How to Dwell with God on the messy Fringes of Life: Purity, Repentance, & Loyalty born of Forgiveness!
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Assembly of the First-Born,
As we began book of Numbers, geography, people in wthe willderness, Sinai, Kadesh barnea, Plains of Moab - you could resonante with that- because not yet in Promised Land, time of testing, desperate need to rely on the Lord. But at camp - another map of how the camp is organized. uNumbers 1-4 with God’s presence in centre, all unified and ready, but 1000 yard parameter Levites and Priests - there job to subsittue, but even more to represent - to get holiness of God in every day life of the people, and get the people into the presence and conversation, forgiveness, in the tabernacle. But now you must see that Numbers also gives another map - a map of the moral universe of God’s people. Five chosen laws - interesting not random boring arbitrary laws, but 5 representative laws - that give us the moral reference points they were to live their lives around.
If we were to map our moral universe in Western world today - big points N-S pleasure, and pain, convience and frutration- moral calcuations what is good for me as an adidiaul and llittle else weighed! But imagine God had just rescued you from Egypt, set you free, dwelling in the centre of your camp. See the fourth point is not indivudal pleasure, but God is ovinng his creation now fallen and filled with chaos - to PEACE SHalom, completelness - law of Benediction in Chapter 6. But the other pointso f the moral compass given by three representantive laws, literal yet deep sybmol of life with God.
I want to give you these three dimensions, show up on our map too, though a little foreign to our way of thinking. The first is Purity: Clean and Unclean; the second is Sin: Trangression and Righteousness, and the third is Loyalty: Breaking Faith and Keeping Faith. These three areas guiven by laws what will drive the story of Numbers, these areas are where the trouble comes in Israel’s life, and where we must find God working, God acting, God giving His gracious solution,s and us putting them into effect. But see the solutions not only in Numbers but even more fulfilled in the life and minsitry of the living Lord Jesus Christ on earth and in your life and mine.
Key Truth: God desires holiness to reign on the fringes of our life where chaos, sin, & death destroy us.
This first moral compass point is the most basic and furtherst from our way of thinking.
This first moral compass point is the most basic and furtherst from our way of thinking. It seems strange and alomst cruel, the lepers, those with bodily emissions, and those just touched a dead perosn, cared for them at a funeral - not permitted in the camp. Why priests not permitted to mourn loved ones in their duties. What we must see is that this area of ritual purity, not about any ethical failure, but a bigger symbolic menaing. God wanted his people know that he is absoltuely the opposite of death - he is fulness ofl ife. The passing of fluids from boundaires a symbol of life leaving - these laws shows taht there is s symbolic contamination that happens when we don’t order our lives the way God says, and that brings not so much a physi al contimaination; not leproasy but host of other skin diseases, but when you’ve thsese 4 zones of God’s holiness. and God symbolically says respect boundraires , akcnoeelge me ritually, and stuff that is contmainatied , crossing boundaries inapporoptraitely can’t associate with them: so diet laws, fish without scales for instance unclean. hooves not cloven, mixing of fabrics, all representing spiritually that our uncleaness redners us unfit for the presence of God.
A. Purity: Uncleanness requires being outside God’s camp.
It seems strange and alomst cruel, the lepers, those with bodily emissions, and those just touched a dead perosn, cared for them at a funeral - not permitted in the camp. Why priests not permitted to mourn loved ones in their duties. What we must see is that this area of ritual purity, not about any ethical failure, but a bigger symbolic menaing. God wanted his people know that he is absoltuely the opposite of death - he is fulness ofl ife. The passing of fluids from boundaires a symbol of life leaving - these laws shows taht there is s symbolic contamination that happens when we don’t order our lives the way God says, and that brings not so much a physical contamination; not leprosy but host of other skin diseases, but when you’ve thsese 4 zones of God’s holiness. and God symbolically says respect boundraires , akcnoeelge me ritually, and stuff that is contmainatied , crossing boundaries inappropriately can’t associate with them: so diet laws, fish without scales for instance unclean. hooves not cloven, mixing of fabrics, all representing spiritually that our uncleaness redners us unfit for the presence of God.
