And the LORD to Moses, saying… Each of our four chapters begin with this phrase (though 13 and 15 include Aaron), so let us continue our brief meditations from Psalm 19 to focus our minds upon God’s Word. Verse 9 begins: “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever.”

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom because wisdom can only come from knowing God and living according to His design. The person who does not fear God cannot be wise because his lack of fear reveals his ignorance of who God is. To know the Creator will lead to fearing Him who can destroy both body and soul.

But here David tells us that the fear of Yahweh is clean. Aaron displayed this in Leviticus 10. Fearing God is the surest way to be fit for His presence because only those who fear Him understand the great privilege and danger of coming into His presence. And it endures forever. For eternity, the more we come to know God, the more we will also stand in loving fear of Him. May we begin this morning as we hear His voice to us.

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In these four chapters before us, we find laws about cleanness and uncleanness in various aspects of life: childbirth, skin diseases, and bodily emissions. To frame our study, Leviticus 15:31 will be our guiding verse:

Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.

That is the point of these chapters. These purity laws are given to keep people from defiling the tabernacle. Remember, this is the great tension of this section of Leviticus: How will the holy dwelling place of God remain undefiled in the midst of a sinful people? Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle, and the priesthood has been established. But how can God’s people worship at the tabernacle without defiling it with their sin?

These purity laws are the answer to that question. The laws about the offerings in chapters 1-7 told us how an Israelite could draw near to Gods’ presence. The purity laws ensure that the worship would not defile the tabernacle with uncleanness when doing so. Jay Sklar comments:

An Israelite who chose to ignore the laws of this chapter was in effect saying, “It matters little to me, O LORD, whether your home is desecrated because you matter little to me. You are unworthy of my honor and obedience.” This would be a treasonous denial of the LORD’s holiness and kingship and would elicit the penalty for treason: death, which in this case would come as a swift and miraculous judgment from the LORD. (410)

To ignore these laws would mean repeating the sin of Nadab and Abihu, treating what is holy as common and carelessly transgressing into God’s presence. Indeed, that is likely one of the other chief purposes of these laws: they push back against spiritual carelessness. By giving Israel these detailed laws about cleanness and uncleanness, god was forcing His people to stop, to consider their ways, and to enter His presence carefully and thoughtfully. They facilitated obedience to Ecclesiastes 5: “Guard your steps when you got to the house of God. To draw near is better than the sacrifice of fools… Let your words be few, for God is in heaven and you are on earth.”

We should also keep our definitions from last week in mind. Uncleanness meant being unfit to enter God’s presence. Cleanness meant that an Israel could enter the courtyard and eat of the peace offering. Holiness meant being set apart for God. Only the priests, being consecrated to God, could then enter the tabernacle itself.

Keeping all of this in mind, we will study these chapters in two parts. First, we will take a brief, big-picture, exegetical walk through the text. Second, we will ask: How do these laws glorify God?

CHILDBIRTH // CHAPTER 12

Chapter addresses childbirth. As we have already emphasized in earlier studies, pregnancy is not a sin. It is a blessing. Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, and Elizabeth all longed to have a child. Children are a gift from God, and childbirth is not sinful or wicked in any way.

But childbirth is unclean. Why is that? It bears reminders of the fall and of sin.

The law gives two instructions. If a woman gives birth to a male child, he is unclean for seven days, followed by a thirty-three-day purification period. During this time, she cannot touch anything holy or enter the tabernacle. The only exception was for the child’s circumcision on the eighth day. The ritual was so important that, even though she was still technically unclean, she was allowed into the courts for the circumcision.

If she gave birth to a female child, the time was doubled: she was unclean for two weeks, followed by a sixty-six day purification period. Scripture simply does not tell us why the difference is made, and most suggested explanations seem uncertain to me. One commentator wisely counsels us to anchor our understanding in Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Whatever distinction God made here, it cannot mean that women are inferior to men. But ultimately, the text offers no explanation, only a distinction.

At the end of her purification, the mother was to bring her offerings: a burnt offering and a sin (or purification) offering. Again, this is why I suggested that we call it a purification offering. The mother has not sinned, but she is unclean. The offering ritually purifies her.

