February 25, 2017

Insights on Today's Reading

Numbers 5 - Sometimes you read in God's Word what appears to be harsh, such as you see in this chapter, namely, the banishing of diseased people to be "put out of the camp."  The real thought here should be quarantine and isolation to protect the rest of the people.  God still wanted mercy and kindness shown to those who were put out.  And there is ample proof that healing would come and these people could resume their normal living arrangements.  Also, God wanted confession of sin and restitution once sin had been found out.  The passage of a man checking into the faithfulness of his wife reminds all of us to be faithful to our mates.  God is the one who always sees what everyone does.

Numbers 6 - A person who would take a Nazirite vow would be someone who wanted to dedicate themselves to the Lord for a period of time.  They were under certain physical and dietary restrictions throughout their period of dedication.  A Christian today may set aside a special period of time to give themselves time alone with God.  Retreats and Bible Conferences are often a place and a way for the child of God to separate from their normal routine to renew their love for Christ.  The closing words of this chapter gives the blessing a priest would give to the people especially after a period of worship.  This blessing is still appropriate for us to share today.