Numbers 5:1-4

Numbers 5:1-4

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Ceremonially Unclean Persons Isolated

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse. 3 You shall put out both male and female; you shall put them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell.” 4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord spoke to Moses, so the children of Israel did.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Nu 5:1–4.


Main Points:

  1. Key Focus: The passage instructs the Israelites to remove anyone ceremonially unclean—due to leprosy, discharge, or contact with a corpse—from the camp to prevent defilement of the community where God dwells.

  2. Main Points:

    • Ceremonial Uncleanliness: Not just physical ailments like leprosy but any condition rendering someone ceremonially unclean required isolation outside the camp.

    • Holiness of God: This law underscores God's holiness and the need for His people to reflect this holiness in their midst.

    • Application for Today: While we no longer adhere to these ceremonial laws due to Christ's fulfillment of the law, the principle of moral purity remains. Believers are called to avoid moral uncleanness and encourage confession and restoration within the community.

  3. Conclusion: The sermon concludes with a prayer for cleanliness through Jesus Christ and a call for personal and communal holiness, reflecting God's holiness.

Bryan SchneiderComment