The Adultery Test (Part 2)

God has instructed His children on the end from the beginning.  His Word instructs us in everything we need to know—even how to interface with the spiritual world—because it is a spiritual world, with our eyes wide open.  Carnal men and women sit chained in deep dungeons of darkness, fully manipulated and bound.  II Timothy 2:24-26 says the devil takes them at his will:

24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Those bound in this manner suppose they are leading their own lives and calling their own shots, but nothing could be further from the truth.  They are blind, yet they think they see. 

It is so astounding and so beautiful that, at a place Jesus Christ calls BORN-AGAIN (John 3:3), we see the saving Light of our Deliverer and walk right out of the jailer’s darkness, free and rejoicing, and with the marvelous ability to affect those who still sit in the dark place we once inhabited.

It’s no accident that you are here today.  You have been drawn to GodSaidManSaid by the hand of God.  This is not an ordinary website; no, this site houses Holy Ghost secrets the world’s academics cannot obtain, for they can only be spiritually discerned.  Only the BORN-AGAIN enter here. 

Dear visitor, have you been BORN-AGAIN—born a second time, this time of the Spirit of God?  Have you yet to surrender your life to Jesus Christ?  I should note that the BORN-AGAIN once were exactly where you are now.  We know the blindness and the bondages that snare you and we also know the way of escape.  Imagine a life filled with magnificent purpose and an eternal promise that swallows death itself with a single, Holy Ghost gulp.  Do you really yearn to know where you came from, your life’s purpose, and where you’re going when this life ends?  In just a moment, I will ask you to follow me in a simple prompt, and if you do, everything will change for you. Today, all your sin and shame will be washed away.  Today, Satan’s bondages will be broken—all of them.  Today, you will see the Light.  Here’s the prompt I promised: Click onto “Further with Jesus”  for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Proverbs 21:30:

There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

GOD SAID, Proverbs 3:19:

The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

GOD SAID, Numbers 5:11-31:

11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man''s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;

14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:

17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:

18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman''s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:

19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

20 But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman''s hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:

26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.

31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

MAN SAID: Bizarre! That’s the word!  Biblical claims are for the uneducated and the easily-led—and obviously not to be regarded by the enlightened!

Now THE RECORD: Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature 1056 that will again certify the perfect inerrancy of God’s majority-text Holy Bible.  All of these powerful features are archived here in text and streaming audio for the building-up of the faith and as ammunition in the battle for the lost sons and daughters of Adam.  Every Thursday eve, God willing, they grow by one.

Thank you for visiting today.  May your love for God’s beautiful Book be multiplied.

God is not the God of magic.  By knowledge and wisdom, by His great understanding, He hath created all which is invisible and visible.  Proverbs 3:19:

 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

Jeremiah 51:15:

He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

When Biblical minimalists encounter supernatural accounts in the Bible that strain carnal credulity, they begin their doctrinal dodge, employing terms such as “Biblically speaking”—by which they mean “it’s simply an exaggeration typical of the Bible.” The theological minimalists are, by Biblical definition, unbelievers.  An example would be when they discovered Isaiah 44:26-28.  This passage contains a prophecy penned about 200 years before the birth of the Persian king Cyrus, which stated that Cyrus—by name—would give the order to rebuild Jerusalem.  Now, this prophecy actually happened.  Theological minimalists, when confronted with this prophecy that came to pass as it was written, responded by attempting to redate the writing of the book of Isaiah instead of acknowledging the obvious: It was God’s signature prophecy of coming events.  God’s Word is true and righteous altogether—perfect and supernatural in every way, especially miracles and all.  Minimalists are sowers of doubt, and where there is doubt, the mountain won’t move.  Mark 11:22-23:

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Minimalists are wolves in sheep’s clothing. 

The Bible is regularly challenged, and in the most unfriendly places, maligned and ridiculed by the devil’s most illustrious champions.  It’s absurd, but true.  Often, after they have been thoroughly beaten by the simple, childlike reading of God’s Words, they then go about revising their unbelief and crowing a “victory.” The real truth is: The world’s academics can’t recognize truth—NEVER!  Truth is a person.  John 14:6:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

In the public forum, students of the Book are excoriated for their so-called “lack” of supporting science, but nothing is further from reality.  The science that confirms the full, supernatural inerrancy of the Bible is staggering. 

Typically, Biblical passages—incredible in nature, even appearing magical—are cited to invalidate the credibility of the Scriptures.  Numbers Chapter 5 is certainly in this category.  Is this an example of “just Biblically speaking?”  Consider Numbers 5:11-31 as I read to you for the second time:

 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man''s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;

14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:

17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:

18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman''s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:

19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

20 But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman''s hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:

26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.

