Embark on a journey back to the ancient corridors of Leviticus 15 as we uncover the rituals that shaped a community's pursuit of purity. Your ears will be filled with the rich tapestry of Israelite practices, from the meticulous cleansing of bodily discharges to the significant social implications for men and women striving to maintain their sacred spaces. This episode guarantees an exploration of the deep connection between hygiene, holiness, and the divine, offering a fresh perspective on these age-old texts. Feel the weight of tradition and the quest for purity as we traverse the biblical landscape, deciphering the cultural significance behind every ritualistic act.
As we navigate through the complexities of abnormal female discharges, we are joined by a special guest, a renowned biblical scholar, who helps us bridge the gap between ancient scripture and its contemporary echoes. Together, we dissect the story of a woman's encounter with Jesus, bringing to light the profound impacts of these purity laws on personal identity and communal belonging. What's more, you'll leave with a heightened appreciation for the meticulous steps taken to restore one's standing within their faith and community. Don't miss this enlightening episode, where faith, history, and the human experience converge to reveal timeless truths.
Embark on a journey back to the ancient corridors of Leviticus 15 as we uncover the rituals that shaped a community's pursuit of purity. Your ears will be filled with the rich tapestry of Israelite practices, from the meticulous cleansing of bodily discharges to the significant social implications for men and women striving to maintain their sacred spaces. This episode guarantees an exploration of the deep connection between hygiene, holiness, and the divine, offering a fresh perspective on these age-old texts. Feel the weight of tradition and the quest for purity as we traverse the biblical landscape, deciphering the cultural significance behind every ritualistic act.
As we navigate through the complexities of abnormal female discharges, we are joined by a special guest, a renowned biblical scholar, who helps us bridge the gap between ancient scripture and its contemporary echoes. Together, we dissect the story of a woman's encounter with Jesus, bringing to light the profound impacts of these purity laws on personal identity and communal belonging. What's more, you'll leave with a heightened appreciation for the meticulous steps taken to restore one's standing within their faith and community. Don't miss this enlightening episode, where faith, history, and the human experience converge to reveal timeless truths.
Thank you for joining me. Before we start, go ahead and grab a cup of water or a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, so we can jump into this lesson and open your Bible, after you do that, to Leviticus, chapter 15.
Speaker 3:The title of today's lesson is Cleansing Unhealthiness, leviticus 15, and let's read Leviticus 15, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron speak to the Israelites and say to them when any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness. Any bed the man with the discharge lies on will be unclean and anything he sits on will be unclean. Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever sits on anything that the man with the discharge sat on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever touches the man who has a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water and he will be unclean till evening. If the man with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water and he will be unclean till evening. Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening. Whoever picks up those things must wash his clothes and bathe with water and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone the man with the discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water, must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. A clay pot that the man touches must be broken and any wooden article is to be rinsed with water. When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean On the eighth day. He must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge. When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water and he will be unclean till evening. Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water and it will be unclean till evening. When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water and they will be unclean till evening. When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening. Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean and anything she sits on will be unclean. Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening, whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on. When anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening. If a man lies with her and her mother Flo touches him, he will be unclean for seven days. Any bed he lies on will be unclean.
Speaker 3:When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period, or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. Whoever touches them will be unclean. He must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening when she is cleansed from her discharge. She must count off seven days After that. She will be ceremonially clean On the eighth day. She must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the Lord for the uncleanness of her discharge. You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them. These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an omission of semen, for a woman in the monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge and for a man who lies with a woman who is ceremonially unclean all right now.
Speaker 1:The last time we were together, we looked at the laws of cleansing a leper. Today we look at a strange chapter as we look at bodily discharges. We will look at this chapter in two sections. One section is about men and the other section is about women. We are at the part of Leviticus where there is a lot of cleansing going on and a lot of things that have to do with the body. In order for the body to be cleansed, as I mentioned, we broke this down into two parts. We will start with the men, part one.
