INCURRING GUILT

“’Tell the people of Isra’el, “When a man or woman commits any kind of sin against another person and thus breaks faith with Adonai, he incurs guilt. He must confess the sin which he has committed; and he must make full restitution for his guilt, add twenty percent and give it to the victim of his sin.”’”
Numbers 5:6-7

As we have seen many times in reading throughout the Torah, or reading through the entire Bible, Adonai does not put up with sin. Now, here in Numbers 5, as the Tabernacle begins to become a part of their daily lives, we see once more how Adonai has no tolerance for those who go against His will. As this portion opens we read concerning those who have tzara’at. In studying this already, we know that this disease made one unclean. It makes sense then that Adonai would state that anyone unclean in this way would be expelled from the camp. Added to this now, though, is anyone who had become unclean by touching a corpse. Adonai lived among His people and both clean and unclean could not be in the same place.
In reading the next portion of this parashah, I begin to see a parallel. Just as clean and unclean could not be in the same place, so also sin could not reside in holiness. Growing up I heard this many times. “Be careful who your friends are. If they are rotten they will only make you rotten too.” How I wish I had heeded those words many times looking back now. It was in my allowance of unclean, of darkness, and ultimately of sin, that I compromised the holiness of my own tabernacle. But still there is hope.
In sinning, I committed guilt. In reading this portion I see where Adonai states that to the one who has committed guilt, restitution can be made. “He must confess the sin which he has committed; and he must make full restitution for his guilt…” In essence, he was to go back to the one he sinned against and make it right, plus some. It was in the confessing of the sin and in making restitution that forgiveness was found. Is this not in agreement with what John also wrote? “If we acknowledge our sins, then, since he is trustworthy and just, he will forgive them and purify us from all wrongdoing” (I Jn 1:9). The connection is there, both in the Old and in the New. When sin has been done, we remain under the guilt of it till confession is made.
I have no intention of incurring more guilt, but how comforting to know that I am removed from the guilt though confession and restitution.

Numbers 5:1-10