Numbers 5:1-31  Our Jealous God and His Unfaithful Wife

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Numbers 5:1-31  Our Jealous God and His Unfaithful Wife

[Study Aired May 29, 2023]

Num 5:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 5:2  Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: 
Num 5:3  Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell. 
Num 5:4  And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel. 
Num 5:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 5:6  Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty; 
Num 5:7  Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. 
Num 5:8  But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him. 
Num 5:9  And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his. 
Num 5:10  And every man’s hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his. 
Num 5:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 5:12  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, 
Num 5:13  And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; 
Num 5:14  And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: 
Num 5:15  Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 
Num 5:16  And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD: 
Num 5:17  And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:
Num 5:18  And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:
Num 5:19  And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
Num 5:20  But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: 
Num 5:21  Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; 
Num 5:22  And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. 
Num 5:23  And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water: 
Num 5:24  And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.
Num 5:25  Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar: 
Num 5:26  And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water. 
Num 5:27  And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. 
Num 5:28  And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. 
Num 5:29  This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; 
Num 5:30  Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
Num 5:31  Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

Overview

Numbers chapter 5 can be divided into two parts. The first part deals with defilement in the camp of the Israelites, the corporate action to be taken and the guilt of one’s sinning against the Lord. The second part focuses on an unfaithful wife over whom her husband is jealous and the need for the unfaithful wife to undergo a test of unfaithfulness with the water of bitterness. As we indicated at the beginning of the study of Numbers, the book focuses on the formation of an army of the Lord. As an army, the key conditions in winning a war are that the people are physically and mentally sound for battle and that they are loyal to their commander in chief.  Being physically fit means the absence of disease or wounds, and having a mentally sound or fit posture means having a winning mentality. When there is an infectious outbreak of disease or if there are several wounded soldiers in an army, there is no way the army can win a war. During our time in the physical churches of this world (Babylon), there was defilement in our camps, and as a result, our camps were filled with infectious disease of sin. There was therefore no way for us to defeat the enemy – our flesh. This is what the Lord said about our state when we were in Babylon:  

Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken anymore? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 
Isa 1:6  From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

Similarly, if we are already defeated in our minds regarding a war we are going to wage, it is a recipe for disaster as we shall surely end up being defeated. For example, when Moses sent spies to Jericho as Israel prepared to fight them, a type of our flesh, they were defeated in their minds because of the evil report of the spies, except for Joshua and Caleb. This is what they said: 

Num 13:31  But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 
Num 13:32  And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 
Num 13:33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. 

As the army commander of the army of the Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ knows all the issues that can result in our total defeat by the evil one.  

Jos 5:13  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 
Jos 5:14  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

The Lord, being our army commander, therefore, prepares us for battle by first destroying all that is within our hearts and minds as He comes to take residence in our heavens. This is what the word of the Lord says about this:

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 
Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 
Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

In today’s study, the Lord is teaching us what to do in order to have an army which is totally fit for battle against our flesh when there is contagious disease in our midst. The second part of the study focuses on our unfaithfulness as the wife of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our army commander and His demand for us to be faithful to Him and not provoke Him to jealousy.

1Co 10:22  Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Num 5:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 5:2  Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: 

Three things are mentioned here as having the propensity to defile the people of God, or the Lord’s army, and therefore cause them to be defeated. They are leprosy, discharges and uncleanness resulting from contact with the dead. Leprosy signifies the evil that naturally issues from the natural man. The reason that all humanity naturally commits evil is because of the beast within every individual. This beast is the same as our old man or flesh. In this sense, we are all leprous except for the grace of the Lord Who has delivered us from our rebellious old man. According to the word of the Lord, leprosy is the result of our rebellion against God’s authority. This is illustrated by Aaron and Miriam who rebelled against the Lord’s designated leader, Moses, who represents Christ.

Num 12:1  And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 
Num 12:2  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
Num 12:3  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) 
Num 12:4  And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 
Num 12:5  And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 
Num 12:9  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. 
Num 12:10  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

As we can see, our old man, or the beast within us, rebels against the Lord and His designated authority which is His elect. We were all leprous before Christ came into our lives to transform us.  

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 
Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 
Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 
Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 

Just as leprosy is highly infectious, so is sin. If a member of the body whose walk is as an enemy of the cross of Christ and is not dealt with, over time many members of the body will be defiled and will walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. This was what happened to the Philippian church in Paul’s time.

