This post is all about dedications - of the Nazarite, the greatest of whom was Jesus, the tabernacle and the priests. It includes an obscure but enlightening law about jealousy.
Sundry laws (chapter 5)
The law on leprosy was
enforced and all with issue, male or female, were exiled until they could be
shown to be in remission, in which case a way back was offered.
Then God articulated
the law applicable to an offence between individuals, which basically boiled
down to compensation plus 1/5th.
If the offended party
or a kinsman could not receive the compensation it was paid to the treasury. The
objective was to provide a way to remove guilt and put things right.
In the middle of all
that, verse 10 makes it clear that a man’s property is his and is, as such,
hallowed. It is a remarkable inclusion relating to the contemporary right to own property.
Then came the law of jealousies. It’s a very
strange law.
In principle if a
woman committed adultery, she was stoned. However, if her guilt could not be
proved, the law of jealousies stepped in.
If a man suspect that his wife had cheated on him, the law required the woman to appear in th3 courtyard with her head uncovered, implying she was not protected by her husband.
Then
she was adjured, a legal instrument that the high priest used to get Jesus to
testify against himself, which in that usage was illegal.
Adjure was the strongest possible means to secure a swearing under oath and it carried the implications of perjury.
It did not invoke proof, it just imposed the kind of conditions that would prompt a guilty confession if
guilty, or confirm innocence if innocent.
She would merely have
to say amen to questions raised under oath and then had to drink bitter
water, a mixture of the water from the laver and dust. The threat over that was
that if she was guilty, her guilt would eat at her and the bitterness would
have its way.
This appears to have
been a compromise provided by God to avoid a husband punishing his wife
unjustly, whilst doing the best that the law could do to elicit a confession, a
noble departure from the methods used by pagan cultures.
It is a very subtle
law designed to strike a fine balance between the need for justice and the
rights of the accused and it reflects real legal sophistication.
However, it was so austere that it is never recorded as having been used, probably because divorce was a less onerous but legal option.
The law of the Nazarite (Chapter 6)
This is full of
wonder. A Nazarite swore an oath of consecration, symbolized by his not cutting
his hair. The oath included total abstinence from wine or vinegar.
What a contradiction
that Jesus was offered only that on the cross. He fulfilled His vow though and
declined the vinegar.
The law further precluded any grape products, dried or moist. How amazing that the one
who will yet tread the wine-press of the wrath of God, distanced Himself from
any of that as He bore the judgment of sin on our behalf.
The Nazarite could be
defiled if he sinned or caused the death of another. He would
then shave all His hair and bring the appropriate sacrifices to the altar.
The conclusion of the
chapter brings a poignant seal to the oath of the Nazarite with the well-loved
blessing, “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine
upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon
thee, and give thee peace.”
The dedication of the tabernacle (Chapter 7)
12 Oxen were brought
to the dedication, one for each tribe (including the two half-tribes). They
were brought on six wagons, with two tribes represented by each.
The wagons were
distributed to the Levitical families, but not to Kohath, because they did not
serve in the tabernacle, but were its porters.
Then followed a solemn
procession as each tribal head offered a silver charger with the redemption
money, the meal offering, a young bullock, a ram, a lamb, a golden spoon of
incense and a kid for the sin offering.
They also made their peace
offerings. On that day 24 oxen died, and 60 each of rams, lambs and goats, not a lot in the context of a few million souls but it was a
heady occasion.
When the dedication
was done, Moses entered the tabernacle and heard the voice of God speaking to
him from the ark.
The dedication of the priests (Chapter 8)
Moses obeyed God and
lit the golden candlestick.
Then all the Levites
were washed and brought before the bullocks, to transfer their offences, before
being commissioned to the work of the service.
They were held as
consecrated to God, as symbolic firstborn sons of God. They were surrendered to
the service of the tabernacle from age 25 to age 50. The contradiction in age
of commencement indicates that they started their apprenticeship at age
25.
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
