FRAMEWORKS:
Leviticus 15: Discharges Causing Uncleanness
[Introductory
Notes: This
is not breakfast reading material. In fact some may prefer to
miss this whole chapter and your faith is not compromised if you
do! Nevertheless it is part of the canon of scripture, and these
are instructions given by God to the embryonic nation
of Israel. To understand something of the chapter we need to realise
various things:
1.
The concept of ‘holy' or ‘holiness' as conveyed in Leviticus is
first and foremost in the context of God who is holy, utterly
different, perfect, beautiful, love and goodness.
2.
To introduce and emphasise this concept in terms of Israel's response,
as they learn just a little of what this means [that He is perfect
and has designed mankind in the way we work and live] cleanliness
is emphasised as a preliminary (and it is only preliminary) expression
in the human, of holiness, a recognition that as fallen beings
we need ‘cleaning up'. Thus we have seen in Exodus and Leviticus
so far directions for creating a dwelling place in their midst
for God and the ways they should go about preparing to meet with
Him in His Holy State. ‘Casual' is not a word that fits here.
3.
We also need to remember that God is the one who designed us and
designed the way we live, procreate etc. etc. Sex, gender, and
all aspects of sexuality are, we should remember, part of God's
design. Therefore the things we find in this chapter are not ‘dirty'
or ‘unclean' in the sense we might refer to a child who comes
in from playing with mud pies, but when ‘unclean' is used as a
description it is purely in the context of the unacceptable state
of a person for entering the rituals to do with the Tabernacle
worship without preparation. There is nothing wrong with these
things, but they do not fit into to picture of utter cleanliness
that goes with the thoughts of carefully preparing to meet God
at the Tabernacle.
4.
Why these distinctions? Because they are just that, distinctions.
They remind the Israelite not to be casual about approaching God.
They remind him or her that parts of their lives are for them
and not to be taken into the public arena [something often forgotten
in today's world]. Even as we seek to present ourselves in a respectable
manner when seeking to honour someone, at a civic banquet to honour
a new mayor, say, then holding back in some circumstances, and
getting cleaned up before approaching God at the Tabernacle is
the same thing.
In
this chapter, rather that incorporating additional comments we
leave the secondary subheadings to speak to the verses.]
FRAMEWORKS:
Leviticus 15: Discharges Causing Uncleanness
v.1-18
Men & discharges
v.19-30
Women & discharges
v.31-33
Summary
v.1-18
Men & discharges
v.1
The
Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
v.2,3
At first sight an unusual discharge is ‘unclean'
v.2
“Speak
to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has an unusual
bodily discharge, such a discharge is unclean. [
i.e. be suspicious of the unusual]
v.3
Whether
it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make
him unclean.
v.3-12
‘Uncleanness' is conveyed
This
is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness:
v.4
“‘Any
bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything
he sits on will be unclean.
v.5
Anyone
who touches his bed must wash their clothes and bathe with water,
and they will be unclean till evening.
v.6
Whoever
sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash
their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till
evening.
v.7
“‘Whoever
touches the man who has a discharge must wash their clothes and
bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
v.8
“‘If
the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is clean, they
must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be
unclean till evening.
v.9
“‘Everything
the man sits on when riding will be unclean,
v.10
and
whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be
unclean till evening; whoever picks up those things must wash
their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till
evening.
v.11
“‘Anyone
the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with
water must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will
be unclean till evening.
v.12
“‘A
clay pot that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden article
is to be rinsed with water.
v.13-15
After a time of such uncleanness follow the procedure
v.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.
v.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.
v.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.
v.16-18
Washing after semen emissions
v.16
“‘When
a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with
water, and he will be unclean till evening.
v.17
Any
clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water,
and it will be unclean till evening.
v.18
When
a man has sexual relations with a woman and there is an emission
of semen, both of them must bathe with water, and they will be
unclean till evening.
v.19-30
Women & discharges
v.19-24
A woman's period is not seen as unclean (implied) but what she
touches is
v.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.
v.20
“‘Anything
she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she
sits on will be unclean.
v.21
Anyone
who touches her bed will be unclean; they must wash their clothes
and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
v.22
Anyone
who touches anything she sits on will be unclean; they must wash
their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till
evening.
v.23
Whether
it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches
it, they will be unclean till evening.
v.24
“‘If
a man has sexual relations with her and her monthly flow touches
him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will
be unclean.
v.25-27
Any other female discharge makes her unclean that can be conveyed
v.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.
v.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.
v.27
Anyone
who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes
and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
v.28-30
After a time of such uncleanness follow the procedure
v.28
“‘When
she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days,
and after that she will be ceremonially clean.
v.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.
v.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.
v.31-33
Summary
v.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, which is among them.'” [i.e.
the holy use of the Tabernacle is therefore behind all these personal
hygiene issues.]
v.32
These
are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made
unclean by an emission of semen,
v.33
for
a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge,
and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially
unclean.