31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

The word science means knowledge.  God is the source of all knowledge and therefore the scientist of all scientists.  This ministry has contended for the faith for nearly 50 years, and we have found God’s Word fully capable of defrocking its detractors—and today’s feature is a shocker.

GodSaidManSaid had searched for the science behind Numbers 5 for decades, and just recently it has begun to be unearthed.  The following paragraphs are from the first feature on this subject, “The Adultery Test:” 

Some of Jewish tradition concerning the adultery test was reported in the following excerpt from Wikipedia:  

This trial consisted of the wife having to drink a specific potion administered by the priest.  The text does not specify the amount of time needed for the potion to take effect; 19^th century scholars suspected it was probably intended to have a fairly immediate effect. The Mishnah mentions there could also be a suspension of the ordeal for one, two, or three years, if she has an acquittal.  Maimonides records the traditional Rabbinical view: “Her belly swells first and then her thigh ruptures and she dies.”  Others maintain that since the word “thigh” is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for various reproductive organs, in this case it may mean the uterus, the placenta, or an embryo, and the woman would survive.  [End of quote]

Our search for the science to support Numbers 5 just recently met with success. A microbiologist requesting anonymity due to workplace issues weighed in with the following eye-opening dissertation:

The water of bitterness begins with water (not wine), which was used for ceremonial washings, but never normally drunk.  If it weren’t already contaminated by airborne bacteria, adding dust from the tabernacle floor would ensure that it was inoculated with bacteria.  The alcohol in wine would prohibit the growth of bacteria; water would support it.  Of greatest importance would be those bacteria that can survive in prolonged dry conditions by forming endospores. Once introduced into the water, they could germinate, but would probably be limited in their growth by a lack of nutrients.  Nutrients would be added when the priest scraped the curses off of the papyrus scroll into the water.  That would add cellulose (sugar), charcoal, and gum—the most likely components of the ink used to write on the scroll. 

It is probably significant that the water of bitterness was made in a clay pot rather than the bronze or gold vessels that were commonly used in the tabernacle.  The heavy metals in bronze would kill any bacteria that were introduced into the water.  Clay does not contain such antibacterial metals. 

The bacteria which is most intriguing in this context is Clostridium perfringens, the cause of gaseous gangrene.  This bacteria forms endospores, which can survive indefinitely in dust.  It is also a common cause of food poisoning, with a short incubation period of 6-24 hours, so symptoms would appear quickly.  If the bacteria lodged in the colon—“stomach”—gas production could cause the swelling of the abdomen.  This bacteria produces a toxin which causes tissue necrosis.  (Gangrene involves tissue necrosis.)  Necrosis in the area of the rectum could spread to the adjacent uterus, bladder, and vagina, causing an obstetric fistula.  Obstetric fistula is often seen in girls who become pregnant before their bodies are capable of carrying a baby to term.  The uterus, rectum, and urinary bladder all fuse together, producing a constant dribbling of urine +/- feces from the vagina and a stench noticeable by others.  Interestingly, the word translated bitterness comes from a root meaning trickle.  Could the water of bitterness refer to the trickle of urine +/- feces down the legs of the guilty woman?  It is unlikely that the water itself was bitter.  This very visible sign of guilt is reminiscent of the visible spots of leprosy.  Both resulted in banishment from the community.  That, plus infertility, would be bitter indeed. [End of quote]

You’ve just read a scientific explanation for God’s strange instructions concerning the test for adultery, but our scientist was only able to supply half of the answer.  [End of quotes]

Imagine the suffocating, psychological load the husband and wife would be experiencing.  This man would go to the priests and inform them of his suspicions of his wife’s infidelity—a crime punishable by death.  The shame that would come upon him, his wife, any children they had together, and their entire families would have been incalculable.  The stress, the anxiety, the shame, the fear would threaten to swallow them alive. This was the backdrop of the law of jealousies. 

The guilty woman suffered the curse.  The guiltless woman experienced the blessing.  The innocent woman was not only fully and publicly exonerated, but would also conceive and bring forth a child, which would be, according to Jewish writings, a son.  Numbers 5:28:

And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

Multiple other biological and psychological issues would be involved in the blessing of Numbers 5:28, and several follow.  Keep in mind serious pregnancy roadblocks and difficulties were in place prior to the wife’s exoneration and clearing of the husband’s jealousy.  After the trial, the pregnancy barriers are lifted instantly, and life is the result.  You will see that stress and the intent of words will play out in the mechanics of the curse and the blessing.  It was not magic.

