Crazy magical bitter curse water?

S: Numbers 5

O: The quarantine law makes good medical sense. The restitution law makes good social and moral sense.

But then this crazy magical bitter curse water? 🤯

It’s been pointed out that this water—with just a bit of dust from the tabernacle floor and ink from the scroll—would not naturally cause a miscarriage or abdominal swelling. So for anything to happen, God would have to directly intervene and miraculously cause it.

In ancient patriarchal cultures, an unproven accusation could lead straight to execution or divorce without rights. But here, the woman is not punished unless a miraculous sign confirms guilt—God is judge, not the man or priest. The public ritual may also have discouraged false accusations, since the husband had to go through a costly and humiliating process himself.

So it could be that this protects a woman who is unjustly accused.

It’s also noteworthy that there is no historical record of this ritual ever being carried out. Perhaps its very existence in the Law of Moses discouraged people from acting rashly.

A: This ancient ritual sounds strange to my modern, scientific mindset. But alongside the quarantine and restitution laws—which focus on protection and fairness—it seems that even this bitter water test was, in its context, a safeguard. It prevented punishment without divine confirmation, and may have discouraged baseless accusations. Even in a patriarchal society, God made space for justice. In my own life, I want to resist quick judgment. God sees what I cannot. He calls me to pursue truth and justice with humility, fairness, and love.

P:  Father, I usually see things from my own limited perspective. You see everything. Help me to trust in You and work with You to treat others fairly with love. In Jesus’ name, amen.