I read the bible recently and my eyes fell on somewhere in Leveticus. It was chapter 18. It gave instructions as to what a man should do if he suspects his wife of infidelity. He was instructed to take her to the temple and the priest in charge was to do some rites; it entailed cursing water and giving the lady to drink. If she was guilty, her genitals would shrink and she would become a curse to her generation. If she isn't adulterous, she would be unharmed by the water.
    My question is this: I don't think there is anywhere in the Holy Bible where a woman can do anything if she suspects or even catch her husband in the act of adultery. This goes to reinforce my belief that the soceity permits a man to be unfaithful but condemns or better still excoriates a woman who does so. My reading of Leveticus has confirmed this. At least, God has not changed. He is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever. I understand Leveticus contains mosaic laws but we still follow some of those laws in mordern day Christendom, or don't we? I need clarification.

I agree with you.

STOP PRESS!!! THE PORTION OF THE BIBLE THAT CONTAINS THE RITE EXPLAINED ABOVE IS IN NUMBERS, CHAPTER 5, VERSE 11.

Dr. Tee:

I understand Leveticus contains mosaic laws but we still follow some of those laws in mordern day Christendom, or don't we? I need clarification.

If by "we" you mean those saved by "faith in The Lord Jesus Christ" the answer is "no we don't".

I hope that is clarification enough for you sir.

God bless

So the question is, did God's position on women change somewhere between the old and new testament? Has "age" softened his outlook?

Dr. Tee:

I read the bible recently and my eyes fell on somewhere in Leveticus. It was chapter 18. It gave instructions as to what a man should do if he suspects his wife of infidelity. He was instructed to take her to the temple and the priest in charge was to do some rites; it entailed cursing water and giving the lady to drink. If she was guilty, her genitals would shrink and she would become a curse to her generation. If she isn't adulterous, she would be unharmed by the water.
My question is this: I don't think there is anywhere in the Holy Bible where a woman can do anything if she suspects or even catch her husband in the act of adultery. This goes to reinforce my belief that the soceity permits a man to be unfaithful but condemns or better still excoriates a woman who does so. My reading of Leveticus has confirmed this. At least, God has not changed. He is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever. I understand Leveticus contains mosaic laws but we still follow some of those laws in mordern day Christendom, or don't we? I need clarification.

There is no stopping to man's search for valid reasons from God's own book to disobey him and have his own(man) way.

The question you should ask is: what was God's original plan for man?
Definitely, He didnt plan for a Sinful man. If He didnt plan for a Sinful man, why should the Sinful man continue to find justification to continue in his sin, rather than find his two knees, kneeling down in Repentance?

We are no more living under the LAW as in Moses' time, but under Grace (the Grace of God, BRINGING SALVATION, and TEACHING US THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS(like the infidelity in your passage above) AND WORLDLY LUST, WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY(as man and wife) AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD, LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE AND GLORIOUS APPEARING(not looking for faults in one another, not suspecting one-another) OF THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. -- Titus 2:11-13

Imagine a family where this GRACE IS PRESENT AND REAL, would they be talking about Infidelity?

Just as Dr.Tee said,

TV01:

If by "we" you mean those saved by "faith in The Lord Jesus Christ" the answer is "no we don't".

I hope that is clarification enough for you sir.

God bless

Those genuinely saved by faith in The Lord Jesus do not follow mosaic laws, rather they follow God's Law - His whole revealed Truth.

@seeker

seeker:

So the question is, did God's position on women change somewhere between the old and new testament? Has "age" softened his outlook?

Did God have a special positive/enlarged position for women?

Did God have a negative, slavish, derogatory outlook for Women?

The Bible tells us He made them male and female and saw that all that He created was very good. One wasnt better than the other. Adam said it right: BONE OF MY BONE AND FLESH OF MY FLESH.

Genesis 2:
22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

The woman was created to be a help meet for the man, to be a woman-the mother of all living.

The question is: Is the woman still fulfilling her God given, society given role today? NO. She is still the mother of all-living, but many of those living have no fathers. She has thrown personal caution to the wind, she has exposed herself. She is now naked, has become the definition of adultery and all men are lusting after her. Is that Gods fault also?

- She has become a symbol of playfulness, much like a toy, the default for every advertisement to be USED and DUMPED.
- Is there any TV advert without a woman. Dont you ask why a woman should be advertizing men's underwear?
- Is there anything like hip-hop without booty? will such a tape sell? whose fault is it then? and why are the males in the rap videos usually dressed from head to toe while the women are all naked?

She gets trampled upon in the soceity, much more lays herself on the doorstep to be trampled upon. This is the modern day woman, not the one that God planned for.

This goes to reinforce my belief that the soceity permits a man to be unfaithful but condemns or better still excoriates a woman who does so. My reading of Leveticus has confirmed this

"Modern day Christendom" is not Biblica Christendom

The soceity may permit a man to be unfaithful and condemn the woman, like the example of the woman caught in Adultery in the NewTestament, and brought to Jesus, but does God permit it?

JOHN 8
1Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

This world needs God's grace. The grace is already there, we just need to appropriate it.

@ kimba,

err. . . about the hip hop and booty. I kinda agree, but then. . . . . . .

Lean with it, rock with it!!! damn, i luv when they poppin' they booties!

besides, it's not all hiphop that is booty shaking.

I recommend u listen to Talib kweli, NaS, Canibus, Common . . . .just a few of them.