Speaker 1:The Lord said that a discharge from a man is unclean. We see this in verses one through two. The lord also spoke to moses and to aaron saying speak to the sons of israel and say to them when any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. Now, the word bodily discharge in Hebrew, zav, means a gush in liquid form. Now this liquid comes from the man's front private parts, not his rear private parts. Why am I bringing this up? Because I don't want you to think that maybe this is talking about diarrhea, but it is talking about a gush in liquid from his front private parts. More than likely this is speaking to some type of venereal disease. Believe it or not, that yes, even thousands, of thousands of years ago, these things did exist. They didn't call it that back then. Back then they called it an unclean discharge, but I have a clip that I want to play that will give you an idea of, maybe, what this discharge may have been.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's listen to the clip. Which infects the urethra and endocervix, rectum, pharynx and conjunctiva. Up to 50% of infected women and 10% of infected men are asymptomatic. Co-infection with chlamydia trachomatis is common, occurring in 20% of men and 40% of women with gonococcal infection. Period between the initial infection and symptom onset is about 2 to 14 days, and most symptoms in males occur between day 2 and day 5. In men, gonorrhea can cause anterior urethritis with mucopurulent or purulent urethral discharge and pain during urination, also known as dysuria. The discharge can be profuse, even causing staining of underwear. Persistent infection can cause ascending infection in the testis as a complication. In women, symptoms may include increased vaginal discharge, painful urination, bleeding after intercourse or intermenstrual bleeding and lower abdominal pain. Complications include Bartholin's abscesses and ascending infection into the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing endometritis and pelvic inflammatory disease. In pregnancy, gonorrhea is associated with preterm birth, postpartum infection and neonatal purulent conjunctivitis due to vertical transmission during vaginal delivery. Rectal infection through repetitive anal sex may be asymptomatic but can cause rectal inflammation, also known as protitis. Gonococcal septicemia is a rare complication of gonorrhea infection, presenting as fever, tendon inflammation, arthritis and characteristic erythematous skin lesions.
Speaker 2:Nucleic acid amplification tests are the diagnostic test of choice for Neisseria gonorrhea, as they have a better sensitivity than culture. However, as Neisseria gonorrhea antimicrobial resistance is increasing, culture on selective media should be performed prior to antibiotic therapy. Mainly used antibiotic in the treatment of gonorrhea is ceftriaxin. Alternatives include azithromycin and gentamicin. Longer courses of antibiotics are required for complicated infections such as inflammation in the testis and pelvic inflammatory disease. Patients should have abstained from sex for at least seven days or until the treatment has been completed. All sexual contacts should be notified, tested and treated if positive.
Speaker 1:Now, the reason for me playing that clip is that I didn't live back in that time, so I'm not saying that's what it was, was that it could have been gonorrhea or chlamydia, but I am saying that I believe that the unclean discharge that was coming from the man could have been something from that same family. We move on to part two. The man with the discharge was unclean, and so was anyone or anything he touched or touched him. We see this in verses 3 through 12. Everything on which he sits becomes unclean. Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening, and whoever sits on the thing on which the man with the discharge has been sitting shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Also, whoever touches the person with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Discharge so wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Or if the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, he too shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening, and every saddle on which the person with the discharge rides becomes unclean. Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and he who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Likewise, whomever the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. However, an earthing wear vessel which the person with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden vessel shall be. Means any type of pottery, it had to be broken, and if it was anything made of wood, like you know, your wood bowl, maybe your wood spoons, they had to be rinsed with water.
Speaker 1:Part three the man with the discharge can be clean. Notice verses 13 through 15. Now, when the man with the discharge becomes cleansed from his discharge, then he shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing. He shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body and run in water and shall become clean. Then, on the eighth day, he shall take for himself two turtle doves or two young pigeons and come before the lord, to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest, and the priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the lord because of his discharge. So we see this wasn't a one day thing, but he was unclean for seven days.
