Numbers 5

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Command the sons of Israel that they put out of the campevery leper and everyone that has an issue, and whoever is defiled by a dead body. You shall put out both male and female. You shall put them outside the camp so that they do not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell.
(Num 5:1-3)

There is to be NO defilement where the Lord dwells! The New Testament tells us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. My body is a temple for the Lord to dwell in. Your body is a temple for the Lord to dwell in. The idea extends even further though… when Christians are gathered together, we ALL become a LARGE temple for the Lord to dwell in. The Israelites camp was like this. When they were all together, they provided a wonderful dwelling for the Lord; a place separated from the world, separated unto Him.

There was to be no defiling element in the presence of the Lord… all things that could compromise His holiness, and their set-apartness, had to be pushed out. Leprosy, an issue, or being in contact with something dead… all those things meant you had to be removed from fellowship.

It is a great picture for us of our lives spiritually… both as individuals and as a body. We don’t want any leprous sin to be allowed to continue in us, no defiling issue that could contaminate others, and no defilement from messing around with things that have long been dead to us. All of those things must be left outside the camp. As those who are Holy, set apart for Jesus, we have no business involving ourselves in that which can defile. We need to be on the look out for things that can defile us… as well as be willing to speak into the lives of our brothers and sisters when they are toying dangerously with defilement. If we love the Lord, and we love one another, we will do this. If defilement exists in a persons life, then fellowship with the Lord is broken. They no longer experience the closeness. Stay close to Jesus, keep yourself “DEFILEMENT FREE”.