Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation, 27 and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. 28 And levy for the Lord a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks. 29 Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. 30 And from the people of Israel’s half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites who keep guard over the tabernacle of the Lord.” 31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

32 Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him. 36 And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, 37 and the Lord’s tribute of sheep was 675. 38 The cattle were 36,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 72. 39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. 40 The persons were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 persons. 41 And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

42 From the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army— 43 now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 and 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 persons— 47 from the people of Israel’s half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses 49 and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. 50 And we have brought the Lord’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” 51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. 52 And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. 53 (The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) 54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord. – Numbers 31:25-54 ESV

There were 12,000 Israelite soldiers chosen to go into battle against the Midianites; 1,000 men from every tribe. That is a relatively small number when compared with the 601,730 men deemed battle-worthy according to the recent census taken by Moses. This small contingent of soldiers easily defeated their enemy and brought back an abundance of plunder from their raids of the towns and villages of the Midianites. And according to the military leaders, they had not lost a single man in the process.

“We, your servants, have accounted for all the men who went out to battle under our command; not one of us is missing!” – Numbers 31:49 NLT

The mission had been a rousing success, and the bounty they had taken from the Midianites was substantial. But before anyone could enjoy the riches they had plundered, everyone and everything had to be ceremonially purified.

“Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead—that is, all metals that do not burn—must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone. On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp.” – Numbers 31:22-24 NLT

Moses warned the soldiers that they must also go through a purification ritual before they could enter the camp.

“…all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. Purify all your clothing, too, and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.” – Numbers 31:19-20 NLT

Contact with the enemy had rendered these men ceremonially impure, so they were required to go through a period of forced isolation and cleansing, along with all those taken captive during the mission. This was the process God had established and communicated to Moses back in chapter 19.

“All those who touch a dead human body will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. They must purify themselves on the third and seventh days with the water of purification; then they will be purified. But if they do not do this on the third and seventh days, they will continue to be unclean even after the seventh day. All those who touch a dead body and do not purify themselves in the proper way defile the Lord’s Tabernacle, and they will be cut off from the community of Israel. Since the water of purification was not sprinkled on them, their defilement continues.” – Numbers 19:11-13 NLT

Once the men and their captives had completed the purification process, the booty was divided. The 12,000 combatants would receive their fair share of the reward, but those who remained behind would not be left out. This pattern of equity among those who went into battle and their brothers who remained behind would become a norm for the nation of Israel.

Centuries later, after a rousing victory over the Amalekites, King David encountered a problem among his soldiers. The ones who had assisted him in the battle were angry at having to share their plunder with those who had remained behind.

“They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.” – 1 Samuel 30:22 NLT

These men wanted all the plunder for themselves. But David denied their selfish demands, saying: “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment” (1 Samuel 23-24 NLT).

God had Moses establish a similar plan that required him to make a detailed list of all the plunder taken from the Midianites. Once that was done, Moses ordered that half the plunder be divided equally between the 12,000 men who had fought in the battle, while the other half was to be shared between the rest of the Israelites. But a portion of all the plunder was to be dedicated to God. From the soldier’s share 1/500th of all that was taken was to be given to the Lord.

“…one of every 500 of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats…” – Numbers 31:28 NLT

This share was to be placed under the care of Eleazar, the high priest, as an offering to the Lord, and the numbers are staggering. The Israelites dedicated 675 sheep and goats to God, along with 72 cattle, and 61 donkeys. The text also states that 32 virgin girls, taken as captives, were set aside for the Lord. It is likely that these young women became servants to the Levitical priests and assisted in the maintenance of the Tabernacle. Of the plunder given to the rest of the people, 1/50th of it was given to the Levites.

Moses took one of every fifty prisoners and animals and gave them to the Levites, who maintained the Lord’s Tabernacle. All this was done as the Lord had commanded Moses. – Numbers 31:47 NLT

There was one final offering presented to Yahweh. The military leaders who oversaw the battle came before Moses with an offering of atonement. Out of gratitude for God’s protection of their men, they brought a large number of gold armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces that the soldiers had taken as plunder. This would have been from the portion of the booty that belonged to the 12,000 soldiers. These men willingly gave up part of their reward as an offering to God.

“…we are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the Lord from our share of the plunder—armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will purify our lives before the Lord and make us right with him.” – Numbers 31:50 NLT

In essence, this was a ransom for the lives that God had graciously spared. Not one man had died in this expedition and the generals and captains were expressing their gratitude to God for His mercy and providential care.

This entire scenario paints a picture of how things were to unfold as the Israelites entered the land of Canaan. It served as a practice run in preparation for their future conquest of the promised land. There would be many more battles ahead, and every victory they enjoyed was to be recognized as the result of God’s grace and mercy. He would be going before them and fighting alongside them, and they were never to forget to render their thanksgiving to Him for His protection and provision.

Moses would repeatedly warn the people to take their relationship with God seriously. Without Him, they were nothing. He knew they would always face the temptation to take credit for their own success; a dangerous prospect that was to be avoided at all costs.

“Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful!” – Deuteronomy 8:11-13 NLT

With every victory would come the temptation to glory in their success and celebrate their newfound wealth. But Moses wanted to remember that faithfulness was far more important than fame or financial success.

“Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.” – Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT

The Israelites had just experienced the providential hand of God. Their success over the Midianites had been His doing, not their own, and this amazing victory without the loss of a single Israelite soldier was the proof. They had learned the invaluable lesson that faith in God results in the presence and power of God. If they would only obey, they would experience even greater victories in the days ahead. But they were also learning that every successful battle was to be followed by a willing acknowledgment of God’s role as expressed by their faithful gifts of gratitude. God was going to go before them, and with each successive victory over their enemies, they would be expected to give credit where credit is due.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Soul-Cleansing Blood of the Lamb

11 “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. 13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

14 “This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean. 16 Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel. 18 Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.

20 “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22 And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.” – Numbers 19:11-22 ESV

I am always amazed at the level of detail and intricacy found in the laws God gave to the Israelites. It can become confusing and a bit overwhelming at times as you read about the various sacrifices outlined by God in order for the people to maintain their purity before Him. It had to be intimidating for the people of Moses' day.

Just trying to remember and keep all those rules and regulations would have been a daunting task, and there were different sacrifices for different situations. Chapter 19 outlines the sacrifice necessary to cleanse someone who has become defiled by having touched or been in the vicinity of a dead body. There was an elaborate and very specific rite or ritual to be followed for the defiled person to be cleansed. Failure to follow God’s instructions would result in continued defilement and their removal from the camp. This banning from fellowship in the community would also deny them access to the Tabernacle and any ability to offer sacrifices for their sins. This was serious stuff.

So, God tells them to sacrifice a red heifer – one without defect and that had never worn a yoke. It was to be slaughtered outside the camp, and then some of its blood was to be sprinkled on the Tabernacle to cleanse it from defilement. The body of the heifer was to be burned completely, along with some cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn. The ashes were to be gathered and stored in a clean place outside the camp. Those ashes would play a critical role in the cleansing process of the defiled.

Any time someone came into contact with a dead body, they were to be immediately banned from the community to keep their defilement from spreading. The ashes from the red heifer were to be mixed with clean water, then sprinkled on the defiled person on the third and seventh days of his uncleanness. Then on the seventh day, he was to bathe and wash his clothes. Strict adherence to this purification protocol was required before the defiled individual was allowed to return to normal life.

That same water was also to be sprinkled on the Tabernacle and all its furnishings because the defilement of even one Israelite rendered God’s house defiled and in need of purification. If you think about it, with people dying regularly because of disease, old age, and other natural causes, it would have been easy for any Israelite to become defiled. So, this regulation was a regular part of daily life. Through no fault of your own, you could find yourself defiled and in danger of being cut off from the people of God. But fortunately, God provided a way to receive cleansing, and it involved the shedding of blood. The life of an unblemished animal had to be sacrificed so that the defiled person could receive cleansing.

There is a lot of obvious symbolism here. The unblemished red heifer represents Christ. He was the unblemished sacrifice for our sins. The hyssop, cedar wood, and scarlet yarn were all used in the cleansing of lepers. They may also represent the hyssop branch that was used to offer wine to Christ on the cross (John 19:29), the wood of the cross on which He was hung, and the scarlet robe that was placed on Him at His trial (Matthew 27:28). The blood speaks of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross for the sins of mankind.

…the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin… – 1 John 1:7 ESV

Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. – Hebrews 9:14 NLT

But all the symbolic imagery found in Numbers 19 was but a shadow of what was to come. While the mixture of water and ashes could cleanse a man on the outside, it did nothing to purify his heart. He would be outwardly clean, but inside, he would still be full of sin and corruption. Such was the inadequacy of this system. It was incomplete and incapable of totally wiping away sin and guilt. Additional sacrifices were required. More blood would have to be shed. More ashes and water would need to be sprinkled. At no point could the people of God know that their sins were completely and permanently forgiven.

Just minutes after going through the rite of purification, you could inadvertently stumble upon a dead body and be defiled again. If a loved one died in your tent you would be rendered unclean and required to undergo the purification ritual. It was a never-ending process that required extreme diligence and perfect obedience. But these sacrifices were intended to represent a far better and more permanent sacrifice to come.

The book of Hebrews tells us that these regulations were a picture of the atoning work of Christ. They were an imperfect glimpse into the perfect cleansing that He would offer.

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! – Hebrews 9:13-14 NIV

The Message paraphrases those verses this way: "If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out" (Hebrews 9:13-14 MSG).

Inside and out. That's the difference; that's the key. Christ came to provide cleansing that reaches to the core of who we are. He came to purify our hearts, not just our actions. He came to cleanse us from the sin that permeates our very being. We aren't just defiled by sin, we are sinners; our very nature is sinful. It is our sinful natures that separate us from God. But Jesus Christ came to provide us with new natures. He didn't just sprinkle us with His blood; He washed us with it. We are daily being transformed into His likeness as the old vestiges of our sinful nature are slowly but surely removed. He is cleansing us inside and out.

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? – Elisha A. Hoffman, 1878

In the Book of Revelation, the apostle John was given a vision of the throne room of God, where he saw “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9 ESV). He heard this huge throng of people crying out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10 ESV), and when he inquired as to who they were, he was told, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14 ESV).

These individuals are the survivors of the Great Tribulation, what will be one of the worst periods of human suffering in all of history. They would have witnessed the deaths of loved ones and endured great personal suffering. Every one of these people would have been defiled by constant contact with the countless bodies of the dead who fell at the hands of the Antichrist. Yet, John sees them clothed in white and standing before the throne of God in heaven.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – Revelation 7:15-17 ESV

Their purity will be the byproduct of the soul-cleansing blood of Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God. Even the defilement of the Great Tribulation will not prevent them from entering the presence of God and singing the praises of His greatness and goodness.

Living in a fallen world marred by sin and marked by corruption can leave the child of God defiled and in need of purification. But there is always hope for the sin-soiled saint. As John wrote in his first letter, “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 ESV). Sin infects and contaminates; it stains and stigmatizes even the godliest among us. But the blood of Christ has the power to purify and restore, and not just the outside of the cup. The purification He provides is all-encompassing and reaches down to the depths of the heart.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. – Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Our Gracious God

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come. 3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. 9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them. – Numbers 19:1-10 ESV

One of the things to keep in mind when reading these verses is the recent judgment that God had enacted upon the people of God. As a result of Korah’s rebellion, nearly 15,000 Israelites died from a plague that God had sent among the people. This large-scale pandemic had left the survivors with a massive clean-up task. The bodies of the fallen had to be gathered and properly buried, which rendered unclean all those who participated in the operation. Having come into contact with the bodies of the dead, these individuals would have been considered defiled and in need of purification, and God had already provided clear instructions regarding the treatment of the unclean.

“Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the people of Israel did. – Numbers 5:2-4 ESV

Due to the sheer number of volunteers necessary to dispose of nearly 15,000 corpses, the Israelites would have needed a tent city to house all those who had become defiled and ceremonially unclean. So, God instituted a new command that would bring a quick resolution to the problem.

“Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer, a perfect animal that has no defects and has never been yoked to a plow. Give it to Eleazar the priest, and it will be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. Eleazar will take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle.” – Numbers 19:2-4 NLT

This was to be a corporate endeavor, with the entire congregation participating, whether they were personally unclean or not. They were to choose a red heifer that was free from defects and had never been used to pull a plow. This means it would have been a highly valuable animal in the prime of health; they were not free to bring a maimed or diseased heifer. There was no option to offer an older, less valuable animal or one that was worn out by a lifetime of hard work. This sacrifice was going to cost them something.

The whole point of this ceremony was to protect the holiness of the Tabernacle. The deaths of the rebels would have ended up defiling the entire congregation, and their defilement posed a very real and present danger to the holiness of the Tabernacle itself. But the death of the heifer was not meant for atonement. In other words, its death was not intended to provide cleansing from sin but to purify from defilement.

Notice the detailed instructions God provided for Aaron. First, the animal was to be slaughtered and some of its blood was to be used for purification.

Eleazar will take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle. – Numbers 19:4 NLT

Eleazar was one of the four sons of Aaron and served as a priest alongside his father and brothers. His job was to supervise the entire process, ensuring that the remains of the heifer were taken outside the camp and burned. As the body was cremated, Eleazar was to add a stick of cedar, a hyssop branch, and some scarlet yarn.

