Numbers 5  Something happened... they were getting everyone settled in their places with the tent in the middle of the tribes.. and the discourse takes a turn.. "Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone unclean because of a dead person."  The Lord Himself would dwell in the midst of the camps.. and He would not allow anyone to defile it.  They would be sent outside of the camp.. obedient to the Law which ordered them to stay away for the amount of time required or the needed cleansing to be accomplished. 

Whenever sin was committed , whenever a man or woman acted "unfaithfully against the Lord".. they were commanded to confess their sin and pay any restitution required by the Law.  Atonement would be brought as the priest offered "the ram of atonement" before the Lord. 

Verses 11-31 deal with the sin of adultery.. it could be a married woman who was accused of unfaithfulness to her husband- or- a husband who is overwhelmed by a "spirit of jealousy".  The man would bring a grain offering. The priest would take water and contaminate it with dust from the floor of the tabernacle.  The woman would stand before the priest, hold the grain offering in her hand, and drink the "water of bitterness".  If she was innocent.. she would be fine.  If she was guilty she would be cursed and physically stricken so that her stomach would swell and her  thigh would waste away.. 

All of this sounds a bit like the witch trials of the 1600's...doesn't it? Perhaps this is where they took their ideas from..  but for them it led to hysteria.. not to truth.. 

 I would think this Law would be quite a deterrent to unfaithfulness in any way. Why this Law was added at this particular time had to be because of something that happened just then.. God saw it, even if no one else did.. and acted immediately to protect the people from any more defilement in the camp. 

How can we learn from this?   We see how much God desires us to live holy lives.. He desires us to confess our sins..to find forgiveness through the atonement that Jesus Christ provides us through His sacrifice. We see that our God sees us and knows us and nothing is hidden from His eyes.  We see that His will is for us to be faithful... to be faithful to Him.. and to be faithful in our marriages.  It is uncomfortable to see people sent outside of the camp.. outside of the church.. or even outside of our family.. but sometimes it is necessary so that they do not contaminate the rest of the house.. or the church..   It is uncomfortable to think that your spouse may be unfaithful.. but the truth will be exposed one way or another and the Lord has provided a way to forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7)

Thank You Father! Thank You Jesus!  Fill us Holy Spirit that we might walk faithfully, in Truth, in Righteousness, in Peace, in Faith.. in the Word... and in prayer. Let Your Grace be with us who love the Lord Jesus. Amen