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

The second disease mentioned in verse 2 has to do with those with discharges from their bodies. These are uncontrolled or unrestrained emissions from the body due to a diseased body. In the spiritual sense, these discharges constitute one being without control and unbridled in relation to the deeds of the flesh, such as one’s temper, covetousness, likes, and dislikes. This is a discharge, an issue of the natural man. If a member of the body is inordinate in wrath or drunkenness, for example, and the body of Christ does not deal with such a person, the whole body will be infected. This was what happened to the church in Corinth when the man who slept with his father’s wife was allowed to continue fellowshipping. The man is an example of one who has a discharge, as he is not able to control his passions. 

1Co 5:1  It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 
1Co 5:2  And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. (ESV)

The third disease has to do with uncleanness due to contact with the dead. We become spiritually unclean when we take in or accept the teachings of those who are spiritually dead. That is what characterized our walk with Christ when we were in Babylon. We accepted the teachings of our leaders who were spiritually dead and so we became defiled.

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

This is to warn us to be circumspect as a body of those who try to introduce heresies originating from their revered men of God who are dead spiritually or from within themselves (idols of the heart). If the body of Christ does not deal swiftly with such people who have contacted the dead and therefore have their minds corrupted by the simplicity which is in Christ and as a result, introduces heresies, the whole church will become defiled.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Num 5:3  Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.
Num 5:4  And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.

All the three categories of infectious diseases must be dealt with swiftly by removing them from fellowship. As we indicated earlier, Paul warned the Corinthian church concerning the gentleman who slept with his father’s wife to be removed from the assembly.

1Co 5:9  I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 
1Co 5:10  not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 
1Co 5:11  But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 
1Co 5:12  For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 
1Co 5:13  God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (ESV)

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 
2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 
2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Num 5:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 5:6  Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty; 
Num 5:7  Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. 

In these verses, we can see that to deal with our sins or guilt, we must confess our sins. This is what the word of the Lord says about confessing our sins:

1Jn 1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1Jn 1:10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

Apart from confessing our sins, we should go to the one we have wronged and make restitution for our sins. In verse 5, we are required to add one-fifth to the trespass to the one we wronged. We have all committed sins of which we are all to pay restitution. However, we did not have what it takes to pay for restitution. For example, the bible says that hating a brother or sister amounts to murder. We were therefore all guilty of murder. Our Lord Jesus Christ therefore paid for the restitution we were to pay by offering the ultimate sacrifice of His life. The Lord’s coming to us is a time of restitution!!

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 
Act 3:20  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 
Act 3:21  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Num 5:8  But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him. 
Num 5:9  And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his. 
Num 5:10  And every man’s hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his. 

If the wronged person is deceased, then the restitution should go to a relative. However, if the deceased did not have a relative to whom restitution may be made, the restitution must be made to the Lord, who is represented by the priest. As we have indicated, Jesus Christ is our restitution, and He is the ram of atonement on our behalf. 

1Jn 2:2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Num 5:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 5:12  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, 
Num 5:13  And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;
Num 5:14  And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: 

Since the Lord is Spirit and we are of the flesh, the Lord uses the day-to-day occurrences of life to teach us spiritual truth about who He is. Understanding spiritual things is therefore dependent on knowing the physical types.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Here in these verses, a man is jealous of His wife even though he is not sure whether his wife has defiled herself with another man or not. We know from the word of the Lord that we are the church, or the assembly of the elect, which is the wife of Christ. So, these verses show us the jealousy of the Lord for His church. 

Zec 1:14  So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

Zec 8:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

Isa 54:5  For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. 
Isa 54:6  For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. 

Unlike a natural man, our Lord knows all that His wife does – whether she has defiled herself or not. The Lord wants us to know how He feels towards us when we are enchanted by the evil one. Of course, it is the Lord Himself who directs our steps to be enchanted by the enemy.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

The whole essence of bringing the issue of infidelity before a priest is for us to become aware, not only of our sins, but to let us know that our Lord is jealous of us. The Lord’s jealousy leads to judgment which results in our deliverance from our enemies. In other words, unlike man’s jealousy which kills, the Lord’s jealousy is for salvation – delivers us from our enemies. Once we become aware of our infidelity, then the occasion has come for the Lord to judge us. It is through this judgment that we learn to be faithful to the Lord. 

