Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 15:28-33

28 But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness.

31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

32 This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;

33 And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.

Today concludes the case of women who have special conditions that cause perpetual bleeding outside of their regular menstrual cycles. After they were recovered, they would undergo the same ritual that was used for the man with a bodily discharge, and the second half of the rituals for a leper. Seven days of waiting, then on the eighth day taking two birds for a sin and a burnt offering. As mentioned before, this pattern matches that done for a newborn, signifying a rebirth into society.

This brings us to the end of the laws and rituals that govern ritual uncleanness and the return from that state. As we have observed multiple times, uncleanness did not mean sinful. Certainly, one could be unclean and sinful, but the former did not in-and-of-itself imply the latter. Being unclean was unfortunate and to some degree unavoidable. That being said, it was also a fact that those who engaged in unclean living were also likely to have some forms of ritual uncleanness more often. The same is true today, and we see how easy it becomes to judge unclean people as having done something wrong.

As with all things, this requires balance and wisdom. There isn’t anything wrong in noticing patterns and governing oneself with care, but at the same time compassion for the afflicted, whether sinful or not, must have its due, too. Especially since, as already mentioned, we all are unclean at some point. And not only innocently unclean either. We will all be in ugly, compromised, unclean states because of our selfishness, our deceit, and our sin. Obviously, that doesn’t lead us to condone it in others, but we should understand and have patience for it.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 15:25-27

25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean.

26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.

27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

Yesterday we discussed the situation of a woman having her period, and the temporary uncleanness brought about by that. But that only covered the common case. There were abnormal cases also. When verse 25 says a woman might have “an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation,” it means she is having a persistent discharge of blood, and it isn’t due to her regular menstrual cycle. These are special medical conditions that we have names for today, such as Chronic Abnormal Uterine Bleeding.

This is exactly the sort of condition that the woman who “had an issue of blood twelve years” must have suffered from. She had been perpetually ritually unclean because of this condition, with all of the social and physical afflictions that would have come with that. Going out in public to touch the hem of Jesus’s garment was quite the bold action, one that could have potentially earned her revulsion and a scolding. But she trusted that it would make her whole and she dearly desired that. She was right, and Jesus was not offended that an unclean woman had touched him. Rather he commended her for her faith and told her to “go in peace.”

Like a man with an irregular discharge from his genitals, the woman with a long-standing issue of blood also required a special ritual at the temple after she became clean. In fact, it was the exact same ritual, and we will hear about it in tomorrow’s verses.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 15:19-24

19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.

21 And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

22 And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

23 And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.

24 And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.

Now we shift our attention to a bodily discharge from a woman, as opposed to a man. The most obvious example of this, of course, is when she has her period. This is the situation that today’s verses cover, and we are told that she will be ritually unclean for the duration, and anyone or anything that touches her throughout this duration will need to be washed and then be clean again the next day.

It is important to note that the situation for the woman is the same as for the man. There are those that will take special offense that the Bible talks about a woman’s period as being an “unclean time,” while ignoring the fact that women were not singled out in this regard at all. We have already seen in this chapter that all people were subject to unclean times, and that there was no special shame in that condition. We even discussed yesterday how Jesus, while sinless, most probably was ritually unclean at times himself, and that is the greatest evidence of all that there is no condemnation in it.

But so far, we have talked only about a woman’s regular menstrual cycle. What if she had one of the conditions that made the discharge of blood much more prolonged, such as the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’s robes for healing? We will discuss that matter tomorrow.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 15:16-18

16 And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.

17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.

18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.

Today’s verses are clearly referencing a man’s ejaculate, and the method for cleanliness around it is very simple. Any person or item that makes contact must be washed, and it will be considered clean again at the start of the next day. This notion of tomorrow being a clean new day is one that we still naturally hold in today’s culture. Especially in the modern era where the day changes in the middle of the night, so we go to sleep in the same day as our troubles and then rise reborn in the morning.

For this next bit of commentary, I want to assure you that I am not trying to be crude or sacrilegious in any way, but I find it worth considering that Jesus’s body presumably followed the standard biological functions, which would include the occasional nighttime emission, which would mean that even he would be ritually unclean at certain times. Far from trying to demean him, I think this demonstrates how our modern culture puts far more shame on the Biblical idea of being “unclean” than was ever intended.

Yes, of course, one could be made unclean by personal error, but it would also come by simply living life. It was an inevitable state. Being declared unclean was simply an appropriate recognition of the perpetual fallen state that we all find ourselves in, not in-and-of-itself a consignment of guilt. It was an invitation to consider that that state we live in is lower than God’s, and we should feel humbled by that fact, but not ashamed.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 15:13-15

13 And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.

14 And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest:

15 And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue.

Yesterday I spoke about how society tends to avoid those who have unpleasantness oozing from them, whether it be physical, spiritual, emotional, or social. While we may not necessarily refer to people as “clean” and “unclean,” anymore, our natural instincts to distance ourselves matches the patterns described in the verses of this chapter.

But someone who has an unpleasant quality does not necessarily always remain so. Either the disease leaves his body, or he matures, or he develops his character, and he may become a welcome part of society again. Today’s verses reflect this aspect through the example of a man who has recovered from his symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease. Hopefully the man has not only healed from this one particular instance but has grown wiser and will behave better moving forward. Apparently, God is willing to give the man a second chance, and so, too, should society.

