Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 5:5-10
Maintaining Harmony In The Camp: Confession and Restitution For Sin and the Need For Atonement (Numbers 5:5).
Not only ritual uncleanness but a trespass against another would ‘defile the camp' and prevent Yahweh dwelling there, and cause dissension within the camp. This was especially true when another had suffered loss by the trespass. This was to be dealt with as prescribed, and if the wronged person was dead restitution must still be made, either to a relative or to Yahweh. The camp must be kept in harmony and in a state of rightness, without dissension, or unfairness, with all in its proper place so that Yahweh could walk there.
Analysis.
a A man or woman sins and commits a trespass against Yahweh. This is a trespass that has defrauded another and is thus a taking from Yahweh (Numbers 5:5).
b They must confess what they have done and give recompense to the one whom they have defrauded (Numbers 5:7).
c If the man or his kinsman is not available then he must recompense it to Yahweh (Numbers 5:8 a).
c He must offer the ram of atonement whereby atonement is made for him to Yahweh (Numbers 5:8 b).
b Every offering of holy things brought to the priest is his, (this is the offerer's recompense to Yahweh) (Numbers 5:9).
a Every man's ‘made holy' thing shall be the priest's, a giving to Yahweh (this is the exact opposite of a trespass which takes from Yahweh) (Numbers 5:10).
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Yahweh, and that person shall be guilty, then he shall confess his sin which he has done. And he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him in respect of whom he has been guilty.” '
All sin separates from God but for most sin the offerings and sacrifices provided the regular solution. However, in cases where the sin had caused loss by others and/or disruption with others, thus resulting in disharmony within the camp either physically or spiritually, special requirements were in place. These are dealt with in Leviticus 6:2; compare Exodus 22:1. This was to be a time of making right before setting out on their journey towards the land, a provision for keeping right on their journey, and a provision for keeping all in spiritual harmony once they were settled in the land. To Yahweh harmony among His people was an essential.
The sin in mind is first seen as a trespass against Yahweh. It is an indication that when we hurt Yahweh's people, we hurt Him. It is seen as ‘a sin that men commit', something which is a part of man's natural behaviour when he is not controlled by Yahweh and His Instruction. God was under no false illusions about the sinfulness of men's hearts. But the special uniqueness of this kind of trespass was that it directly affected others. It disrupted the holiness of the camp.
Leviticus 6:2 describes such sins in terms of ‘if any one sin, and commit a trespass against Yahweh, and deal falsely with his neighbour in a matter of a deposit, or of bargaining, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbour, or have found that which was lost, and deal falsely with regard to it, and swear to a lie.' The sins in mind are those of dishonesty with respect to a deposit not repaid when it should have been, the making of a false or unfair bargain, a deliberate theft (compare Exodus 22:1), the sin of oppressing or crowding a neighbour for financial gain, that of finding something that was lost and keeping it, or the making of a lie on oath. All had in one way or another caused loss to a neighbour.
Those who had done such things were to consider their position and act accordingly. First they were to openly admit what they had done and the guilt that was theirs because of it. Then they were to make recompense to the person against whom they had ‘trespassed' together with an additional one fifth for compensation. If the person was dead then recompense could be made to a kinsman (the whole family had suffered because of the trespass). The one who had sinned would also have to offer a guilt offering (Leviticus 6).
“ But if the man has no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made to Yahweh shall be the priest's, besides the ram of the atonement, by which atonement shall be made for him.”
And if there was no kinsman alive then the recompense and the compensation was to be paid to Yahweh, that is, to the Priest. On top of this restoration and compensation, atonement had to be made. Yahweh too had been robbed and mistreated, and His holiness had been trespassed on. Thus a ram had to be offered as a guilt offering as described in Leviticus 6:6. Thus would there be a death for the sin, and its consequences would be removed from the sinner.
The principle here is very important. What causes disharmony with man causes disharmony with God, and that is equally true when the disharmony is only known to God. Sin disrupts God's holiness and must therefore be fully dealt with so as, as far as possible, to remove all its traces.
“ And every heave-offering (or ‘contribution offering') of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present to the priest, shall be his.”
We may see this in terms of its contrast with Numbers 5:7. Not only was recompense to be made to the sinned against party, but it was also to be made to Yahweh Who had also been sinned against. Thus the contribution offering from the ram for atonement came to the priest as Yahweh's recompense.
But it may also be seen as generally referring to any attempt to withhold the contribution offerings from the priests. The heave-offerings or contribution offerings were those parts of an offering or sacrifice which were the priest's perquisite. There was to be no withholding them from the priest in any way. It was for the priest to decide what he would do with it as long as it was something which was right before God. So when men failed to offer the right offerings and sacrifices they robbed the priest (see Numbers 18:8; Leviticus 6:16 and often; Deuteronomy 18:1).
“ And every man's hallowed things shall be his. Whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.”
This last was also true of anything that men and women had vowed to Yahweh. Whatever had been made holy to Yahweh by a vow (see 30; Leviticus 27) belonged to the priest and must be dealt with honestly (compare Psalms 15:4). Any failure in this regard would affect the whole camp. That was the negative side.
But the positive is that this is in contrast to the behaviour of the man who had trespassed. He had defrauded his neighbour. But the man who sanctifies something to Yahweh and offers it as a holy gift is doing the opposite. He is demonstrating an open and generous heart. And such gifts also belong to the priests. For whatever is given to the priests is his.
Jesus in the New Testament brought home something of this situation. He said to those who followed Him that if they were bringing their gift to the altar (to God) and were suddenly convicted of something by which they had offended someone else, they were first to put right the situation before they offered their gift. Reconciliation with their neighbour must take place before offering worship. The implication is that as far as God was concerned worship had little value while the position continued (Matthew 5:23). He further pointed out that it might also prevent the neighbour's retaliation which could be costly (Numbers 5:26; Galatians 5:15).