A Work in Progress….

Leviticus 14:11 The priest who pronounces them clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Commentary says of verse 14’s placement of the blood of the guilt offering that it is “To signify that all Christ’s sanctified ones have a hearing ear, an active hand, a nimble foot to walk in the way that is called holy.” 

Leviticus 14:12 “Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering. 

If verse 14 sounds familiar, it is because it is the same process priests go through when they are consecrated, which I find really interesting. Priests and recovered/clean lepers go through the same consecration process. That kind of blows my mind.

Leviticus 14:13 He is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 

Precious Savior, At our most basic level, we are all Your deeply loved children. Thank You for the reminder that the consecration process for priests and lepers is exactly the same. Help me to remember that when I am tempted to judge. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 14:14 The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 14:1-2 The Lord said to Moses, “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest:

The logistics of this cleansing is a bit mind-boggling for me, mostly because it involves dipping a live bird into fresh water mixed with the blood of a newly killed clean bird. Seven times.

Leviticus 14:3-4 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed.

The inclusion of these pieces, though–the blood, the water, the sacrifice–underscores how important those elements were to the ancient church, and it is interesting to me to see the symbolism that still exists today based on these same elements.

Leviticus 14:5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me to see the roots of modern religion within the Old Testament. Sometimes it just all seems so foreign to what I know, so I find it fascinating when I can glimpse the connections of what is in what was so very long ago. Draw me closer. Amen.

Leviticus 14:6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.

Have a blessed day.

Leviticus 13:55 After the article has been washed, the priest is to examine it again, and if the mold has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it, no matter which side of the fabric has been spoiled. 

Even after yesterday’s meditation on waiting, I find myself again today impatient to move on. We’ve plowed this ground. Let’s go!

Leviticus 13:56 If, when the priest examines it, the mold has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the spoiled part out of the fabric, the leather, or the woven or knitted material. 

And perhaps that impatience is part of what God is calling me to work through as I read through Leviticus this go round. Not my will, but His. Not my timeline, but His. 

Leviticus 13:57 But if it reappears in the fabric, in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is a spreading mold; whatever has the mold must be burned. 

Precious Savior, You know that patience is difficult for me. When I think I’ve sufficiently understood the point, I’m ready to move forward. Thank You for calling me to slow down, to be patient, to linger with You, even though I am ready to move. Calm my spirit. Draw me closer. Amen.

Leviticus 13:58-59 Any fabric, woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mold, must be washed again. Then it will be clean.” These are the regulations concerning defiling molds in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 13:43-44 The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like a defiling skin disease, the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.

Being a priest during the time of Leviticus was definitely not a glamorous job. It was bloody and physical and demanded a lot of killing of sacrifices, splashing of blood, and examining of disease. I wonder if all of that unpleasantness was balanced by the holy parts of the priest’s connection with God. 

Leviticus 13:45 “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 

The other thing that strikes me today is the isolation and loneliness of those deemed unclean. God created us for community, to need interaction with and support from others. Those deemed unclean not only had to live in isolation, they had to clearly announce the fact through both their physical separation and their crying out. What did that do to their relationship with God?

Leviticus 13:46 As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me to go beyond the surface of scripture to wonder about the people underneath. I’m not sure that I will ever know the answers to my questions, but I appreciate the ability to think about what’s happening in the Bible in a new way. Help me to always seek to draw closer to You as I read Your word. Amen.

Leviticus 13:47-49 “As for any fabric that is spoiled with a defiling mold—any woolen or linen clothing, any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather— if the affected area in the fabric, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a defiling mold and must be shown to the priest.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 13:37 If, however, the sore is unchanged so far as the priest can see, and if black hair has grown in it, the affected person is healed. They are clean, and the priest shall pronounce them clean.

Once again, as with all the verses about the building of the temple, I find myself impatient to be finished with all this minutiae. It feels like scripture is saying the same thing ad nauseum. 

Leviticus 13:38-39 “When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; they are clean.

And once again I am reminded that God cares about the details, that those little things are important, that maybe I should pay more attention to the little things of life, to see God’s presence there.

Leviticus 13:40-41 “A man who has lost his hair and is bald is clean. If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. 

Precious Savior, It is so easy to get caught up in the big picture that we gloss over the details. Thank You for the reminder that those details matter, that You are in the details, that if we examine the details, we can know You more. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 13:42 But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is a defiling disease breaking out on his head or forehead.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 13:31 But if, when the priest examines the sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days. 

One thing that gets me when reading commentary, especially on this section, is the caveats, or the conditions. “The priest is the final word on whether a person is clean or unclean. The caveat is that the ruling must be in line with God’s word.” And then commentary goes on to define what God’s word means in this case.

Leviticus 13:32-33 On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if it has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, then the man or woman must shave themselves, except for the affected area, and the priest is to keep them isolated another seven days. 

Maybe I’m just too jaded, but it feels like commentary is saying, basically, “You must live by the intent of God’s word. By the way, here is what I think God means here. This is the intent that you must follow.” It seems totally lost on the commentator that the interpretation here is man’s and not God’s. 

Leviticus 13:34 On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce them clean. They must wash their clothes, and they will be clean. 

Precious Savior, I want to live a life that is pleasing to You, but I know how incredibly easy it is for man to put his interpretations and meanings onto Your word. Help me to draw closer to You, to love You and love others, to be Your hands and feet in this world. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 13:35-36 But if the sore does spread in the skin after they are pronounced clean, the priest is to examine them, and if he finds that the sore has spread in the skin, he does not need to look for yellow hair; they are unclean.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 13:26 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to isolate them for seven days. 

Lord, Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck, like I just keep repeating the same mistakes again and again. Sometimes I feel like that with Your word, too, like I just keep hearing the same things again and again, like there’s nothing more for me to gain. I know that’s untrue and that You don’t want that for me. Help  me, Jesus.

Leviticus 13:27 On the seventh day the priest is to examine that person, and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. 

Father, Help me to dig deeper, to look more closely, to listen more carefully. I think when I feel stuck, maybe that’s You telling me to pay closer attention. If so, help me…to pay attention, to be attentive, to really study the situation. If not, at least help me to draw closer to You in the process. Help  me, Jesus.

Leviticus 13:28 If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce them clean; it is only a scar from the burn.

Precious Savior, I truly don’t think Your intention is for me to feel stuck, wrestling with the same things again and again, yet here I am. Help me to listen with Your ears, to see with Your eyes, to respond with Your heart. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 13:29-30 “If a man or woman has a sore on their head or chin, the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease on the head or chin.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 13:21 But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to isolate them for seven days. 

While I am already tired of reading what feels like essentially the same thing over and over, I am thankful that the priests are doing their due diligence when it comes to these skin conditions. 

Leviticus 13:22 If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling disease. 

There is no “one and done” look. They look. They quarantine for a week if needed so they can check again. They look at the skin, the hair, the tissue around the affected area. It appears that every attempt is made to give the area time to heal if it is “healable.” 

Leviticus 13:23 But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce them clean.

Precious Savior, There is usually so much going on just below the surface. Thank You for the reminder to dig deeper, to look again, to unpack what’s happening, more than just the appearance, so that a fair and level-headed assessment may be made. Help me to take that approach in my daily life as well. Amen.

Leviticus 13:24-25 “When someone has a burn on their skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.

Have a blessed day.