Bitter Water

This message contrasts the cup we drink from in the Lord's Supper with the cup of bitter water that a woman who was suspected of adultery was compelled to drink under Old Testament law.

If a man suspected that his wife had been unfaithful to him, he would bring her to the priest. Proper offerings would be presented, and then the priest would unbind the woman's hair and bring her before the Lord. She would swear an oath concerning her faithfulness, putting herself under a curse if she had committed adultery. The priest would then write these curses down, take holy water and some dust from the floor of the Tabernacle and wash the curses 'off into the water of bitterness.' (Numbers 5:23.)

If the woman had been guilty of adultery . . . 'And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people.' (Numbers 5:27.)

Think of it! Imagine yourself in this dreadful situation. You have had an 'affair,' and for some time it seemed that you got away with it. Nobody knew. There were no witnesses. But your husband suspected. He picked up on those telltale signs of an alienation of your affections. Now he has brought you before the legal authority, the priest.

The ritual is humiliating and fearful . . .