A great question this week from our reading in the book of Numbers. What about the test for adultery administered to women in Numbers, chapter five?
Q: First of all, why wasn’t it given also to the man?
A: One must always take into account the cultural context of the passage in question. In this particular passage, we are talking about an Israelite culture where the man was the undisputed head of the household and his wife was not even considered a “person” per se but rather a part of his property. Therefore, if there was a case of adultery or even suspected adultery, it was fully within the purview of the man to demand this test from his wife. She was not afforded the same rights and privileges since she was not considered an equal partner. Having said all that, most scholars believe that the law given to the Israelites was incredibly progressive for its time. For example, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” placed a limit on reciprocity. The punishment must fit the crime and be proportional in response. In other Middle Eastern cultures of the day, revenge and punishment were often far more brutal and frequently got out of hand. In the same way, the fact that there are protections built into the law for women and children is incredibly important distinctive of Israelite law when compared again to the laws of those cultures around them.
Q: How do we know when one law is cultural and one law eternal?
A: Underlying all readings of Leviticus and Numbers is the question of how much still applies today to our lives. It is a well-known principle within Biblical interpretation that Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. In so doing, he actually does away with the “ceremonial” laws (i.e. those laws governing the specifics of day to day interactions in Israelite society, including Temple sacrifices, etc.) while leaving the “moral” law in force (i.e. the Ten Commandments). In the case of Numbers 5:11-31, we have a law that is clearly ceremonial and therefore while of historical note, is no longer binding today.