Defiling Disease
46 “‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”
Leviticus 11:46-47
What things disgust you? Is it cockroaches? What about dirty sinks? Or baby nappies? There are some things that disgust God. It’s sin, but it’s also the effects of sin. Leviticus 11-15 is a series of commands regarding things that are unclean and what to do about it.
A good way to think about this commands is spiritual hygiene. If you reach into the fridge and grab out a piece of fruit. Only to find it’s covered by mold. What do you do? You throw it in the bin and then you wash your hands right? That’s kind of what’s going on in Leviticus 11-15.
Now why does eating certain animals, or women having their period or touching a dead body lead to being spiritually unclean? And some of the answer has been lost to history. I’m not fully sure why pigs and penguins are unclean and cows or chickens aren’t.
But I reckon the answer for most of the defilement is connected to Genesis 3. In terms of the curse of sin in the case of pregnancy and periods. Or to death and decay in the case of mold, dead bodies or rashes and skin issues.
In any case, the real question is. Do we trust the Lord? Even when we aren’t sure why? Are we willing to accept that even if we don’t understand, he has his reasons and they are good? That’s the big question.
Or actually. Maybe it’s not. The big question is - what does this all mean for us? Let’s tackle that on Saturday.
Today:
Pray:
Leviticus 11:46-47
What things disgust you? Is it cockroaches? What about dirty sinks? Or baby nappies? There are some things that disgust God. It’s sin, but it’s also the effects of sin. Leviticus 11-15 is a series of commands regarding things that are unclean and what to do about it.
A good way to think about this commands is spiritual hygiene. If you reach into the fridge and grab out a piece of fruit. Only to find it’s covered by mold. What do you do? You throw it in the bin and then you wash your hands right? That’s kind of what’s going on in Leviticus 11-15.
Now why does eating certain animals, or women having their period or touching a dead body lead to being spiritually unclean? And some of the answer has been lost to history. I’m not fully sure why pigs and penguins are unclean and cows or chickens aren’t.
But I reckon the answer for most of the defilement is connected to Genesis 3. In terms of the curse of sin in the case of pregnancy and periods. Or to death and decay in the case of mold, dead bodies or rashes and skin issues.
In any case, the real question is. Do we trust the Lord? Even when we aren’t sure why? Are we willing to accept that even if we don’t understand, he has his reasons and they are good? That’s the big question.
Or actually. Maybe it’s not. The big question is - what does this all mean for us? Let’s tackle that on Saturday.
Today:
- What disgusts you? Why?
- What’s one thing that has struck you about Leviticus?
- What do you think this means for you today?
Pray:
- Praise the Father that he is holy and free from any defilement.
- Give thanks for Jesus, the holy and obedient Son of God.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others trust him even when you don’t understand.
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