The Jealousy Ritual (Numbers 5:11)

In Numbers there is a ritual called the jealousy ritual. Back in those days it seemed to be a way to prove if a woman had been unfaithful ( but not caught in the act.) Her husband could find out with certainty whether or not she had been unfaithful.

The ritual was that if the man felt jealous and suspected that his wife had been unfaithful then the husband would bring his wife to a priest along with some barley as an offering. It gets a bit complex but the bottom line was that the woman took an oath, and drank some bitter water… if she was innocent, she would be fine. If she was guilty then the bitter water would make her ill to the point of death. Being unfaithful was a very serious matter.

On one hand it seems very extreme, not to mention that it is totally one sided, what if the man was unfaithful? What if he'd been beating her? Questions that are not addressed in numbers but what it made me realize is how far we've come from Numbers 5:11 in terms of the sacredness of the marriage vow. I think the last statistic I heard was that the divorce rate was around 52% ..Something like that. Being a married person, I know that even the best situation, a great marriage is still always a work in progress and then you think about the children in the scenario. A good friend of mine is a child psychologist. She says that it is actually better for the children if the parents to sleep in separate rooms, separate beds than it is for a couple to get divorced. It is the ripping apart of what is sacred, the destruction of security. It is the end of what most children know as home.

I hope it doesn't sound like there is never a reason for divorce. There are and have been several I have been in favor of. I guess what this scripture reminded me of was that God takes it seriously. I also believe that God honors the prayers we pray and the efforts we make. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to live with someone that you didn't love, that didn't appreciate you, and again, there are exceptions to every rule, specifically, infidelity. But what I know with all my heart is that God can restore what seems to be lost.

God can heal what seems to be beyond repair. It is the miracle of His love that can change any situation….. "with man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible" God sees where you are and hears the prayers of your heart. His love is the love that will never fail you, or walk away. Trust in that, and let God take care of the rest.