The book of Numbers contains several scriptural parables. Chapter 5 describes an unusual ceremony for husbands who are suspicious that there wives are having an affair. She is given some Holy water which has been made bitter. If she is guilty of adultery, the book of Numbers says that she will suffer pain, otherwise she will be completely fine. This is a parable for the present time. The woman being accused of adultery represents followers of Paul as described here. Anyone guilty of this type of adultery will feel the 'pain'. Other people, especially those who lead lifestyles that are in line with following Jesus (e.g. foreign aid workers), should not feel the pain.

Chapter 6 describes rules for the Nazerites. Nazerites were people who were especially dedicated to the Old Testament god. Jesus came from Nazareth, and the words sound very similar – this implies that followers of Jesus are especially dedicated to God. They show their dedication by not having their hair cut (heir to the throne of God – Jesus), which represents following Jesus. In his final teaching, Jesus represents those who are innocent dying because of the sins of others (see "Meaning of the Crucifixion"); the consequences of sin is suffering and death. By following Jesus, we are not guilty of putting him (or rather, those who he represents in his teachings) to death. Modern day sin bearers include those who are dying from poverty-related causes.

Interestingly, the Nazerites are not supposed to drink any wine at all; this perhaps indicates who the people of God are – those who follow Jesus instead of attending churches and drinking Holy Communion wine. This chapter also agrees with what Jesus says about family (e.g. Matthew 10:34-39). We must prioritise the teachings of Jesus over any objections from our family:

Numbers 6:6-7
Their hair is a sign of dedication to God, and so they must not defile themselves by going near a corpse, not even that of their father, mother, brother or sister. As long as they are Nazerites, they are consecrated to the Lord.

Jesus refers to people who do not follow him as being dead (e.g. "let the dead bury their own dead" – Matthew 8:22) and this is what is meant by a "corpse" in the passage above. The full implications of this are discussed in "Parables and General Issues".

6:17-20 describes what happens when a Nazerite stops being a Nazerite (if they start attending church services). It describes Holy Communion. 6:19: "the priest shall take it and put it, together with one thick loaf of bread and one biscuit from the basket, into the hands of the Nazerite." 6:20: "After that the Nazerite may drink wine."

Chapter 16 describes a punishment for a group of Levites (priests). A small number of them rebelled against the leadership of Moses. Moses led the Israelites to safety and therefore represents Jesus. This chapter is a warning to modern day ministers – rebelling against Jesus and following Paul instead will result in consequences paralleling those described in 16:25-35, where they got eaten up by the Earth and went to the world of the dead with their possessions.

18:1-2: "The Lord said to Aaron, 'You, your sons and the Levites must suffer the consequences of any guilt connected with serving in the Tent of my presence."

In chapter 20, the Israelites were in a desert with no water to drink. Moses struck a rock and water came out. The rock may represent the island of La Palma (see the letter on "Luke 21:21").