“Cedar wood was not as subject to decay as most other woods and so represented the continuance of life. It was also aromatic when burnt and was probably either the common brown-berried cedar or the Phoenician juniper. Hyssop stood for purification from corruption, and the priests used it to apply blood, as in the Passover ritual. Scarlet wool symbolized the strong vital energy connected with blood (cf. Lev. 14:6). All of these elements combined to signify all that strengthened life. The person in charge added these elements to the heifer ashes as the heifer was burning.” – Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Numbers

The leftover ashes were to be collected and kept in a specific location outside the camp. All those involved in the sacrifice of the heifer were required to go through a special purification process before they could return to the camp. The ashes were to be maintained for the future purification of any who became defiled through contact with the dead; the ashes were to be mixed with water and used as a purifying agent. The death of the innocent and unblemished heifer was required for the cleansing properties of the water to be effective. The ashes mixed with water would provide purification from defilement and restore the guilty to a state of holiness. They could once again enter the camp and enjoy access to the Tabernacle and all the rites associated with it.

While all the imagery in this passage is difficult for us to understand, and the burning of the red heifer seems rather strange to our modern sensibilities, the entire process provides a beautiful illustration of God’s patience, grace, and mercy. Even after all that the Israelites had done to offend Him, God provided a means for the guilty to receive forgiveness and the unclean to be purified from the devastating effects of sin and death. Korah’s rebellion had been a direct attack on God’s sovereignty, and the perpetrators had suffered the ultimate consequence for their efforts: Death. Their actions had not only left the people of Israel with a massive clean-up effort but also the problem of how to deal with a community-wide defilement. Sin always has consequences; it impacts and infects far more than the guilty party. Rectifying the negative ramifications of Korah’s actions was going to take time and would require the efforts of the entire community. But the very one whom Korah and his cohorts had chosen to disobey was the one who graciously provided a path to purification and restoration for the people of Israel. God intervened, yet again.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God’s Hatred for Hidden Sin

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Speak to the people of Israel, If any man’s wife goes astray and breaks faith with him, 13 if a man lies with her sexually, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not taken in the act, 14 and if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself, 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 “And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord. 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord and unbind the hair of the woman’s head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse. 19 Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse. 20 But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you, 21 then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) ‘the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell. 22 May this water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman shall say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

23 “Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain. 25 And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand and shall wave the grain offering before the Lord and bring it to the altar. 26 And the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.

29 “This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife. Then he shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall carry out for her all this law. 31 The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.” – Numbers 5:11-31 ESV

It was literally impossible for the Israelites to maintain their holiness and purity before God. Sin and sickness, both inevitable outcomes of living in a fallen world, were going to be a constant part of their lives. And because God dwelt in their midst, the ramifications of their sinfulness and sickness were serious. Disease and disobedience both separated the people from God. The very existence of disease was a direct result of sin’s entrance into the world.

Ultimately, disease and disobedience both lead to death. God gave Moses strict instructions about what to do with those who found themselves suffering from potentially contagious diseases; they were to be removed from the camp. This was not an indication that their illness was due to a specific sin they had committed, but a recognition that sickness was the inevitable byproduct of sin’s presence in the world. God expected His people to remain pure, both spiritually and physically, if they wanted to enter into His presence. But as always, God provided a means by which they could be restored to a right relationship with Him, despite sickness or sin.

In today’s passage, we see that God even expected the marriages of His people to be pure and above reproach. To our modern sensibilities, these verses contain some rather bizarre and somewhat disturbing counsel concerning marital unfaithfulness. But while it may be easy to fixate on the almost cultic nature of God’s instructions, it’s important that we not miss the motivation behind them.

God provided Moses with detailed instructions for determining whether a man’s wife was guilty of adultery. It’s interesting to note that in the “test” God provided, the hidden sin of the woman when revealed, would result in sickness. In this case, her sickness would be proof of her sin. It’s no coincidence that the resulting sickness attacked the very organs that had been used to commit the sin in the first place. There is much about this passage that is difficult to understand, but it is clear that God was dealing with sin among His chosen people in a powerful and pronounced way. This “test,” when witnessed by others, would prove to be an effective deterrent to further adultery in the camp.

In the closing part of chapter 6, God gave Moses a blessing to pronounce over the people.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. – Numbers 6:24-26 ESV

This simple, yet profound blessing reminds us that it was God’s ultimate desire to bless His people and one of the greatest blessings He could bestow on them was the guarantee of His abiding presence. But for God to remain within their midst, He had to deal justly and firmly with the sins committed by them. It was up to God to provide them with peace when their repeated sins and inevitable exposures to disease would leave them alienated from Him.

God alone is the instigator, arbiter, and maintainer of the relationship He has with mankind. It is He who seeks us and not the other way around. Left to our own devices, we will always seek a god of our own choosing, and we will tend to measure our relationship with that god based on our own performance and acts of self-righteousness.

Humanity has always lived under the delusion that life can be lived apart from the one true God. Even those who long for God, believe that He is little more than an objective to be pursued; a giver of gifts whose favor must be earned. They make God the means rather than the end. He becomes little more than a resource to get what they really want: peace, prosperity, contentment, happiness, fulfillment, and significance. This is why men tend to make gods out of anything that might offer them the hope of happiness or a better life.

But we can’t earn favor with God, and we can’t turn Him into some kind of divine lottery ticket that we hope will grant us our heart’s wildest desires. It was impossible for the people of Israel to live up to God’s exacting standards. They would and did continually fail. But God had provided a means of atoning for their inevitable sins and dealing with the inescapable reality of sickness. Sickness is difficult to hide. Skin disorders and diseases would inevitably reveal themselves to the rest of the faith community and, as soon as the sickness became apparent, it had to be dealt with. But sin can remain hidden for a long time, where it is unobserved and invisible to everyone around us. Sin is like cancer that can go undetected among the people of God, slowly spreading and infecting the body over time.

The passage in Numbers 6 contains some rather disturbing and difficult-to-understand directives for dealing with marital unfaithfulness. What God commands almost sounds like a form of witchcraft. It involves the mixing of strange potions and the incantation of curses. There are offerings made and mystical symptoms to be observed.

The whole thing comes across as something the pagan nations might practice. But this was the will of God for His people. It was a divinely ordained process for exposing sin in a marriage that could easily infect the entire faith community.

“Marital deceit is a matter of such seriousness that the truth must be discovered. It is harmful to the sanctity of the community at large, and destructive of one of the bases of community life.” – Philip J. Budd, Numbers

God takes sin seriously and He expected His children to do the same. There was no place for sinful activity among the people of God and yet He knew it would inevitably take place. That is why He established strict guidelines for exposing sin so that the people might continue to enjoy His abiding presence and power in their midst.

“. . . this particular case law is included here because it gives another illustration of God’s personal involvement in the restitution for the sin of the nation. Within God’s covenant with Israel, there could be no hidden sin among God’s people nor any hidden suspicion of sin.

“The law of jealousy shows that through the role of the priest, God was actively at work in the nation and that no sin of any sort could be tolerated among God’s holy people.” – John H. Sailhamer, “The Mosaic Law and the Theology of the Pentateuch.” Westminster Theological Journal 53 (Fall 1991):241-61.

Sin carries a cost. It promises joy and fulfillment but rarely delivers, and hidden sin is the most egregious and dangerous of all. It may lie undetected but its influence continues to spread throughout the body of Christ. We may fool all those around us, but our all-knowing, all-seeing God cannot be deceived or duped. And because He cares for His people, He will see that sin is exposed and expunged. Out of His deep desire to bless His children, God lovingly purifies their lives from the damaging effects of sin.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

He Died So That We Might Live

16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. – Hebrews 9:16-28 ESV

Throughout this section of his letter, the author has been attempting to establish the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice. His death ushered in a new and better covenant. The shedding of His blood was necessary for that new covenant to replace the old one, and the blood that was shed resulted in death. This point is key to understanding the effectual nature of Christ’s sacrifice. The Son of God had to die so that the sins of mankind could be atoned for, and the author uses a clever play on words to make an important point. The Greek word for “covenant” is diathēkē, but it can also be translated as “testament” or “will.” In verse 16, the author states that “where there is a testament (diathēkē), the death of the testator (diatithēmi) must of necessity come in” (Douah-Rheims Bible).

For a will to go into effect, the one who made the will must die. In the same way, for the new covenant to replace the old one, Jesus’ death was “a necessity” (anagkē). Without His death, the promise of atonement, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life would have remained unfulfilled. Had Jesus not sacrificed His life, the old covenant would have remained in effect, leaving mankind with an awareness of sin but with no way to remove the guilt and condemnation that came with it.

The Jewish recipients of this letter were very familiar with blood sacrifices. Before coming to faith in Christ, they had taken part in the sacrificial system of Israel, in which the shedding of blood was an everyday reality. Under the old covenant, blood and death were unavoidable necessities if any Jew wanted to have his sins forgiven and his relationship with God restored.

When Moses dedicated the Tabernacle in the wilderness, he sacrificed unblemished animals and sprinkled their blood on the book of the law, the people, as well as the Tabernacle and its contents. Before the new house of God could be opened and the presence of God could fill the Holy of Holies, everything and everyone associated with it had to be purified. For, as the author reminds his readers, “under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22 ESV).

In the same way, the new covenant went into effect when Jesus sacrificed His life and allowed His blood to be poured out as a spiritual offering to God on behalf of sinful humanity. At the final Passover meal He shared with His disciples, Jesus held up a cup of wine and stated, “…this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (Matthew 26:28 NLT).

Just hours later, Jesus would shed His blood on the cross, sacrificing His sinless life on behalf of sinful mankind. And that sacrifice would prove to be better and more effective than any other sacrifice that had ever been given. When Moses inaugurated the Tabernacle, he said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you” (Hebrews 9:20 ESV). And when Jesus had prepared to use His body as the new means of sacrifice and the key to atonement, He said, “…this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28 NLT).

Both covenants were sealed in blood. But there is a huge difference between the two. The old covenant involved the blood of bulls and goats. The new covenant was based on the blood of the sinless Son of God. He “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26 ESV). Jesus didn’t require an animal sacrifice because He was without sin. He needed no atonement. Instead, His death was vicarious in nature, as He served as a substitute for sinful humanity. He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:20).

And His sacrifice was not offered in some Tabernacle made with human hands.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. –  Hebrews 9:24 ESV

Under the old covenant, the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. After offering sacrifices for his own sins, the high priest could pass through the veil and enter the Most Holy Place where he would sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull on the ark of the covenant. He would also sacrifice a goat and sprinkle its blood on the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat “because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:16 NLT). Then he would take a second goat and “lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel” (Leviticus 16:21 NLT). This symbolic action would “transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat” (Leviticus 16:21 NLT). That living goat would become the “scapegoat,” bearing the sins of the people and being led into the wilderness where it would inevitably die.

But with His death, Jesus entered into the presence of God. He did something no other sacrifice had been able to do. He died and was brought back to life by the power of God’s Spirit, which signified that His sacrifice had been acceptable by God. Jesus did not cease to exist after death. While His earthly body died and remained in the grave for three days, the Holy Spirit raised that body back to life.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, they fully recognized Him because He was, in a sense, His old self. His body even carried the holes left by the nails in His hands and feet. The disciples could clearly see the wound from the spear that had pierced His side. Jesus had died but was now alive. And as the author makes clear, Jesus was not going to have to die again. His sacrifice was fully sufficient.

…he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. – Hebrews 9:25-26 NLT

Paul reminds us of the incredible power that raised Jesus back to life because we have it available to us in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s power not only brought the body of Jesus back to life but it raised Him back to heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. – Ephesians 1:19-21 NLT

And just as Jesus came the first time in order to die for the sins of mankind, He is coming a second time to complete what He began. We all face the inevitable and inescapable reality of death. But the author of Hebrews gives us the good news regarding the death of those who have accepted Christ as their Savior.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. – Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT

Jesus is coming again. And to all those who have placed their faith in His substitutionary sacrifice, He will provide victory over death. They will receive new resurrected and redeemed bodies, free from pain, suffering, and sin. Those living under the old covenant depended on the blood of animals to cleanse them from their sins and any atonement they received was temporary in nature. They lived to sin again. They enjoyed forgiveness for the moment, but would eventually be required to offer another sacrifice. And they had the constant presence of their guilt before them and the fear of death facing them. But because of Jesus’ death, those of us who call Him Savior no longer live with the condemnation of sin or the fear of death. We are forgiven. We have the firm assurance of our promised inheritance. Our future is secure. Because we have placed our hope in a better sacrifice.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Finished Work of Jesus

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. – Hebrews 9:11-15 ESV

To understand this passage, it is essential to understand God’s view on blood. For those of us living in the 21st Century, the very idea of a blood sacrifice is appalling and distasteful. It sounds barbaric and cruel. But you have to go all the way back to the book of Leviticus to get God’s view on blood and its role in the sacrificial system He established for Israel.

“And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you eats or drinks blood in any form, I will turn against that person and cut him off from the community of your people,  for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.” – Leviticus 17:10-11 NLT

Blood was a symbol of life. Without blood, life would be impossible. So when innocent animals were sacrificed on the altar of the tabernacle, they were acting as substitutes for the people of Israel. Their blood was spilled so that the guilt of the sinful Israelites could be atoned for. The Israelites, like all people, sinned regularly, and their sin, according to God’s law, deserved death. So God allowed an unblemished animal to serve as a substitute. However, the atonement the Israelites received was temporary and incomplete. It could not fully cleanse them from sin. The life of the sacrificial animal could never fully replace the life of a human.

