The Broken Heart
5 min read
29 “ ‘This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and makes herself impure while married to her husband, 30 or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the LORD and is to apply this entire law to her.’ ”
Numbers 5:29-30
What about the man? What about the man who committed adultery with the woman? According to Leviticus 20:10, he is put to death.
On the surface, this treatment of the woman seems extremely unfair. And I will agree that based on our current cultural standards of morality, this treatment of the woman seems unfair. But then, I realize that no provision has been made for the adulterer. He is put to death. This law supersedes Leviticus 20:10 so that the adulteress has a chance to live, if living with the shame of having committed adultery could be called living.
Still, I cannot completely shake off the sense of unfairness toward the woman. On the other hand, the problem of adultery has become so common in our culture, it has become practically normalized. That is to say, are we in a position to weigh in on such matters, given our current cultural standards of morality?
Also, anyone who has ever been cheated on might be more understanding of the severity of the law given here. And add to that the betrayal of the covenant bond of marriage. Love that is betrayed is a difficult thing to mend.
And maybe that’s the point of this law. Not to mend the broken heart or mend the broken love. Because I cannot see how this law could fully satisfy the victims desire for both retribution and restoration. “I want things to go back to the way they were!” That can never be.
The tragedy of human sin is way too commonplace for us. We observe it as if watching a movie and we are strangely entertained by it—until it happens to us. Then we know. We understand better the devastation of sin, and nothing can really fix our broken hearts.
But then, how must God feel over our constant betrayal? I know that I cannot feel what God feels. God is God, and we are His creation. So the heartbreak He must feel over all of our sin must be beyond our comprehension.
And then, to offer His one and only Son so that we might have a chance to live … even if we might live with the curse of sin … How can that be?
God is the victim of our sin. And in Christ—in Him crucified, resurrected, and returning—God’s desire for retribution and restoration has been fully satisfied. And He did that because of His great, great love for us … and to mend His broken heart (?).
Father, Your mercy, grace, and love are beyond human comprehending. I confess my sins to You and thank You for Your forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Continue to sanctify me so that I might be able to live life to the full—fully redeemed from the curse of sin. In Jesus name. Amen.