Speaker 1:We move on to part four. When a man had a normal emission, he was unclean until evening. We see this in verses 16 through 18. Now if a man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening. As for any garment or any leather on which there is seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening. If a man lies with a woman so that so that there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening, seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening. The word seminal emission hebrew 22, 33, zara means a flowing of semen. Let us make one more point here now. This is speaking of exchanging his fluids with a woman. When you reread the verses, I just read the word woman in verse 18, hebrew 802,. Isha means female. It doesn't say when he lies with a person, but when he lies with a woman.
Speaker 1:Moving on to part five, normal discharge is for females. We see this in verses 19 through 24. Females we see this in verses 19 through 24. When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. Everything also on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. And anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. Whether it be on the bed or on the thing on which she is sitting when he touches it water and be unclean until evening. Whether it be on the bed or on the thing on which she is sitting when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. And if a man actually lies with her so that her menstrual impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. Now, this is talking about a normal female discharge in her monthly menstrual cycle. Now, why is this issue? Uh, you know, of uncleanness, because the only flowing blood that could be in the tabernacle was that of the sacrifice. Remember talked about bringing the sacrifice to the doorway of the temple. That was the only flowing blood that could be in the temple. Part six abnormal female discharges. We see this in verses 25 through 30.
Speaker 1:Now, if a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, all the days of her, of her impure discharge, she shall continue as though in her menstrual impurity she is unclean. Any bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her like her bed. Administration and everything on which she sits shall be unclean, like her uncleanness at that time. Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean. When she becomes clean from her discharge, she shall count off for herself seven days and afterwards she shall be clean. Then, on the eighth day, she shall take for herself two turtle doves or two young pigeons and bring them into the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the lord because of her impure discharge. Now a woman's menstrual cycle is a normal discharge, but this is referring to if the blood flowed longer than seven days.
Speaker 1:Now we get a picture of this sort of situation in the New Testament that Jesus had to deal with. Keep your finger right here in Leviticus 15, but turn to Mark, chapter five. Some of you may remember the event that we are about to look at, mark, chapter 5. And when you get to Mark, chapter 5, we are reading verses 25 through 34. Mark 25, excuse me, mark 5, 25 through 34.
Speaker 1:And a woman who had a hemorrhage for 12 years and had endured much at the hands of many physicians and has spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse. After hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind him and touched his cloak, for she thought, if I just touch his garments I shall be well. And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. And immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power proceeding from him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said who touched my garment? And his disciples said to him. You see the multitude pressing in on you and you say who touched me? And he looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman, fearing and trembling of where, of where, of what happened to him, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth and he said to her daughter your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction. Now I'm bringing, I went there just to let you know that this prolonging of a discharge or this flow in the blood is not her normal cycle. But this is something else that will be going on in her body that these verses that we just covered in leviticus is talking about.
Speaker 1:Now we move to the last part, part seven, the reason that this had to be followed to the t. We see this in verses 31 through 33. Thus you shall keep the sons of israel separated from their uncleanness lest they die in their uncleanness by their defiling my tabernacle that is among them. This is the law for the one with a discharge and for the man who has a seminal emission, so that he is unclean by it, and for the woman who is ill because of menstrual impurity, and for the one who has a discharge, whether a male or a female, or a man who lies with an unclean woman. This is why these things had to be done. Why? Because this is how the lord said it had to be done. And remember we talked about earlier the only blood, the only impure discharge that could be in their tabernacle is that of the sacrifices. A man who had an impure discharge could not come into the tabernacle until he was clean, and a woman with her impure discharge could not come in until she was clean. All right, that brings us to the end of leviticus, chapter 15.
Speaker 1:As always, wherever you may be hearing this podcast, give it a like and give it a comment, and remember to share. Share with your family and friends. Let them know that there's a brother out here who goes through books of the Bible verse by verse. And don't forget our YouTube page, berean's Corner. We have lots of things over there that you can go. If you get over there, like and follow. That's all for now. God bless, thank you, I'm going to go. Thank you.