So the sacrificial system and the tabernacle were both symbols of something greater to come. And the high priest, who acted as a mediator on behalf of the people, was also a type, an imperfect representation of a greater high priest to come – namely Jesus. Ultimately, Jesus came to die. Yes, He was born of a virgin, grew up to be a man, performed miracles, taught His disciples, raised the dead, walked on water, and spoke often about His Kingdom. But the primary objective of His earthly mission was to die – sacrificing His life as a substitute for the sins of mankind. The author makes this perfectly clear.

With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. – Hebrews 9:12 NLT

The sacrifice Jesus offered was not presented in the earthly Tabernacle of Temple and was not done using the blood of bulls or goats. He shed His own blood. It was just as He had told His disciples the night they shared their final Passover meal together.

“This cup is the new covenant between God and his people – an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” – Luke 22:20 NLT

The blood of Jesus had to be poured out on behalf of all men in order for complete atonement to be made. Jesus was sent by His Father to be the atoning sacrifice, just as John the Baptist had prophesied. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV). The prophet, Isaiah, recorded these powerful words centuries before Jesus appeared on the scene.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. – Isaiah 53:7-10 NLT

Jesus came to earth in order to take on human flesh and do something no other man had ever done: Live in complete obedience to God’s will and in perfect compliance with the Mosaic Law. The apostle Paul eloquently describes the path of obedience that led Jesus from His rightful place at His Father’s side in heaven to a cruel Roman cross on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. – Philippians 2:6-8 NLT

His perfect obedience made Him the perfect sacrifice. As the “spotless lamb,” His blood was an acceptable sacrifice to God and served as payment for the sins of mankind. And unlike the sacrifices of bulls and goats, Jesus’ atonement for sin was permanent and not temporary. His death was able to “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14 ESV). In other words, His offering was more than ceremonial in nature. It was not simply a ritual cleansing from sin, but it provided a thorough removal of all vestiges of sin in the life of the penitent sinner.  

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:11-12 ESV

With the death of Jesus, men no longer had to carry around a sense of guilt and apprehension. By placing their faith in His sacrificial death, they could be absolved from the guilt of their sins and enjoy complete freedom from the fear of future condemnation or judgment.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. – Romans 8:1-4 ESV

With the perfect sacrifice offered on their behalf, sinful men and women no longer had to worry about whether they had done enough to please God. Under the old sacrificial system, there was always the chance that their sacrifice was not good enough. Their lamb was not pure enough. Their motives were not righteous enough. The Jews always had to worry whether their sacrifice would be acceptable to God. They also had to live with a sense of impending doom because of their inability to refrain from sinning. Any sacrifice they offered could only atone for past sins but could not alter future behavior. It provided forgiveness but not heart change.

But the sacrifice of Jesus covered mankind’s sins completely and permanently. It served as the perfect sacrifice, offering atonement for all sins – past, present, and future. As the apostle John wrote, “…the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 ESV). Jesus offered the all-sufficient sacrifice. It was the once-for-all-time atoning sacrifice that was based on the finished work of Jesus and not the flawed and feeble efforts of sinful men. Under the old covenant and the sacrificial system, no one could be fully justified or made right with God through self-effort. Attempting to keep the Mosaic Law proved to be a futile enterprise for God’s people. And the presence of repeated sacrifices was proof that their efforts to live in obedience to God’s laws were unsuccessful. That’s why Paul reminds us that justification by works was never intended to be our means of salvation.

…we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. – Galatians 3:16 ESV

But because of what Jesus has done, sinful men and women can serve the living God, both in this life and in the life to come. Not only can they enjoy freedom from condemnation and absolution from the guilt of their sins in this life, but they can be assured of spending eternity in perfect communion with God the Father.

…those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance… – Hebrews 9:15 ESV

Jesus, the better high priest has provided a way for sinners to receive forgiveness for all their sins. The sinless Lamb of God has offered His life so that sinners can be made right with God – not just now but for eternity. With His death, Jesus provided forgiveness of sin, assurance of salvation, and the promise of eternal life. But this incredible gift is not based on anything we have done or will do. It relies solely on the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross.

The apostle Paul, who was a faithful Jew and a former Pharisee, summed up nicely what Jesus’ sacrificial death accomplished on our behalf. And his message would have resonated well with the Jewish audience to whom the letter of Hebrews was written.

I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. – Galatians 2:18-21 NLT

For those Jews who had placed their faith in the saving work of Jesus, there was no going back to the Mosaic Law. That old system had served its purpose. With the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the new covenant was now in full effect and it was based on the work of Jesus, not the works of men.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New and Improved

1 TNow the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. – Hebrews 8:1-7 ESV

A better covenant. A better high priest. A better ministry. A better promise. Everything about Jesus is better. To borrow from an age-old, tried, and true advertising slogan, you might say that everything about Jesus is “new and improved.” Jesus didn’t just provide man with one more option among many. No, He made possible the one and only means by which sinful men and women could be restored to a right relationship with God.

Unlike the priests who served in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus ministers in the divine Tabernacle of God located in heaven. His is not an earthly or temporal ministry, but a heavenly and eternal one. He is no longer offering up sacrifices to appease or propitiate God, because His death fully paid the penalty for sin and satisfied the just demands of a righteous God – once and for all.

In this first section of chapter eight, the author continues to establish Jesus as superior to all and everyone else. But he does so by contrasting the old covenant with the new covenant. In verses 22-28 of chapter seven, he pointed out that Jesus is “the guarantor of a better covenant.” This new covenant only requires one priest: Jesus. And what sets this new high priest apart is that He will never die or need to be replaced. Unlike Aaron and his successors, Jesus died but rose again. His earthly ministry ended in death but was followed by His resurrection and ascension. Now, He is seated at the right hand of God the Father and intercedes on behalf of all those who have placed their faith in Him as Savior.

Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. – Romans 8:34 ESV

The new covenant that Jesus inaugurated by the shedding of His blood on a Roman cross requires no more daily sacrifices for sin. Under the old covenant, the people of Israel were required to offer repeated sacrifices day after day and year after year because their sins never ceased and their atonement was never full or complete. They were in constant need of purification and forgiveness, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4 ESV).

Under the old covenant, the rituals and rites performed by Aaron and his sons were incapable of providing inner purification. They were primarily ceremonial in nature and dealt with the external problem of uncleanness or impurity.

For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. – Hebrews 9:9-10 ESV

During the days of the Tabernacle and the Temple, the simple act of touching a forbidden object or eating one of many prohibited foods could render someone unclean and unworthy to enter God’s presence. Purification was necessary but the process only produced a temporary state of acceptability before God. It could do nothing to change the condition of the human heart. The entire process could only make the individual acceptable to God but could not produce a permanent state of righteousness.

So, something better was needed and God provided it. This better covenant administered by a better high priest had been part of God’s plan from the very beginning. All that came before it was intended to be a foreshadowing of something better to come. The Mosaic Law, the Tabernacle, and the sacrificial system were earthly representations of the heavenly realm.

Chapter eight discloses that the high priest of the new covenant sits at the right hand of God in a heavenly Tabernacle, not an earthly one. The Tabernacle in the wilderness was a replica of the real thing, what the author describes as “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5 ESV).

And over the centuries, the millions of animal sacrifices offered in both the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem were simply foreshadowings of a better sacrifice to come.

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. – Hebrews 10:4 ESV

They could provide temporary atonement or relief from sin’s condemnation but were not intended to offer a permanent fix. That is why the sacrifices were “continually offered every year” (Hebrews 10:1 ESV). In his gospel, Luke records the words Jesus spoke to His disciples on the night He shared His last Passover meal with them.

After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people – an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for.” – Luke 22:20 NLT

With the death of Jesus, a new covenant was made between God and man. It replaced the old covenant. Why? Because it provided a better way for men to be made right with God. In fact, it provided the only way for men to be made right with God. Under the old covenant, the shedding of blood provided temporary relief from the condemnation of sin. But with His death, Jesus provided a permanent solution to man’s sin problem. Rather than sinful men having to try and earn a right standing with God through self-effort, Jesus provided the gift of His own righteousness. He took on man’s sin and, in exchange, gave the formerly condemned His righteousness in return. That is why Paul wrote, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT).

And Paul further elaborates on this point in his letter to the Romans.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. – Romans 8:3-4 NLT

In chapter nine, the author of Hebrews continues his elaboration on the point that Jesus was the better mediator of a better covenant.

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. – Hebrews 9:15 ESV

It was not that the old covenant was bad; it was simply that it was incomplete. It could reveal sin but could not remove it. It could display what righteousness looked like but was not able to produce righteousness in a man’s heart. It all pointed to something better to come. It was a foreshadowing of something greater to be revealed. It revealed man’s sinfulness so that he would understand his desperate need for a Savior.

It’s interesting to note that when Jesus walked this earth, He offered the following commentary on the spiritual state of man:

“Healthy people don't need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” – Mark 2:17 NLT

His point? Those who think they are without sin and in no need of a Savior will never turn to Him. It is those who are “weary and carry heavy burdens” (Matthew 11:29) who will find rest for their souls. The apostle John wrote, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth” (1 John 1:8 NLT). To deny the presence of sin is to live a lie, and the apostle warns that it is tantamount to calling God a liar.

If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. – 1 John 1:10 NLT

Jesus offers a better ministry as a better high priest and the mediator of a better covenant based on better promises. But to take advantage of it, men must recognize their sin and their desperate need for a Savior. They must desire something better. They must turn from the old covenant with its laws, rules, and regulations. They must give up the hope of achieving righteousness in their own effort and receive by faith the new covenant that Christ has made possible through His blood.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Brokenness Before Forgiveness

23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses. – Leviticus 16:23-34 ESV

In what has come to be known as The Song of the Suffering Servant, the prophet Isaiah predicts the future death of the Lord’s Messiah. In this prophetic passage, Isaiah describes in great detail the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). And there is a portion of the passage that sounds eerily similar to the fate suffered by the scapegoat.

…the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living. – Isaiah 53:6-8 ESV

Just as Aaron laid his hands on the scapegoat to transfer the sins of the people onto the innocent animal, God laid the iniquities of mankind onto His sinless and undeserving Son. For a time on the cross, as Jesus bore the weight of the sins of humanity, He was separated from His Heavenly Father. His unbroken communion with His Father was temporarily shattered, causing Him to cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV).

Like the scapegoat, Jesus found Himself cast from God’s presence – cut off from the land of the living. But Jesus’ separation was temporary. He died, paying the full debt owed because of mankind’s sins. But He also rose from the dead as evidence that His sacrifice satisfied the demands of a just and holy God. The scapegoat was led into the wilderness where it would die. But it would experience no resurrection. And the next year, another goat would take its place, suffering the very same fate. And this would go on for centuries because the people of Israel would continue to sin and remain in constant need of atonement.

But one day, Jesus would come and do what no scapegoat could ever do. According to the apostle Peter, Jesus would be the final and perfect sacrifice, offering His sinless life in place of sinful humanity, dying the death they owed so that, by faith, they might enjoy atonement, the forgiveness of their sins, and the hope of eternal life.

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. – 1 Peter 3:18 NLT

Once Aaron had overseen the sending away of the scapegoat, he was to go through a ritual of cleansing, removing his blood-stained garments, washing his body with water, and putting on his high-priestly robes. Having removed the last vestiges of sin and corruption, Aaron then a burnt offering for himself and for the people. He also burned the fat of the purification offering. The final step in the sacrificial process was to have the hides, flesh, and dung of the bull and goat taken outside the camp and burned. The one assigned to this rather unpleasant task was to ceremonially cleanse himself before returning to the camp. This completed the process of removing all sin and defilement from the Tabernacle and from within the family of Israel.

But there was one more vital step required for the Day of Atonement to be complete and satisfactory. God ordered that the entire day be “a Sabbath day of complete rest” (Leviticus 16:31 NLT). No work was to be done. No food was to be eaten. God describes this day of complete abstinence as a day for “afflicting the soul.” As Aaron was busy offering sacrifices on their behalf, they were to deny themselves the normal aspects of daily life. Rather than eat, they were to fast and pray. Instead of bathing, they were to cover themselves with sackcloth and ashes, a sign of mourning over their sins. They were to cease from all work and place their trust in the atoning work of the high priest as he interceded on their behalf. This final step in the process was required for the atoning benefits to take full effect.

On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the Lord’s presence from all your sins. – Leviticus 16;30 NLT

Aaron could carry out every part of the process established by God, but if the people refused to own up to the seriousness of their own sins and “afflict their souls” appropriately, his efforts would be for naught. David, the great king of Israel, understood the need for repentance. After having an affair with another man’s wife and arranging for that man’s murder so the woman could be his, David was punished by God for his crimes. The baby born from this adulterous relationship died. And after David had taken time to contemplate his actions, he wrote the following:

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
    You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. – Pslam 51:16-17 NLT

David understood that no amount of blood sacrifices could cleanse him of his sins if he was unwilling to own up to what he had done. The apostle John put it this way:

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. – 1 John 1:6 ESV

John knew that unacknowledged sin that remains unconfessed destroys a believer's fellowship with God. And he went on to warn about the danger of denying sin in the face of the Spirit’s convicting ministry.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. – 1 John 1:8 ESV

John wasn’t denying the efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice. In fact, he made it clear that “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 ESV). The problem arises when we deny or debate the existence of sin in our lives and refuse to confess.

