Numbers 5:6–7: “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness against the LORD, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess the sin which he has done. He shall make restitution for his trespass in full value plus one-fifth of it, and give it to the one he has wronged.’”

January 15th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

At first reading, this may not seem to be speaking to us as 21st century, New Testament believers, but it has been recorded here so believers of every age will understand the real meaning of sin. Simply put, to commit sin is to be unfaithful to God, to break trust, to act in a disloyal way toward Him. Here in Numbers 5, when someone did so, God required two things from the guilty party. First the sinner had to be brutally honest about his fault. He had to come to God and confess that he had sinned against Him. It was not a time for lame excuses, explanations, justifications, or defenses. Second, restitution had to be made. In the Old Testament the sinner was required to restore the full amount of the offense plus one-fifth or 120 percent.

In the New Testament we find the well known story of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. He had defrauded people when he collected their taxes. His response after salvation in Luke 19:8 was “Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” Of course four times the amount taken was far more than what Numbers 5 specified for restitution. But it revealed something about the heart of this man. He was extremely thankful for the forgiveness he sensed God had given him. We also find in the New Testament that John the Baptist said to those coming to him for baptism that they should show “fruit in keeping with repentance.” He was saying that it should be obvious in a person’s life when salvation comes.

Several years ago, while teaching on this subject, I told a story of my own guilt over a baseball glove I had stolen when I was in middle school. After my salvation experience, I felt convicted to repay the amount of the glove to the sporting goods store I had stolen it from. It did seem a little strange since it had been almost twenty years, but out of obedience I sent them a letter of explanation along with a check for the glove plus interest. After sharing my story in the teaching, I learned that my letter of restitution seemed to have played a small part in the elderly owner of the store coming to a personal relationship with Christ.

“May repentance and simply making things right bring eternal benefits to others this day. In Jesus’ Name we pray.”