👶 WebMD.com.  Headline, August 12, 2010: “Stress May Affect Chances of Getting Pregnant:”

There is now scientific evidence to back up the widely held belief that stress can interfere with fertility.  Women in a newly published study were less likely to conceive when they exhibited higher levels of a stress-related enzyme known as alpha-amylase. 

Long known as an enzyme that helps the body digest starch, alpha-amylase has only recently been recognized as an indicator of stress, says Germane Buck-Louis, PhD, of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 

Alpha-amylase is secreted when the nervous system produces compounds known as catecholamines in response to the “fight or flight” stress reactions. 

Buck-Louis says there is early evidence that catecholamines released in response to this type of stress reduce blood flow, which slows the passage of the fertilized egg to the uterus.  “That may mean the egg does not get there in time to implant,” she tells WebMD. “This is all very speculative at this point, but we are hoping this research will stimulate scientists who want to study stress response to explore it more carefully.”  

👶 WebMD.com.  Headline, February 20, 2020: “How Does Stress Affect Conceiving?  The Science Behind Stress and Fertility:”

Several recent studies have found links between the woman’s levels of day-to-day stress and lowered chances of pregnancy.  For example, women whose saliva had high levels of alpha-amylase, an enzyme that marks stress, took 29% longer to get pregnant compared to those who had less. 

👶 Science Norway.  Headline, December 17, 2012: “Can Stress Cause Ovulation to Stop?”

The hypothalamus regulates the pituitary, so when stress interferes with the hypothalamus, it is hindered from sending the right hormone messages to the pituitary, which in turn is kept from releasing the necessary hormones to the ovaries.  This chain reaction can thus prevent ovulation. 

👶 MedicalNewsToday.com.  Headline, May 30, 2014: “Can Stress Cause Infertility in Males?”

Now, a new study suggests stress can reduce sperm and semen quality, which could have implications for male fertility.  According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, in around 40% of infertile couples, the male partner is the sole cause or contributing cause of infertility. [End of quotes]

👶 Both the husband’s and the wife’s thoughts—evil or good—affect the reproduction process.  Dr. Caroline Leaf, author of Switch on Your Brain, writes:

Science has demonstrated how the thought networks pass through the sperm and ova via DNA to the next four generations. [End of quote]

👶 Washington Post.  Headline, October 13, 2019: “What Men Eat and Drink May Affect Their Babies’ Health:”

The question is, do low sperm counts or damaged sperm actually have an impact on pregnancy outcomes? The answer is yes.  For instance, we know that sperm helps to determine how well the placenta forms—a key factor in fetal development—and that impaired sperm dramatically increases the likelihood of miscarriage, possibly because it is known to contain high levels of free radicals.  Moreover, thanks to the science of epigenetics, we are learning that human sperm may carry “biological memories” of abnormalities that can be transferred to offspring. [End of quote]

The daunting ordeal has ended.  The stress, the shame, the doubt, and the jealousy are gone and life is the outcome.

Additional factors in the law of jealousies will continue to surface, especially in the fields of epigenetics and quantum physics, which deal directly with the real and measurable molecular affects of the intention of words.  It’s amazing!  God said He spoke us into existence with His Words.  We are made of words, and our words—good or bad—will have their say.

At least one question remains: Why did the bitter water negatively affect the guilty wife but not the innocent wife?  Was it because the bitter water that reacted to the chemicals created as a result of guilt reacted differently to the chemicals (or lack thereof) in the body of the innocent? The story will be continued.

The skeptics laugh, but only the ignorant.  God is the Father of all knowledge and certainly the God of science.  God’s Word is true and righteous altogether, a place to build a life that will last forever. 

GOD SAID, Proverbs 21:30:

There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

GOD SAID, Proverbs 3:19:

The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.

GOD SAID, Numbers 5:28-29:

28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

MAN SAID: Bizarre! That’s the word!  Biblical claims are for the uneducated and the easily-led—and obviously not to be regarded by the enlightened!

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

Boyles, S., “Stress May Affect Chances of Getting Pregnant,” WebMD.com, Aug. 12, 2010

Finlayson, J., “What Men Eat and Drink May Affect Their Babies’ Health,” Washington Post, Oct. 13, 2019

GodSaidManSaid, “The Adultery Test”

Kornieliussen, I., “How Stress Affects Conception,” ScienceNorway.no, Dec. 17, 2012

Leaf, C., Switch on Your Brain, Baker Books, 2013

Levine, H., “How Stress Can Hurt Your Chances of Having a Baby,” WebMD.com, Feb. 20, 2020

Whiteman, H., “Stress Linked to Male Fertility,” MedicalNewsToday.com, May 30, 2014

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