"Unclean, unclean"

Saturday, Oct 27: Psalm 45; Leviticus 12-15


We skipped Leviticus 11 (again, I'm not sure why!), which is about the kosher laws (referred to as "kashrut" in Hebrew, meaning "fit").

In chapters 12-15 we hear about uncleanness related to childbirth, skin diseases, house diseases (so to speak), and bodily discharges. The uncleanness referred to in all these passages is speaking of ritual uncleanness. None of these scenarios is caused by sin (eg. having a baby is not sinful!!), but every individual is sinful - guilt offerings and sin offerings are always appropriate. There seems to be several nuances to God's requirements here:

1) In each scenario there may be the potential for the transmission of disease in - with the references to bleeding, raw skin, semen (and the creatures in chapter 11 that may not be eaten). Linked with the clean and unclean foods, you could make this argument perhaps for the "why" of such laws. But I'm not convinced this is the heart of the matter here, even if it is essential to understanding these laws.

2) These instructions are only found in the "holiness code" of Leviticus - that part of the Torah that especially concerns the priests (of Levi's line), and the sanctuary, and this particular verse: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." (11:45; 19:2) The "kashrut" section ends by saying these laws "make a distinction between unclean and clean...". (11:47).

This holiness is also not just about sin and morality. It is also about being distinct, being separate or "other" from those around them. And it speaks about how we are to approach God (and one another). On the one hand, there is a kind of wholeness or norm expected with regard to drawing near to the wholly Other God. You are not to just casually, unpreparedly come to him. You bring sacrifices and offerings, you cover the guilt and the sin, known and unknown, and you clean the uncleanness, whether definite or potential.

The atonement referred to in this section speaks of covering the separation caused by this ritual uncleanness, and not some specific sin(s) that must be propitiated (though, again, there is always sin to be covered). The whole section finds some clarity at the end when we read: "Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, let they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst." (15:31)

There was a time in my life when our approach to the "tabernacle" was much more reverent. We would make formal, private confession before communion (ideally). We would put on our Sunday best. We even watched what we said in the building. Brooke shares that when her childhood friend used to take her to their Roman Catholic church it was so reverent and holy, so distinct from her experience, she experienced something good about God in those times.

Those East Africans we know who have been born again (generally in the stream of the "East African Revival" which I believe began in the 1930's) do not drink alcohol. And I have a priest friend who also embraces this discipline. It's not that it's sinful in and of itself; but it is a sign of being set apart, of being in a different community, distinct - of separating oneself from something that could be harmful (like shellfish, or leprosy...) and could undermine the wholeness of body, mind, and spirit that God intends for us.

Thanks be to God that we have been made holy by the precious blood of Christ, we can continue in holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that together we are (in the words of the King James Version):

"a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy."
(1 Peter 2:9-10; cf. 1 Peter 1:13-2:12)