Plymothian

Moody Bible Institute does not allow its faculty to be divorced.  Does that mean that they believe that divorced people are damned?  No.  The board have decided that Moody faculty need to be held to a higher standard because they are teaching God’s word.  There are cases in which it may seem unfair, but the rules have been made and the faculty abide by them. 

God is holy and those who come near to him are made holy.  Leviticus 21 sets the conduct of priests apart from the people.  Leviticus 21 sets the High Priest apart further still.  Do you think pastors and Bible teachers need to be held to a higher standard?

Leviticus 21

¹ The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, ² except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, ³ or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. ⁴ He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, ^[a] and so defile himself.

 ⁵ ” ‘Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. ⁶ They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the offerings made to the LORD by fire, the food of their God, they are to be holy.

 ⁷ ” ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. ⁸ Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy—I who make you holy. ^[b]

 ⁹ ” ‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.

 ¹⁰ ” ‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt ^[c] or tear his clothes. ¹¹ He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, ¹² nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD.

 ¹³ ” ‘The woman he marries must be a virgin. ¹⁴ He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, ¹⁵ so he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy. ^[d] ‘ “

 ¹⁶ The LORD said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. ¹⁸ No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; ¹⁹ no man with a crippled foot or hand, ²⁰ or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. ²¹ No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the offerings made to the LORD by fire. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. ²² He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; ²³ yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy. ^[e] ‘ “

 ²⁴ So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

Questions

1. For whom must a priest not make himself unclean?
2. What happens to a priest’s daughter who becomes a whore?
3. What may a descendent of Aaron with a defect do?
4. Why are rules so strict for priests?
5. Should we have priests today?  How should they conduct themselves?

Leviticus 19 contains a list of rules for holy living.  In effect, the list gives guidelines for flourishing in Canaan after they arrive.  Looking over these rules, can you see how they would improve our countries today if we just lived by them?

Leviticus 19

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

 ³ ” ‘Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

 ⁴ ” ‘Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

 ⁵ ” ‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering ^[a] to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. ⁶ It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. ⁷ If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. ⁸ Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the LORD; that person must be cut off from his people.

 ⁹ ” ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.

 ¹¹ ” ‘Do not steal.
      ” ‘Do not lie.
      ” ‘Do not deceive one another.

 ¹² ” ‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

 ¹³ ” ‘Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
      ” ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.

 ¹⁴ ” ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.

 ¹⁵ ” ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

 ¹⁶ ” ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
      ” ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.

 ¹⁷ ” ‘Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.

 ¹⁸ ” ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

 ¹⁹ ” ‘Keep my decrees.
      ” ‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.
      ” ‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
      ” ‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

 ²⁰ ” ‘If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. ²¹ The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD. ²² With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.

 ²³ ” ‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. ^[b] For three years you are to consider it forbidden ^[c] ; it must not be eaten. ²⁴ In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. ²⁵ But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.

 ²⁶ ” ‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
      ” ‘Do not practice divination or sorcery.

 ²⁷ ” ‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.

 ²⁸ ” ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

 ²⁹ ” ‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.

 ³⁰ ” ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.

 ³¹ ” ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

 ³² ” ‘Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.

 ³³ ” ‘When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. ³⁴ The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

 ³⁵ ” ‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. ³⁶ Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah ^[d] and an honest hin. ^[e] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

 ³⁷ ” ‘Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.’ “

Questions

1. Why should the people of God be holy?
2. Why should you reason frankly with your brother?
3. Who should you stand up before and honour?
4. How does Jesus sum up the whole law?
5. How would you spread love in action in your neighborhood? (e.g. someone ploughed the front of our house)

Postmodernists tell us that one of the most destructive aspects of belief is the separation of those who are ‘in’ and those who are ‘out’.  Then they talk about those who are ‘in’ and do not form distinctive groups.  The irony is lost on them.  We use language to talk about distinctions that exist in reality.  Ontology is an area of study which spends a great deal of time arguing what common characteristics members of a group have.

Those who have a relationship with God desire to be more like him.  Their desire leads to them keeping rules that God has laid down.  In today’s passage we see that those who do not agree with god’s precepts are to be excluded.  The exclusion is just a physical out working of where they have placed themselves philosophically.

Leviticus 17

 ¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the LORD has commanded: ³ Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, ^[a] a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it ⁴ instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD -that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. ⁵ This is so the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the LORD, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings. ^{[b] 6} The priest is to sprinkle the blood against the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. ⁷ They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols ^[c] to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.’