If the woman could not afford the normal offerings, she was permitted to bring two birds, turtledoves or pigeons, for the burnt offering and purification offering. We see this in Luke’s Gospel when Mary brings birds for her own purification. Thus, the family of Jesus was not wealthy but of humble means.

In addition to childbirth’s connection to Genesis 3, we can also apply the wholeness theory here. Childbirth is a messy ordeal, and we rightly call it a “labor.” Blood is shed. Fluids are lost. And for a time, a woman’s body is no longer ritually whole. She, therefore, cannot immediately come into the presence of the Holy One, in whom nothing broken or incomplete can stand.

From modern feminist perspective, we might be tempted to think of these laws as demeaning or oppressive to women. But I think it likely that they were received as a gift. To be unclean, as we will see in chapter 15, meant that whatever you touched became unclean as well. That probably meant that you were not preparing the household meal, nor were you cleaning the house. You could do little more than rest.

In fact, several commentators note that childbirth is included here alongside diseases and bodily emissions because, in a technical sense, it is a kind of dis-ease, a time of physical disruption for a woman. Obviously, pregnancy and childbirth are part of God’s good plan for humanity, but because of sin, labor pains are able to be used as a picture of the church’s tribulation before Christ’s return. Indeed, it is a picture of how God can bring joy from suffering. But the pregnancy and childbirth are extraordinary, disruptive seasons, and God built laws to honor that reality, a reality which we tend to ignore societally as new moms are pressured, intentionally or unintentionally, not to take such a time of rest.

But here, God gives His people a ritual acknowledgment of the seriousness of childbirth, providing a pattern that allowed women to rest, to recover, and to be restored to His presence.

SKIN DISEASES // CHAPTER 13

Chapter 13 gives us laws about various skin diseases, though leprosy is notably in view. There is much we could say here, but I will simply highlight two big concepts.

First, notice that the priest must discern the person’s disease, deciding whether they were clean or unclean. This, of course, was the priest’s calling. In 10:10, Yahweh told Aaron: “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that Yahweh has spoken to them by Moses.” The priests had authority and responsibility to diagnose. In a sense, that is still the responsibility of elders today. Although they do not discern physical disease; they are called to distinguish between clean and unclean doctrine within the church.

But notice that while the priest was tasked is discerning; he had no power for healing. Again, this points to the problem with the old covenant. It was based on grace, mercy, and faith toward the glory of God, but it was insufficient. It could not fix people’s external conditions, and it certainly could not heal the inward corruption of sin.

That leads to the second point: disease is a vivid picture of how sin works. Consider verses 45-46:

The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let his hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, “Unclean, unclean.” He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean, He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

This paints a potent picture of sin. Now, the leprous person was not morally guilty because of their disease. A leper could be just as righteous as anyone else in Israel. But because leprosy was contagious, the person was separated for the good of the whole community.

In that way, leprosy illustrates sin. Like disease, sin spreads. If sin is not dealt with, it has a contagious effect. Certainly, it spreads within a person. So-called “small” sins are very often gateways for larger ones. But also, among a whole community. Again, that is one of the purposes of church discipline for a person who refuses to repent. If left unchecked sin spreads.

Sin also isolates. Proverbs 18:1 warns us that “whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” But that is what sin does. It pulls us away from others and leaves us alone. Of course, this works in two directions. Sin thrives in isolation, and sin leads to further isolation.

Sin also humiliates. The life of a leper was one of humiliation. He had to dress as one who is perpetually defiled and give everyone a warning of his presence. He also had to live outside the camp, cut off from the God’s presence and from God’s people. To be outside the camp was the place of death. A leper was essentially a picture of living death.

“The wages of sin is death…” Sin is certainly pleasurable for a moment. If it wasn’t, then sin would not be so tempting. But it always leads to death. Indeed, Daniel 12 tells that at the resurrection, both the righteous and the wicked will be raised. One to everlasting life, and the other to everlasting death. For those who reject Christ, eternity is an everlasting death, always dying but never dead.

