, we confess it before the Lord and judge the evil within ourselves ( ). If there is no self-judgment, the church has to judge the evil. Then the church must remove the person from among her midst who refuses to judge evil in his life and remove it from his life: “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves” ( ).

‏ Numbers 5:1-4

Introduction

Everything in the camp is organized and arranged. What now must happen is cleansing the camp of evil, that God, in Whom only their power is, may be with them. It is God’s wisdom, the wisdom that is from above and which is first and foremost pure (Jam 3:17), to give His precepts for this. Defilement is to His dishonor and takes away the strength from the people for the journey. Eliphaz knows this, although he applies his statement in Job 22 to Job iniquitously (Job 22:23).

The importance of this chapter is that it shows that the presence of the LORD among His people can never be connected with evil. In Leviticus it is about the priests, they must be clean to be able to perform their service in the sanctuary in the presence of God. Here, in Numbers, it is about the people as the camp where the LORD dwells.

Anything connected with sin must be removed:

1. Sometimes the person therefore had to be sent away (Num 5:1-4).

2. Sometimes the evil is removed because there is confession and compensation (Num 5:5-10).

3. Sometimes there is only suspicion and first the guilt or innocence must be determined, after which it must be acted upon according to the precept of the LORD (Num 5:11-31).

The Unclean Must Be Sent Away from the Camp

The command to send away anyone who is unclean applies to the whole of Israel. The whole people are responsible to act with what does not suit God’s presence in their midst. For us, the different forms of defilement are not literal, but spiritual. It is about being influenced by the world, the flesh, sin, things with which God cannot have fellowship. He has judged these things in the Lord Jesus on the cross. That is why we must also judge them.

Three forms of evil are mentioned:

1. leprosy: this is a picture of sin that breaks out and is not judged;

2. a discharge: this is a picture of sin that comes from someone and flows to other people who are also defiled by it;

3. touching a dead person: here sin does not originate from anyone, but is the picture that someone is defiled by touching something that is not in connection with the living God.

The Israelites deal with these cases as the LORD has spoken and as it has been made known to them by Moses. Likewise, we must act on what God has made known to us in His Word about uncleanness.

The reason for all discipline is that God dwells in the midst of the church. Therefore, all evil must be removed. This can happen in self-judgment, that is, when we have sinned, we confess it before the Lord and judge the evil within ourselves (1Cor 11:28-29). If there is no self-judgment, the church has to judge the evil. Then the church must remove the person from among her midst who refuses to judge evil in his life and remove it from his life: “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves” (1Cor 5:13b).