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:10 ESV

For God to institute an entire day dedicated to the removal of all sin and then have His people deny the very existence of that sin would have been a travesty. Yet, John reminds us that, even today, those who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, need to own up to their sin, repent and seek forgiveness. And when we “afflict our souls” through confession, prayer, and fasting, we enjoy the cleansing and life-giving joy of complete forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 ESV

Sin was inevitable for the people of Israel. That’s why the Day of Atonement was an annual event. God knew His people would disobey His commands and end up defiling themselves, the camp, and the Tabernacle itself. In doing so, they would break fellowship with Him. Their defilement would require purification. But it all began with a humble admission of their sin and their need for cleansing by God. Atonement is always a gift from God and never a work we perform. Aaron did all the work on behalf of the people. The only thing required of them was confession and contrition. As David so aptly put it: “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalms 51:17 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Restored to Wholeness

19 “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. 20 And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. 21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 22 And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. 24 And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

25 “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 27 And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 28 But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 30 And the priest shall use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge.

31 “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.”

32 This is the law for him who has a discharge and for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby; 33 also for her who is unwell with her menstrual impurity, that is, for anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean. – Leviticus 15:19-33 ESV

In the second half of this chapter, God turns His attention to the women among His people, but He specifically addresses those of menstruating age. Verses 19-24 deal with the monthly menstrual cycle of women of childbearing age. According to dictionary.com, this involves the “recurring monthly series of physiological changes in women…in which an egg is produced in the process known as ovulation, and the uterine lining thickens to allow for implantation if fertilization occurs. If the egg is not fertilized, the lining of the uterus breaks down and is discharged during menstruation.”

This recurring change in the woman’s body is completely normal and natural, but it entailed the loss of blood. This discharge of bodily fluid and blood rendered the woman temporarily and ceremonially unclean. And anyone or anything that came into contact with her was to be declared unclean as well. So, the woman was to be quarantined for seven days after her period, as a form of protection and a time of purification. Since this was a normal bodily function, there was no guilt associated with it, and, therefore, no sacrifices were required. At the end of the seven-day period of purification, she was to bathe and then she was free to return to normal communal life and worship at the Tabernacle.

This law would have also served as a form of protection for unmarried young women, placing them in forced solitude for a period of seven days each month. And during their menstrual cycle, they were to be considered off-limits and ceremonially “contagious” to everyone around them, including any potential suitors. The risk of becoming unclean would have served as a powerful deterrent to young Hebrew men who might otherwise allow their lusts to motivate their decision-making. Each of God’s laws, which oftentimes appear heavyhanded and harsh to our modern sensibilities, were divinely inspired and far from arbitrary in nature. There was a logical reason behind each and every one of them. But the main focus was always the holiness of God and the need for His chosen people to understand the difference between that which He deemed to be holy and that which He considered as common and therefore, unclean.

All women on earth experience a menstrual cycle, but not all of them are considered part of God’s chosen family – the nation of Israel. And while menstruation was not a sin, it did end up ceremonially separating the female members of God’s family from Him. But by following God’s commands, they could be cleansed and restored to fellowship. Their separation was only temporary. But for the rest of the world, their “earthiness” and “commonness” rendered them permanently separated from God. They were not privileged to be a part of God’s holy nation. Because of sin, they lacked wholeness and holiness. And while God’s chosen people would also experience the unwholesomeness of disease and the inconvenient reality of bodily discharges, those conditions would not render them permanently separated from their Creator. God had provided a way for cleansing and atonement.

This leads to the next section dealing with female bodily discharges. Verses 25-30 provide instructions regarding chronic or more serious discharges.

“If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is unrelated to her menstrual period, or if the blood continues beyond the normal period, she is ceremonially unclean.” – Leviticus 15:25 NLT

This was to be considered something abnormal and unnatural. If the woman’s issue of blood continued long past her normal cycle, it was to be treated as a disease or disorder, and sacrifices were required for purification. This would have been an intimate and highly personal problem for the woman and unknown to anyone but her parents or husband. It would have been tempting to leave the matter undisclosed and simply go about her life at the end of the normal seven-day purification process. But the continued presence of blood would have rendered the woman impure and a threat to the holiness of all those around her. This concern for the corporate well-being of the nation was behind all of these purification laws. There was also the very real threat of an “unclean” woman entering the Tabernacle and defiling it with her presence. So, God provided detailed instructions designed to prevent further contamination and to ensure proper purification – for the sake of the woman and the entire faith community.

“On the eighth day she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons and present them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle. The priest will offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify her before the Lord for the ceremonial impurity caused by her bleeding.” – Leviticus 15:29-30 NLT

Each of the synoptic gospels contains the story of Jesus encountering a woman who suffered from a chronic disorder much like the ones described in Leviticus 15. In his gospel account, Matthew records this encounter as follows:

…a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him [Jesus] and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” – Matthew 9:20-21 ESV

According to levitical law, this ailment would have kept the woman out of fellowship and unable to worship at the temple. For 12 years, she had suffered in seclusion and sought relief from her forced separation from normal life and her lack of access to God’s house. She saw Jesus as a possible source of help. She had heard about His healing powers but was afraid to approach Him because of her unclean status. So, she decided that if she could only touch His garment, she might receive healing. But, in doing so, she would have risked making Jesus impure. Yet, her helpless and hopeless condition pushed her to take that risk.

And when she reached out and touched His garment, Jesus turned and spoke to her.

“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” – Matthew 9:22 ESV

And Matthew records that the woman was instantaneously made whole. Jesus spoke and she was healed. Her chronic issue of blood was completely irradicated and her ceremonial impurity was fully eliminated. She was restored to wholeness, returned to fellowship, and rewarded with full access to the house of God. 

In verse 31, God provides the reason behind all these difficult-to-comprehend laws and regulations.

“This is how you will guard the people of Israel from ceremonial uncleanness. Otherwise they would die, for their impurity would defile my Tabernacle that stands among them.” – Leviticus 15:31 NLT

Uncleanness was a threat to the communal life of the people of Israel, and it was deadly dangerous to treat this threat flippantly. These laws were not suggestions. God was serious about the holiness of His people and wanted them to know that their status as His chosen people was closely tied to their understanding of what He considered to be holy and what He had declared to be unclean. They were not free to make that distinction themselves. He was not willing to let them decide for themselves. His demand for holiness was real and obedience to His laws was the key to remaining in a right standing with Him. But because He knew His people would find it impossible to remain pure while living in a fallen world, God provided a way to keep their defilement from impacting the entire faith community. He also provided the means by which the unclean could be made whole again and restored to a right relationship with Him – through the sacrificial system.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Heart and Home

33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 34 “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession, 35 then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘There seems to me to be some case of disease in my house.’ 36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. 37 And he shall examine the disease. And if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface, 38 then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days. 39 And the priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house, 40 then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city. 41 And he shall have the inside of the house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city. 42 Then they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.

43 “If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, 44 then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean. 45 And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place. 46 Moreover, whoever enters the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening, 47 and whoever sleeps in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

48 “But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed. 49 And for the cleansing of the house he shall take two small birds, with cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop, 50 and shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water 51 and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn. 53 And he shall let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.”

54 This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for an itch, 55 for leprous disease in a garment or in a house, 56 and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot, 57 to show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprous disease. – Leviticus 14:33-57 ESV

These verses appear to anticipate the Israelite’s occupation of the land of Canaan. In preparation for the day when they would enter and occupy the land promised to them by God, the Israelites were provided with laws concerning the contamination of permanent dwelling places. Up until this point, they had been living in tents but the day was coming when God would allow them to occupy houses built of stone. And one of the significant features of their new homes would be the fact that they would inherit them from the land’s current occupants.

“The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. You must fear the Lord your God and serve him.” – Deuteronomy 6:10-13 NLT

This entire section of Leviticus is concerned with the holiness of God. The emphasis on cleanness and uncleanness is meant to illustrate how the fallen nature of the world and everything in it can negatively impact the Israelite’s relationship with God. Impurity of any kind could place a barrier between Yahweh and His chosen people. And when the Israelites finally arrived in Canaan and began conquering the nations that had settled there, the land would need to be purified. Even the houses in which they settled, which would be given to them by God, would be prone to disease and contamination.

And in these verses, God provides detailed instructions for dealing with mold and mildew that appear in a home. What sets this section apart is verse 34. In it, God seems to indicate that this mold infestation will be from His hand.

“When you arrive in Canaan, the land I am giving you as your own possession, I may contaminate some of the houses in your land with mildew.” – Leviticus 14:34 NLT

Does this suggest that God will inflict certain homes with mold and mildew as some kind of punishment for a sin committed by the occupant? The text doesn’t elaborate. While it seems that God is claiming responsibility for the presence of the contamination, it could simply be a reference to His sovereignty over all things. The mold or mildew was not the result of contamination, but instead, it was “put” there by God, and its presence made the home unclean and non-occupiable. As soon as the problem was apparent, the Israelite owner of the home was required to notify the priest. This instigated an extensive inspection and purification process designed to render the contaminated home clean and acceptable to God.

“The settlement had to be free of pollution and corruption and anything that might cause disease. In the wilderness it was easy to burn tents. But when the people settled in the land, the law had to be brought forward and made relevant to their present situation.” – Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus

God demanded purity among His people. As a holy God, He expected His people to reflect His nature. And these verses indicate that His concern for their holiness included every aspect of their lives, including the homes in which they lived. This comprehensive regard for holiness was intended to teach the Israelites about the ever-present and pervasive problem of sin within the camp. Decay, disease, and death were everywhere and their impact was unavoidable. Even the annoying presence of mold and mildew was a reminder that the fall had caused sin to seep into every nook and cranny of human life.

So, when a home was found to have mold or mildew, the priest was to place it under a seven-day quarantine. No one was allowed to enter the home during that time. When the seven days were up, the priest was to reexamine the house. If the contamination had spread, the affected stones were to be removed and cast outside the city. Then a process of remediation was begun, requiring all the plaster to be removed from the walls and discarded along with the infected stone. If this drastic remedy was unsuccessful and the mildew reappeared, the home was to be condemned and destroyed, with every scrap of wood and stone hauled out of the city.

God made it clear that the presence of mildew or mold made the house unclean. So, anyone who ventured into the house while the contamination remained was to be declared unclean and in need of purification.

“Those who enter the house during the period of quarantine will be ceremonially unclean until evening, and all who sleep or eat in the house must wash their clothing.” – Leviticus 14:46-47 NLT

This command does not seem to deal with actual physical contamination, but instead, it points out the reality of ceremonial uncleanness. Since the home was deemed unclean, anyone who came into contact with it was deemed unclean as well. Even if the mold or mildew was no threat to humans, any contact with that which God had deemed unclean put them at spiritual risk. Purity was a fragile thing and needed to be protected at all costs.

If after purging the home, all traces of mold and mildew disappeared, the home was to be declared clean. But before it could be reoccupied, a purification ceremony must be performed. This is the same rite performed for a person healed of a skin disease. It involved the sacrifice of two birds.

“To purify the house the priest must take two birds, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch. He will slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot filled with fresh water. He will take the cedar stick, the hyssop branch, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, and dip them into the blood of the slaughtered bird and into the fresh water. Then he will sprinkle the house seven times.” – Leviticus 14:49-51 NLT

The second bird was then released into the wilderness, signifying that the death of the first bird had resulted in restoration and life. The formerly infected home was now cleansed and ready for occupation. Life could go on. Meals could be eaten. Children could be born. Rest could be attained. And the blessings of God could be enjoyed.

God’s greatest concern was the holiness of His people. He knew they would struggle with purity and would constantly battle the damaging side effects of sin. Especially in the land of Canaan, they would find themselves surrounded by pagan nations. They would live in cities and homes built by these very same people. The contamination of sin would be everywhere, both physically and spiritually, and God wanted His people to know and understand the difference between that which is “ceremonially clean or unclean” (Leviticus 14:57 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

From Isolation to Restoration

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field. 8 And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 9 And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.

10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil. 11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 12 And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 13 And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 17 And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord. 19 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil; 22 also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23 And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord. 28 And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord. 30 And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31 one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for him who is being cleansed. 32 This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.” – Leviticus 14:1-32 ESV

Chapter 13 paints a far-from-pleasant picture for all those who suffer from skin diseases.

“Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.” – Leviticus 13: 45-46 NLT

These unfortunate individuals were to be treated as outcasts, forced to live outside the camp, and treated as social pariahs. Not only were they forbidden to come into contact with their fellow Israelites, but they were also denied access to the Tabernacle and separated from the presence of Yahweh. In their infected state, they were forbidden to come anywhere near the house of God for fear that their ceremonial impurity would render the Tabernacle unclean and unfit for God’s presence. So, once they were diagnosed by the priest and declared to be “leprous,” they were forced to live outside the camp for a period of seven days.

“…the priest must quarantine the infected person for seven days. On the seventh day the priest must examine the person again.” – Leviticus 13:26-27 NLT

Chapter 14 picks up the story on the eighth day, “the day of his cleansing” (Leviticus 14:1 ESV). The priest was required to examine the individual one more time but this required the priest to visit the infected person outside the camp. Even on the eighth day, the “leprous” individual was denied re-entry to the community. Before he could return to camp, he had to be ceremonially cleansed. This involved two separate and highly elaborate sacrificial rites. The first was done outside the camp and required that the one wishing to be restored to fellowship bring “two live birds that are ceremonially clean, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch” (Leviticus 14:4 NLT).

One of the birds was to be killed over a clay bowl containing fresh water, allowing its blood to mingle with the water. Then the priest was to take the remaining live bird, along with the cedar, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the mixture of water and blood. The contents of the bowl were then sprinkled seven times on the one who desired to be cleansed. At the end of this ceremony, the priest pronounced the individual to be clean and the live bird was released into the wilderness. 