Spiritually the lesson is that our view of sin is way to shallow, its not just about your bad behaviuors, sin is even more about our condition, our very nature. Get this in your head your problem and my problem isn’t merely our outward bheavours - so we’re not so bad, others terrible sinners. NO the category is that sinful nature, renders all of us unclean before God. Yes, you and I have an uncleanness problem beyond feeling dirty from time to time.
a We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Recognize that we are born unfit for God’s presence, have anutre that has become unclean. And God says stay back - get out of the camp, you have aormoa of death on you. And we cry out like Paul in
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
You and I need to feel like that leper on the fringe,, need to feel like that woman with disease of flow of blood 12 years, can’t get in God’s prsence, unclean to people around her,. ever feel like that outside, maybe not terribly sinful but out of fellowship, ever feel that everything is falling apart, life is fading like a leaf.
Well, we don’t do well with people who are on the outside, feel that uncleanness, feel that they have a living death in their souls, even despair alone rather than get in contact with the unclean. Miriam in her sin sent out. But listen, though we can’t deal with uncleanness, God set up laws be temporarily method of restoring. And even better Jesus the Son of God undertook dangerous work of restoring the unclean.
Thanks be to God, not just in general - but because he delivers me from my wretched fallen unclean nature!
Remember he touches the leper, he goes to outcast sinners, not because says these laws don’t matter, he after all sends him after touching and healing him to the priest for the cleansing ritual and inspectaion and re-instatement. But Christ touches what’s unclean, and unlike us who pick up uncleanness, Christ takes that unclean-ness into Himself, and what does he do - if there was uncleanness and someone stepped into the camp, into the tabernacle , - daeth. Christ takes our uncleanes, and suffers the wrath of God for us, and where does he die?
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
This is point,direction on the moral map of God’s people, got uncleaness, that separates you from God, and need to meet this Saviour. Look at how it works with the woman with the flow of blood in Power out of Jesus to heal, and Jesus looks t her and says your faith has made you well. Do you feel the power of Christ - cleansing blood cleanse you from all uncleanness… Come to him outside the camp to be made totally clean! But the second compass point is easier for us to understand
B. SIN: Transgression requires repentance.
Does sin show up as you map out your moral life today? HOw do you anme the sin in your life todqay Who is agianst. Here the specifc instance is left vague on purpose, but two examples seem to be given as stealing by deception, or by misrepresentation. Let’s say you ‘ve ripped off a family memeber, or the store, or the government. just an example. What is it we’re supposed to do, what is the solution? Answeris repentance. What’s that. It involves two dimernsions: The first is toward God. Do you acknoweldge that holiness isn’t just about - what you do here in church inthe inner circle with god - whether belive, show up for worthisp, but holiness is also about your everyday stuff and how you treat peopole out there. And whetn you sin agianst them , your breaking God’s good order and plan - violationg not only them but God’s plan for them. And so the first step of repentance indir3ected to God and it is to stop excusing it, name it as sin against God - confess it. But it can’t stop there, You go to the preson as uncomfortable as that can be - make full resittituion - make it right, and add 20% on top of it (person, family member, or priest). But stil not done. You are sorry before God akcknoewldge and seek reocnicioation and pay back. But nowsays go back tothe tabernacle and offer to God a what?
He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering. He shall wring its head from its neck but shall not sever it completely,
, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
Intuitively you feel this, not just unclean condition that keeps you out of God’s presence, sinful nature, but those actuall sins you’ve comited against God and people, even if sought to make them right, nagging sense of guilt that even if person forgave you, even if didn your part to make it right, the wrong before God, the punishment, the record can’t be undone just by youru repentance. And so God provide us from the skins given to Adam and Eve, to the sacrafice offered after the flood, to the very Cross of Jeuss Christ which all those sacrfices werepointing to with waht? A Ram, a sacrfice of Atonement, because the wages of sin is death , and Christ dies as that atoning sacrfice to compoletely earase the record of your sins against you
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Stop beating yourself up, offer repentance and belive his sacrafice trtustin ti for dealing with your sins. Gift of repetnance will follow look at Jesus with Zaccheaus.
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
SO this uncleanness that Jesus must touch you, meet him outside the camp take on that uncleanness for you … bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place - outside the camp he stood, - so way back in for you and me, and dealing with real concrete sin by once for all perfect atoning sacrifice. morally this ought to show up every day of our lives, not pain and pleasure, comfort and inconvieneince. But clean unlclean, purity and acceptance in Christ, and repentnance reistuttion, totaly forgivneess.
