Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: The Lord gives Moses instructions for lepers, unfaithful wives, and Nazarite vows, and He gives Aaron a priestly blessing to bless the people with.
The Lord tells Moses to tell Israel to put the lepers, those with a discharge, and anyone who touches a corpse outside the camp so as not to defile it. If a man commits a sin, he must confess and make restitution plus add 1/5 of what he has taken and give it to the one he has wronged. If he has no relative to give restitution to, he must give it to the priest along with a ram of atonement. Every holy offering and all holy items will belong to the priest. If any man's wife is unfaithful, but there is no proof, and a "spirit of jealousy comes upon him," or if she is innocent and he becomes jealous and thinks she has been unfaithful, he should bring her to the priest with an offering of grain (to remember iniquities), and the priest should bring her before the Lord. He should put holy water and dust in an earthen vessel, uncover her head, and put the offering in her hand, along with the "bitter water," and put her under oath. He will will pronounce her free from the bitter water if she is innocent, but if she is guilty, he will pronounce a curse on her, that the "bitter water" may have an ill-effect on her body. The,n she should take the grain offering in her hand and drink the water. (She will say, "Amen" to his pronouncement.) The Lord says she will become a curse among her people if the water causes her body to rot away (proving she is guilty), but if she is innocent, the water will have no effect, and she will be blessed and have more children. This will be the way to find out if the woman is guilty or innocent of marital infidelity.
The Lord tells Moses if a man or woman decides to take a Nazarite vow, he or she should not drink wine or alcohol or grape juice or even eat grapes or raisins. He must not shave his or her head until he fulfills the days for which he has separated himself for the Lord. He must also not even go near a dead body, not even his family members when they die. If anyone dies beside him, then he must shave his dead on the seventh day (after isolation) and on the 8th bring a sacrifice to the priest (two turtledoves.) He must also bring a lamb, and the days of his vow will start all over again, because he was defiled in being near a corpse. When his days of separation are fulfilled, he will present offerings to the Lord and shave his head and put his hair on the altar as a sacrifice.
The Lord tells Moses to tell Aaron and his sons how to bless the people of Israel. They are to say:
"The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."
Thoughts/Discussion Questions:
The price for marital unfaithfulness was a lot higher then than it is today!
What do you think about Nazarite vows being used today?
This is a lovely blessing that we can still use today!