 ⁸ “Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice ⁹ and does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD -that man must be cut off from his people.

 ¹⁰ ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. ¹¹ For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. ¹² Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”

 ¹³ ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, ¹⁴ because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”

 ¹⁵ ” ‘Anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean. ¹⁶ But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will be held responsible.’ “

Questions

1. How is a person meant to treat an animal that is killed?
2. To whom did people sacrifice outside the camp?
3. What is a person not to eat?
4. What is the significance of blood?
5. How do vampire novelists like Bram Stoker draw principles from this passage?

I got a little carried away looking into Azazel.  Verse 10 states “But the goat chosen by lot for Azazel is to be presented alive before the LORD to make purification with it by sending it into the wilderness for Azazel.”  Is Azazel a demon who spiritually waits for a garbage truck of sin to be dumped in his lap? Is Azazel a region where the sin is dumped?  Is it the name of the goat?  The fact is that getting hung up on this detail detracts from the focus of the chapter.

The chapter removes the sin that has been stored in the tabernacle.  All the sprinkling of the altar takes it toll.  Now the temple itself is cleansed.  The people are renewed.  A scapegoat takes the sin out into the desert.  The goat cleanses the temple and takes the sin to Azazel.  Jesus is the scapegoat for our sin. 

Leviticus 16

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. ² The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

 ³ “This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ⁴ He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. ⁵ From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

 ⁶ “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. ⁷ Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁸ He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. ^{[a] 9} Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. ¹⁰ But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.

 ¹¹ “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. ¹² He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. ¹³ He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die. ¹⁴ He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.

 ¹⁵ “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. ¹⁶ In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. ¹⁷ No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

 ¹⁸ “Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. ¹⁹ He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

 ²⁰ “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. ²¹ He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. ²² The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.

 ²³ “Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. ²⁴ He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. ²⁵ He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

 ²⁶ “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. ²⁷ The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up. ²⁸ The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.

 ²⁹ “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves ^[b] and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you- ³⁰ because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. ³¹ It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. ³² The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments ³³ and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community.

 ³⁴ “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”
      And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Questions

1. How does God restrict Aaron’s access to the mercy seat?
2. In verse 16 what is purified?
3. How is Azazel hidden in the NIV?
4. How has Christ replaced the day of atonement?
5. Thank God for taking your sin away and intentionally remembering it no more.

Uncleanliness spreads.  The effects of the fall permeate every area.  However, the mere condition of our fallen state distances us from God.  Men discharge fluid from their penis.  Women bleed from their vagina.  The normal emissions of this mortal life are evidence taht we are other than our creator.  The smallness of humanity is emphasized by these unbidden emissions.  Leviticus tells us how a person who realises their own mortality and lack of control can perform a set of rituals that will bring them back into a relationship with God.

Leviticus 15

¹ The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. ³ Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness:

 ⁴ ” ‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. ⁵ Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. ⁶ Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ⁷ ” ‘Whoever touches the man who has a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ⁸ ” ‘If the man with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ⁹ ” ‘Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, ¹⁰ and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening; whoever picks up those things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ¹¹ ” ‘Anyone the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ¹² ” ‘A clay pot that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden article is to be rinsed with water.

 ¹³ ” ‘When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean. ¹⁴ On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before the LORD to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and give them to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement before the LORD for the man because of his discharge.

 ¹⁶ ” ‘When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening. ¹⁷ Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. ¹⁸ When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

 ¹⁹ ” ‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.

 ²⁰ ” ‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. ²¹ Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. ²² Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. ²³ Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening.

 ²⁴ ” ‘If a man lies with her and her monthly flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.

 ²⁵ ” ‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. ²⁶ Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. ²⁷ Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ²⁸ ” ‘When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. ²⁹ On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ³⁰ The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge.

 ³¹ ” ‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, ^[a] which is among them.’ “

 ³² These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, ³³ for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who lies with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.

Questions

1. When is a man unclean in this passage?
2. What kinds of things can he make unclean?
3. When is a woman unclean in this passage?
4. Why are people held responsible for uncontrollable discharges?
5. How do things beyond your control affect your relationship with God?

WhenI think of ‘cleansing’ I think of cleansing lotions and baths.  This is not the same as ritual cleansing which focuses on protocol to come back before God.  Spiritual cleansing may only take place once the physical cleansing has occured.  A person or a building can go through these cleansing rituals.  This shows us that both people and houses can have impurities removed.  Impurities are not the same as ‘sin’.  However, they can not be tolerated by a pure God.

