If this is your first viewing, please see my Introduction before reading this.
13 February. Numbers chapters 5-6
These two chapters are quite contrasting. The first – the test of whether a woman has been unfaithful by seeing whether a drink of water with floor sweepings causes her to become infertile – sounds like the sort of barbaric “heads I win, tails you lose” procedures used by witch-hunters in medieval England. This kind of divination is little better than witchcraft itself. It is hard to see how even those who profess to take the Bible literally as a guide to modern living could apply this, when we have DNA testing if needed for such situations.
The second is more positive, and concerns the Nazirites – men who set themselves apart for God, either for a set period or for life, like Christian monks. Their vows included avoiding not only alcohol but grapes in any form, and not shaving. Samson was the most famous Nazirite, but John the Baptist may also have followed this tradition. There is much to be admired in those who deny worldly pleasures and try to live a ‘holy life’ whether singly or in community, as long as the self-denial does not become an end in itself, or a way to salvation. But living either as a hermit or in a religious community is not easy. Let us pray for those who have made the commitment to do so, that they may live up to their promises and find a closer relationship with God.