The peoples need for holiness

Numbers 5:1–31
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In the opening verses of this chapter the Lord reminds the people of His holiness and of their need for holiness if they were to live near His dwelling place. In the Old Testament covenant, the community’s spiritual holiness was linked to and symbolized by physical, bodily, holiness and by proper interpersonal relationships:

1. Anyone who contracted an illness that rendered him ceremonially unclean could not fellowship with the Lord at the tabernacle or with his human associates (vv. 1-4). This included an infectious skin disease (not only leprosy), a bodily discharge of any kind, and the contamination resulting from contact with a dead body. (For a full description of the various kinds of uncleanness and their treatments (see Lev. 12-15 and Num. 19).
2. The offender who wronged another person in any way must confess that sin and also make full restitution for it plus 20 percent (vv. 5-10). This obviously refers to losses that also animals could be measured in a tangible way (See Lev. 6:1-7 for details). But if the offended party was no longer alive and had no close relative to whom restitution could be made, the restitution was to be given to the Lord along with a ram which was required as a guilt-offering of atonement (See Lev. 5:15; 6:6; 7:1-10). This type of offering was actually given to the priest for him to eat (Lev. 7:6-7). Similarly, the sacred contributions an Israelite might make voluntarily were to go to the priest for his use (Lev. 2:9-10).
3. If a man suspected his wife of adultery he was to take her before the priest whether he had proof or not (vv. 11-31). In the covenant community of Israel, adultery, like ceremonial uncleanness and trespass against one’s brother or sister (v. 6), was symptomatic of unfaithfulness to the Lord. It therefore could not be tolerated as either a breach of the relationship of husband and wife (Ex. 20:14) or as the expression of covenant infidelity (Ezek. 16). When all was ready, the priest told the woman she would not be cursed if she were innocent but would be cursed if guilty. She was to reply, “So be it.”

Application

If I sin or wrong another person today, I need to confess it to the Lord (I John 1:9), ask the person for forgiveness, and if it is of monetary value, I need to make restoration.