Thursday, February 19, 2009
Salem?
Numbers 5:29 "This is the ritual law for dealing with suspicion." This one I definitely have to put in the drawer marked "awaiting further light". This "test" of a wife's faithfulness to her husband reeks of patriarchy and sexism. Where's the test for a husband's faithfulness to his wife? What would it be? Walking and chewing gum at the same time? Of course, in that day, women (along with children) were just above slaves-really just a dear form of property-like really lovable pets. Am I wrong or does this "test" find it's way down through the centuries as the test for whether or not someone was a witch during the Salem trials. It's just like the water test where if a woman floats she is a witch, but if she sinks (and drowns) she wasn't. Oh, well. It's easy for us to condemn as hateful and evil the water witch test (isn't it?). I have no trouble seeing this awful practice as equally hateful and evil. And ascribing such a thing to God? I feel sure that was on the list of things that finally convinced God he was just going to have to come down here to straighten us out about just who God is and what God wants. Thanks be to God for Jesus. Without him I wouldn't have a prayer!
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The bitter water test would be easier to "stomach" (sorry) if there was a clause in there that said that if she's shown to be innocent, the jealous husband has to wash all the dishes for a month or something.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that if God could make the law, he could make the test work... and the innocent would be shown as innocent.
Looking at this from a typology perspective though, Israel is often compared to an unfaitful wife in the OT. Over and over, God makes Israel drink the bitter water of exile or persecution and a remnant is shown to be faithful. Maybe this is some kind of foreshadowing of that.
Probably talking above my paygrade. I guess it will have to go into my "I'll get back with you on that one" folder, too.