PREPARING

A NATION

Lesson 2 Numbers Chapters 5-6

God wanted a

holy people, set

apart for Him,

which would be

an example to

other people.

Before they

departed to

Canaan, God

prepared them

to reach this

ideal.

HOLINESS IN THE CAMP

(Numbers, 5: 2)

The three kind of people mentioned here

could cause an epidemic in the camp.

Those people were set apart until his

health improved (as nowadays) or they

carried out the purification rites.

PUBLIC HEALTH REASONS

(Numbers, 5: 3)

The three mentioned reasons

(leper, discharge and contact with

a dead body) were symbols of sin.

God is holy and He wants to live in

a holy people, a people set aside

from sin.

HOLINESS IN THE CAMP

RELIGIOUS REASONS

HOLINESS IN THE SOCIETY

God knew that men would not follow the

ideal He proposed always (“love your

neighbour as yourself”), so He showed how

to act when a person sinned against another:

If it was not possible to restore the affront

to the offended one or to a close relative, it

had to be given to the Lord.

To present a sacrifice before God.

To add a 20%.

To restore the affront.

To confess his/her fault.

Each individual in the society belongs to God, by creation (Acts, 17: 24-28) and

by redemption (1 Corinthians, 6: 20)

“For you were bought at

a price; therefore glorify

God in your body and in

your spirit, which are

God's”(1 Corinthians, 6:20)

“The God who made the world and

everything in it is the Lord of heaven

and earth… He himself gives all men

life and breath and everything else…

for in Him we live and move and have

our being… We are his offspring”(Acts, 17: 24-28)

“When a man or

woman wrongs

another in any way

and so is unfaithful to

the LORD, that

person is guilty”(Numbers, 5: 6)

HOLINESS IN THE SOCIETY

Then, every insult to a person is an insult to God.

Marriage is one of the

two institutions God

created in Eden

before sin.

HOLINESS IN THE MARRIAGE

When He gave the laws

to Israel, He protected

especially this sacred

tie, punishing anyone

who would break it with

death.

If there was any prove of adultery, the two involved must die.

HOLINESS IN THE MARRIAGE

God protected

women from

unjustified

jealousy. The

decision was

in divine hands

through “the

bitter water”.

But... what

happened if

there were no

proves or it was

jealousy?

1. The woman was taking before the priest, with an offering.

2. The priest prepared a clay pot filled with holy water and added some

dust from the tabernacle’s floor.

3. He uncovered the woman’s head and put the offering in her hands.

4. He read the curse and wrote it on a paper.

5. The woman said: “Amen, amen”, accepting the divine verdict.

6. The priest washed the ink of the paper in the water in the glass,

making it bitter.

7. The offering was burnt on the altar.

8. The woman drank the bitter water.

9. If she was innocent, she suffered no damage and

she could have children.

10. If she was guilty, her abdomen swollen and she

became sterile.

There was nothing that could cause physical damage to the woman in

this process. God was the one who judged and He only punished the

woman if she was guilty.

The bitter water processHOLINESS IN THE MARRIAGE

Every Israelite could consecrate part

of his life to God, although he wasn’t a

priest or a Levite.

“All the days

of his

separation he

shall be holy

to the Lord”

Numbers, 6: 8

We can consecrate part

of our life or part of our

time to God, too.

HOLINESS OF PEOPLE

The process of separation

1. Refrain from drinking alcohol.

2. Refrain from any product from vine.

3. Don’t cut one self’s hair during the

separation time.

4. Don’t make contact with any death body.

5. If he makes contact with a death body, he

must cut his hair, offer a sacrifice and start

again with the separation process.

6. When the separation time is finished, he

must offer certain sacrifices and cut his hair

and burn it together with a peace offering.

HOLINESS OF PEOPLE

This was a blessing

to all the people, so

every single person

could apply it to

himself.

HALLOWED BY THE BLESSING

“The order of

providence in

relation to His people

is advancement, progression.

Continual advancement is

the way of holiness,

rising higher and higher

in the knowledge and love of God...

God is unchangeable

--the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

E.G.W. (The upward look, March 29)

ASSOCIATE truth – Why should I study this lesson?

DISCOVER truth – What does the Bible say about this truth?

APPLY truth – How can this truth affect my life today?

PLAN using the truth – How can I use this truth today?

TRANSFER truth to life – What changes do I need in my life?

ADAPT it!

Teaching Approach

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