At first glance, the Sotah ritual represents the very worst of patriarchal culture. But digging deeper, I find that a husband would be a fool to enforce Sotah on his wife, because if she loses, he loses too.
Mothers have been trying for thousands of years to keep their children from using the name of the Lord as a curse word, and while it may seem like it is a losing battle in twenty-first century culture, scripture tells us that we’re not alone.
Being in relationship with God has always been about grace, and a relationship with God can only be accessed through faith, not birthright. Whether we are born Jew or Gentile, descendants of Hagar or Sarah in the flesh, if we belong to Christ, we are Abraham’s spiritual descendants and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29)
We’ve all heard it said, “Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it.” Sarai got what she wanted. Hagar became pregnant with Abram’s child. And things went south real fast.
Coffee Stains on my Bible 