The next step involved physical cleansing, requiring the worshiper to “wash their clothes, shave off all their hair, and bathe themselves in water” (Leviticus 14:7 NLT). But even then, they were required to spend another seven days in isolation. At the end of this period of time, “they must again shave all the hair from their heads, including the hair of the beard and eyebrows. They must also wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water” (Leviticus 14:9 NLT).

Only after having completed all the required rituals would the worshiper be deemed ceremonially clean and free to return to the camp and to the Tabernacle. And his ability to return to the Tabernacle was vital because it was there that he would experience the second half of his cleansing. While the formerly leprous individual was officially clean, he needed atonement. This required that he offer a series of sacrifices that included reparation, purification, burnt, and meal offerings.

The point behind all of this was the restoration of the outcast. The one who had been as good as dead had been restored to life, and his healing had fostered his return to fellowship within the community. Now, it was time for him to be restored to fellowship with Yahweh.

This entire ceremony took place at the entrance to the Tabernacle, the house of God.

“…the officiating priest will present that person for purification, along with the offerings, before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle.” – Leviticus 14:11 NLT

This must have been a time of great joy and excitement for the former outcast. Once considered a threat to the community, the cleansed congregant was welcomed back into fellowship and allowed to enter the house of God. The one who had spent weeks verbally declaring himself to be unclean was reinstated to the faith community and welcomed with open arms at the gates of the Tabernacle.

While the one seeking atonement had not contracted his skin disease as a result of sin, he still needed to make reparations and atonement because his condition had rendered him unclean and an offense to a holy God. His forced separation had kept him from offering sacrifices and even presenting his tithes to God. Now it was time to make things right.

The very fact that the affected person was standing in the courtyard of the Tabernacle was evidence that he had been accepted by the priest and the people. But it was essential that his cleansed state be approved by God. This required sacrifice and it is interesting to note the similarities between the rite for priestly ordination and the restoration process of the newly cleansed individual. The blood from the sacrificed animals was sprinkled on “the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified” (Leviticus 14:14 NLT). This same process was done to set apart Aaron and his sons for the priesthood.

“Then Moses took some of its blood and applied it to the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. Next Moses presented Aaron’s sons and applied some of the blood to the lobes of their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet.” – Leviticus 8:23-24 NLT

The formerly exiled worship was being reconsecrated to God and fully accepted into His presence and approved for service. The unclean outcast was now considered a purified child of God who was welcome in His house. His sacrifices were deemed worthy and acceptable to God.

A vital point to consider is that none of the rituals contained in chapter 14 were meant to provide healing. Everything was intended for purification and not for curative purposes. The healing of the individual was God’s doing. Even though the one affected by the disease was cast out from the community, God did not abandon them. Their physical restoration was provided for them by God. And their return to the faith community was also made possible by God. 

God had told the Israelites, “I am the Lord, your healer” (Exodus 15:26 ESV). He would later reiterate that truth, declaring His sovereignty over life and death, sickness and healing.

“Look now; I myself am he!
    There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
    I am the one who wounds and heals;
    no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!” – Deuteronomy 32:39 NLT

All could receive renewed health and healing from God. Even the poorest among them could be restored because God made provision for their poverty. Verses 21-32 outline the alternate offerings that God deemed acceptable for any who were financially challenged. There was nothing to keep the penitent sinner from receiving full atonement from the Lord. Decay and disease had separated them from their God and their fellow Israelites, but God had made provision for their full restoration and redemption.

“Through this process, the priest will purify the person before the Lord.” – Leviticus 14:29 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Banished or Burned

40 “If a man’s hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean. 41 And if a man’s hair falls out from his forehead, he has baldness of the forehead; he is clean. 42 But if there is on the bald head or the bald forehead a reddish-white diseased area, it is a leprous disease breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. 43 Then the priest shall examine him, and if the diseased swelling is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprous disease in the skin of the body, 44 he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; his disease is on his head.

45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 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.

47 “When there is a case of leprous disease in a garment, whether a woolen or a linen garment, 48 in warp or woof of linen or wool, or in a skin or in anything made of skin, 49 if the disease is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin or in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, it is a case of leprous disease, and it shall be shown to the priest. 50 And the priest shall examine the disease and shut up that which has the disease for seven days. 51 Then he shall examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in the skin, whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a persistent leprous disease; it is unclean. 52 And he shall burn the garment, or the warp or the woof, the wool or the linen, or any article made of skin that is diseased, for it is a persistent leprous disease. It shall be burned in the fire.

53 “And if the priest examines, and if the disease has not spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, 54 then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he shall shut it up for another seven days. 55 And the priest shall examine the diseased thing after it has been washed. And if the appearance of the diseased area has not changed, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire, whether the rot is on the back or on the front.

56 “But if the priest examines, and if the diseased area has faded after it has been washed, he shall tear it out of the garment or the skin or the warp or the woof. 57 Then if it appears again in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire whatever has the disease. 58 But the garment, or the warp or the woof, or any article made of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, shall then be washed a second time, and be clean.”

59 This is the law for a case of leprous disease in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, to determine whether it is clean or unclean.” – Leviticus 13:40-59 ESV

The presence of disease is not an indication that the ill person has sinned. But sin is the reason disease is present in the world. All illness is a direct result of the fall. Its very existence is tied to the original sin committed by Adam and Eve in the garden. Their fateful decision to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit doomed all their descendants to lives characterized by sin and cursed by death. The apostle Paul explains the grave implications of what the first couple did in the garden, but he lays all the blame at the feet of Adam – the one to whom God had given His order to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. – Romans 5:12 NLT

For Adam’s sin led to condemnation… – Romans 5:16 NLT

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. – Romans 5:17 NLT

Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone… – Romans 5:18 NLT

Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. – Romans 5:19 NLT

Adam’s failure to adequately warn his wife about the dangers of the tree made her susceptible to the temptations of the enemy. And Adam’s decision to join his wife in her act of disobedience sealed their fate. Rather than reject the fruit she offered him, he was willingly complicit in her sin. And the rest, they say, is history.

Their sin led to condemnation. God’s holiness demanded action and it resulted in the immediate expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden. And when God cast them out, they were banned from His presence. No longer would they enjoy intimate and unbroken fellowship with their Creator. Their sin made them unclean and unworthy of basking in His glory and benefiting from His goodness. And, in time, the entire creation began to experience the effects of sin’s presence. Atrophy set in. Paul states that “death spread to everyone.”

But Adam and Eve did not die immediately. Instead, death took the form of decay, a slow-moving deterioration of all things. The first couple began to age. In time, disease entered the scene. The entire creation, once declared “very good” by God, was placed under a curse and doomed to the ravages of time and the dilatory effects of sin. Once again, the apostle Paul provides insightful commentary on the implications of sin’s entrance into the world.

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. – Romans 8:20-22 NLT

Death and decay are everywhere and their effects are unavoidable. Chapter 13 of Leviticus emphasizes just a few of the symptoms of their presence, including a variety of unsightly and uncomfortable skin disorders.

As the Israelites made their way from Sinai to Canaan, they would experience many of these painful pathologies of the skin. It was inevitable and unavoidable. And these lesions, boils, sores, and skin disorders were not new to them. They had plenty of experience with these kinds of ailments, but now, God was informing them that these common conditions were cause for greater concern. Because the Israelites were God’s chosen people, the presence of these skin disorders could them unclean and impure before God. They would not be condemned to death for having a rash or a boil. But the presence of disease would result in their banishment from the community and their inability to enter God’s presence.

God wanted them to understand the seriousness of sin. Its entrance into the world had damaged God’s creation beyond repair. All that God had made was in a constant state of decline that would ultimately result in death. And this decay, disease, and death were antithetical to the will of the life-giving God of the universe. The one who gave life to all that is in the world stands opposed to the very idea of death. Yes, God sovereignly decreed death to be the penalty for man’s sin (Romans 6:23), but His original intent was for His creation to experience life in all its fullness.

…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. – Genesis 2:7 ESV

He himself gives life and breath to everything… – Acts 17:25 NLT

And His Son came to earth so that He might provide new life to all who were under the curse of death.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10 ESV

God’s detailed instructions concerning everything from baldness to boils were intended to show the people of Israel the damaging influence of sin on their lives. They were surrounded by the effects of sin’s presence. It infected everything they touched, and it took the form of disease and decay. Hair fell from their heads, leaving them bald. Lesions appeared on their skin, causing discomfort and pain. Rashes and boils could show up without a moment’s notice or any explanation. And even their garments could become infected through contact with these disorders. And everything had to be closely examined and carefully cleansed so that the purity of the community could be maintained.

Any infection deemed unclean required immediate, yet temporary banishment.

“Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.” – Leviticus 13:45-46 NLT

But the goal was the eventual restoration of the banned individual. Their isolation was intended to protect the wholeness of the community. The disease and its treatment were intended to serve as a metaphor for sin and its influence on God’s people. Disease was not to be taken lightly, and neither was sin. 

Even garments that had come into contact with any of these skin disorders were to be considered unclean and in need of purification. The presence of mildew or mold was to be taken seriously and dealt with immediately. All of these things would render the wearer of the garment unpure and unworthy of entering God’s presence. So, cleansing was mandatory. The infected item was to be closely examined and subjected to a stringent purification protocol.

“After examining the affected spot, the priest will put the article in quarantine for seven days. On the seventh day the priest must inspect it again. If the contaminated area has spread, the clothing or fabric or leather is clearly contaminated by a serious mildew and is ceremonially unclean.” – Leviticus 13:50-51 NLT

And if, after the garment was quarantined, the mildew, mold, or contamination remained, the garment was to be burned.

“It must be completely burned up, whether the contaminated spot is on the inside or outside.” – Leviticus 13:55 NLT

But if the spot disappeared, the garment was to be declared clean and restored to its former use. It was ceremonially pure. And that is the entire focus of the chapter. God was letting His people know that impurity would be a constant threat to their relationship with Him. Any form of impurity could render them unclean and unworthy of entering the presence of a holy, sinless God. They were not to offer blemished, diseased, or lame animals for sacrifice. They were not to come before God bearing any kind of skin disease or disorder. Their clothes were to be clean and free from mold and mildew. And all of these requirements were in keeping with God’s command concerning holiness.

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” – Leviticus 19:2 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Hope of Restoration

18 “If there is in the skin of one’s body a boil and it heals, 19 and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a reddish-white spot, then it shall be shown to the priest. 20 And the priest shall look, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a case of leprous disease that has broken out in the boil. 21 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall shut him up seven days. 22 And if it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a disease. 23 But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

24 “Or, when the body has a burn on its skin and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white, 25 the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, then it is a leprous disease. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 26 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and it is no deeper than the skin, but has faded, the priest shall shut him up seven days, 27 and the priest shall examine him the seventh day. If it is spreading in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 28 But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread in the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar of the burn.

29 “When a man or woman has a disease on the head or the beard, 30 the priest shall examine the disease. And if it appears deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an itch, a leprous disease of the head or the beard. 31 And if the priest examines the itching disease and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days, 32 and on the seventh day the priest shall examine the disease. If the itch has not spread, and there is in it no yellow hair, and the itch appears to be no deeper than the skin, 33 then he shall shave himself, but the itch he shall not shave; and the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for another seven days. 34 And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch, and if the itch has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean. 35 But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing, 36 then the priest shall examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean. 37 But if in his eyes the itch is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed and he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

38 “When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body, white spots, 39 the priest shall look, and if the spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is leukoderma that has broken out in the skin; he is clean.” – Leviticus 13:18-39 ESV

The degree of specificity in these verses is somewhat staggering. Why does God go into such great detail when it comes to these various skin pathologies? What is His reasoning behind ordering the priests to closely examine each lesion, boil, and spot, carefully determining the color and texture of the hair and surrounding skin?

In attempting to answer these questions, it’s important to note that the priests were not physicians, and their examinations were not intended to determine a treatment plan that would restore physical health. They wrote no prescriptions and provided no expert medical advice. Yet, they were concerned with restoring the “patient’s” wholeness but their primary focus was that of holiness and purity.

God’s seeming obsession with dermatological disorders may appear somewhat heavyhanded. After all, there is no mention of internal diseases such as heart conditions, tumors, or cancer. He doesn’t deal with psychological or physiological disorders either. His emphasis is on the outward manifestations of diseases that affect the skin. Because of the visible nature of these conditions, they would have been readily apparent to others. And the overall focus of these verses appears to be on what might be best referred to as infectious skin diseases.

Each of the ailments described in these verses was to be closely examined in order to determine if it had the potential to spread and infect others. Its potential for contagion was to be a key factor in the priest’s diagnosis.

“If the priest examines it and finds it to be more than skin-deep, and if the hair in the affected area has turned white, the priest must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean. The boil has become a serious skin disease.” – Leviticus 13:20 NLT

Based on the priest’s examination and diagnosis, more serious diseases were to require isolation and quarantine. This does not necessarily mean that the disease itself was infectious, but that the individual with the malady was to be considered temporarily unclean. This forced isolation from the rest of the community was to prevent anyone else from becoming ceremonially impure by coming into contact with the “patient.”

The primary concern of the priest was to determine the patient’s potential for spreading uncleanness. The purity of the congregation was to be his highest priority so that there would be no break in their fellowship with God. His ongoing presence was tied to their holiness and their holiness was directly linked to their purity.

The presence of visible and abnormal skin conditions among the populous was to alert the spiritual leadership of Israel to implement immediate protocols to protect and preserve the purity of the congregation. And no lesion, boil, or rash was to be overlooked. As soon as the malady appeared, the priests were to get involved and make the proper diagnosis so that the integrity or wholeness of God’s people might be preserved. 