But look at the third compass point in our text of what our moral spiritual lives should have registering, Not just purity and sin, but
C. Loyalty: Unfaithfulness restored to true devotion
Here we come to the strangest, yet if you understand it in Christ the most beautiful life-changing part of the map. Loyalty. And this is the point of the whole book of Numbers - keeping faith. God doesn’t give a bunch of arbitrary rules to trip us, hard-nosed negotiater looking to make life difficult for us. What is the living God after - not just legal obedience to his way of life, but he is looking for what you look for in a friend. Devotion and love. And we have a hard time, and a lot of failure with that.
It is relatively easy to stay married 23 1/2 years, get along, keep it going, but it is another thing to remain truly devoted - in this decision in that way of doing things to each other. And when that devotion, that loyalty isn’t there, the category that the bible uses for this is breaking faith! All those tests in the desert boil down to whether we break faith or keep faith with the LORD.
Speak to the people of Israel, If any man’s wife goes astray and breaks faith with him,
“Speak to the people of Israel, If any man’s wife goes astray and breaks faith with him,
And just like the other two areas, hundreds of ways every week - become unclean, need God’s solution get back into His presence back in the camp with him. working. Thousands of ways actually sin against God and others. And so too our unfaithfulness, breach of lyaltytohe LORD.
Do you know what it does when trust uis broken, loyalty and evotion is questioned? Regardless if suspected adultery happened or not, regardless if impororiteyt confess and dealt with or not. Instead of life being a party anfeast, a joining together a communioin; it becomes a miersable fight and flight from each other A hiding and beating yoruself up, a thinking the worst of the other.
I coach soccer for about a decade of our kids growing up. Great way to get to know whole small town. One parent of a kid I coached, came up I was apsotr. Confided family having trouble, visite dthe chuerch when secretrary was there - gathering of frinds of this family, something a miss had taken place … horrified she had done it, wanteed to deal with it with her husband who - hurt but undertanding, went to her priest - but coud not find forgiveness from Christ - could accept, beatin g herself up, and perhaps not feeling worthy not accepting husbands response. Open up forgivenss from gospel, little helpful booklet: But wouldn’t accpet it - stepped in front of a transport truck.
Deeply the heart of the matter with human relatinships but also with God. And here the law that symobolizes this reality is a case where no witnesses, suspicious husband, jealous for his marriage and home. Remarkabler OT laws same for men and mwomen - but adminsitered by men. And so unique law that God by supernatural deicison will decide this one.
And look what happens: Not the wife, but the husband must bring a grain offering. Deep sign that something is not right with whole marriage, and he is to show he with his wife in submission to the Supreme Judge bring a gift. But unlike other offering ing of grain, with out the symbols of joy -oil or incense. Then the priest takes the woman into the courtyard of the tabernacle in the presence of God. And here is the heart of the law.
The priest takes an earthen bowl, put holy water in it, and mixes it witht he dust of the tabernacle floor. He comes back and the woman has her hair unbound, sign of grief for potential justmgent that could come. Then thepriest puts the grain offering in y\her hand, and recites a curse - if pregnant womb swell, unclean emisssion, become barren no children again, and a curse ot hte communtiy . She says Amen and Amen. But then the priest writes down that curse and the gummy residueo f the soot ink is wahed intot he bowl. She give s the cereal foffering tobe burned, and then she drinks the water!
Unfaithfulness is death to relatinoships to the communtiy of God. Water not by magic or poinson, but by God’s Sovereign action affect her in guilty but make her joyful mother and restored marriage with God cvouching for her with her jealous husband so tranformed.
Well, before you dismiss this as weird unrelated to anything in yourl ife or even the Bible. What is the cup called? A cup of what? Bitterness Mey Hammarim. Mara when else do we have bitter water in Israel’s story - crossed Red Sea, murmured only bitter water, yet God said throw wood, miracluous become sweet and not suffer the curse.
saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
When else do we hear of a cup of curses and wrath in the Old Testament. When God’s people Israel are adulterous to God,
Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering. There is none to guide her among all the sons she has borne; there is none to take her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up. These two things have happened to you— who will console you?— devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you? Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of the Lord, the rebuke of your God. Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine: Thus says your Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;
But oh how we see in Numbers, God’s people, that 1st gerneation - break faith - but God goes after her in love. Yes they will drink the cup - and we are left wondering will she escape the curse. But listen he sends Jesus to we who are less than devoted, break faith. Do you remember Jesus with a woman - five realtinships - hates going to the well, - twon’s adulterous - water of bitterness. But how does our sweet Lord Jesus - yes name the sin, but offers her the Living water. not just forgivness but new restored life - first to share the good news with whole town. Think of - that sinful woman washing Jesus feet - don’t you know what kind of woman that is who is dfiling cotaimentning you and us in this house? Oh Simon - her hair is let down, her offering of all that perfume, spit open before the Son of God. The Atoning sacrfice for the world. Her devotion and fiathfulness before - she is forgiven. And Jesus as it were drank the curse for us. He dies, dealt with our sin in such away that the problem dealt with, but now the bride, in splendor forgiven.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
God’s standards for our purity, our righteousness, our devotion are no less than the old covenant - all equally in need. But with Christ in the new covenant forgiveness is stronger. John Chrysostom - says you and i must relate to her - Christ is showing you that there is no sin that can prevail over His goodness. He says, don’t just stand amazed that He received her, but consider HOW HE CHANGED HER!
Similarly John Calvin, says Jesus is not ashamed to take round with him a woman known for unchastity. He says, the bible doesn’t say, that He found you and me, the Church which he chose, with no spots or stains or wrinkles. Butlisten that he cleansed you and me, the Church with His blood that it should be pure and beautiful. Our wretched and shameful state - become Christ’s glory after he frees us. Thery are the insignia of his power and grace!
Oh understand it and believe it: this cup Christ says in my blood, isn’t actually his blod, but it represents to Him the curse foaming with God’s wrath on your you r andm y wrteched sin and shame - he drinks it, so that drinkingit to the dregs, having become the curse for us, having died for it butnow risen, for us it becomes the cup of blessing - of the covenant in His blood, forgiven, yes, but more restored to new life - cleansed, forgiven, restored to live in devotion with Christ!
So let’s take a step back, the water hass been drunk, the curse has been absorbed by Christ, and now the goal - the couple restored all suspicion gone, let’s begin a new with God’s grace. And what is the promise:
The verdict: guilty as charged, but forgiven. Christ’s forgiveness did not mean that he was lowering the moral standard. In his Sermon on the
Similarly, John Calvin wrote on : Surely it hardly behoved the Son of God to take round with Him women known for their unchastity In fact, we see the better from this that theIn fact, we see the better from this that the vices with which we were burdened before we believed are no hindrance to Christ’s glory; rather do they magnify it. It is certainly not said that He found the Church which He chose without spot or stain; but He cleansed it with His blood that it should be pure and beautiful. The wretched and shameful state of those women brought great glory to Christ after He had freed them. They were the insignia of His power and grace. 17 The striking similarities between the suspected adulteress ritual () and Christ’s forgiveness of an immoral woman () have led us to compare the two. In the process we have found the difference that is the basis of the “new covenant” prophesied by Jeremiah: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” ().
But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.
Gane, Roy; Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers (The NIV Application Commentary) (p. 527). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
See it in all three of these points of our moral spiritual lives. v. 8 cut off from the land of the living, v.10 his life was made a guilt offering. v.8 who can speak of his descendants,
Gane, Roy; Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers (The NIV Application Commentary) (p. 527). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Gane, Roy; Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers (The NIV Application Commentary) (p. 527). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Gane, Roy; Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers (The NIV Application Commentary) (pp. 527-528). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
,
Gane, Roy; Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers (The NIV Application Commentary) (p. 527). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Gane, Roy; Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers (The NIV Application Commentary) (p. 527). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Do you see it from His becomiong the cruse, taking the wrath, being cut off, He and His bride, the church - restored, and you aI born as her offspring - prosper with Him.
In universtiy had to read Flannery O’Connor, Bolt of Whitelcloth - couple wonderful home, but something really missing, - no child - feel ache - incompleteness - man comes witha bolt of white cloth - granted a child. Ending like that so rare in south, - but beatufiul picture, with sahme, guilt, stains, with sin, lack of devotion, fell like Christ and we his churchcan’t make a go of it, but drinking our cup, we can now drink His, and that communion is how we do make a new go of it - blessed new relationship, new2 home - bearing fruit!