SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 12
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
1. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. [Luke 8:43-44] According to the reading from Leviticus [see also Leviticus 15:25-33], this woman would have been unclean for twelve years. In addition, by touching Jesus, He too would be unclean.
2. As a result of sin, the childbirth process is under a curse [Genesis 3:16]. But women are assured that they forgiven and saved through childbirth [see 1 Timothy 2:15]. All of life has been cursed for both men and women; here women are assured of their forgiveness.
3. This purification period allowed the woman quiet time to recuperate. Its interesting, I never thought of this positive side to the cleansing time until I read it in the commentary.
4. Uncleanness, and other parts of the curse, cause sickness, social breakdown, misery. These are all aspects of the curse of sin. And its contagious, it affects the whole community. A woman’s hope for cleansing, according to these laws, comes from the priest. This reminds us of the woman touching Jesus, and being healed. He is the ultimate high priest, the one through whom all cleansing, healing comes.
5. I cannot think of any personal applications for today’s passage. Indirectly, it speaks to my own uncleanness, and my need to come to the priest (Jesus) for cleansing. By spiritually reaching out to Him in prayer, though my sins are red as scarlet, they shall become white as snow [Isaiah 1:18]
6. Today I will bring my stains to the Lord, I will name them, ‘touch’ Jesus through prayer, and also be healed (cleansed, forgiven) by faith.
PRAYER:
Lord, I know some of the stains in my life. Help me to honestly confess them to You, and to receive Your pardon and Your cleansing love.
Purify my heart LORD. Search me and reveal all that is unclean. Your Son’s death means that each of us can be white as snow even though our sins are as scarlet.
Help me to surrender every area of my life for purification. Thank You LORD that we are no longer bound by law but free in the Spirit.
Wash me in the River of Life LORD so that Your River might flow out of me into the world around me, refreshing hearts, making a difference for Your Kingdom. May there be no dams, only free flowing streams of water making their way across a dry and thirsty land. Let us drink only from the well of Living Water.
Flood this nation LORD.
This reading is about the purification of woman after childbirth. Man is born into sin and must be made right through Christ Jesus. The previous chapter was about clean and unclean animals – dietary laws for the people’s health. Eating some of the unclean animals and the lack of proper preparation would have caused many deseases. This was a part of the ‘obedience’ laws. In this chapter, part of the law seems to me also for the physical health of the woman after child birth. The uncleaness also reminds me a separation from the Lord. Be holy for I am holy says our God. Therefore, purify yourselves. Do this and live, that’s what the Master said. As the people made themselves (w)holy unto the Lord, so I too need to come to the Master and be made clean through His blood. That’s obedience. That’s faith. That’s true living in obedience today for all of His people.
We bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord
We bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord
And we offer up to You the sacrifices of thanksgiving
And we offer up to You the sacrifices of joy