Have you ever pondered the ancient rituals that new mothers in Israel would undergo? Get ready to embark on a journey through Leviticus chapter 12, where we meticulously dissect the Laws of Motherhood, sharing fascinating insights into the world of biblical postpartum traditions. From periods of uncleanliness to the sacred rite of circumcision, each detail carries profound cultural significance. We cover everything, including the distinctive treatment of the birth of male and female children, and reflect on how these age-old customs contrast sharply with contemporary post-birth practices.
Join us as we parse the chapter into seven thought-provoking segments, offering a rich understanding that goes beyond a simple reading of the text. You'll learn about the meticulous care given to mothers in ancient times, the symbolism embedded within the 33 days of purification, and the social provisions for those unable to afford customary offerings. Whether you hold a deep-seated fascination for religious history or are simply curious about the roots of modern traditions, this episode promises a treasure trove of knowledge on the enduring impact of these sacred laws.
Alright, thank you for joining me. Open your Bible to Leviticus, chapter 12. The title of today's lesson is Laws of Motherhood. Wherever you may be getting this podcast, give it a like, give it a subscribe and pass the word. Let people know that there's a brother out here who goes through books of the Bible verse by verse. You can find this podcast. Wherever you get your podcast Apple, spotify, we're on Amazon, iheart. We're on a couple of other places that I don't even remember, and don't forget that. You can go to our Buzzsprout page, buzzsproutcomcom. Also our YouTube page, barian's Corner. There, in the description page, you can find everywhere that we can be found and you can just click the links there and it will take you right to it. Now let's get into our lesson Leviticus, chapter 12.
Speaker 2:
Let's read she must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. If she gives birth to a daughter for two weeks the woman will be unclean as during her period. Then she must wait 66 days to be purified from her bleeding. When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring into the priest, at the entrance to the tent of meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way, the priest will make atonement for her and she will be clean.
Speaker 1:
Today's chapter is not a long lesson there are only eight verses but as always, we will dive right into it. The last time we were together we looked at the laws of animals for food. That was a more lengthy chapter and it was given Israel to do's and don'ts of what they were and were not to eat. We looked at the clean and unclean animals, but today we look at the laws of motherhood. Now I have broken down into seven parts. Part one, the law for a woman having a male child. We see this in verses one through two. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying Speak to the sons of Israel, saying when a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her administration she shall be unclean. So we see that the Lord told Moses that this is what is to be followed if she has a male child. The boys had to be circumcised. In part two, we see this and we look at verse three. And on the eighth day the flesh of his spore skin had to be circumcised. So we know that that was a custom that was given to Israel, that when a male child was born on the eighth day he had to be circumcised. They had to cut the foreskin off.
Speaker 1:
We move to part three. The mother will remain in her purification for 33 days. Notice verse four. Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for 33 days. She shall not touch any consecrated thing nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. So this was another statute that had to be followed. So kind of like in our time, you know, a female goes to the hospital, she gives birth and if she's lucky, she will be in the hospital for 24 or 36 hours. Now, back in the 70s, when I was born, a mother was in the hospital for seven days. I felt like they took better care of mothers back then. To be sure, everything was fine. But in Israel's time, if she had a male child, she had to stay out for 33 days. It wasn't only because she had to be taken care of, but it was because she had to be cleansed of her purification. Remember that even when a child is born that there is still blood shed blood shed from the mother and blood shed on the child. So this had to be followed. So she had to stay in her purification for 33 days after having a male child. Now we move on to part four. When she gave birth to a daughter, the time was doubled, notice verse five. But if she bears a female child then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation, and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for 66 days. Now the time here was doubled. Now when she had a male child it was 33 days of her purification, but with a female child it was 66 days. And when I dug into this they said that the reason why that the time was doubled was because she's having a daughter and one day that daughter will have administration and she would be in her uncleanness. So she had to do the 33 days for herself and then the 33 days for her daughter, whereas when she had a son she only had to do the 33 days.
Speaker 1:
Part five when her purification was over, rather for a son or daughter, she had to be excuse me she had to present a burnt offering and a sin offering. We see this in verse six. When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering. So now that her time is up, she's ready to come back into the tabernacle. She had to bring her burnt and her sin offering. Part six the woman was cleansed from her flow of blood with her offering Notice verse seven. Then she shall offer it before the Lord and make a tolmin for her and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, rather a male or a female. So now the time is up, and now she is coming to be purified herself. And then, part seven there was a substitute if the woman could not afford a lamb Verse eight. But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtle doves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest shall make a tolmin for her and she shall be clean.
Speaker 1:
Now a lot of this where we're talking about this discharge of blood. You sticking there with me till we get to chapter 15 of the viticus, and it's going to make more sense when it talks about male and female discharges. These are some hard, strange chapters that we're going through. But the beauty in this is that we see that things had to be holy before a holy God. This is what he called to be done and this is what he called holy and unholy. And remember the things that he calls holy we call holy, and what he calls unclean we call unclean. All right, people. That brings us to the end of Leviticus, chapter 12. The next time we are together, lord's willing, we will be looking at Leviticus 13, the test for leprosy. That's all for now, god bless. Music plays.