This chapter covers the laws of cleanness regarding anyone who has any bodily fluid discharge, and anyone who comes into contact with them or something they had touched.
“The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.’ ” (v1-6)
The laws were all encompassing for gender (there are laws for both men v1-18 and women v19-30) and for all types of discharges. To summarize, anyone who has a discharge is considered unclean until 7 days after the discharge has stopped, at which point they need to bring sin and burnt offerings to the temple on the eighth day. Anything and unclean person lies or sits on becomes unclean, and anyone who touches an unclean person or object becomes unclean. Those who become unclean through brief contact wash their clothes and bathe and remain unclean until evening.
As with most of the laws around uncleanness, there are two separate types of uncleanness – physical and spiritual. The laws protect Israel physically (encouraging them to be quarantined or bathe to prevent the spread of bacteria), and the laws protect them spiritually (encouraging them to atone for their sins and come clean before God).
We have similar (mostly unwritten) “laws” for physical hygiene today – we shower and wash our hands regularly, cover our cough, dispose of used tissues, cook our food thoroughly, do laundry frequently, etc. We’re going above and beyond the Hebrew laws in this regard.
Where culture severely lacks today is spiritual laws – we have removed many of our governing moral laws to the point where almost everything is now legal (don’t get me started on legalizing murder [ie. abortion or euthanasia]). We (the human race in general, not specifically Christ followers) have spit in God’s face when it comes to legalizing many things His law says are immoral and forbidden.
What this means for me today is a renewed challenge to abide by God’s moral code, not the flimsy relative morality code of our culture. I encourage each of us (myself included) to do an inventory of our practices and beliefs when it comes to the moral laws we follow, and compare them against scripture. Are we in alignment with God’s code of conduct under the New Covenant? I pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to us any areas in which we need God’s assistance and protection, and then gently help us come back into alignment with His will for us. Most of the time our slip-ups aren’t even conscious – It’s so easy to fall prey to the enemy’s deception, since he has many weapons with which he strikes us. Only God can give us awareness and protection.
It’s incredibly tempting for me to run around on a moral high horse and tell everyone what they’re doing isn’t in alignment with scripture – however, I realize that is not the most effective (or kind/gentle) approach. I first need God’s help in removing the plank from my eye, before the Holy Spirit within me can partner with someone else to help remove the speck from their eye. I recognize I am often not fully in alignment with God’s moral will, so it would be hypocritical of me to force that will on someone else. I would like to lead by example whenever possible, and let the Holy Spirit do the work.
Father God, thank you for teaching us humility and Your will. Would you please open our eyes to our own hearts, so we may be aware of anything within that is not in alignment with Your will. Would you please continue to gently instruct us in Your ways, bringing us into alignment with Your will for our lives, making us into obedient Christ followers. Our desire is to follow You, and that’s often very difficult when we are physically immersed in this culture – please help to guard our hearts and minds from the influence of the enemy as we seek to serve You alone. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training