Numbers 19:11-22 – Sin must be dealt with, even if it seem small

In Numbers 19, the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron on the need for cleansing and purification for one who had come in contact with a dead body. If the person was not cleansed and purified, he would be cut off from the assembly. The uncleaned person if allowed to remain in the assembly would contaminate the Sanctuary of the Lord. In the first 10 verses, we learned how ashes were prepared from an unblemished, undefective red heifer to be mixed with water for the cleansing and purification process.

In Numbers 19:11-22, God dealt at length with the cleansing process a person needed to go through when he or she had contacted a dead body, whether intentionally or unintentionally. We will not deal with the process of what a contaminated Israelite must do when he had contacted a dead body which these verses elaborated. Instead, we will talk about the message God wants to convey to us.

Why was contamination with a dead body used to illustrate sin and impurity?  God used a dead body to illustrate to us concerning the contaminating effect of sin, regardless of how minor the sin might seem to be. Not many of us have ever seen a decaying dead body. A dead body when left alone will decay in a short while. Once decay has set in, the body will rot. That putrefaction will cause the rotten body to emit an extremely noxious and foul smell. This is the best way to see the effect of sin. If it is undealt with, like death that causes a body to putrefy, so also will sin. It will cause spiritual putrefaction. The effect of sin will be offensive to God, like the rotten smell of a dead decaying body.

Another element that has been used to illustrate the effect of sin is the yeast a person uses to bake bread. A little of it will affect a small lump of dough making it puff up. In much the same way a little sin will not just contaminate the person alone, it will also influence the whole community. This is clearly seen earlier in how the grumbling affected the whole camp of Israel.  So it must be dealt with swiftly. Just like a person needing cleansing after contacting a dead body, so also must any sin committed by us be dealt with swiftly.

Why God required such an elaborate purifying process concerning contacting a dead body is to impress on us the gravity of sin. We need to deal with the slightest presence of sin in our life so that it will not be like yeast, where a little will affect a whole lump of dough. If not dealt with, sin like a dead body can decay and emit an unwelcome result. Besides, it will contaminate and influence the whole community. That is the gravity of sin when unrepented and unresolved. So every time the Holy Spirit brings a conviction of sin, do not procrastinate, deal with it immediately. That is the way to spiritual health and vitality.