Numbers 5:26
And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water. And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
Numbers 5:26 belongs to the laws concerning jealousy in Numbers 5 and 6, a portion that also contains the laws concerning the Nazarites and closes with the blessing the priests were to place upon the children of Israel. When read rightly, the chapter shows God's abhorrence of sin and leads people to shun sin's destructive path and fearful end. The offering is a jealousy offering, made not to atone for sin but to bring hidden guilt to light. It was of barley and had no oil or frankincense on it. The priest burned a handful of the offering as its memorial portion on the altar and afterward gave the woman the bitter water to drink. That water would cause no harm if the woman was innocent, but if she was guilty it would bring a dreadful death, showing that sin is not limited to an outward act but can arise from an inward condition of the heart and character.