“Mistrust’s Blows, God’s Breath” – A United Church of Christ StillSpeaking Daily Devotional by The Rev. Kaji Douŝa

Then the priest shall bring her near and set her before the JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH. The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and from the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, the priest shall take and put into the water. – Numbers 5:16–17 (as adapted in Wilda C. Gafney’s Year C)

In Numbers 5, we find a disturbing ritual: a husband, consumed by jealousy, takes his wife to the priest. There is no evidence, no witness—only suspicion. And suspicion is enough to put her through an ordeal where dust from the temple floor is mixed with holy water, and she is forced to drink the bitter mixture. If she is guilty, her body will bear the consequences. If she is innocent, she will be unharmed.

This passage isn’t just about an ancient test; it’s about control. It’s about who holds power, who is believed, and who suffers under systems designed to uphold one person’s authority over another. It’s about the ways fear and mistrust warp justice, placing the burden on the most vulnerable.

Jesus walked into a world shaped by these same dynamics—where religious law was often wielded to shame, exclude, and condemn. But where others saw impurity, Jesus saw dignity. Where others upheld rigid systems, Jesus broke them open with grace.

We were not created to live under the weight of fear, suspicion, or control. Genesis tells us that God formed humanity from dust, but we were animated by breath—ruah, the divine Spirit that sets us free.

So today, ask yourself:

• Where do I see control disguised as righteousness?

• How am I called to resist systems that diminish human dignity?

• What would it mean to truly trust in God’s abundance, rather than the scarcity of suspicion?

Prayer

Breath of life, breathe freedom into your world. In Jesus’s name. Amen.