And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter, and her body shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. Numbers 5:27-28
A very valuable question was brought to me regarding Numbers 5 this last week. It appears that some individuals have been using Numbers 5 as an apparent license to have abortions. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, what we find here is yet another example of God’s Divine provision that He has made to care for His people.
The situation described starting in Numbers 5:11 is in reference of a husband that suspects his wife of committing adultery but cannot prove it. The Law states there must be proof. “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death” (Deut. 17:6). The Law dictates that the punishment for adultery is death. “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” (Lev. 20:10). When we consider this charge, it is one with serious consequences. Jehovah is full of wisdom, righteousness, and holiness. He knew that at times these accusations/suspicions might be totally unfounded. The danger in such accusations is that if a husband suspected his wife of being unfaithful he might resort to violence to deal with her infidelity. The danger is clear that a man is stronger physically and could potentially kill his wife in a rage, even if she was innocent. So God created a test.
If a man supposed his wife to be unfaithful, he would take her to the priest. She would offer the meal offering of jealousy (Num 5:15). The priest will mix holy water with dust of the tabernacle floor. He will make her take an oath saying that she has not committed adultery. (Num 5:16-21). This mixture was not harmful to the human body and certainly not a form of chemical abortion as some have suggested. Rather, it is God who will enact the curse on a woman who lies. She is instructed to agree with the statement if it be true. If she lies, God will enact a curse. What is the curse?
If she is lying, she will be cursed among her people. The Lord will show this because the concoction she drank will cause her to swell and her thigh will rot (cf. Num 5:27).The Word of God tells us there will be physical showing of the curse. It says nothing about a miscarriage or anything of the like in the text. What will occur is her body will swell and her thigh will rot. She will be barren. This is the curse that God will enact. You will physically be able to tell she is lying by the curse. Moreover, the following verse tells us that if she is not defiled, she will conceive seed (cf. Num 5:28). If she is innocent she will bear children, if she is not innocent, she will not.
One of the most beautiful things we can observe is that God has put these provisions to protect those who could easily be discriminated against. God is not just pro-woman, He is pro-human! Righteous men keep the law of the Lord. God required two to three witnesses for a capital punishment case. If that was not possible but a husband suspected his wife of adultery, there was a process to find the truth and not give the devil an opportunity to cause sin where there might not be any. We are not under the law of Moses (Col 2:14, Heb 12:24, Gal 2:21) but the value of human life is clearly seen in Numbers 5 as with the rest of the Scriptures.
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
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