The sin and burnt offerings are standard, and it makes sense that we see them used here to make atonement for the man. What we do not see here is the narrative ritual of the two birds, one being slain and one being freed, such as we saw in the last chapter for leprosy recovery. It goes to show that leprosy was a special category of affliction, and I would argue represented something deeper and more sacred.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 15:8-12

8 And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

9 And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.

10 And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

11 And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

12 And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

Today’s verses continue to talk about a man who is unclean from a bodily discharge, most likely as a symptom of a sexually transmitted disease. The verses we have read today emphasize how the man who is unclean also makes that which he touches unclean, and anyone that touches what he has touched is also unclean.

This may seem a harsh rule, one prone to ostracization, but it is also an accurate representation of real-world patterns. It is not only true for physical discharges, either. There is all manner of spiritual, social, and emotional toxicity that we humans spew out, making an unpleasant place for others to reside. Think of someone who is frequently angry, someone who stirs up drama, someone who is constantly immature, someone who repeatedly makes up lies about others, someone who is perpetually narcissistic. It is a natural consequence that people tend to avoid them. This has always been and always will be the pattern of humanity.

This isn’t to say that there should be none willing to take on the burden of associating with such people, but it is appropriate to acknowledge that it really is a burden. A man that has bodily discharges from his sexually transmitted diseases is not a bad metaphor for everyone who regularly spews out any manner of spiritual, social, and emotional “dirtiness.” All that they touch, and all those that get pulled into their web of influence, are made unclean from the association.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 15:1-7

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.

3 And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.

4 Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean.

5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

6 And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

7 And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

Leviticus Chapter 15 launches into a subject that most people would probably rather skip over, but if this matter was good enough for God to teach from, it is good enough for us to learn from. It has to do with “issues” from the body, which of course means some sort of discharge that comes from a person, whether a man or a woman.

Verse 2 describes “a running issue out of his flesh,” and most scholars seem to agree that “his flesh” is euphemistic for the man’s genitals. This is further supported by verse 6’s concern with where the man “sits,” and later verses like 9 and 10. So, what would be a “running issue” from that region of the body? One might wonder about ejaculate, but that later on in this chapter that is referred to directly as “seed” or “seed of copulation,” so that rules that out. Scholars tend to agree that what these first verses are talking about is some emission caused by disease, which are particularly known to happen with certain sexually transmitted diseases. These verses seem to deal with men who are suffering side-effects of diseases contracted through sex.

Thus, if we find this whole subject gross and undesirable to dwell on, that is perfectly appropriate. Our physical revulsion is often well-tuned to guide us from danger and disease, and so too our spiritual revulsion should guide us from the acts that lead there.

Of course, while rarer, it is also possible to contract sexually transmitted diseases through innocent means, such as by non-sexual exposure or rape. Even in these cases, though, the dejected physical state is still real, the stain of fallen mortality is still upon us, and it does take some time to heal from that. Thus, anyone with these diseases, especially those who have obtained them by acts of sin, is in need of a time apart.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 14:54-57

54 This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall,

55 And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house,

56 And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot:

57 To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.

Today we finish the two chapters of guidance on how leprosy was to be handled among people, cloth, and houses. A common theme throughout this has been that of corruption, and the physical treatment of it is echoed in the social and spiritual frames as well. We saw how corruption, itself, must be destroyed, but the question was whether it could be removed without destroying the host. Sometimes it could be, and then the host could return to its full status and calling. Sometimes it couldn’t, and then, to contain the corruption, either destruction or quarantine of the host had to occur.

For both a garment and a house, persistent leprosy required complete destruction. But for a person, God did not command that the afflicted person be killed. They did have to be removed, though. They had to become dead to society. And then if they healed and could return to the fold, it was treated much like a rebirth.

Thus, leprosy is a lesson on corruption, purging, destruction, and restoration. It is a pattern that has been imbued throughout the universe, and observing it in any manifestation teaches us about it in all.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 14:48-53

48 And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.

49 And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:

51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:

52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:

53 But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.

Today we learn what happens if the infected part of a house is removed, and then the mold does not return. The ritual that follows is the same as that of a leper who was healed. We see the symbolic pattern of the two birds, one killed in a pot over water, the other dipped in its blood along with wood and hyssop and scarlet, then set free in a field.

As I said before, I see the ritual with the two birds as being symbolic of Jesus being condemned so that we may go free. In the case of the leper that applied at the individual level, here we see it applied at the level of a household. It is not only our inner trouble that Christ can liberate us from, but our interpersonal issues as well. We can be healed as an individual, as a family, as a community, as a nation, and as the entire human race. Impending doom can be reversed at each of these scales, but only through him.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 14:43-47

43 And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plastered;

44 Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean.

45 And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.

46 Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.

47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.

In the last post we heard that if the mold (leprosy) was spreading in the house, then the infected portion had to be removed and replaced. Today we hear what would happen if that did not resolve the matter, and tomorrow we will hear what would happen if it did.

It turns out that the house only got one chance to be redeemed. If after the first replacement the mold reappeared, then that was it. The whole thing had to be destroyed. Stone by stone, timber by timber, all of it deconstructed and hauled out of the entire city.

It may seem an extreme course, but it is better that people destroy their homes than wait for their homes to destroy them, as could very well be the case with weakened timbers and respiratory disease. So, too, when our societies are sick, we sometimes hesitate to make the difficult sacrifices necessary, and the result is that the contamination destroys us instead. A man whose house caves in on him when he had the chance to dismantle it has earned his demise. So it is with a society as well.