Again, to be clear, leprosy itself was not sinful. But God used it as a vivid, real-world picture of the spiritual reality of sin.

CLEANSING // CHAPTER 14

Chapter 14 gives us laws about cleansing. The first part deals with cleansing lepers, and the second addresses cleansing houses that have been infected with mold or mildew, conditions that also made a person unclean.

There is only one big point that I want to make here: notice the goodness of God in providing a path for restoration. For people who had been unclean (or even whole households), God made a way to be restored. Though they had been cut off from His presence for a time, their condition was not permanent. Most of the time, having a disease did not mean that you were forever cut off from coming to God.

Of course, that restoration came through sacrifice. Offerings had to be made; blood had to be shed. Only then could cleansing be secured and fellowship with God restored. As Christians, we ought to rejoice that Christ has does this fully and finally for us. He has cleansed us of our deepest uncleanness: our sinful hearts. The leprosy of our souls has been washed away by His blood.

Since we cannot go into great depth here, I recommend reading Matthew Henry’s full comments on verses 1-9, particularly the third section.

BODILY EMISSIONS // CHAPTER 15

Now, chapter 15 is certainly everyone’s favorite in the book. Let’s begin here. Why would God include a chapter in His holy Word on bodily emissions? One reason is to show us that nothing is too insignificant or too shameful for God to address. God is often more willing to deal with our sin and shame than we are. He speaks about every aspect of our lives, even the unmentionable parts.

Another reason is that this chapter sharply distinguishes Israel from pagan nations. In many pagan religions, sexuality and bodily fluids were heavily incorporated into their worship rituals. In contrast, Yahweh calls them unclean, which means that He is essentially telling Israel, “This is not how I will be worshiped.” The tabernacle was to be set apart from any kind of ritual that resembled pagan fertility practices.

Now, that does not mean that God is against intimacy. When we study Song of Songs next year (Lord willing), we will see how beautiful and even holy marital intimacy can be. Indeed, like the tabernacle, it is envisioned as a remaking of Eden. But for Israel, the two realities needed to remain distinct. The tabernacle and the marriage bed were both veiled beauties that only the set apart could enter.

It is worth pointing out that this chapter is also a chiasm. It begins with abnormal discharges for men, then describes laws for normal male discharges. The second half is the female mirror: first the normal discharge, then abnormal discharges. At the center is verse 18: If any man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall be bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening. That is the midpoint, where the man and woman are together. Again, none of this is about sin. The point of these laws is not moral guilt but ceremonial fitness for worship.

Regarding the normal discharges, the ancients almost universally believed that semen contained something of the man’s vitality, which would fit with the theory of wholeness. A man, having lost some of his vitality, was not whole and, therefore, not fit to enter God’s presence until he was cleansed.

For women, menstruation is the shedding of blood that represents a potential life that did not come to be. In that sense, it was associated with death, which could not come before the presence of the God of life. Again, it wasn’t sin, just ritual impurity. It would only become sin if the person entered the holy place.

From our modern mentality, the details about everything she touches becoming unclean might seem misogynistic. But Sklar makes this suggestion:

Note also these regulations provided the woman with a socially acceptable way to withdraw from regular societal interactions if she chose, which may have been especially welcome in this era before modern medications and hygiene products. (408)

In that light, these commands could actually be seen as a blessing. Imagine an Israelite woman hearing, “You are unclean, and everything you touch is unclean, which means that you should not cook for your family, carry water in from the well, nor clean the house.” In other words, they got to rest.

For both men and women, the overall message is the same: God is holy, and His people must be whole and clean when they come before Him.

HOW DO THESE LAWS GLORIFY GOD?

Now that we have taken a brisk walk over these four chapters, let us conclude by asking one big question: How do these laws glorify God?

Remember that the glory of God is the display of His goodness and His greatness. Back in chapter 9, when the glory of Yahweh came and consumed the burnt offering, that was visible sign of His glory. All of God’s attributes can be gathered into those two categories: His goodness and His greatness. So, to glorify God is to see something of how good and great He is and then respond in loving obedience. Indeed, we can see God’s glory in these laws in three ways: past, present, and future.

