Numbers 5:11-3 deals with a rather strange test of fidelity for a married woman. It sounds very pagan and reminds one of water and fire torture tests used against believers. Apparently, adultery was a major problem among God’s People after they left Egypt so he issued these special instructions.
The instructions given to Moses from YHWH were:
The husband is to bringing his wife suspected of adultery to the Tabernacle
Dust from the floor of the Tabernacle is to be mixed with living water
The woman is to be placed under a written covenant attesting her innocence
The writings from the covenant are to be added to the water
The accused woman is to drink this “bitter Water”
If guilty of adultery, the woman will suffer, waste away and become barren. If innocent, she will prosper and give her husband many children
This all sounds strange and magical but then fast forward to John 8: 1-11
This passage from John has always been a problem. Some Bible translations even exclude these verses. One can almost believe Yeshua trashes the Ten Commandments. This would be true, if one does not understand the passages from Numbers that relate directly to this scene.
Biblically, only a husband could accuse a woman of adultery and then only if supported by a witness. In this instance the accusers were Pharisees and scribes, not a husband. They state she was caught in the very act, but offer no evidence, witnesses or supporting information. They arrogantly assume their word is enough and should be taken at face value. They ask Yeshua to condemn her to stoning according to the requirements of the Torah.
Yeshua then does something that seems odd, he bends down and begins writing in the dust. This has confused gentile believers ever since. What was he writing? Look for a moment what is occurring here:
The accused woman has been brought to the temple
Dust from the temple floor is being used
Water is present, the Living Water of Christ
A covenant is being written
The woman is cleansed by the water
Every element of Numbers 5 is present in John 8; Yeshua does not changing the Torah, he actually fulfills the law. Then he goes further.
He tells the Pharisees that one without sin may cast the first stone. This is more here than a statement about purity. The Pharisees realize that if they bear false witness and commit murder in the process, they are committing intentional sins before God. They would be committing acts leading to their irrevocable separation from God. There could be no atonement for them. They would condemn themselves forever. Needless to say, the Pharisees quickly turned fled.
Oh, how effortlessly Yeshua sees the truth.
This story is mazing and becomes much richer when viewed from both First and Second Testaments.
The instructions given to Moses from YHWH were:
The husband is to bringing his wife suspected of adultery to the Tabernacle
Dust from the floor of the Tabernacle is to be mixed with living water
The woman is to be placed under a written covenant attesting her innocence
The writings from the covenant are to be added to the water
The accused woman is to drink this “bitter Water”
If guilty of adultery, the woman will suffer, waste away and become barren. If innocent, she will prosper and give her husband many children
This all sounds strange and magical but then fast forward to John 8: 1-11
This passage from John has always been a problem. Some Bible translations even exclude these verses. One can almost believe Yeshua trashes the Ten Commandments. This would be true, if one does not understand the passages from Numbers that relate directly to this scene.
Biblically, only a husband could accuse a woman of adultery and then only if supported by a witness. In this instance the accusers were Pharisees and scribes, not a husband. They state she was caught in the very act, but offer no evidence, witnesses or supporting information. They arrogantly assume their word is enough and should be taken at face value. They ask Yeshua to condemn her to stoning according to the requirements of the Torah.
Yeshua then does something that seems odd, he bends down and begins writing in the dust. This has confused gentile believers ever since. What was he writing? Look for a moment what is occurring here:
The accused woman has been brought to the temple
Dust from the temple floor is being used
Water is present, the Living Water of Christ
A covenant is being written
The woman is cleansed by the water
Every element of Numbers 5 is present in John 8; Yeshua does not changing the Torah, he actually fulfills the law. Then he goes further.
He tells the Pharisees that one without sin may cast the first stone. This is more here than a statement about purity. The Pharisees realize that if they bear false witness and commit murder in the process, they are committing intentional sins before God. They would be committing acts leading to their irrevocable separation from God. There could be no atonement for them. They would condemn themselves forever. Needless to say, the Pharisees quickly turned fled.
Oh, how effortlessly Yeshua sees the truth.
This story is mazing and becomes much richer when viewed from both First and Second Testaments.
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