Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Numbers
Book: Numbers
Chapter: 5
Overview:
The unclean to be removed out of the
Camp, Restitution to be
made for trespasses.
(1-10) The trial of
Jealousy.
(11-31)
1-10 The
Camp was to be cleansed. The purity of the
Church must
be kept as carefully as the peace and order of it. Every
polluted Israelite must be separated. The
Wisdom from above is
first pure, then peaceable. The greater profession of religion
any
House or family makes, the more they are obliged to
Put away
iniquity far from them. If a
Man overreach or defraud his
Brother in any matter, it is a trespass against the
Lord, who
strictly charges and commands us to do justly. What is to be
done when a
Man's awakened
Conscience charges him with guilt of
this kind, though done long ago? He must confess his
Sin,
confess it to
God, confess it to his neighbour, and take shame
to himself; though it go against him to own himself in a
Lie,
yet he must do it. Satisfaction must be made for the
Offence
done to
God, as
Well as for the loss sustained
By the neighbour;
restitution in that case is not enough without
Faith and
Repentance. While that which is wrongly gotten is knowingly
kept, the guilt remains
On the
Conscience, and is not done away
By Sacrifice or
Offering, prayers or tears; for it is the same
act of
Sin persisted in. This is the doctrine of right reason,
and of the
Word of God. It detects hypocrites, and directs the
tender
Conscience to proper conduct, which, springing from
Faith
in
Christ, will make way for inward peace.
11-31 This
Law would make the women of
Israel watch against
giving cause for suspicion.
On the other
Hand, it would hinder
the cruel treatment such suspicions might occasion. It would
also hinder the guilty from escaping, and the innocent from
coming under just suspicion. When
No proof could be brought, the
Wife was called
On to make this solemn
Appeal to a
Heart-searching
God.
No Woman, if she were guilty, could say
"
Amen" to the
Adjuration, and
Drink the water after it, unless
she disbelieved the
Truth of
God, or defied his
Justice. The
water is called the
Bitter water, because it caused the
Curse.
Thus
Sin is called an evil and a
Bitter thing. Let all that
meddle with forbidden pleasures, know that they will be
bitterness in the latter
End. From the whole learn, 1. Secret
sins are known to
God, and sometimes are strangely brought to
Light in this
Life; and that there is a
Day coming when
God
will,
By Christ,
Judge the secrets of men according to the
Gospel, Ro 2:16. 2 In particular, Whoremongers and adulterers
God will surely
Judge. Though we have not now the waters of
Jealousy, yet we have
God's
Word, which ought to be as great a
terror. Sensual lusts will
End in bitterness. 3.
God will
manifest the innocency of the innocent. The same
Providence is
for good to some, and for hurt to others. And it will answer the
purposes which
God intends.