Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

And the Lord spoke to Moses. You see that phrase again and again during this Law-giving time at the base of Sinai (yes, they haven’t gone anywhere yet). These are NOT laws made by humanity. They were NOT practices that the Hebrews collected from cultures around them. They did NOT copy Egypt OR look to Canaan or other Arab nations and religions for inspiration. The Law as given at Sinai was directly from God Almighty, the Great I AM. They were HIS statutes, HIS Laws, HIS commandments, and were given from HIS objective point of view. To look at them as human rules and regulations, and then to seek to explain them that way is not correct bible interpretation. A human male (Moses) wrote down ALL of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But it was inspired and (when there were things that happened outside of Moses’ own experience) dictated by Holy Spirit. If you do not see each and EVERY thing as the EXPLICIT words of Yahweh Himself, then you will not see them as the mindset of holiness of Yahweh. You’ll start to explain them away or assign them status as ‘mysteries’ like other religions. This is NOT the truth. Did other cultures and religions (some older than the Hebrews) have similar ideas? Yes. Where do you think those demonic spirits got them? From Yahweh. ALL demonic and human religious practices are perversions of Yahweh’s Truth. They’re riding His coattails and thinking they’re getting away with it. They are NOT (Psalm 2).

We start Chapter Five with leprosy. Biblical leprosy was a spiritual malady where a white skin disease came upon a person to reveal their speaking with an evil tongue (negativity, slander, judging others, gossiping, causing division, etc). When it appeared, they were inspected by a priest and put outside the camp where they couldn’t infect others – this was no abandonment or being left to themselves, it was only a separation of the unclean from the clean. Unclean is DIFFERENT from sin. All sin is unclean, but not all uncleanliness is sin. Uncleanness is everything that isn’t holy. Which means it can LEAD to sin (James 1:14-16). Uncleanness should always be avoided when we are made aware that it is there.

After a week, they were re-examined to see if they had had a change of heart – evidenced by the skin disease disappearing. If they lived in harmony with the principles and Laws of God, right from the heart and not just going through the motions, they had healthy lives. Once they were clean of the disease they could offer sacrifice and re-enter fellowship in the camp.

Those with other physical ailments or who had come into contact with the dead were also put outside the camp. This was to protect the rest of the population from being defiled in the camp where the Lord dwelt – buffer again. This wasn’t permanent banishment, but only for seven day chunks of time. God is about restoration of relationship, even as He seeks to protect others. They were set apart as an example. Sin in the mind comes out of the mouth and created their issues. Cause and effect.

Next, God pointed out to Moses that if anyone – male or female – commits sin against another person, they are breaking trust with God Himself. Trusting God means we’re sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see (Hebrews 11:1). What we don’t SEE is that when we hurt someone, we hurt God who is in them (Acts 9:4-8). If I take something from you, or speak against you (which is taking away your character), I’ve forgotten the essence of God which unites us into ONE Body in Jesus (James 5:16; Numbers 5:16-17). This is what God was teaching the Israelites. We have byproducts that show up in our lives because of what we do to others. This isn’t judgment of God or karma. It is a simple principle of spiritual cause and effect. To be truly healed, we need to come to grips with our treatment of others, repent, reconcile, and make restitution where needed (adding twenty percent to whatever was taken). You had to repent and give reparations. If the victim wasn’t alive, it was to be given to their kin. If they had no living kin, it was to be given to the priests for the upkeep of the tabernacle. Why? Unity. To foster unity and functionality. This is the same in the New Covenant. We’re to seek unity (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:28; 1 Peter 3:8; Romans 12:16).

Next God gives instructions on how to deal with a spirit of jealousy. A poisonous spirit of jealousy and accusation of adultery can consume a marriage. This is about a man who thinks his wife has committed adultery, but she wasn’t caught in the act so there isn’t a witness. Maybe she did and is therefore unclean. Maybe she didn’t and is still clean. Either way, the man can’t let it go, so this procedure dealt with that. Note two things. First, nothing happens to her if she’s innocent. There is ONLY punishment if she is secretly sinning and lying about it. Second, this isn’t a double-standard. Men were killed if they were guilty of adultery along with who they slept with (Leviticus 20:10). If he lied and tried to keep his adultery hidden, that would be slandering his wife’s character and I would imagine sooner or later leprosy would afflict him, bringing that secret sin into the light. Adultery was a capital crime. No mercy. But without PROOF, the wife is NOT killed. This is not about shame or honour and she could not be killed or put aside like in other cultures of the ancient world. The Israelites were to be different. This whole procedure is about dealing with jealousy.

