The Law on Defilement & Adultery (Numbers 5: 2-3, 18-22)

You are to say to the people of Israel, "Put out of the camp everyone who has leprosy or a bodily discharge or who has touched a dead body. Now that I live among my people, their camp must be kept clean."Suppose a man becomes jealous and suspects that his wife has been unfaithful, but has no proof. The priest shall remove her veil, then had her the barly offering and say, "If you have been faithful to your husband, this water won't harm you. But if you have been unfaithful, it will bring down the LORDs curse - you will never be able to give birth to a child, and everyone will curse your name."

Once again, these laws pertain to the holiness of the LORD who dwells among his people. Defilement can take many forms. In the cased given above, it has to do with his people being physically clean. There is also a moral cleansing that God desires. This is the second case. In the case of adultery, God allowed the spirit of jealously to reign over the offended. Then by taking holy water and sprinkling the dust from the floor and having the suspected wife drink this under an oath, if she were guilty, God would cause that water to be bitter and cause swelling making manifest her hidden sin. The consequence is that she could not bear children which is the reason that a barren woman was so much of a reproach in thise days - it indicated her unfaithfulness.

Daily Prayer: Lord, in our day we are too protective of everyones rights to the extent that we let the guilty go free and punish the victims. Give your believers the spirit of wisdom so that we can exercise justice and live a holy life before our God. In your name I pray Amen.