Leviticus 14

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² “These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: ³ The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, ^{[a] 4} the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. ⁵ Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁶ He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. ⁷ Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

 ⁸ “The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. After this he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

 ¹⁰ “On the eighth day he must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah ^[b] of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log ^[c] of oil. ¹¹ The priest who pronounces him clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and his offerings before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

 ¹² “Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. ¹³ He is to slaughter the lamb in the holy place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. ¹⁴ The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵ The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand, ¹⁶ dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the LORD seven times. ¹⁷ The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. ¹⁸ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for him before the LORD.

 ¹⁹ “Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering ²⁰ and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

 ²¹ “If, however, he is poor and cannot afford these, he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of an ephah ^[d] of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, ²² and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

 ²³ “On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before the LORD. ²⁴ The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil, and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. ²⁵ He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, ²⁷ and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the LORD. ²⁸ Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering—on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁹ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. ³⁰ Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, which the person can afford, ³¹ one ^[e] as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed.”

 ³² These are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing.

Cleansing From Mildew

 ³³ The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land, ³⁵ the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house.’ ³⁶ The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. ³⁷ He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, ³⁸ the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. ³⁹ On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, ⁴⁰ he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. ⁴¹ He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. ⁴² Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

 ⁴³ “If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, ⁴⁴ the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

 ⁴⁶ “Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening. ⁴⁷ Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes.

 ⁴⁸ “But if the priest comes to examine it and the mildew has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone. ⁴⁹ To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. ⁵⁰ He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁵¹ Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. ⁵³ Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

 ⁵⁴ These are the regulations for any infectious skin disease, for an itch, ⁵⁵ for mildew in clothing or in a house, ⁵⁶ and for a swelling, a rash or a bright spot, ⁵⁷ to determine when something is clean or unclean.
      These are the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew.

Questions

1. What day does the leprous person come to at the beginning of the chapter?
2. On which day does the former leper bring his offerings to the tent?
3. What is the concern that causes a house to be unclean?
4. How are diseases overlooked by a pure God in this passage?  How did Jesus overlook them?
5. How do we deal with the impurities of disease and its spiritual implications?

I have psoriasis on top of my head.  It has been explained to me that my skin produces more cells than are needed and so the cells pile up and flake off revealing raw skin underneath.  The result can be some terrible itching.  It is a sign of my impurity.  God did not, I believe, put psoriasis into the original blueprint.  It is connected with our own mortality; it is connected with the decay of the fall.  I might have been placed outside of the camp, far from the presence of God.

Leviticus 13

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ² “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, ^[a] he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons ^[b] who is a priest. ³ The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, ^[c] it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean. ⁴ If the spot on his skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to keep him in isolation another seven days. ⁶ On the seventh day the priest is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. The man must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. ⁷ But if the rash does spread in his skin after he has shown himself to the priest to be pronounced clean, he must appear before the priest again. ⁸ The priest is to examine him, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious disease.

 ⁹ “When anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest is to examine him, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ it is a chronic skin disease and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He is not to put him in isolation, because he is already unclean.

 ¹² “If the disease breaks out all over his skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, ¹³ the priest is to examine him, and if the disease has covered his whole body, he shall pronounce that person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. ¹⁴ But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. ¹⁵ When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; he has an infectious disease. ¹⁶ Should the raw flesh change and turn white, he must go to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest is to examine him, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the infected person clean; then he will be clean.

 ¹⁸ “When someone has a boil on his skin and it heals, ¹⁹ and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white spot appears, he must present himself to the priest. ²⁰ The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease that has broken out where the boil was. ²¹ But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. ²² If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is infectious. ²³ But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

 ²⁴ “When someone has a burn on his skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, ²⁵ the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. ²⁶ But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. ²⁸ If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scar from the burn.

 ²⁹ “If a man or woman has a sore on the head or on the chin, ³⁰ the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean; it is an itch, an infectious disease of the head or chin. ³¹ But if, when the priest examines this kind of sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if the itch has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, ³³ he must be shaved except for the diseased area, and the priest is to keep him in isolation another seven days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the priest is to examine the itch, and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. ³⁵ But if the itch does spread in the skin after he is pronounced clean, ³⁶ the priest is to examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. ³⁷ If, however, in his judgment it is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

 ³⁸ “When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, ³⁹ the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; that person is clean.

 ⁴⁰ “When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. ⁴¹ If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. ⁴² But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. ⁴³ The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, ⁴⁴ the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.

