Numbers 5

Jesus taught that as long as unresolved wrongs and wrong attitudes remained between people, their offerings would not be acceptable to God. He said: “. . . leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23–24).

The Test for an Unfaithful Wife (5:11–31)

11–15 In the previous section, the Lord gave laws dealing with wrongdoing that could be proven; in this section the Lord deals with wrongdoing that is not admitted but is hidden. Even private, hidden sins defile a whole community, because they are not hidden from God; unless such sins are exposed, confessed, and atoned for, the community risks losing God’s blessing and God’s presence. Thus a means is provided here for exposing the guilty person; the particular example given concerns an unfaithful wife.

Often a husband’s feeling of jealousy is the only indication that his wife may be acting unfaithfully (verse 14). In male–dominated cultures a wife, even though innocent, is at the mercy of her husband. However, in Israel this law gave the wife protection from a jealous husband. The husband couldn’t take matters into his own hands; he had to bring his wife to the priest¹⁹ (verse 15), who would then bring her before the LORD (verse 16). It would be the Lord who judged: if the wife was truly guilty, she would be punished; if she was innocent, her honor would be restored. Thus a husband would think twice before bringing a frivolous charge against his wife; if she was judged innocent, he would be shown to be either a fool or a villain.

The law described in this section may seem harsh to our modern ears, but it was in fact merciful. After all, the wife in question was suspected of committing adultery, a very serious crime in God’s sight (see Exodus 20:14 and comment); if there had been witnesses to her unfaithfulness, she would have received the death penalty (Leviticus 20:10).

16–31 How was the Lord going to reveal His judgment concerning the guilt or innocence of the suspected wife? The answer: by having her drink some holy water (verse 17). If she was guilty, the Lord would cause her thigh to waste away and her abdomen to swell (verse 21)—a figurative way of saying that she would be unable to have children or, if already pregnant, that she would miscarry. If she was innocent, she would be able to have children (verse 28). Bearing children was by far a woman’s greatest role in ancient times; so, for the guilty woman, being unable to bear children was a grievous punishment indeed.

How did the water work? It was called the bitter water that brings a curse (verse 18). The water wasn’t magical; it wasn’t necessarily even bitter in taste. The adding of dust from the tabernacle floor (verse 17) symbolically made the water holy, but it was still only natural water and natural dust. Yet it was set apart for God’s special use; God can use any means He chooses to demonstrate His judgments. In this case, if the woman was guilty, He used this natural, physical water to bring about a physical change in her body—the “bitter curse” of barrenness.²⁰

Whenever there is uncertainty about some wrongdoing and there are no eyewitnesses, we must let God be the judge. He knows all things, and He judges with perfect fairness.