Accountability – Are we Healthy? | Numbers 5-10

What does God seek to accomplish when he calls his people to practice biblical accountability?

Biblical accountability strengthens the spiritual health of his people by…

1. Correcting what is wrong: protecting us from the dangers of hypocrisy (Numbers 5).
   1. Physical impurity: quarantine and exclusion (5:1-4).
   2. Relational injustice: confession and restitution (5:5-10).
   3. Marital infidelity: Divine discipline (5:11-31).
2. Encouraging what is right: keeping the fire where it needs to be (Numbers 6-10).
   1. Volunteer consecration: the Nazirite vow (6:1-21).
   2. God’s blessing (6:24-27).
   3. Leadership integrity: skin in the game (ch. 7-8).
   4. Community unity: good times, tough times (9:1-14, 10).
   5. God’s guidance (9:15-23).

God calls us to a spiritual health check up. When he wants those who are faithful to become more fruitful, Get ready for the harvest!

1. What has the Lord been telling you is time to leave behind? Scripture encourages us to lay aside every weight and sin (Heb. 12:1). If there is something trying to get in the way of your commitment to Christ, this may be God’s call to lay it aside.
2. God’s discipline is a sign of God’s love (Heb. 12:5-6). When we cling to sin, God’s love makes it necessary for him to discipline us. Do you want to grow by instruction or correction?
3. God’s preferred way to produce maturity is instruction followed by obedience. If you are abiding in his word, God promises to those who are faithful to make them fruitful (see Psalm 1, John 8:31-32, 15:2). Are you ready to move to a season of greater fruitfulness after his pruning?