A few days ago, I was reading my Bible and I came across a piece of scripture that just did not sit well with me. Actually, it just disturbed me and kinda made me angry. I thought/prayed about it and emailed my homegroup leaders.
On a bit of a tangent, I grew up in a church where I just accepted things and really didn't challenge what the teachers said or what the Bible said. I'm so past that...or better yet, I'm getting past that. So, I believe that I absolutely have every right to challenge everything that I read in the Bible and especially what people say. One of my favorite scriptures (I may even have included it here long ago) is from 2Timothy 2:15 and speaks of being unashamed and correctly handling God's word. I always felt that scripture as special for me. And, how on earth can I handle the Bible unless I challenge it, get past the difficult parts ?
Anyways, its one of those parts in the Bible that just does not seem fair to women - Numbers 5:12-31. It was about how a woman can be proven not to have cheated on her husband. And, I thought - why should we be treated harsher ? Why wasn't there the same thing about men ? So, I asked God - "You're supposed to be fair, and I'm supposed to trust You, why would you say this ?" It really didn't make much sense to me.
It slowly dawned on me - that while the issue I was having was one of perspective. First, I was coming from a completely different way of thinking. Unlike many other parts of the world, in Canada women are free and not property. God was talking to a culture where women were often property. Second, I was coming from a place of distrust of God. Unfortunately, I was looking at it and saying - ok this means that God isn't fair. I knew it !! Deep down inside, there is a mistrust and that colors my entire view. In this case, instead of seeing that God is caring for these women, I was seeing God as mean (probably because I grew up with a the harsh judge God instead of the love first God).
Furthermore, whereas I looked at what it was saying "How mean God is treating these women ?!" The women at the time were probably thinking, "Wow! God is acting on our part and protecting us." Because really, at the time if a man was jealous and thought his wife was cheating on him or if he just wanted to get rid of her because he was the one having the affair. He could just accuse her and the community would be so aghast it would kill her. Seriously - that's how things were. In this scripture God is acting out His declaration that He will protect the innocent. And, even if she was guilty - it is God that is punishing her, and that would've been more merciful than what jealous hubby would've done.
As to what happens to cheating hubby? I don't know. There isn't actually a note on that one. Why ? First, I think it is because God doesn't have to protect him - people didn't care as much about cheating husbands, so he wasn't likely to be judged and killed for a suspected indiscretion. Second, he still gets punished. I firmly believe that. Affairs complicate and ruin lives. It's just stupid even without God involved.
Since first reading this scripture, I've come to realize that to understand what the Bible means and "correctly handle" it, I must come from the right perspective. God is love. He desires the best for each individual. And, I know that the best doesn't always feel good. I need to trust the Person behind the words.
On a bit of a tangent, I grew up in a church where I just accepted things and really didn't challenge what the teachers said or what the Bible said. I'm so past that...or better yet, I'm getting past that. So, I believe that I absolutely have every right to challenge everything that I read in the Bible and especially what people say. One of my favorite scriptures (I may even have included it here long ago) is from 2Timothy 2:15 and speaks of being unashamed and correctly handling God's word. I always felt that scripture as special for me. And, how on earth can I handle the Bible unless I challenge it, get past the difficult parts ?
Anyways, its one of those parts in the Bible that just does not seem fair to women - Numbers 5:12-31. It was about how a woman can be proven not to have cheated on her husband. And, I thought - why should we be treated harsher ? Why wasn't there the same thing about men ? So, I asked God - "You're supposed to be fair, and I'm supposed to trust You, why would you say this ?" It really didn't make much sense to me.
It slowly dawned on me - that while the issue I was having was one of perspective. First, I was coming from a completely different way of thinking. Unlike many other parts of the world, in Canada women are free and not property. God was talking to a culture where women were often property. Second, I was coming from a place of distrust of God. Unfortunately, I was looking at it and saying - ok this means that God isn't fair. I knew it !! Deep down inside, there is a mistrust and that colors my entire view. In this case, instead of seeing that God is caring for these women, I was seeing God as mean (probably because I grew up with a the harsh judge God instead of the love first God).
Furthermore, whereas I looked at what it was saying "How mean God is treating these women ?!" The women at the time were probably thinking, "Wow! God is acting on our part and protecting us." Because really, at the time if a man was jealous and thought his wife was cheating on him or if he just wanted to get rid of her because he was the one having the affair. He could just accuse her and the community would be so aghast it would kill her. Seriously - that's how things were. In this scripture God is acting out His declaration that He will protect the innocent. And, even if she was guilty - it is God that is punishing her, and that would've been more merciful than what jealous hubby would've done.
As to what happens to cheating hubby? I don't know. There isn't actually a note on that one. Why ? First, I think it is because God doesn't have to protect him - people didn't care as much about cheating husbands, so he wasn't likely to be judged and killed for a suspected indiscretion. Second, he still gets punished. I firmly believe that. Affairs complicate and ruin lives. It's just stupid even without God involved.
Since first reading this scripture, I've come to realize that to understand what the Bible means and "correctly handle" it, I must come from the right perspective. God is love. He desires the best for each individual. And, I know that the best doesn't always feel good. I need to trust the Person behind the words.
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