“Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty”
~ Numbers 5:6
Hi James and Ellen,
During the life tenures of a guy or gal on planet Earth, God’s humanity design has a different role for the guy and a different role for the gal. God’s expectation is that guys assume an ascribed responsibility role for gals. God’s expectation is that gals assume a supportive role of accepting guys as being their protectors. God’s expressed desire or His authoritative imposition that He passed on to His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, through the Mosaic Law – or Torah – Torah being the Hebrew word that means direction, instruction and law and which God expects to always be in play between caring dads and mas with their kids, asks for and expects order and discipline. The extent to which God expects the guys and gals among His specially chosen guys and gals to intentionally exercise order and discipline in their lives is framed in Numbers 5 in three different ways. God expressly told His specially chosen guys and gals that if a guy or gal has an infectious skin disease, a discharge or been near to or touched a dead body that this guy or gal had to stay outside the Israelite people group’s campsite perimeter until God has dwelt in His own way with the guy or gal. God in verse 6 very explicitly tells His specially chosen guys and gals through Moses, “‘Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty” God further tells Moses to tell His specially chosen guys and gals that the guy or gal who has wronged another guy or gal must confess the sin – the wrong, that he or she committed and that he or she must make full restitution plus an additional one fifth for the sin – the wrong, to the guy or gal who was sinned – wronged against. God unambiguously then tells His specially chosen guys and gals that a wife who strays from or betrays her bonded relationship with her husband will suffer bitter consequences for her impure, sinful actions. God – through what He told Moses, tells His specially chosen guys and gals that He has a test to determine the innocence or guilt of the accused gal that involves drinking bitter holy water – which He expects the officiating priest to give to the gal who is being alleged of being unfaithful by her jealous husband. If the gal who is mandated to drink some bitter holy water – because of her husband’s jealous condemnation, really has compromised her marriage vows by having an illicit, defiling relationship with another guy, this gal will be cursed by God. God will cause her stomach to swell. God will cause her thighs to waste away. The gal will never be able to have a kid born to her – which was an awful thing 3500 years ago for a gal to have to endure. God will cause her to be accursed by her own Israelite people group of guys and gals. If the gal has not had an immoral relationship with another guy, the gal will not have her stomach swell, her thighs waste away and she will be able to bear kids. Your grandpaa does not understand why but apparently a jealous guy 3500 years ago among God’s specially chosen guys and gals who accused his wife of being unfaithful to him – but who has not been unfaithful, gets a pass for his allegation.
The verdict is still out for your grandpaa regarding gals being tempters and guys being ‘temptees’. It seems to be to your grandpaa that there is a persistent pattern in the Bible that implies that gals are invariably the instigators of improper/immoral relationships. The Bible clearly documents improper/immoral relationships that were pursued by guys. There seems to be a demarcation line between a gal driven relationship and a guy driven relationship. Your grandpaa knows that the vast majority of relationships between guys and gals are healthy; your grandpaa is also convinced that to put guys and gals on the same ‘playing field’ – such as on the battlefield, on the same sport’s team, in the same college dorm, etc., as co-equals is foolhardy. (Sixteen years have passed since your grandpaa first wrote this missive. What your grandpaa called foolhardy is now becoming a United States society norm.) God – in His creation, created guys to have the dominant, responsible role. God – in His creation, hardwired a gal to be a guy’s helpmate and companion. A gal needs a guy to satisfy her innate need to be protected and inborn urge to procreate. Your grandpaa sees guys today letting passivity dumb down their inherited responsible, accountable role for gals.
What do you know about your dad’s great-grandmas? Your grandpaa’s grandma on his dad’s side of his family spoke mostly Dutch. When your grandpaa was a kid and because the mail that was sent to your grandpaa’s dad and ma was left in the mailbox where your grandpaa’s dad’s dad and ma lived, your grandpaa would often walk across the road to the farmhouse where your grandpaa’s grandmaa on his dad’s side of his family lived to get the mail that was sent to his dad and ma. Your grandpaa remembers his grandma on his dad’s side of the family as being kind. Your grandpaa was told that his Aunt Sus – who was your grandpaa’s oldest aunt on his dad’s side of the family, did not get married because her ma wanted her to stay home to help her instead of marrying the guy who was wanting to marry her. Your dad’s great-grandma on his dad’s side of the family died a day or so before your dad made his first visit to his grandma and grandpa on his dad’s side of his family. Your dad was three months old when he first went with his dad and ma from Wilmington, Delaware to Volga, South Dakota. Because your grandpaa’s dad and ma got to see their first grandkid, they were less sad about the death of your grandpaa’s grandmaa on his dad’s side of his family. Your grandpaa’s grandmaa on his ma’s side of his family raised thirteen kids. Your grandpaa’s grandma on his dad’s side of his family and your grandpaa’s grandmaa on his ma’s side of his family lived God-centered lives.
Numbers 5 (836)