 ⁴⁵ “The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, ^[d] cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.

Regulations About Mildew

 ⁴⁷ “If any clothing is contaminated with mildew—any woolen or linen clothing, ⁴⁸ any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather- ⁴⁹ and if the contamination in the clothing, or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the affected article for seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mildew has spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mildew; the article is unclean. ⁵² He must burn up the clothing, or the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has the contamination in it, because the mildew is destructive; the article must be burned up.

 ⁵³ “But if, when the priest examines it, the mildew has not spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, ⁵⁴ he shall order that the contaminated article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. ⁵⁵ After the affected article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mildew has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mildew has affected one side or the other. ⁵⁶ If, when the priest examines it, the mildew has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the contaminated part out of the clothing, or the leather, or the woven or knitted material. ⁵⁷ But if it reappears in the clothing, or in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is spreading, and whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. ⁵⁸ The clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mildew, must be washed again, and it will be clean.”

 ⁵⁹ These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.

Questions

1. What colour skin would an Israelite be wary of?
2. How long might a person be put in isolation?
3. What clothing materials might also be subject to decay?
4. What connections are there with death (i.e. How might we conclude that a person with skin disease is ‘living dead’)?
5. How has Jesus brought life to this living death?

The offering that women bring to the temple after having a children is not a ‘sin’ offering.  They have not sinned by giving birth.  The offering that they give takes away ritual impurity.  A dead body has not sinned.  It is dead.  However, it is impure.  The process of giving birth needs ‘cleansing’ and this is performed by the sacrifice in this chapter.  The fact that giving birth to a girl brings a greater length to the time of impurity reflects that newborn girls can have emissions of blood themselves for a while after birth.  Their impurity is cleansed by the act of their mother.

Leviticus 12

 ¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. ³ On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. ⁴ Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. ⁵ If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding.

 ⁶ ” ‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. ⁷ He shall offer them before the LORD to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.
      ” ‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. ⁸ If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’

Questions

1. Who is the subject of this chapter?
2. How long is a mother ceremonially unclean after giving birth to a son or a daughter?
3. What two things might she offer to become cleansed?
4. How do we think of blood and uncleanliness today?  Why do girls use ‘sanitary’ towels?  Why do doctors wear gloves?
5. How do the cycles of birth and death create a distinction between humans and God?  How might we remember the contrast of our mortality with God’s immortality?

Some foods are better for us than others.  Although there is a relationship between health and eating, we commonly forget that how we eat should reflect our walk with God.  Even today, there are rules to eating right.  Mankind has discovered rules for healthy eating that God has always known.  As you may have guessed, though,  living a holy life is not just about eating right.  We glorify God by eating, sleeping, washing, talking, and exercising as God has designed us to live.  Have you made choices based in God’s blueprint?

Leviticus 11

 ¹ The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: ³ You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.

 ⁴ ” ‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. ⁵ The coney, ^[a] though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁶ The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁷ And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. ⁸ You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

 ⁹ ” ‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. ¹⁰ But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to detest. ¹¹ And since you are to detest them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses. ¹² Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.

 ¹³ ” ‘These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, ¹⁴ the red kite, any kind of black kite, ¹⁵ any kind of raven, ¹⁶ the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, ¹⁸ the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, ¹⁹ the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. ^[b]

 ²⁰ ” ‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you. ²¹ There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. ²² Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. ²³ But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest.

 ²⁴ ” ‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. ²⁵ Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ²⁶ ” ‘Every animal that has a split hoof not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean. ²⁷ Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. ²⁸ Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. They are unclean for you.

 ²⁹ ” ‘Of the animals that move about on the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, ³⁰ the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. ³¹ Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. ³² When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. ³³ If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. ³⁴ Any food that could be eaten but has water on it from such a pot is unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk from it is unclean. ³⁵ Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. ³⁶ A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. ³⁷ If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. ³⁸ But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

 ³⁹ ” ‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean till evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats some of the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.

 ⁴¹ ” ‘Every creature that moves about on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten. ⁴² You are not to eat any creature that moves about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is detestable. ⁴³ Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. ⁴⁴ I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. ⁴⁵ I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

 ⁴⁶ ” ‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground. ⁴⁷ You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’ “

Questions

1. What kind of animals may Israelites eat?
2. What kind of water dwelling animals can Israelites eat?
3. What do birds eat that Israelites may not eat?
4. Why do you think God gave us dietary laws?
5. How do you think spiritually about your diet?