Pro 6:34  For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

Isa 42:13  The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Num 5:15  Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 

It is very instructive in verse 15 to note that the man who is accusing his wife of unfaithfulness is the one who brings her or drags her to the priest and also pays for the offering for the wife which is one-tenth of an ephah. What this means is that it is the Lord who drags us to an elect (a priest) to help us to offer a sacrifice of jealousy. This offering of jealousy is the fiery trials we go through as it causes us to remember our iniquity. For example, it was through the trial to which Joseph subjected his brothers, that they recalled their sins (which nobody knows except them) in treating him wrongly.

Gen 42:19  If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 
Gen 42:20  But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. 
Gen 42:21  And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
Gen 42:22  And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. 
Gen 42:23  And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

The offering of jealousy is one-tenth worth of barley meal. In the Bible one-tenth or a tenth spiritually signifies a remnant or the remains, which represent the elect. What this means is that the offering of a tenth of a barley meal is offered only by the elect. In other words, it is the elect (the remnant) who are being judged in this age because of our infidelity. The offering of jealousy is therefore a symbol of the elect submitting to the judgment of the Lord so that we learn righteousness.

Amo 5:2  “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.”
Amo 5:3  For thus says the Lord GOD: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred (a tenth) left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten (a tenth) left to the house of Israel.”  

Lev 27:30  “Every tithe (one tenth) of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.
Lev 27:31  If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 
Lev 27:32  And every tithe (one-tenth) of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD.

Num 5:16  And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:
Num 5:17  And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:
Num 5:18  And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:

As we have indicated, the priest represents the elect. It is through what the elect say that we are drawn closer to Christ. In verse 17, the holy water in earthen vessels is the truth of the word of the Lord which is spoken by the elect who are earthen vessels.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

As we know, humanity came from the dust and therefore represents dust. The putting of dust into the holy water is to pollute the water with man’s tradition and wisdom.

Gen 3:19  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

It is very important to note that the dust was put into the water by the priest. We, His elect, are the priest, who is also Christ. We can therefore say that the false doctrines we imbibe in Babylon are all part of the counsel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as He is the one who puts dust in the Holy water.

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

Num 5:19  And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
Num 5:20  But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: 
Num 5:21  Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
Num 5:22  And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

The polluted water, or the false doctrines, we imbibe in Babylon causes us to become unfruitful and also make our bellies swell. Being barren or unfruitful signifies our inability to produce the fruits of the spirit. In the Bible, our belly signifies the flesh as shown in the following verses:

Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

1Co 6:13  Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

The belly swelling therefore signifies the manifestation or the showing forth of the deeds of our flesh. As we drink bitter water or accept false doctrines, we become unfruitful and worse off. This is the curse that we, as the unfaithful wife of the Lord Jesus, were under during our sojourn in Babylon.

Num 5:23  And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water: 
Num 5:24  And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.
Num 5:25  Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:
Num 5:26  And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
Num 5:27  And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

As indicated earlier, the Lord wants us to know that we have been unfaithful to Him so that He can help us to become faithful wives. The whole ordeal that the woman endured is to reveal to the woman her sins so that she can be saved. The belly swelling signifies the revealing of the deeds of the flesh. These verses show us that the false doctrines we imbibe in Babylon are all ways the Lord uses to bring forth our sins so He can deliver us. As long as we are oblivious of our sins, that is being blind spiritually, our sins remain and therefore, we are under a curse!! The unfaithful woman in this study is also Babylon who is under a curse!

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Joh 9:39  Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
Joh 9:40  Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
Joh 9:41  Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Num 5:28  And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
Num 5:29  This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; 
Num 5:30  Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
Num 5:31  Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

We are first the woman who was unfaithful to her husband and therefore was under a curse, before we become the faithful woman who is fruitful. As shown in verse 28, this woman who has not been defiled is free. This woman is Jerusalem above or the church of the firstborn who is free from bondage to sin and fruitful (will have more children), of which we all belong!!! Amen!!

Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

In summary, the test for chastity is to show us that as His elect, we are to love only our husband Jesus Christ with all our hearts, soul and mind. He wants us to have no one else and nothing else, other than Him, as our only first and unique love. We can of ourselves do nothing in terms of loving Him as our first and unique love. However, He who has called us is capable of dragging us to the finish line by causing us to love Him!!

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

May His name be praised forever!! Amen!!

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