Leviticus 15:32,33 32 These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, 33 for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who lies with a woman who is ceremonially unclean. NIV
Okay, I’m thinking, hmmm, that leaves about sixty percent of the adult population in a serious pickle; and that doesn’t even include the bunch from the oozing boil group in chapters 13 and 14. I realize their culture was different then than ours is now, but with these rules I’m doing the math and realizing there’s a whole bunch of folks running around crying, “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!” What really got me was, how could these people even function? There was a huge group of unclean; and then there were the kids, hopefully clean; and then the elderly, hopefully, mostly clean…
It makes me think about the utter futility of trying to keep the rules and just living everyday life out in the middle of a desert with, roughly, three million other people and all the baggage they were carrying with them – not to mention they were also trying as well to unlearn 430 of life and culture in Egypt. Moses had his work cut out for him and the people were always unclean! I think a lot of corners were cut. I think there were a lot of folks who were secretly unclean and didn’t own up to the truth. I think that is what living by the rules does to us – we cave under the pressure to perform and resort to cutting corners in order to look good and hope no one else finds out.
Today, I am glad for a Savior who met the demands of the Law (that I couldn’t) and accepts me according to my faith in Him. True there are behavioral conditions I must abide by, but it’s based on mutual love and not law.
Lord Jesus,
I know there is such a thing as holiness and further, personal holiness. I know that in You, I am called to a different standard and that standard is the acceptance of Your great love and goodness. Sin is still sin, and I’m to vigorously avoid it – but the bottom line is true love and living faith and that what You prescribe is for my best; thank You Lord, amen.
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