The wife was brought to the priest with an offering meant to bring guilt to mind. She was taken before the Lord. She would be charged by an oath to speak the truth about her innocence. If she’s innocent, nothing happens to her and she is FREE of the water of bitterness – water mixed with the dust of the tabernacle. If she agreed to undergo the ritual, the priest wrote the oath out, washed the ink off in the bitter water, and she was to drink it. If she’s innocent, nothing happens. If she’s lying and guilty, she is cursed. Her privates rot (if she was pregnant from the adultery, she would lost the baby) and be barren for life. At ANY time before drinking the water she could confess. This is NOT forced on her. Also, again, NOTHING happened to her if she was innocent – except she’s promised fertility. Either way, her husband had to shut up because her innocence (or guilt) was proved by God before the couple and the priest.

A Nazirite (or Nazir) vow was a special vow to set yourself or your child apart for service to the Lord for a time. Both males and females could take the vow. As an evidence of the vow, you abstained from all fruit of the vine. No grape products for you (no grapes, raisins, wine, vinegar, etc) from the seed to the skin they were forbidden to you. Also, you did not cut your hair or shave your head. You had to remain clean, which meant you could not get near a dead body even if it was a close relative. Being near to death is sin. Sin is caused by violating the Word. Death is the result that comes about by transgressing the Word. EVERYTHING about our lives is to be about LIFE – what goes into our mouths, what we think about, and what we are around. Everything. If someone near them suddenly died and fell over dead it caused them to be in violation. They had to shave their heads, bring offerings, and re-set the days of the vow.

In later years, the minimum time for the vow was thirty days (nothing about limits is set down in the Law) and there was no upper limit. It could be for life or not. Samson and Samuel were both nazarites. It is BELIEVED (but the Word records it nowhere) that Elijah and John the Baptist were nazarites based on the austerity of their lifestyles. Paul did temporarily take a nazirite vow on at least one occasion (Acts 18:18).

When the vow was fulfilled, then offerings were brought to the temple (sin, burnt, peace, and grain offerings). The hair would be shaved at the door to the tent of meeting and the hair would be burnt with the peace offering. It was after all of this that the person was released and could drink/consume the first of the vine.

In all these things, God is showing the principle of being holy as He is holy leading up to the receiving of His name. Holiness and cleanliness. Unity of the people and restoration of fellowship. Holy vows of service out of love to Yahweh. All leading up to the Blessing.

“And they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:27)

Aaron was given a special blessing for the children of God (Numbers 6:22-27). The purpose was to show Yahweh’s intent to Bless them and place upon them His Name. In the New Covenant, through Jesus, Yahweh’s name is placed INSIDE us (Jeremiah 31:33; Proverbs 18:10). Receiving His name as a bride takes the name of her husband.

In Hebrew, if there are no dots under the letters of a word, you didn’t pronounce the vowels. The dots were the vowels. For the name of God – YHVH – it becomes Yah-hah-vah, which is close to the pronunciation of love: ah-hah-vah. So Yah-hah-vah is ah-hah-vah (1 John 4:8, 16). Vowels from the words Adonai and Elohim were added later by Rabbis so the unrighteous wouldn’t speak it. When pronounced as written, however, you hear the words Ahava, the Father’s love; Yah, the Father’s name; Ahv, Father; and havah, the self-existing source of life. The Name IS the Blessing from the self-existent Father of Selfless Love. This is summed up in the Blessing here: Blessed, kept, His face shining on us, Him gracious to us, resting on us, and giving us peace. By placing His Name on them, He Blessed them (vs 27).

Chapter seven opens with the consecration of the tabernacle on the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard. It took place over twelve days. Each tribal leader, or prince of the people, that were named by God (Numbers 1:6-15) brought the offering of their tribe. Each tribe brought the same items. This shows how important God sees individuals who are giving. Each one is good. He doesn’t see it as a lump. They brought the offerings on wooden wagons pulled by oxen. At the end of the twelve days they were received and distributed to the tribes of Levi according to their need. The Gershon clans for two wagons and four oxen. The Merari clans got four wagons and eight oxen. These wagons became the way that they transported their share of the tabernacle when they moved camp. Kohath got none because they carried their responsibility by hand/shoulder on poles.

Each tribe took a day and brought all the offering for that day. The offerings were for the dedication of the altar. They took their days in the same order that they marched – clockwise from the west. All twelve tribes brought them [Levi was always separated out, but Joseph has split in two (Ephraim and Manasseh) so there were still twelve tribes.] on the six wagons that were divided up after the twelve days were complete. Why six wagons? Each prince brought a silver dish weighing three and a quarter pounds; a silver basin weighing one and three quarters pounds, filled with incense; a bull, ram, and lamb all less than a year old; a goat kid; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs. This provided the grain, burnt, sin, and peace offerings.

At the end of the twelve days and all the sacrifices had been given, then Moses went into the Tent of Meeting and he HEARD the voice of Yahweh God speaking to him from the mercy seat, between the two cherubim on the ark of testimony. And God SPOKE to Moses, or they spoke together.


Summary

Key Players: God, Moses, Priests, Princes of the Tribes

Key Themes: Reconciliation, Vows, Consecration

Key Verse(s): Numbers 5:1; 6:22-27; 7:84-89