Numbers 5-7

“Send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them” (5:3). As the Lord’s holy people, the Israelites were instructed to address all signs of physical disease and all signs of moral problems. Rather than allow aggression, retribution, and revenge to take over, the Law dictated how to resolve conflict. For example, a suspicious husband could not punish his wife; instead, she was given water mixed with dust which could not harm her unless the Lord directed it (5:11-31).

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (6:27). As people who bear God’s name, temples of his Holy Spirit, our relationships and behavior matter to him (I Cor 6:18-20).