Things have been said about the woman at the well that is untrue. One of them was, she had been divorced 5 times, another, that she was a full time harlot. This is not at all true.
I would like to share with everyone who reads this post the truth about the woman at the well. Yes, this post is not to popular belief. Therefore, I ask each reader to pray and ask of God to guide you and to fill you with His Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus, for understanding through the Truth of His Word.
Jesus said to the woman at the well, … Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: John 4:17-18… Under biblical law a woman is bound to her husband as long as he liveth. The scriptures say,
“For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.” (Romans 7:2-3, KJV)
“The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:39, KJV)
Note also,
“And 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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:23-24, KJV)
“But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (Matthew 5:32, KJV)
With this Biblical truth, as it was in the truth that Jesus only spoke, teaches us that the women at the well had had 5 husbands, by the law of God. Yet the one she was with, is not her husband by God’s law. Therefore, 4 of her husbands under the law of God had die, she married the 5th time, and because he liveth, the 6th man she was with, was not her husband by law; Remember, this is by the law of God.
We don’t know if her 5th husband by law, divorced her or she left him or they were just separated. This was kept private by Jesus. Yet Jesus clearly stated that the man she was with at that time He spoke with her, was not her husband. By the truth of God’s Word, we know that the 5th husband is alive, as the man she was with, number 6 man, at the time Jesus spoke to her, was not her husband.
The truth about the woman at the well is very important for God’s people to understand. For we know that God’s Word is truth and Jesus never spoke against the law of God. Yet Jesus did fulfil the law, and only spoke in the truth of the law of God. If we have the wrong understanding, we have a lie and not truth. The scriptures say, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32, KJV). Be free in the truth of God’s Word.
There are more wonderful truth’s we can learn from the woman at the well. See this link as it teaches us the best way to share our testimony when we come to the Knowledge of God, by using the story of the woman at the well.
After sharing the above with others, someone said, the fact she was a Samaritan, she had to be a loose women. Then gave Biblical facts on how bad the Samaritans were. A reply to this was very necessary.
Jesus only worked, and spoke, in the law of God.
Regardless of the back ground of the Samaritan people’s lifestyle, Jesus did not assess the woman at the well according to the Samaritan lifestyle; Jesus just told her, her own story, her history. What Jesus said, regarding the history of the woman, was said in truth. It was spoken in the precepts of the subject of women, marriage, death and divorce, from the Word of God. Jesus spoke exactly to the precept on this subject. If she had been a full time harlot, or divorced, none of the men would have been her husband by the law of God outside the first man she had been with. As the Bible teaches, “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.” (Romans 7:2-3, KJV)
Divorce may set one free by the laws of the land, but not by God’s law. Jesus did not say she was divorced 5 times. Jesus clearly said she had 5 husbands and the one she was with was not her husband. That’s very clear. The fact that Jesus said the man that she was with was not her husband, is clear by the law of God; the man was not her husband. Yes, with this man only, was she living against the law of God; as an adulteress. According to the law of God the man she was with was also committing adultery. “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (Matthew 5:32, KJV)
The fact that Jesus told the woman at the well, she had 5 husbands was very hard for any one stranger to know about; hence why she perceived him to be a prophet, that He was the Christ. A harlot would have been extremely easy to recognize. And easy to foretell her story. The fact that she was amazed of what He said to her about her life, it caused a stir within her heart to go tell the town who she had met, which was the Christ. The woman at the well’s story was one that only God could know about outside of the town and family. A total stranger could never had guessed such an extraordinary story. Hence, she clearly knew that the man was of God. Jesus was the Christ, and she goes and tells the people of the town what had happened at the well, and calls for them to come and see, and she said, “is not this the Christ”.
If we study the Word of God without pre judgement of a race of people, for that one person we are studying about, we will see the truth. These people were hungry for truth, in which Jesus knew; hence why he was there, He knew they were ready to receive the truth.
Ruth from the country of Moab, came from a nation that did not have a good background, yet she was a virtuous woman. Read the book of Ruth.
The Israelites from time to time over history had lived a similar lifestyle to the Samaritans and yet we don’t judge every Israelite from the people’s choices way back then. We cannot judge any one person according to the background of the race of the people.
We can even look that Nineveh. God knew the people only needed a preacher to turn them to walk in truth and give their hearts to Him. Yes, some may say look at Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet even here we see God knew the hearts of the people. Abraham pleads with God not to destroy the city for the righteous that lived there. Yet as we read chapter 18 of Genesis, we see there was not even 10 righteous in the city. 4 souls were saved from the city, yet even 1 of those 4 lost their life for the love of the city, note chapter 19 of Genesis. as Matthew 6:21, and Luke 12:34 say, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
It would be very hard to win souls if we looked at the background of what a person came from. I’m so glad God sees the things we do not see, the depth of the heart and even every detail of our life. He knows our heart and regardless of our sins, He is willing to forgive. We just need to trust in Him. It is when we love sin more than God we have the issues Sodom and Gomorrah had. Yet, when we have acting faith in God, in love for Him, we will go to Him and ask for His forgiveness; God pardons us upon our asking for forgiveness. He gives as peace and makes us whole because we have faith in Him. Note Mark 5:34, Luke 7:48-50; 8:48.
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19. Therefore, we need to acknowledge our sin unto God, and our iniquity, hide it not. Confess our transgressions unto the LORD; and God will forgive our iniquity of our sin. As the Psalmist said, in Psalms 32:5, as he talked to God. “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”
We may have struggles accepting the truth of God’s Word because it may open up the wounds of our past. Yet our past never changes the Word of God, but God’s Word changes us, and our future; we only need to obey Him at His Word, have acting faith in His Word. The women at the well accepted the truth of God’s Word, even though it showed her of her sin. She not only accepted the truth, she embraced it and used the truth to share with others without sharing every detail of her life.
Never allow our past to hide the truth of God’s Word. Embrace the Truth and live free in Christ Jesus just as the woman at the well did.
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Psalms 19:7-11.
Praise be to God.
Open The Light Studies 