In what ways does Numbers 5:19 connect with the Ten Commandments on adultery? Setting the Scene in Numbers 5 • Numbers 5:11-31 describes God’s provision for settling a husband’s jealousy charge when no witnesses can confirm or deny adultery. • Verse 19 is the heart of the procedure: “Then the priest shall have her take an oath and say to the woman, ‘If no man has lain with you and if you have not strayed into uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you.’ ” Direct Echoes of the Seventh Commandment • Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18: “You shall not commit adultery.” • Numbers 5:19 applies that command in a real-life case. It underlines: – The same definition of adultery: sexual unfaithfulness “while under your husband’s authority.” – The same moral weight: God Himself steps in as witness and judge when human witnesses are absent. – The same exclusivity: the oath assumes that marital intimacy is reserved for the covenant pair alone. The Moral Logic Underneath Both Passages • Adultery is sin before God first, not merely before a spouse (Genesis 39:9; Psalm 51:4). Both passages require answering to Him. • The Seventh Commandment states the principle; Numbers 5 shows its enforceability. Divine holiness will expose hidden sin (Ecclesiastes 12:14). • Both protect the innocent. The command safeguards every marriage; the ordeal vindicates a falsely accused wife while exposing real guilt. Marriage as Covenant and Symbol • Adultery violates covenant faithfulness—an earthly picture of God’s covenant with His people (Malachi 2:14; Hosea 3:1). • The solemn oath in Numbers 5 mirrors covenant form: oath, witnesses, sanctions. The same pattern frames the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 29:10-15). Safeguarding Community Holiness • Israel’s camp must remain undefiled for the Lord to dwell among them (Numbers 5:3; Leviticus 26:11-12). • Public acknowledgment of the Seventh Commandment prevents broader moral decay (Proverbs 14:34). • By rooting marital fidelity in corporate worship, Numbers 5 shows that private sin threatens national blessing, exactly what the Decalogue warns (Exodus 20:5-6). Foreshadowing New Testament Teaching • Jesus reaffirms both the command and its heart intent (Matthew 5:27-28; 19:4-6). • Hebrews 13:4 echoes the same dual concern: “Marriage must be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” • Numbers 5 anticipates this judgment motif—only now the gospel offers cleansing for every sinner who turns to Christ (1 John 1:7-9). |
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