God has already said that those with infectious skin disease must be sent outside the camp, but now He extends the rule of exclusion to those who are ceremonially unclean because of discharge or contact with a dead animal. He says this must be done so that the unclean do not defile the camp where He dwells. It sounds like this is for God's benefit, and maybe that's part of it. Maybe He didn't want to be affected by our human imperfections. Maybe He needed to stay away from impurity to keep Himself pure. I don't know, but I do think it was actually more for the people's benefit. Skin diseases can be highly contagious, discharge can be a symptom of a more serious illness, and dead bodies can carry all sorts of nasty and harmful diseases, so they could all lead to serious health problems if left unchecked. As I said in a previous post, exclusion was a way of removing infection from the camp to prevent it from spreading. It was not about ostracising or persecuting the sick and the vulnerable, it was about protecting the community.
God then outlines the system for restitution for wrongs, whereby the guilty person must confess and pay the injured party full restitution plus one fifth. I'm not sure exactly what wrongs this law applied to, but God has already detailed specific punishments for theft, murder and rape, so I'm thinking maybe criminal damage. If they cannot pay the person they have wronged, they must pay a close relative of that person; and if there is no close relative, they must pay the priest. It's tempting to wonder of that last clause was added in by some opportunistic priest, but maybe that's too cynical. And it's beside the point. If this system sounds familiar, it's because it works just like the guilt offering. You see, God is not the only person we need to apologise to and seek forgiveness from. When we hurt someone we must own up, we must say sorry and we must make amends.
Next comes the test for an unfaithful wife. If a man suspects his wife of adultery but has no proof, he must take her to the priest with the appropriate offerings, and the priest must put the woman under an oath and give her bitter water to drink. If she is innocent she will come to no harm, but if she has slept with another man her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away. Another possible translation is that she will become barren or suffer miscarriages. It's like some sort of medieval witch hunt meets Jeremy Kyle. Can this really have come from God? Would he really turn justice into this kind of superstitious spectacle? My gut says not. And why is the sort of ritual only used for women accused of adultery? Why not male adulterers? Or people suspected of other crimes? Something here doesn't ring true. It doesn't fit with the rest of law. More importantly, it doesn't fit with what I know of God, and that is the mark we must test everything against.
Moving on, we have the Nazarite vows. A man or woman could choose to take become a Nazarite by taking a special vow of separation for a set period of time. While they were under these vows, they must abstain from alcohol, let their hair grow and keep themselves ceremonially clean. At the end of the allotted period, they must make a sacrifice to God and shave and burn their hair with it. We're not told why a person would want to make such a vow, but the fact that it is described as a "vow of separation to the Lord" suggests that it was about setting aside time to step away from the world and focus more closely on God. Sometimes we really need that. These vows were only temporary though. Faith is forever, but its expression will change as we change and our circumstances change, and that's okay.
Here we find the priestly blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. I grew up listening to this blessing and I have always loved it. The phrase "bless you" is used with such frequency and carelessness that it's easy to forget what it really mean. Well this is it. It means praying for God's to show His grace and peace and care to another person. How beautiful!
Now it's time for the dedication of the Tabernacle. Over twelve consecutive days, the leaders of each of the twelve tribes come to the altar to present their offering. In each case we are told the name of the leader and the details of their offering. Each offering is the same - a silver plate and bowl filled with flour and oil, a gold dish filled with incense, a bull, a ram, a lamb, a goat, two oxen, five more rams, five more goats, and five more lambs -but we are given the details twelve times over. Somebody's trying really hard to make a point about offerings. Why? This wasn't a regular offering so the people didn't need to know about, so it kind of feels like the leaders are showing off. It's like when a celebrity promotes a charity by telling you how much they've given. It's arrogant and condescending. And it sort of misses the point. Sure, we should be encouraged to give, to people and to God, but if we're bullied or shamed into it, it doesn't mean very much.
Finally, Moses sets up the lamps and as instructed by God, and then sets apart the priests. They have already been ordained, but now they must be dedicated because they are to be given wholly to God in place of the firstborn. They shave and wash, and a sacrifice is made. Most interestingly, the community lay hands on the priests. It reinforces what I've said before. Our ministers need our support and our blessing if they are to best serve us and God.
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