I think that the bible should be read in it's entirety before being commented on. We make many statements that would be answered if we continued to read. The topic comes from a scripture in Numbers 5:11. I just see one problem with that. there are over 60 books in the bible. You read a chapter from one scripture and now you are confused. After Moses there was, Joshua, Samuel, Nathan, King David, King Solomon, JOb, Habbakuk, Nahum, Malachi, Matthew, and mainly Jesus. Jesus changed a lot of things. Like Kimba said, when Jesus came he changed salvation by law to salvation by grace. we receive grace from God through Jesus.

I really don't have a lot to say except that you should read the whole bible not just the interesting parts.

But you see, I've read the bible from cover to cover.

I'm finding this puzzle interesting.Kimba,I'm extremely appreciative. Really, the female sex -or better still girl child - might have done horrible things - or still does them - but do they do them without men's imput?Can a women bed her all alone?Can she go naked to please someone of her same sex?Don't men ask for and derive pleasure from these dirty things ladies do?Aren't men those who demand for it?
ChiluvGod8.Thanks.Jesus changed a lot of things, did he say ever one of those things we say he changed in the bible or our own interpretations made him change them?My question actually arose when I read Leveticus where a man was barred from marrying anyone remotely or immediately related to him or a woman he gets married to so as not to commit incest.Don't we still follow that today? That's what I seek answer to.I'll appreciate replies especially from kimba and chiluvGod8

Am sure you have not gone through the BIBLE, try and do so and you will know that my GOD is FAIR to all

It is important to research the history of the book- as some call it- that you read. Since you appear interested Dr. Tee, read the King James Version of the Bible. From what I have found it is the closest translation to the Hebrew ( original ) script. It is also important to understand other things about the Bible such as the fact that Shakespeare translated the KJV version of the bible that is used world wide. He did this under the order of King James- hence the name King James Bible. There were other translations - Greek, Latin, Portugese and so on and so forth. But none were in any form of English. King James- who followed Constatine- was a Christian. Constatine used Christianity to control his subjects. King James wanted to convert his subjects from the Lutheran and the Protestants and the Quaker belief in order to have a more spiritually civil kingdom. There was one problem. Few of the subjects could read. The few who could read could only read in English. Since Shakespeare was the most popular playwright at that time, King James drafted him to translate the Latin, Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible into the modern prose and tongue of the time. The year the work was completed was 1611. So knowing this, if you study the tongue and prose of the Englanders and other people who spoke English at this time then you would understand that the way in which they spake often became a narrative which required diligence, patience and understanding.
Having said that, it is not the interpretation that we use from personal experience but rather a diligent comparison between what the different scripts have said- then understanding what the scripts have said. If they all agree then the conclusion on what a verse meant. For instance, before Jesus came to Jerusalem- the priests allowed people to sell things in the Church. Jesus overturned the tables and told them they were unholy for doing so. What do you gather from this? ( Read Mark 11).
Moses allowed people to divorce their wives- Jesus said that Moses only allowed that to happen because their hearts were so hard but Jesus said " Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. (9) And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication (sex with someone she is not married to- adultery), and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery[color=#990000][/color]." Matthew 19:8-9
What change did Jesus make here?
Leviticus is full of what we call the Mosaic Law. Many people misconceptualize the weight of the Mosaic Law because they first do not fully understand the purpose of the Mosaic Law. Moses' Law were conditional and situational. He had all of the Children of Israel to control- the Laws God gave Moses for the people were the ten commandments. The people were not satisfied with this therefore Moses decided to come up with rules and regulation- his laws (man's laws not God's laws)- that would be used to keep these people from going crazy and killing each other.
I have been long winded enough. So, in conclusion, the Bible has has to read carefully in it's entirety to be understood. Secondly, you can't understand it the way a Christian person understands it if you don't believe. You have to read it as if it were true. Then you will see what everyone else sees. It is a book written from the inspiration of the Holy spirit and has been proven to have been completed over centuries and not at one time. All this has to be taken into consideration. then maybe you will get an understanding

chiluvgod8, I really want to express my appreciation for your contributions to this subject. I am a Christian myself and I was only asking questions about something I didn't understand in the bible. That's the beauty of Nairaland, isn't it? I hope to get more of your contributions to subsequents posts of mine on other Bible topics. Thanks a bunch!

He is a fair God

Dr.Tee,

Asking such questions, implies that there is a system of "fairness" with which humans can judge God.

No such system of fairness exists.

We however can go to the bible for our answer and it says that God is fair.

My apologies, Dr. Tee. I did not know that you are a Christian. Having said that, I hope that what I wrote helped you discover the answer you were looking for. And yes, that is the beauty of Nairaland. Peace and God Bless You!

"When we slp,we aren't beta than d dead,when we wake,God deserves d glory". Uhmmmmmmm!!!

there are certain questions that are just plain stupid

Thoniaslim, one has to keep one's head straight b4 putting up certain post that might appear insultive.Do you get what I mean?

Dr Tee,

I hope Leviticus is not the only text in Scripture that you base your life on. If I understand your enquiry as about relationships between both sexes, from the Christian perspective men are not exonerated willy-nilly for the sin of adultery. Jesus Christ held men and women accoutable with what they do with their bodies. And it is fascinating that He warned the men about the sin of committing adultery with their eyes (Matt. 5:28)!

ThoniaSlim:

there are certain questions that are just plain stupid

Wow that was mean!