And the LORD said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.

“Suppose a man’s wife goes astray, and she is unfaithful to her husband and has sex with another man, but neither her husband nor anyone else knows about it. She has defiled herself, even though there was no witness and she was not caught in the act. If her husband becomes jealous and is suspicious of his wife and needs to know whether or not she has defiled herself, the husband must bring his wife to the priest. He must also bring an offering of two quarts of barley flour to be presented on her behalf. Do not mix it with olive oil or frankincense, for it is a jealousy offering—an offering to prove whether or not she is guilty.

“The priest will then present her to stand trial before the LORD. He must take some holy water in a clay jar and pour into it dust he has taken from the Tabernacle floor.

Numbers 5:11-16

So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel listed all the Levites by their clans and families. All the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle and for its transportation numbered 8,580. When their names were recorded, as the LORD had commanded through Moses, each man was assigned his task and told what to carry.

And so the registration was completed, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 4:46-49

• Many people say that God has it out for women in the Old Testament…but do they know Him? 
• God has abundant mercy for women on display…even in the hard texts like Numbers 5. 
• Genesis 3:15 tells us that Satan would be at war with the woman. 
• We see oppression of women in the culture of the Old Testament. 
• We see the war against God’s design of women in the culture today. 
• God’s character as revealed in Scripture shows Him as a protector of women. 
• When we read the Bible and find hard texts, we need to align our view with the character of God…His attributes. 
• He will always act in ways true to Who He is, or He would not be God. 
• Isaiah 28:29
• Exodus 34:6
• Psalm 119:68
• Because we trust His character…His laws are worth understanding even when we don’t understand their goodness. 
• This seemingly harsh law is a protection for women. 
• Numbers 5:11-31 tells of a “trial by ordeal”...which we are familiar with from witch trials throughout history. 
• Only a miracle would save the innocent in a trial by ordeal throughout history. 
• In God’s law, it would be a miracle if an innocent woman was proven guilty by the trial. 
• God protected the women through the process…it did not threaten her. 
• https://www.gotquestions.org/womens-rights.html

Read God’s Word with His character in mind. He is who He says He is.