PREPARING A PEOPLE

Lesson 2 for the 10th of October, 2009

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“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” (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

“Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them” (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 SOCIETYGod 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.

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.

RIP

HOLINESS OF PEOPLE

THE LORD bless youand keep you;

THE LORD make his face shine upon youand be gracious to you;

THE LORD turn his face towards youand give you peace.

This was a blessing to all the people, so every single person could apply it to himself.

APPLY THIS BLESSING

FROM GOD TO YOUR

PERSONAL NEEDS

Numbers, 6: 24-26

HALLOWED BY THE BLESSING

“The order ofprovidence in

relation to His peopleis advancement, progression.

Continual advancement isthe way of holiness,

rising higher and higherin the knowledge and love of God...

God is unchangeable--the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

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