📅 16 August 2025

📚 BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
📖 Daily Bible Reading

🏕️  Numbers 5 – Honest Before God – Guilt, Cleansing, and Justice in the People of Israel
✨ A look at purity, responsibility, and divine order in dealing with guilt and suspicion

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📜 Bible Text – Numbers 5 (KJV)

¹ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

² Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:

³ Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.

⁴ And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the Lord spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.

⁵ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

⁶ Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty;

⁷ Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

⁸ But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.

⁹ And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.

¹⁰ And every man’s hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.

¹¹ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

¹² Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

¹³ And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;

¹⁴ And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

¹⁵ Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

¹⁶ And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord:

¹⁷ And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:

¹⁸ And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:

¹⁹ And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

²⁰ But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

²¹ Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

²² And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

²³ And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

²⁴ And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

²⁵ Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar:

²⁶ And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

²⁷ And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

²⁸ And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

²⁹ This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

³⁰ Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.

³¹ Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

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🔵 Introduction

Chapter 5 of the Book of Numbers is one of the more challenging passages in the Bible. It deals with rules about purity, restitution, and the so-called jealousy offering, a ritual for suspected adultery. At first glance, much of it may seem foreign and hard to understand. But upon closer examination, we discover principles that are still meaningful today: responsibility for one another, protection of the community, and God’s desire for truth and purity among His people.

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🟡 Commentary

🔸 1. Separation of the Impure (Verses 1–4)

God commands that people with contagious or ritually impure conditions be removed from the camp. This includes:

• Lepers

• People with bodily discharges

• Those made impure by contact with the dead

➡ The goal is not arbitrary exclusion, but the protection of the community, especially since God Himself “dwells in the midst of the camp” (v. 3).
God’s holiness cannot coexist with impurity — neither symbolically nor practically.

🔸 2. Guilt and Restitution (Verses 5–10)

When someone wrongs another person, they also sin against God (v. 6). The guilty party must:

• Confess their sin

• Make restitution

• Add 20% to the amount

• And if no one is left to repay, it is given to the priest as representative of God

➡ This law emphasizes the importance of justice and transparency. Guilt should not be hidden but acknowledged and repaired. God does not accept cheap remorse, but demands real restitution.

🔸 3. The Jealousy Offering – Dealing with Suspicion (Verses 11–31)

A particularly sensitive topic is addressed here:
When a husband suspects his wife of infidelity but has no proof, God provides a ritual to determine the truth supernaturally.

Procedure:

• The woman is brought before God

• She drinks bitter water with a curse formula

• If she is guilty, there are physical consequences

• If she is innocent, she remains unharmed

➡ The goal is not punishment, but truth-finding and protection from false accusation. In a patriarchal society, the woman was not to be condemned arbitrarily, but judged justly by God’s standards.

🔎 Although this ritual is no longer practiced today, it shows God’s desire for justice, protection of marriage, and clarity in dealing with suspicion.

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🟢 Summary

Numbers 5 highlights how much God values:

• Purity in community life

• Mutual responsibility

• Justice in dealing with guilt

• Clarity in times of mistrust

God is not arbitrary but orders the life of His people in such a way that holiness, truth, and reconciliation are possible.

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📢 Message for Us Today

Even if many of these Old Testament rituals seem foreign to us, their spiritual principles are timeless:

• Unacknowledged guilt poisons relationships.
  God calls us to confess sin, make restitution, and live true repentance.

• Mistrust destroys community.
  Where doubt arises, we should not rush to judge, but seek clarity, forgiveness, or resolution — with God’s help.

• Holiness is not outdated.
  God still desires a people who live pure lives — not out of obligation, but out of love for Him and one another.

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💡 Reflection Questions

“Where truth dwells, mistrust has no place.”

• Am I willing to honestly confess my faults?

• Have I wronged someone and owe them restitution?

• Are my thoughts fair toward others — especially when I only assume, but do not know?

~~~~~ 🏕️ ~~~~~

📅 August 10 – 16, 2025

📚 BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
📖 Weekly Reading from the Spirit of Prophecy

📘 Ellen White | Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 22
🔥  Moses

🌐 Read online here

🔵 Introduction

The life story of Moses is a masterpiece of divine guidance. From a Hebrew child saved from death in the Nile, to a prince in Pharaoh’s court, to a humble shepherd in Midian—God shaped His servant for a unique mission: the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. This preparation was not a straight path but a deep process of training, self-denial, and faith. In this chapter, we see how God’s plan is fulfilled despite human weaknesses and resistance.

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🟡 Commentary

🔹 1. God’s protection in childhood (Exodus 1–2)

• Moses is born at a time when a cruel decree condemns all Hebrew baby boys to death.

• God’s providence leads Pharaoh’s daughter to find and adopt him.

• His own mother is allowed to nurse and raise him—a short but decisive formative period.

Key point: God can open doors that seem humanly impossible, even in the darkest circumstances.

🔹 2. Training and the attempt at self-deliverance (Acts 7:22; Exodus 2:11–15)

• Moses receives the best Egyptian education but remains faithful to the God of Israel.

• In youthful zeal, he tries to deliver his people by his own strength (killing the Egyptian).

• Result: flight to Midian—the start of a new life phase.

Key point: A spiritual calling must not be forced by fleshly means.

🔹 3. God’s school in the wilderness (Exodus 3–4)

• Forty years as a shepherd for Jethro—learning patience, humility, and dependence on God.

• The calling at the burning bush: God reveals Himself and gives Moses his mission.

• Moses’ objections: lack of eloquence, self-doubt, fear of rejection.

• God’s response: assurance of His presence, signs, and support through Aaron.

Key point: God does not call the qualified—He qualifies the called.

🔹 4. Obedience and wholehearted dedication (Exodus 4:18–26)

• Moses chooses obedience, even though he hesitates.

• God corrects him for neglecting a duty (circumcision of his son).

• Lesson: Those who want to do God’s work must themselves be consistent in obedience.

Key point: Spiritual authority requires personal faithfulness to God’s commands.

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🟢 Summary

Moses went through three major life phases:

• Pharaoh’s court – education and privileges, but also temptation and the danger of idolatry.

• Wilderness of Midian – humbling, training in patience, trust in God.

• Calling and mission – equipping through God’s promises and signs, overcoming personal doubts.

God even used Moses’ mistakes to prepare him for the greatest work of his life: the deliverance of Israel.

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📢 Message for Us Today

• God’s paths are often longer than we expect—but always purposeful and wise.

• Self-reliance can be a hindrance, but trust in God makes us strong.

• Those who want to be used by God must be willing to embrace even hidden years of preparation.

• We must obey first before we can lead others to obedience.

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💬 Reflection Question

In what area of my life might God be preparing me in a “wilderness school,” even though I would prefer to hurry ahead?

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