Numbers 5  Adonai gives Moses instructions to "expel from the camp..."  anyone who has leprosy.. or a discharge.. or uncleanness from "touching a corpse".   He tells them to put them outside the camp.. These instructions seem a bit harsh.  But, then I think of what our world is doing right now.. isolating the contagious ones... for the sake of all the others.  We are quarantining the contagions inside.. our "camp".. while God gave Israel a practical way to isolate their contagions... outside their camp.  Quite practical for  such a mass of nomads!

In verse 5 Adonai gives some specific directions for dealing with sin between people.. "When a man or a woman commits any kind of sin against another person and thus breaks faith with Adonai, he incurs guilt.  He must confess the sin which he committed; and he must make full restitution for his guilt, add twenty percent and give it to the victim of his sin."   The process is exactly the same for every single one of us...
We sin.
We are guilty.
We must confess.
We must make restitution.
Only then do we restore our relationship with our Lord and with our fellow man.

The rest of chapter 5 is really challenging.  It deals with jealousy.  A husband whose wife has committed adultery.. or is suspected of it.  The treatment seems .. well wrong..
A drink is made of holy water and dust from the floor.  A grain offering is brought.  The woman is brought before the priest; the grain offering put in her hands; and she has to swear whether or not she is innocent or guilty.  Then she has to drink the tainted water!  If she is guilty it will cause her to be cursed. It not, she will be fine....

All of this shows the seriousness of such a charge.. unfaithfulness in marriage reflects a spiritual deficit... which would also reflect unfaithfulness towards God Himself.  He demands and desires a holy people who live in right relationship to Himself and to each other.

How much more amazing, then, is the interaction of Jesus with the adulterous woman in John 8.   He didn't stone her.  He didn't condemn her.  He didn't make her drink the dust infused water.  He, instead, stooped down and wrote on the dust of the ground until those who condemned her left.  Then He sent her away to "sin no more".  

Forgiveness flowed instead of the curse.

Father in heaven, we have lived in this curse filled world.  We have all sinned.. all missed the mark.. all like sheep, we have gone astray.  We agree with You that we are guilty.  We confess that we have been unfaithful to You and to each other.  Please forgive us our sin and help us to forgive each other.  Lead us in Your paths of righteousness for Your Name's sake.  Thank You for the forgiveness of our sins and that there is NO condemnation in Jesus Christ our Lord, for He has paid the full price to ransom us from the curse.  Hallelujah what a Savior!  We praise You and thank You for saving us!
amen and amen.