Numbers 5

Wow, we went from rather mundane chapters about who had what responsibility in caring for the Tabernacle to a very interesting, and very controversial, test for a women suspected of infidelity. There are several things that come to my mind reading over this section of Scripture:

- We must remember that this is indeed Scripture, and as such cannot be dismissed as we would the idea of a witch trial. God put this law in place for a reason, and there is something we can learn from its inclusion in the Bible.

- That being said, this does seem to run a different course than many laws. Most deal with punishments for crimes or sins, but this one talks about a test for use in situations where wrongdoing was suspected but there was no proof or witnesses. That alone makes it stand out, but the methodology of the test is even more odd.

- The way it is described almost seems shamanistic, or magical, but we must remember that God can do anything. The only conclusion I can come to is that God would honor this test if used, and actually step in and make the mixture affect or not affect an accused woman as appropriate (since of course He knows all events, motives, and thoughts).

- It is also possible that the threat of this 'curse', on a woman who had committed adultery, might have been enough to get a confession from the vast majority of people rightly accused. I suppose the traditional punishment for adultery was death, so maybe this isn't correct, but it is something to consider. Also, those who were truly innocent would have nothing to fear if they believed that God was indeed in charge.

- For some reason, this test is only described as applying to a woman... what if a wife suspected her husband of cheating? Why was that left out, or will it be dealt with in a later section?