Today, my study of Leviticus encompasses several chapters. I found the regulations and laws concerning purity quite interesting, so I just kept reading. These chapters address skin infections, house mildew, and fabric contamination, and even women’s menstrual cycles. God ordered specific instructions to keep his people set-apart in every aspect of life.
What does this tell me about God:
- Again, God calls his people to be holy, as He is holy.
As we saw in Chapter 11, God has a standard for His people to meet. His expectations do not need explanation. Still, we can speculate that many of the laws were not just a means to set the Israelites apart from other nations, but also for the protection of the people as a whole. God cares about the health of His people and their ability to thrive as a nation.
- God’s expectations for holiness are too high for mankind to meet.
Even uncontrollable things, like bodily discharges, can make a person unclean. This uncleanliness is such an accurate representation of the state of humanity as a whole: helpless on our own and in need of saving. Thankfully, God provided atonement through sacrifice when people failed to live up to the laws. And for humanity today, we can thank God for His provision in Jesus for our atonement in order to have right relationship with God.
How can I live in light of this:
- I can adopt greater thankfulness in my perspective of Jesus.
If I had been required to live up to the standards in Leviticus, I would be an outcast. Like many women, I struggle with my health, with dry skin issues (though probably not as severe as the ones mentioned in this text), and of course, that glorious time of the month. If each of these circumstances make me unclean, and therefore unfit to have community with God, I would have a very choppy relationship with Him. Thankfully, in Christ, I have full access to worship God, fellowship with Him, and repent daily of my sins, regardless of my human state. Jesus made my humanity just a tag-along aspect of who I am, not a defining characteristic.
Other thoughts or questions:
- None today (how about you?).
What did you get out of reading Leviticus 13-15?