Removing Suspicion

Removing Suspicion

While tossing, turning and unable to sleep, he heard his wife’s phone ding. She was sound asleep, and she had just received a text message. While she slept, his curiosity got the best of him. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to see who was texting her at that hour. It was sent at 1:00 a.m. from someone he did not know. The message was very personal, and the timing made it more suspicious. Needless to say, this did not help his insomnia.

 

In the book of Numbers 5:12-28, we find a law that God gave the children of Israel called the law of jealousy. This law was for the man who struggled with suspicion about his wife’s fidelity. In this law there was a protocol to help remove the suspicion. God promised that if the protocol was followed all suspicion would be removed. The woman would either be proven guilty or innocent. If the woman was innocent, she would delight in proving it. She naturally understood that you can’t have a happy marriage where there is suspicion. Trust is the foundation to any good relationship, but especially, in marriage. The home that is filled with suspicion is no longer a house of shelter, but a house of shadows.

 

You may say, why does the Scripture emphasize the suspicions of a husband? From the spiritual perspective, this refers to God’s relationship to his bride, Israel. It also refers to the Lord Jesus Christ’s relationship to his bride, the church! We know that God is faithful, but it is his bride that is the suspect in suspicion. That should clarify the subject for those who misconstrued the meaning of the Scripture. The primary issue in the passage is the principle of removing suspicion. If a spouse has a difficult time trusting the other spouse, then it is imperative for the suspect to remove all suspicion of infidelity. There must be extra care taken to prove your love, when you know there was a problem in the past. There ought to be extreme transparency on the behalf of the suspicious spouse (unless you are a secret agent, and your transparency would jeopardize national security)!

 

When we disclose all of our social media information to our spouse, we help build trust. When we communicate any time there is a change of plans at work, we build trust. Open and constant communication builds trust. We should not feel offended if our spouse asks questions about where we are or where we have been. Our body language conveys messages, and if we appear irritated by personal questions from our spouse, they may think we have something to hide. If you work with people and listen to their problems for a living, then it may not be wise to share all you have heard that day. Even in this situation, there is still a right way to communicate without exploiting anyone.

 

My counsel for the man struggling with insomnia is this: God’s love for you is never ending- Romans 8:31-39. God is able to expose the truth in his time-Matthew 10:26. Therefore trust him to do his work. Get to sleep. Show God you believe he is able. Pray about a good time to talk about the text, and let her answer- John 16:12. If there have been no prior infidelities, then give her the benefit of the doubt. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Finally, seek godly counsel, if you’re unable to resolve the problem-Proverbs


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