First, these laws displayed God’s goodness and greatness to Israel. Here they were reminded that every aspect of life is impacted by sin, which corrupts, isolates, humiliates, and ultimately defiles. Their uncleanness was a constant picture of sin’s pervasive influence and a reminder of God’s immeasurable holiness, which cannot tolerate sin.

But they also saw God’s goodness through His provision for cleansing. But more than that, these very instructions display his goodness. We tend to read these long, detailed laws and think, “Why so many rules?” But the godly Israelites should have heard them and said, “Excellent! God has told me exactly how to draw near to Him. There is no need to guess and hope for the best with pleasing Him.” These are clear instructions on how to dwell in His presence. Unlike the capricious false gods around them, Yahweh laid out exactly what was required of them.

Furthermore, even though these conditions could not enter the tabernacle, God is not ashamed to discuss them in His holy Word. In giving us the Scripture, the Infinite One had a finite communication. Of everything God chose to include or not include in the Bible, this made the cut. He actively chose to address some of the most awkward and messy parts of life. He who sits upon the throne cares about your rash.

These laws also point to the goodness and greatness of Jesus. Unlike the Levitical priests, Jesus did not come merely to diagnose disease; He came to heal it.

In Mark 1, we read the story of a leper who came to Jesus and said, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Now, Jesus could simply spoke a word to the man, as He often did. But Mark makes a point of telling us that Jesus touched the man. Jesus broke the procedures. He touched the unclean. But He did not become defiled. His touch cleansed the man, his leprosy immediately leaving him.

Or consider the woman in Mark 5. For twelve long years, she lived in a constant state of uncleanness. Everything she touched became unclean. Everyone she brushed up against became unclean. She couldn’t enter the temple, gather at synagogue to hear the Scriptures, couldn’t embrace friends and family without spreading her impurity. For over a decade, she lived in isolation and shame.

But when she heard about Jesus, she believed something extraordinary. She said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” Now, in Leviticus, we just read that anyone who touched her garments would be unclean. She believed the exact opposite about Jesus. One touch of His garments was enough to make her clean. And she was right. She touched Him and was healed.

But Jesus felt the healing. He turned and asked, “Who touched me?” Can you imagine her fear? She had just waded through this great crowd, unannounced, with no way of knowing now how many people she defiled. Not to mention that she dared to touch Jesus. But Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed.”

This is who Jesus is. He reaches out to the leper, restores the hemorrhaging woman, welcomes the unclean, and brings peace where once was shame. And that is what He has also done for us. We are all lepers at heart. Our souls are constantly hemorrhaging with sin. We are unclean and unworthy, but Jesus cleanses us with His own blood.

Again, the old covenant was good and gracious, but it was insufficient. It was a come-but-stay-away covenant. Come near to God, but not too near because He is holy, you are sinful, and you might die. But Christ is the guarantor of the new and better covenant, which simply invites us to come.

And if it was grace for God to address the unmentionable things of life in His Word, how much greater grace that Christ Himself took on flesh and experienced our mess. Though without a stain Himself, He bore our uncleanness, carrying our impurity upon His shoulders.

Indeed, it is a tremendous grace that we can come to Christ, but the wonder of all wonders is that He came to us.

Finally, these laws make us long for the fullness of God’s goodness and greatness at our glorification. All of life, even the union of a husband and wife or a new life entering the world, is stained with sin. But one day, all of it will pass away. One day, Christ will come and make all things new. John gives us a vision of that day in Revelation 21:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

That is the day we long for. That is the day that the Lord’s Supper points us toward. Indeed, this Table points backward and forward. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”  Here we proclaim what Christ has done upon the cross, but we also proclaim what He will do. This sip and waybread for our journey are reminders of the heavenly feast that is coming.

On that day, all uncleanness will be gone. On that day, all impurity will be purified fully, finally, and completely. On that day, when Christ returns and gives us glorified bodies, the war against our flesh will end forever.

In this world, every corner of life is touched by sin, but in the world to come, there will not be a trace or shadow of sin. All will be good. All will be right. All will be clean and holy. And all will give glory and honor and praise to the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our God, forevermore. Amen.