Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"The Lord said to Moses, "Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them." The Israelites did this; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses. The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord, that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged. But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for him. All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. Each man's sacred gifts are his own, but what he gives to the priest will belong to the priest.' " Numbers 5:1-10
Numbers, Chapter 5 contains guidance for the people living in the respective camps. I’ll touch on the first two sets of guidance with special emphasis placed on the second.
The first direction from the Lord had to do with "anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body." You’ll recall this subject was addressed earlier in Leviticus, Chapter 13. And although it seems cruel that people would be separated from the camp for the reasons listed, we need to remember that there weren’t any doctors in the days of early Israel. Many of the symptoms listed were connected to disorders that could potentially be highly contagious. Allowing afflicted people to remain in the camps would risk further spread of the infections.
The second topic of direction from the Lord in our scripture had to do with the matter of restitution. Where the first part of the chapter dealt with afflictions that could be seen externally, this section dealt with matters that were internal. And as we read God’s word, it’s obvious He placed a priority on making amends with others when "a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord."
When wrongs were committed, there were several steps that the guilty people were to take.
First, they were to "confess the sin…committed." It’s been said that anyone with an addiction can only start to take the steps to recovery when they admit they have a problem. It’s this attitude of confession of sin before God that help us take the first step toward the healing found in reconciliation. For when we wrong others through our sinful actions, we are also wronging God who expects us to conduct ourselves as His Son Jesus conducted Himself.
After confession, restitution was to be made. In the case of early Israel, the person guilty of wronging another was to "make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged." Part of restitution in the days of Israel involved compensation toward the one wronged. A price was required to be paid, whether it was to the person wronged, a close relative, or in the absence of both, to the priest as a price paid to the Lord.
Additionally, a sin sacrifice of a ram was required in order to atone for the wrong.
Well, fast forward ahead into the time of Jesus. The people of Israel were still afflicted with a sinfulness that had slowly but surely placed a divide between them and their Heavenly Father. The Old Testament covenant was badly strained and God needed to do something to repair and restore His relationship with His people. The only real restitution for the people would have involved their destruction because they were an unrepentant and stiff-necked. But God had made a covenant with Israel…a covenant where He promised that He would never again destroy His people as He did when the 40 days and 40 nights of rain flooded the earth and killed everyone but Noah, his family and the animals who were on the ark. God needed a secondary plan to compensate for the sins of His people. That secondary plan became the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus.
For in Jesus and His death on the cross of Calvary, God paid the price for our sins with Jesus as the compensation to cover our wrongs. The cross of Jesus spanned the divide that had come between God and mankind…and reconciled the relationship. Consider this passage from the New Testament:
"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Did you hear what the Word of God said? We are reconciled to God by Jesus Christ and through this, God has committed us to the message of reconciliation. Did you get that message? If so, then there should be no one that you are not reconciled to right this very moment. For our Father who gave His Son in our place doesn’t pick and choose who He reconciled Himself to. There are no qualifiers in this scripture. It said God reconciled Himself to us…all of us…through Christ Jesus. And if God can reconcile Himself to us despite our sinfulness, then we an reconcile ourselves to each other. And if you’re having trouble bringing yourself to do this and just want to continue to turn your back on someone you need to reconcile to, ask yourself how you would feel if God decided to turn His back on you. That hasn’t happened…nor will it.
One final point. The knowledge of God having reconciled Himself to us should bring us to a place of praise and thanksgiving. For not only were we reconciled to God through the death of Jesus but we also received the gift of salvation if we truly believe and trust that Jesus is Savior. For truly, no one comes unto the Father except by Him. (John 14:6) Here’s one more passage to consider that reinforces this:
"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Romans 5:10-11
Jesus was the compensation that led to our reconciliation with God. And it was through the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus, that we have the assurance of eternal life. Death is not the end but only the beginning of a wonderful forever life with the Father and the Son.
Question: Do you know the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who died for you to pay the price for your sins and reconciled you to your Father in Heaven? If so, rejoice and be glad in what He has done for you. If not, don’t delay. Come to Jesus right now. Profess Him as you Lord and Savior. And seal your promise of eternal life with the Father through the Son. When you do this, you too can "rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have…received reconciliation. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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