When reading these verses, it is important to recognize that the presence of diseases is meant to be seen as a symptom of mankind’s alienation from God. Because of Adam and Eve’s act of rebellion in the garden, sin entered God’s creation and brought with it decay, disease, and, ultimately, death. From that moment to now, the sinless perfection of God’s creation had been marred by abnormalities of all kinds. Pain and suffering are now a normal and natural part of human life. And the skin disorders mentioned in these verses are intended to illustrate the pervasive and unavoidable reality of sin’s influence over God’s creative order.

The presence of disease does not void or invalidate the beauty of God’s creation. It simply illustrates the fallen nature of the world and its need for restoration and redemption. The Israelites had been set apart by God and commanded to live in a manner that illustrated their distinct status as His chosen people. Yet, they had to do so in the midst of a fallen and sin-saturated world. That’s why God gave Him his law, to guard and guide their actions as they attempted to navigate life in a far-from-friendly world. They would be constantly exposed to temptation, the threat of illness, the risk of compromise, and the very real possibility of falling away from God. Their journey from Egypt to Canaan had already been marked by suffering and their own susceptibility to sin and rebellion. They had displayed their own potential for disobedience when they worshiped the golden calf. They had experienced thirst and hunger and allowed those less-than-pleasant physical conditions to turn their hearts against God.

Now, God was letting them know that physical ailments would be a permanent part of their faith journey. They were not immune from disease, decay, and death. But they were not to allow these things to separate them from their God. When skin disorders showed up, and they would, the people of Israel were to recognize them as reminders of their fallen state. They were sin-prone people living in a sin-darkened land. But God provided a way of restoration. He did not completely cast out the infected individual and declare them to be persona non grata. But He did expect their malady to be recognized and dealt with appropriately.

The overall emphasis of these verses is purity and restoration. Sickness is a reminder of sin’s presence and its debilitating influence over God’s creation. But its impact is limited and far from final. Diseases can produce discomfort and even death, but they cannot sever the relationship between God and His people. The apostle Paul provides us with a powerful word of encouragement concerning the limited liability of sin’s hold on mankind.

For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[j] this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New Life and Restored Holiness

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.

6 “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7 and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. 8 And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” – Leviticus 12:1-8 ESV

This chapter, if taken out of its context within the rest of the book of Leviticus, can pose significant problems for the modern reader. A cursory and isolated reading would seem to suggest that women are somehow unclean and unacceptable to God just because they have given birth. But is that what the passage is saying? Is the same God who commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply now equating obedience to that command with defilement? If so, why is the woman the only one penalized for her role in the procreative process?

The key to understanding Leviticus 12 is to keep these verses firmly planted within the overall context of the rest of the book. Ultimately, Leviticus is about the proper protocol for worshiping God. It contains rules and rituals pertaining to both the priests and the laity, that prescribe God’s non-negotiable requirements for His set-apart people. He had released them from their captivity in Egypt, but they were far from free. As His chosen and redeemed people, they were expected to live according to His divine will and model holiness to the world around them.

The book of Leviticus deals with issues of holiness and commonness, cleanliness and uncleanness. These are to be viewed as ritualistic categories that designate one’s status before God. For something to be viewed as “common” was to declare it ordinary and not sacred. It does not mean that the object or person is somehow flawed or worthless, but that it had not been set apart for God’s use. It had not been consecrated and deemed as belonging to God. From God’s perspective, everything in the world is common until He sets it apart as holy. At one point, the people of Israel had been just another nation living as captives in the land of Egypt, until God chose to redeem them from their captivity and make them His prized possession. In a sense, they had been common and God made them holy.

“Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.” – Exodus 19:5-6 NLT

God went on to reiterate the call that His chosen people embrace their newfound status as His holy, set-apart people.

“You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.” – Leviticus 20:26 NLT

They were no longer to view themselves as common or ordinary. Their close relationship with God had transformed them into “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6 ESV). But because they lived in a fallen world, they faced the constant temptation to revert back to their ordinary and common ways. That is why God ordered the priests “to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean” (Leviticus 10:10 ESV). And God commanded that they instruct the people to know the difference between what God had set apart as holy and everything else. There was to be no confusion or uncertainty because their relationship with God was dependent upon their ongoing holiness. And to ensure that His people grasped the weight of the matter, God repeated His words to them.

“For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” – Leviticus 11:44-45 ESV

This brings us back to the matter of childbirth and uncleanness. What is God attempting to teach His people about the holy and the common when it comes to the matter of childbirth? Is He suggesting that the newborn baby is unclean or unacceptable? Is God somehow penalizing the woman for her role in bearing children? One way of looking at this passage is to consider that childbirth is a common and very ordinary part of the human experience. Giving birth to children was not a special right that was reserved for the Israelites alone. Ever since the garden, all mankind had obeyed God’s command to multiply and fill the earth. But, as a result of the fall, childbirth had been marked by pain and suffering. Because of her role in disobeying His command, God told Eve, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children” (Genesis 3:16 ESV).

The birth of a child, while a joyous experience, is marked by physical pain and the presence of blood and bodily fluids. The bringing forth of new life can be a difficult and physically draining experience for both the mother and the child. A newborn baby enters the world covered in blood and amniotic fluid. The mother’s body must discharge the placenta and amniotic sac after giving birth to her child. This purely natural and normal process is common to all births. But it is important to note that God is not declaring childbirth to be unclean.

“…it was not childbirth per se that was unclean, but the ritual defilement that immediately followed the childbirth because of the fluids and secretions connected with childbirth. Childbirth is blessed by God; it is part of his plan of creation. But it is very physical, very earth or ‘this-worldly,’ and not he usual normal, healthy condition for the woman. And therein lies the problem, for access into the sanctuary of the Lord required the individual to be whole.” – Kenneth A. Matthews, Leviticus: Holy God, Holy People

This common, ordinary, and fully natural procedure rendered the woman ceremonially or ritually unclean. The presence of blood and bodily fluid temporarily separated the mother from her God. It is interesting to consider the fact that the bringing of new life into the world is accompanied by the shedding of blood. God had told the people of Israel that “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11 ESV). They were forbidden to consume blood. This life-giving substance was the key to their ongoing existence and the means by which they received atonement for their sins.

“The connection between the body’s power to reproduce life and the various bodily fluids make for a symbolic picture of the power of life and death. Blood is the most natural evidence of life and death. It is indicative of the life-force, both of humans and animals. The blood belonged to God alone because he alone is Sovereign over life. Leviticus tells us that ‘the life of the flesh is in the blood’ (Leviticus 17:11a). This theological rationale explains why the Mosaic law required a new mother to experience a purification ritual after childbirth. There had to be an accounting for the postnatal blood flow of the new mother in the ceremonial life of the people.” – Kenneth A. Matthews, Leviticus: Holy God, Holy People

As part of the purification process, the new mother was required to remain at home for a prescribed period of time. During that interval, she was forbidden to “touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed” (Leviticus 12:4 ESV). But once her period of isolation came to an end, the woman was to appear at the Tabernacle in order to offer sacrifices to God.

“When the time of purification is completed for either a son or a daughter, the woman must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a purification offering.” – Leviticus 12:6 NLT

The birth mother was required to offer two different sacrifices. One was a burnt offering, which was intended to restore her relationship with God. In a sense, it reestablished her holy status before God. This offering was not an admission of guilt. The woman had not committed a sin by bearing a child. She was simply presenting an offering to the Lord as a request for restored fellowship. In giving birth, she had become temporarily “common” or unholy. The presence of blood had “defiled” her and her sacrifice was meant to illustrate her desire to have her communion with God restored. The purification offering was just that; a sacrifice intended to purify the woman from the defilement caused by the shedding of blood. Sadly, many translations refer to this sacrifice as a “sin offering,” even though no sin was committed. There was no need for forgiveness or repentance because the woman had done nothing wrong.

“The legislating of the ritual makes it clear that it is the discharge of blood that made the woman unclean after childbirth. It was simply a matter of incompatibility with the sanctuary purity that prevented the woman from entering; and the blood ritual completed her purification.” – Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus

Even the common and completely natural process of giving birth to a child could impact a woman’s access to God. It was not that childbirth was a sin, but that the presence of sin in the world had impacted every area of life. That which was common to all biological life had been dramatically altered by sin’s entry into the world. But God provided a way for the common to become holy once again. By following God’s prescribed plan of purification, the mother could be restored to a right relationship with God.

“The priest will sacrifice them to purify her, and she will be ceremonially clean.” – Leviticus 12:8 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Deadly Influence of Death

24 “And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26 Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27 And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 28 and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

29 “And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31 These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. 32 And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean. 33 And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it. 34 Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean. 35 And everything on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean and shall remain unclean for you. 36 Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them shall be unclean. 37 And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean, 38 but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.” – Leviticus 11:24-38 ESV

In these 15 verses, God uses the word “unclean” 22 times. His repetitive use of this word provides ample proof of just how seriously He took this matter. The Hebrew word is טָמֵא (ṭāmē'), and it refers to someone becoming ceremonially defiled or impure, rendering them unfit for participation in the household of God but, more importantly, making them unholy and incapable of coming into God’s presence. It was not that this “infection” involved actual contagion from harmful bacteria or disease but that the one deemed unclean had violated God’s ban.

All of these restrictions deal with an individual having contact with the dead bodies of particular creatures. The issue had less to do with the species of the animal than its lifelessness. Death was the mitigating factor in the prohibition. God makes it clear that touching the dead body of any of these creatures would render the individual defiled and in need of purification.

“The following creatures will make you ceremonially unclean. If any of you touch their carcasses, you will be defiled until evening.” – Leviticus 11:24 NLT

That the defilement did not involve an actual life-threatening contagion is made clear by the temporary nature of the individual’s isolation. The defilement or uncleanness was ceremonial in nature. The point that God seems to be making is that death, while inevitable and unavoidable, was also antithetical to His nature. He is the God of life. Death entered His perfect creation as a result of mankind’s sin. In the beginning, God breathed life into the body of the man He created.

…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. – Genesis 2:7 ESV

God is the creator and sustainer of all life. The book of Nehemiah records the people’s declaration of God’s role in giving life to all creatures, human and otherwise.

“You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.” – Nehemiah 9:6 NASB

Death was an anomaly, caused by the entrance of sin into God’s pristine and perfect creation. And the apostle Paul makes it clear that death was a byproduct of man’s rebellion against God.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. – Romans 5:12-14 NLT

Adam’s sin brought death into an atmosphere that had been marked by life and light. So death, like sin, was unacceptable to a holy and righteous God. And yet, death is not outside the sovereign will of God; it is the result of His justice and righteousness. God had told Adam that if he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die (Genesis 2:17). Death would be the judgment for Adam’s disobedience to God’s command. As the apostle Paul points out, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV). Death is the God-ordained penalty for sin. The very presence of death in God’s creation is a constant reminder of the reality and pervasive nature of sin. Without sin, there would be no death. And, ultimately, death is God’s curse on all creation due to mankind’s rebellion against Him.

“‘See now that I, even I, am he,
    and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
    I wound and I heal;
    and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” – Deuteronomy 32:39 ESV

The curse of death has infected all of creation. Animals, insects, birds, and plants all suffer eventual death. Even the universe itself is in a constant state of atrophy. And the apostle Paul describes this unavoidable process of decay and decline in stark terms.

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. – Romans 8:20-22 NLT

The apostle John states that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5 ESV). Death is a symbol of the darkness caused by sin. Death is a destroyer and the ultimate source of alienation from God. To die is not only to cease from living but to be separated from the God of life. So, God placed restrictions on His people that were intended to regulate and mitigate their contact with death while still living. The primary point is that death rendered one unholy and unworthy of entering God’s presence.

“The main point of Moses’ instructions was for the people to avoid touching corpses when possible because dead bodies conveyed ritual contagion through contact. This made the person or thing unfit to remain in the camp. Only after the proper ritual cleansing was the person or item reintegrated into the life of the community.” – Kenneth A. Matthew, Leviticus: Holy God, Holy People

Coming into contact with dead animals or people was inevitable. Death was an unavoidable part of life. But even mere contact with death would separate the Israelites from their life-giving God. Touching the carcass of a dead animal would render someone unclean before God. Even an ordinary object that came into contact with a dead animal was to be considered unholy and defiled until properly cleansed.

The repeated use of the word “unclean” also emphasizes the importance of cleanliness or purity. God expected His chosen people to understand their need for purity at all times. The slightest contact with death would deny them access to God and place them outside the community of faith.

Jesus Himself emphasized His Father’s life-giving nature. When confronted by a question from the Pharisees regarding the reality of the resurrection, Jesus alluded to the fact that even Moses believed in the resurrection because he described God as “the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Luke 20:37 ESV). Then Jesus went on to elaborate that His Father is the author of life, not death.

“Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” – Luke 20:38 ESV

This section of Leviticus is meant to emphasize the life-giving nature of Israel’s God. It emphasizes the reality of death and the inevitable and unvoidable impact it would have on the people of Israel. But God provided a means for mitigating its divisive and destructive nature. His people could receive cleansing and have their separation from God restored. But it was essential that they understand the seriousness of sin and the deadly influence it could have on their relationship with God. Every day would be filled with reminders of sin’s presence and their need for purification from its infectious influence. Yahweh was the God of life and death was a reminder of humanity’s sin and its need for His cleansing and forgiveness.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Holy Unto the Lord

31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32 And what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn up with fire. 33 And you shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you. 34 As has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. 35 At the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the Lord has charged, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded.” 36 And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded by Moses. – Leviticus 8:31-36 ESV

This elaborate ordination ceremony was to last an entire week, a seven-day period in which Moses, Aaron, and his sons repeated each phase of the sacrificial process down to the last detail, including the ordination meal. The priestly candidates were to take a portion of the meat from the third sacrifice, “the ram of ordination” (Leviticus 8:22), and prepare a meal for themselves.

