The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 15:13-15,
"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. 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. 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."
I'm quite certain there are more tasteful things I could be writing about than the directions provided by the Lord for a man who is unclean because of a bodily discharge. However, there is something here that catches my attention that is quite wonderful concerning the Lord, I'll get to that in a bit.
There is that in the Lord's directions to Israel concerning the health and hygiene for individuals and the community as a whole. What we see in the above verses, however, are directions for a "ceremonial cleansing" that is to follow him being "cleansed from his discharge." Beyond the concern for germs, disease, heath and hygiene, a spiritual cleansing is required.
This need for a "ceremonial cleansing" following a medical issue in the community of God is not difficult to trace. All death, all disease, all infirmity, all the physical, emotional and spiritual maladies that affect all of us is directly attributable to man's fall in the garden of Eden. It was when mankind rebelled and turned his back on God that death, disease, illness, etc. entered into the now fallen human race. In the midst of suffering physically from sin in the garden of Eden as an ultimate cause, it should not be lost that unsaved man in his natural condition is unclean and when visited by the consequences of sin, makes him ceremonially unclean under the law among God's covenant people.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"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. 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. 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."
I'm quite certain there are more tasteful things I could be writing about than the directions provided by the Lord for a man who is unclean because of a bodily discharge. However, there is something here that catches my attention that is quite wonderful concerning the Lord, I'll get to that in a bit.
There is that in the Lord's directions to Israel concerning the health and hygiene for individuals and the community as a whole. What we see in the above verses, however, are directions for a "ceremonial cleansing" that is to follow him being "cleansed from his discharge." Beyond the concern for germs, disease, heath and hygiene, a spiritual cleansing is required.
This need for a "ceremonial cleansing" following a medical issue in the community of God is not difficult to trace. All death, all disease, all infirmity, all the physical, emotional and spiritual maladies that affect all of us is directly attributable to man's fall in the garden of Eden. It was when mankind rebelled and turned his back on God that death, disease, illness, etc. entered into the now fallen human race. In the midst of suffering physically from sin in the garden of Eden as an ultimate cause, it should not be lost that unsaved man in his natural condition is unclean and when visited by the consequences of sin, makes him ceremonially unclean under the law among God's covenant people.
So, there is need in the community of God for direction both in regard to health and hygiene, as well as addressing the ultimate origin of cause for theses infirmities, while under the law. This, a reminder that sin brought devastation to the lives we have here.
Here is something I find interesting and wonderful about God. In a constant concern for potential illness in the community and a ceremonial "unclean-ness" as well, anyone who touched a person who was unclean, became unclean himself. "Whoever touches the man who has a discharge must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening." Leviticus 15:7. When man comes into contact with the "unclean" he become unclean. However, when anything touches God, it becomes clean and healed and made whole. I am reminded of a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. She touched just the robe of Jesus Christ and was immediately healed. Luke 8:43-48. Jesus turned to her and said, "your faith has healed you."
The ugly things of this life can destroy us, make us "unclean", but the touch of God through faith overcomes uncleaness, disease, and any other vestige of living in our lost and fallen world.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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