“And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests' portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron's and his sons'. It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.” – Exodus 29:27-28 ESV

They were instructed to boil the thigh of the ram at the doorway to “the tent of meeting.” This name is used throughout the books of Exodus and Leviticus to refer to two different locations. One was a temporary tent that Moses set up on the outskirts of the camp before the Tabernacle was built.

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. – Exodus 33:7-9 ESV

But once the Tabernacle had been constructed, it became the official “tent of meeting.” Since all the details concerning the sacrifices found in Leviticus chapter 8 could only have taken place at the Tabernacle, the mention of “the entrance of the tent of meeting” (Leviticus 8:31 ESV) refers to the gateway into the Tabernacle grounds. This is where Aaron and his sons were to eat the ordination meal, and this location would allow the people of Israel to witness this ceremonial feast of fellowship with Yahweh. The Lord was graciously allowing His priests to partake of the offerings that had been dedicated to Him by the people of Israel. Witnessing the priests consume this ritual meal would further confirm for the Israelites the unique nature and status of the priestly role. These men had been set apart by God and were allowed to share in the sacred offerings, symbolizing their one-of-a-kind relationship with the Almighty. Even Moses was not allowed to take part in this phase of the ordination ceremony.

And when Aaron and his sons had consumed all that they could eat, they were to burn what was left on the bronze altar. Nothing was to be left over or allowed to spoil, and no remnants could be consumed by anyone other than the priests themselves.

And Moses emphasizes that this final phase of the ordination ceremony was to be repeated for seven straight days, along with all the purification rituals and sacrifices. Each new day required that Moses, Aaron, and his sons reenacted every part of the ceremony, down to the last detail. And during that entire week-long timespan, Aaron and his sons were not allowed to leave the Tabernacle grounds. 

“And you shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you.” – Leviticus 8:33 ESV

To the Hebrews, the number seven represented completion or perfection. In the creation narrative found in Genesis, God completed His work in six days and then rested on the seventh day. In a sense, God finalized His plan of creation and then stepped back to enjoy it. All was just as He had intended it to be. In having Aaron and his sons repeated the ordination process for seven straight days, God was emphasizing the completeness of their transition from ordinary men to priests who would act as servants in His earthly dwelling place. This meant that seven bulls and 14 rams would be sacrificed before Aaron and his sons were deemed ready to go about their priestly duties. An abundance of blood would be spilled and the fire of the altar would billow with fire and smoke as the sacrifices were transformed into a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It would only be on the last day that God would deem His servants ready for the new role as priests.

Had they cut any corners or failed to follow one of God’s commands, not only would they have violated the terms of their ordination, but they would have experienced judgment in the form of death. The priesthood was serious business and was not to be taken lightly. At no point in the seven-day-long ceremony were Aaron and his sons allowed to leave the premises of the Tabernacle. It became their dwelling place. And since all that was within the Tabernacle had been sprinkled with blood and made holy to the Lord, it was in this holy environment that they were to remain until God deemed them ready to serve.

The seriousness of this occasion is highlighted by the devastating details found in Leviticus chapter 10. Seemingly, just days after the week-long ordination ceremony came to an end, the newly ordained sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, discovered just how deadly any violation of God’s commands could be.

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. 2 So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord.

Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,

‘I will display my holiness
    through those who come near me.
I will display my glory
    before all the people.’”

And Aaron was silent. – Leviticus 10:1-3 NLT

These two men decided to play fast and loose with God’s commands and lost their lives because of it. Had their father or Moses taken liberties with any of the ordination rituals, they would have suffered a similar fate. God had warned them, “At the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the Lord has charged, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded” (Leviticus 8:35 ESV). And chapter eight ends with the statement: “Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded by Moses” (Leviticus 8:36 ESV). They were obedient and, as a result, they were confirmed as priests. For seven straight days, they followed each step in God’s plan and faithfully adhered to the elaborate ordination rituals.

And as chapter nine will reveal, on the eighth day, they were required to offer one final set of sacrifices to the Lord. This would bring the entire ordination ceremony to a close and prepare the way for the Lord’s presence. Moses told Aaron that when he had finished offering up the final sacrifice, he was to announce to the people of Israel, “today the Lord will appear to you” (Leviticus 9:4 ESV) That was the whole point of the entire process. The Tabernacle was to be God’s dwelling place, but He could not and would not take up residence among His people until the Tabernacle, His priests, and His people were properly prepared for His divine presence.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Atonement for Sin

22 “When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the Lord his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 23 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish, 24 and shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord; it is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And all its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

27 “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 28 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. 30 And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

32 “If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish 33 and lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on top of the Lord's food offerings. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven. – Leviticus 4:22-35 ESV

Everyone sins. It’s an inevitable and unavoidable fact of life. The apostle Paul put it this way: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT). King Solomon gave this rather sobering assessment of the problem.

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. – Ecclesiastes 7:20 ESV

And Solomon would double down on the same stark evaluation of sin’s relentless stranglehold on humanity.

…there is no one who does not sin. – 1 Kings 8:46 ESV

And it was the pervasive and inescapable reality of sin that caused the apostle John to encourage confession rather than denial.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:8-10 ESV

No one understands the damaging effects of sin better than God. While He is completely free from any form of unrighteousness, He understands that sin’s entrance into the world had a devastating impact on humanity. When Adam and Eve made the fateful decision to eat fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they did far more than disobey God’s command; they expressed their desire to become their own gods. They listened to the lie of the enemy and asserted their right to run their own lives according to their own wills. What God had declared off-limits, they determined was rightfully theirs to have. Rather than trust God’s perfect will for their lives, they allowed their desire for autonomy to cloud their thinking and blind their eyes to the devastating outcome of self-rule.

God’s decision to set apart the people of Israel as His special possession was intended to show how sinful humanity might enjoy a restored relationship with its creator. By choosing the descendants of Abraham as participants in His divine case study, God was going to reveal how the pernicious presence of sin could be dealt with in a way that could result in their restoration to a right relationship with Him. He would use this one nation to showcase His grace, love, and forgiveness. He would make a covenant with them that would guarantee them status as His chosen people and assure them of His future blessings. But they would be required to live in obedience to all the laws and regulations associated with that covenant. Failure to do so would bring divine discipline. But knowing that His people would find it impossible to live in perfect obedience to His law, God provided the sacrificial system as a means to atone for the sins they would inevitably commit.

That brings us back to Leviticus chapter 4. God has already made it clear that sin was a problem for His people. Even the priests would have difficulty living in obedience to His commands. And it was only a matter of time before the entire nation came under the weight of God’s wrath for some inadvertent and unintentional sin committed by one of their own. The whole focus of the opening chapters of Leviticus seems to be God’s emphasis on the inescapable nature of sin. Even when the people of Israel thought they were doing well, there was the very real possibility that they had sinned without even knowing it. Sin was hardwired into their systems. It was part of their nature. And they were fully capable of committing sins both willingly and unwittingly.

That’s why God instituted these sin or purification offerings. Even if someone committed a sin by accident, they were still required to make atonement for that sin. As soon as they became aware of their offense, they needed to bring their offering before God in order to receive forgiveness and restoration. And this requirement applied to every Israelite, regardless of their social status or economic standing. God even made provisions to accommodate the poor by allowing them to offer less costly sacrifices. Everyone from priests, elders, the rich, and the poor was required to follow God’s purification process. It was mandatory and not up for debate. To refuse to make the proper sacrifice for sin would leave the individual separated from God and under a death sentence. Sin required confession, sacrifice, and purification. Forgiveness was available, but only if the sinner faithfully followed God’s gracious commands. 

Verses 22-35 deal provide the same protocol for the leader and the common man. Their social status did not change anything. It didn’t matter if Moses had committed the sin or if the guilty party was an obscure member of the working class. Both were required to “bring as his offering a goat” (Leviticus 4:23, 28 ESV). The only difference was that God allowed the less affluent Israelite to substitute a less-expensive female goat as a sacrifice. But both animals had to be without blemish, and the same ritual had to be painstakingly followed in order for the sacrifice to be effective. When God’s program of purification was adhered to, both individuals received the same results.

“…the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.” – Leviticus 4:26, 31 ESV

The goal was forgiveness. God knew that sin was inevitable, even among His chosen people. The presence of the law didn’t eliminate the Israelite’s propensity for sin. The law simply provided a clear and irrefutable outline of God’s expectations for His chosen people. The apostle Paul would later explain the purpose behind the law.

…the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. – Romans 3:19-20 NLT

…the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) – Romans 4:15 NLT

The law of God established His standard of holiness. But He knew that the Israelites were incapable of living up to that standard. Their sinful natures made it impossible to live in perfect obedience to His righteous requirements. As a Jew, the apostle Paul could relate to the difficulty they faced.

In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. – Romans 7:25 NLT

So, God provided the sacrificial system as a way of mitigating the inevitable damage that sin would do to the Israelite’s relationship with Him. Sin would result in division between God and His people. In His holiness, He would be obligated to deal with their sin justly and righteously. He could not turn a blind eye or act as if it never happened. So, the sacrificial system was designed to offer atonement, make available forgiveness, and provide a restored relationship with God.

The author of Hebrews provides a powerful reminder of how the law was a foreshadowing of something far more significant to come. It was meant to serve as a sign of a greater program of sacrifice and atonement that God had in mind.

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. – Hebrews 10:1-4 NLT

And the author goes on to reveal what the Old Testament sacrificial system was meant to point towards:

That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
    But you have given me a body to offer.
You were not pleased with burnt offerings
    or other offerings for sin.
Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—
    as is written about me in the Scriptures.’” – Hebrews 10:5-7 NLT

God had always planned to send His Son as the final and all-sufficient sacrifice that would pay for the sins of mankind, once and for all.

For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. – Hebrews 10:10 NLT

But during the Old Testament dispensation, God provided the sacrificial system as a temporary and incomplete model of the greater plan to come. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), had always been God’s ultimate plan of atonement, forgiveness, and restoration. And as the author of Hebrews states, “when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices” (Hebrews 10:18 NLT). Jesus alone can offer full forgiveness from sin and freedom from future condemnation. And Paul sums up the incredible reality of God’s perfect plan of redemption, made possible through the sacrifice of His Son.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.c So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. – Romans 8:3-4 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Sin in the Camp

13 “If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt, 14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting. 15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be killed before the Lord. 16 Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting, 17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil. 18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is in the tent of meeting before the Lord, and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 19 And all its fat he shall take from it and burn on the altar. 20 Thus shall he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this. And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. 21 And he shall carry the bull outside the camp and burn it up as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.” – Leviticus 4:13-21 ESV

The next mandatory blood sacrifice was in the case of the entire community committing an unintentional sin. It seems that it would have been a rare occurrence for the entire nation to be guilty of having committed the same inadvertent sin. How could an entire multitude of people have unknowingly participated in a violation of God’s law without knowing it? It’s difficult to imagine every single Israelite unwittingly or accidentally participating in the very same violation of God’s law.

But the Hebrew word for “congregation” carries a range of meanings that includes a family, crowd, assembly, or gathering. Yet the context of this passage would seem to indicate that God has the entire Israelite community in mind. The actual sin committed might be the work of a few within the community, but God would hold the entire nation responsible. Sin is like an infectious disease and has a way of spreading throughout the entire body if left undetected and untreated. So, even if the violation had been committed by only a handful of the Israelites, the entire nation would find itself impacted by their actions. The impurity of a few would leave the whole congregation in a state of impurity and in need of cleansing.

So, God provided a means of receiving atonement. He wanted His people to take seriously any form of sin within the camp, and there is a powerful example of this in the book of Joshua. When the people of Israel eventually entered the land of Canaan, God gave them a miraculous victory over the city of Jericho. But this was followed by an unexpected defeat at the hands of the much-smaller city of Ai. Joshua chapter 7 opens up with the statement: “But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things…” (Joshua 7:1 ESV).

Before they began their siege of Jericho, God had given the people clear instructions concerning their post-victory celebrations.

“Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.

“Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.” – Joshua 6:17-20 NLT

But one man decided to ignore God’s command and enrich himself with some of the plunder from the city. And yet, Moses records, “Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord” (Joshua 7:1 NLT). God held the entire nation culpable for Achan’s actions. In fact, Moses notes that “the Lord was very angry with the Israelites” (Joshua 7:1 NLT).

Joshua and the rest of the Israelites were completely oblivious to Achan’s sin. So confident of certain victory over the smaller city of Ai, Joshua sent a contingent made up of 3,000 Israelite soldiers, but their mission ended in defeat. And Moses records that “the Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away” (Joshua 7:5 NLT). Joshua, shaken by this unexpected turn of events, called out to God for an explanation. He couldn’t understand why God had failed to intervene on their behalf against the Amorites living in Ai. But what Joshua didn’t know was that sin had entered the camp of Israel. Achan’s violation of God’s command had left the entire community contaminated and worthy of God’s judgment, and God pulled no punches in declaring the seriousness of the situation.

“Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.” – Joshua 7:11-12 NLT

While Achan’s sin had been anything but accidental, the rest of the nation had been unaware of its occurrence. They were ignorant of Achan’s crime but were just as responsible before God as if they had all taken part. And God made it clear that the entire community would be considered impure and responsible for the crime until the guilty party was sought out and exposed.

“Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.” – Joshua 7:13 NLT

Purification was part of the process. The entire community needed to purge itself of the sin that had left them contaminated and worthy of God’s judgment. The next day, God revealed the identity of the guilty party and ordered his execution.

“The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the Lord and has done a horrible thing in Israel.” – Joshua 7:15 NLT

In this case, Achan and his entire family were stoned to death and then burned with fire. The sin was purged from their midst and the nation was spared God’s judgment. But the atonement came at a high price.

And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies. They piled a great heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. That is why the place has been called the Valley of Trouble ever since. So the Lord was no longer angry. – Joshua 7:25-26 NLT

When it came to the sin/purification offering, God provided a means by which the nation could receive a different form of atonement for inadvertent or unintentional sins committed among them. When someone violated one of God’s laws and it ended up impacting the entire community, there was a way to restore fellowship and receive forgiveness. But it involved a blood sacrifice. A life had to be given so that the guilty might be spared. In this case, it was to be “a bull from the herd” (Leviticus 4:14 ESV). This animal must be free from defects and in perfect health. It represented a payment of high value and illustrated the gravity of the crime committed. Atonement could not be achieved without considerable cost to the guilty party.

As representatives of the people, the elders were to lay their hands on the sacrificial animal, symbolizing its role as their substitute or stand-in. The guilt of the people was symbolically transferred to the bull, then the life of the animal was taken. Its blood was shed so that the Israelites could live and enjoy God’s forgiveness. But before atonement from sin could be enjoyed, the blood of the animal had to be taken by the priest and sprinkled on the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The people’s access to God had been impacted by their sin. The entrance into God’s presence, represented by the veil, had been contaminated by sin, and needed to be purified by the blood of the sacrificial animal. As the author of Hebrews reminds us, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22 ESV).

Having purified the veil, the priest was to take the remainder of the blood and purify the bronze altar as well as the altar of incense. This ritual cleansing of the two altars of sacrifice was intended to restore their holiness and reestablish their use for worshiping God. And by following all the details of this preestablished ceremony “the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven” (Leviticus 4:20 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cost and Commitment

3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” – Leviticus 1:3-9 ESV

In his book, Holiness to the Lord, Allan P. Ross stated, “Sacrifice is at the heart of all true worship.” The book of Leviticus deals with the fine art of sacrifice that God ordained so that the Israelites might be able to enjoy His presence. This compilation of regulations regarding sacrifice was meant to dictate how the Israelites should express their gratitude for God’s goodness and their reverence for His holiness.

Yahweh was not some mindless, man-made idol that would accept any and all sacrifices offered on His behalf.  He was holy and righteous and entrance into His divine presence required purification and proper protocol. Sin had long separated humanity from God. Ever since Adam and Eve had violated God’s command not to eat the fruit of the one prohibited tree in the garden, mankind had been on a downward moral trajectory, away from God deeper into a lifestyle marked by independence from Him. Once sin entered the world, Adam and Eve lost their direct access to God. They would no longer enjoy unbroken fellowship with God in the garden. Instead, they were ejected from the former home they shared with the Almighty and were forced to live outside the garden and apart from His presence. Yet, God didn’t destroy Adam and Eve for their disobedience. Instead, He covered their spiritual “nakedness” with garments of skin. As they stood before God, literally exposed by their sin, He showered them with grace, offering the first blood sacrifice by taking the life of an innocent animal in order to properly atone for their sins.

Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. – Genesis 3:21 ESV

The Hebrew word for atonement is kāp̄ar and it means “to cover over.” Adam and Eve stood before God exposed by their sin and worthy of His condemnation. But rather than facing the penalty of death, they were spared and given a new lease on life. Yet, blood was spilled so that they might live.

Generations would come and go, and the sinful bent of humanity would display itself through a deepening love affair with sin and rebellion against God. While Adam and Eve had enjoyed God’s undeserved forgiveness, they went on to populate the earth with more of their kind – sin-prone human beings who chose to live in open rebellion to the will of their Creator. Things became so bad, that at one point, God looked down on the earth and determined to put an end to the rampant wickedness that had enveloped humankind, the apex of His creation.

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” – Genesis 6:5-7 ESV

Things had gotten so bad that God prepared to destroy all that He had created and deemed to be good. Yet, there was one man who found favor with God. Genesis reveals that “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9 ESV). In all the unrighteousness that marked the world of his day, Noah stood out as a man who had remained faithful to God. He wasn’t perfect or sinless, but his life was characterized by obedience to God. Therefore, God determined to spare Noah’s life. But in doing so, God sacrificed the lives of the rest of humanity as well as all living creatures that did not end up on the ark. Once again, lives were sacrificed so that Noah and his family could live.

After the flood that destroyed all living things, God started over with Noah and his three sons. But even though Noah was a righteous man, it didn’t take long before mankind’s love affair with sin raised its ugly head again. Things picked up right where they left off. Humanity continued to move away from God and toward independence. Noah’s three sons produced offspring and filled the earth with more of their kind. Their progeny spread over the earth, producing nations that propagated further rebellion against God. And from one of these nations, God chose another man from which to begin again. This time, He chose Abram, a pagan idol-worshiper from the faraway land of Ur. God designated this undeserving Chaldean as the one through whom He would create a brand-new nation that would become a model of righteousness in a sea of sinfulness.

God revealed Himself to this undeserving and unsuspecting man from distant Ur and proffered the following command and promise.

“Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:1-3 NLT

And Abram obeyed. His first encounter with Yahweh produced in him a willingness to take God at His word and step out in faith. Moses records that “Abram departed as the Lord had instructed” (Genesis 12:4 NLT). And this tendency toward willful obedience would show up repeatedly in Abram’s life over the years. He would continue to live in obedience submission to the will of God, regardless of the circumstances. From this one man, God would produce an entire nation, the people of Israel. And it was the descendants of Abram whom God redeemed out of slavery in Egypt and led to the valley beneath Mount Sinai. He had spared their lives through the sacrifice of blood.

“Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.” – Exodus 12:3-6 NLT

Each Israelite household was instructed to take the blood of the lamb and spread it on the doorpost and lintel of the door to their home.

“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” – Exodus 12:13 NLT

The blood became a covering or source of atonement, causing the death angel to pass over those homes and sparing all the firstborns found inside. Once again, God used blood to produce life. The Israelites had been undeserving of God’s grace and mercy. They had done nothing to earn His favor or merit His salvation. But by obeying His command, they received His protection and enjoyed His unmerited favor in the form of life and freedom.

It was those same Israelites who stood outside the newly constructed Tabernacle and listened to the voice of God as He declared His rules and regulations concerning the sacrificial system. If they wanted to dwell in His holy presence and continue to enjoy His favor, they would have to make sacrifices. Obedience was a non-negotiable requirement if they wanted to enjoy their status as His chosen people.

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” – Exodus 19:5-6 ESV

Their status as His chosen people would require sacrifice. It would involve cost and commitment. And God provided them with exacting details concerning the nature of the investment He expected them to make. The first involved the offering of cattle, and God made it clear that He would not accept any animal as a sacrifice.

“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord.” – Leviticus 1:3 ESV

The animal must be free from flaw or injury. God would not accept damaged goods. If an Israelite expected his offering to be accepted, it had to have come with a cost. He could not offer an injured or diseased animal and expect God to be pleased with his offering. This animal was intended to serve as a substitute for the sins of the individual and, therefore, it must be healthy and whole. The blood of the animal would serve as atonement, covering the sins of the one offering the sacrifice.

“He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” – Leviticus 1:4 ESV

The goal behind all the sacrifices was a restored relationship with Yahweh. Sin caused a break in the relationship between God and His people, and sacrifice was required to atone for those sins. For the sinner to be accepted as “a pleasing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:9 ESV), a payment had to be made. The author of Hebrews reminds us that blood sacrifice was essential if the sinner expected to receive forgiveness from God.

…under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. – Hebrews 9:22 ESV

Sin was inevitable and unavoidable for God’s people. They were chosen, yet still fallen and predisposed to disobedience. So, God provided the sacrificial system as a means by which they might be restored to a right relationship with Him. Their sinfulness separated them from God. But sacrifice was the God-ordained means for being made right with Him. And it came with a cost and required total commitment.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Purity and Peculiarity

17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. 37 And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.” – Exodus 30:17-38 ESV

Holiness seems to be the theme of these closing verses of chapter 30.

“…it shall be a holy anointing oil…” – vs 25

“You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy.” – vs 30

“Whatever touches them will become holy.” – vs 30

“This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.” – vs 31

“It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.” – vs 32

“…make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.” – vs 35

“It shall be most holy for you.” – vs 36

“It shall be for you holy to the Lord.” – vs 37

The Hebrew word translated as “holy” is קֹדֶשׁ (qōḏeš) and it refers to something as being “sacred,” “separate,” or “set apart.” Even the oil and incense used in the Tabernacle were to be distinctively different and set apart solely for God’s use. There was to be nothing ordinary or pedestrian about God’s house, His priests, or the rites and rituals performed within it. Purity and peculiarity were essential requirements for the worship of God. Yahweh would not dwell in just any tent. His abode had to reflect His glory and grandeur. And His priests, while ordinary men, must be clothed in garments that matched the magnitude of their calling. When performing their priestly duties, they were to be dressed in clothes of unparalleled beauty, and anointed with a costly oil made from a proprietary blend of myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, aromatic cane, cassia, and olive oil.

Their hands and feet were to be washed in the special bronze basin that was located between the altar of sacrifice and the veil that led into the Holy Place. For Aaron and his sons, the old adage, “cleanliness is next to godliness” was especially true because God had warned, “They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the Lord—or they will die!” (Exodus 30:20 NLT). They were forbidden to even draw near God’s presence in an unclean state. This ritual too, had to do with holiness or set-apartness. Their cleansing at the basin did not completely rid them of all dirt and grime, but it symbolized their need for purification before they could access a holy and righteous God.

This basin was strategically located at the door of the Tabernacle as a visual reminder to Aaron and his sons that their personal purity was essential. One must keep in mind that the basic was the very first stop after the priests had slaughtered and sacrificed animals on the bronze altar. Their hands and feet would have been covered in blood, requiring them to cleanse themselves before they could pass through the veil into the Holy Place.

It was King David who later wrote:

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart… – Psalm 24:3-4 ESV

The practice of ritual cleansing was meant as a constant reminder to the priests that their personal purity was important to God. His holiness was to be honored at all times, and His perfect righteousness was never to be treated lightly or flippantly. To do so would bring the penalty of death.

It’s interesting to note that God set apart Aaron and his sons to serve as priests in the Tabernacle. They were chosen by God for this distinguished honor. But their set-apart status was not enough. They needed the proper clothing to wear. They needed blood sacrifices to atone for their sins and make possible their forgiveness. They required anointing with oil to signify their status as God’s chosen servants. Then they needed to be covered in the sweet-smelling blend of olive oil and spices to mask even the smallest hint of unacceptable odor that might offend a holy God. This whole process speaks of their ongoing need for sanctification. Not one step was to be left out. Every phase of the process was essential in preparing them to serve God Almighty.

The aromatic blend of olive oil and expensive spices was not just reserved for Aaron and his sons. It was also to be used “to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand” (Exodus 30:26-28 NLT).

This process rendered all the items as holy or set apart to God. And God states that anyone or anything that came into contact with those very same items would be considered holy as well. This is not to say that holiness is contagious or transferable, but that holiness is mandatory. Verse 29 seems to indicate that only those who have been anointed with the holy oil could touch the pieces located within the Tabernacle. No other person, no matter their pedigree or social status, was allowed to enter the Holy Place or touch any of the furniture found within it. Holiness was required.

And God warns that the oil belongs to Him, not Aaron and his sons. It was made for His benefit. The sweet aroma it gave off was for His enjoyment. That meant that no one was to replicate it or use it for any other purpose.

“It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.” – Exodus 30:32-33 NLT

Violation of this command would result in expulsion from the community of Israel. Some rabbinical scholars speculate that the penalty actually involved physical death. To be “cut off” meant to be permanently eliminated by means of execution. But whether the penalty involved excommunication or execution, it would prove to be a costly mistake to violate God’s command.

The same penalty was reserved for any misuse of the incense that was to be placed before the Ark of the Covenant. This special blend of spices was also set apart solely for God’s use. It was to be considered as holy or sacred, and never to be replicated or repurposed for any other use.

“Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the Lord, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.” – Exodus 30:37-38 NLT

The Tabernacle did not belong to the people of Israel. It was God’s possession just as they were. And everything associated with the Tabernacle was to be set apart for His use and for His glory. From the anointing oil and incense to the priestly robes and particular pieces of furniture that filled the inner recesses of the Tabernacle, it all belonged to the Lord. The holiness of these items was not tied to the actual composition of the oil and spice blend. What rendered them holy was God’s selection of them as His own. The oil was nothing more than a ceremonial reminder of their set-apart status. God wanted His people to know that His choice of them had rendered them holy. They were His prized possession, and He expected them to demonstrate that reality in their everyday lives. The Tabernacle was meant to be a visual reminder to God’s people of what it means to be holy and set apart. Cleanliness, purity, distinctiveness, and total dedication were required of the Tabernacle and of His people. They were to keep themselves pure and undefiled in all their ways. As the psalmist wrote years later:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways! – Psalm 119:1-3 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.