THROUGH THE BIBLE - Leviticu..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. So if you have your Bibles with you, we're in Leviticus. Leviticus chapter 12, and we'll be reading the whole chapter, eight verses.

Starting with verse one. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the people of Israel saying, if a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days, as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall continue for 33 days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purifying are completed.

But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks as in her menstruation, and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for 66 days. And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering. And he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female.

And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtle doves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her and she shall be clean. Amen. This is indeed the inerrant, infallible word of God. Well, brothers and sisters, last week, we commenced this section in the book of Leviticus pertaining to matters of ritual or ceremonial purity and cleanliness.

The people of Israel were being taught a very, very important lesson through these rituals. And that is that one must be ritually clean or ritually pure in order to be in the presence of God and to partake in the worship of God among the people. of God. And as we'll come to see, things that make one ritually impure or unclean, as we've said before, are not necessarily inherently immoral in and of themselves. However, Ritual impurity or purity does have symbolic value to a more important reality, one that turns the attention of the worshipper to the state of their own soul and the necessity, beloved, the necessity of moral purity that is required in order to be fit in the presence of God, or for the presence of God.

So for some of these things in the coming chapters that we'll see, in particular from chapters 12 now through to 15, some of the things that we may come across may be strange and foreign to us, and we can sometimes struggle to identify with what is being taught. You see the temptation for us New Testament Christians is to dismiss these passages because we we know that these rules and these rituals don't necessarily apply to us today they are part of the old covenant but brothers and sisters we could not be further away from the truth yes they do apply to the old covenant but we have to remember all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable And so we must by faith study these passages knowing that although we are separated by three and a half thousand years and a new covenant, the truth in God's word are timeless. We need to remember that. Now last week, We began this section pertaining to purity laws. Brother Nelson took us through that chapter, chapter 11, and as he did, he highlighted significant principles that we need to keep in the back of our minds as we meditate upon the coming chapters.

Because what is emphasized in this section, and indeed the overarching emphasis of the whole book of Leviticus, is the holiness of God. And as a holy God, Only that which is holy and perfect can enter into His presence. The people of Israel were positionally holy. If you remember, our brother said last week that their default position because God had rescued them from the bondage of being under the Egyptians and then made them his own people. He called them to be his own, a peculiar people unto the Lord.

So they were positionally holy. But in the old covenant, they were needing to continue in practical holiness. Our brother said last week and he called it progressive or practical holiness. And this is required obedience to the law of God. This obedience would protect the Israelites' hearts from being defiled by sin and iniquity.

That's moral holiness. But also this obedience was required in the physical matters also. And this was their ritual. purity or ceremonial purity. Remember the lesson, only that which is holy and perfect.

Body and soul is fit to dwell in the presence of God. And so last week we looked at what can make a person ritually unclean from the outside, in particular, purity laws pertaining to animals, what animals are clean and fit for consumptions and what animals are unclean. Now we know animals inherently in and of themselves are not unclean because 1500 years later, our Lord himself declares all animals clean. But rather the principle here is this. that whether they are clean or unclean is based on the Word of God.

In other words, because he said so. He says whether they're clean or unclean for his people, what God says is what matters. You see, these people were being taught that their need for holiness is essential in order to stand before a good and holy God. And that holiness, beloved, that is essential, comes through obedience to the Word of God. They are to live their lives according to the Word of God, His precepts, His laws, His statutes.

It's said another way, in the old covenant, to remain fit as the people of God, to enjoy the privileges of being in His presence, obedience was necessary. They were They were simply to obey Him, live by His word and avoid what He says defiles them and makes them unclean. Now that's clear enough, but now in chapters 12 through 15, unlike chapter 11, it's made evident that one can actually become ritually unclean, not only from the defilements from outside, but one can become ritually unclean from within. And in particular here in chapter 12, it speaks of the ceremonial uncleanliness pertaining to childbirth. It's the shortest chapter, as I said earlier, with only eight verses, but it is a difficult eight verses, and we'll come to see this, but we trust the Lord will bless.

Well, we're told that when a woman gives birth, that she becomes ritually unclean for a period of time. In fact, we have two blocks of waiting periods, if you see that in the passage, in her unclean or in her impure state that differ depending upon the gender of the child that she gives birth to. If it's a boy, then she's ritually unclean for seven days, we're told, after which She can participate in the circumcision of the boy. He ought to be circumcised on the eighth day. And then after this, she is to be in a time of purification for another 33 days, totaling 40 days.

But if it's a girl, then her ritual uncleanness lasts for two weeks with a total of 14 days, after which a period of purification begins for another 66 days, giving a total of 80 days. Now, there seems to be a difference between the first block or the first period of time and the second, the first period of time, which is seven days for a boy or 14 for a girl. We're told in verses two and five, the lady or the mother will be unclean as at the time of her menstruation. Now, the details of this won't become clear to us until chapter 15 in verse 19. but she is ritually unclean during her monthly flow, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.

However, the second period of time, whether 33 days or 66 days in the case of giving birth to a girl, the specific prohibitions listed for us in chapter 12 would suggest that the type of ritual uncleanliness is no longer the same type, but it's a lesser degree than the previous shorter period. It would seem that now she could resume her relations with, in some degree at least, with her husband and her family and with the community at large because her ritual impurity is no longer contagious to others. But the text is clear. She's not quite fully ritually pure yet. You see, In the second, longer period of time, she is still in the blood of her purification and therefore not allowed to touch anything holy or come into the sanctuary, we're told, until the days of her purification are completed.

Eating of the peace offering, for example, during this time would be completely prohibited for this lady, for this mother, upon completion. of the days, 40 for the boy and 80 for the girl. She's now to bring the priest at the entrance of the tabernacle, a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering. If she can't afford the lamb, she can bring two birds instead. Actually, your mind might go to the New Testament at this point in time, because this shows that our Lord Jesus Christ and his earthly parents were actually poor, because in Luke chapter 2, we're told that they brought a pair of birds to the temple.

But back to Leviticus 12. Upon bringing these animals as offerings, the priest shall make atonement for her and she shall be clean, we're told. This is a time of joy, a time of immense rejoicing for this mother because after a long period of 40 days or 80 days in the case of giving birth to a girl, her heart is now eager and and wanting to be among God's people, to worship God and to come back into corporate worship and into his presence. She's finally pronounced ritually clean after the sacrifices are given. And once again, she's able to partake in the public worship with God and his people.

A momentous, a joyful time for her, for sure. Now, as I said earlier, this is a difficult chapter. And it's a chapter also that is in many cases being interpreted in various ways, but I believe in many cases it's interpreted in ways that really does injustice to the spirit of the text. I know it's a difficult text. It's a very difficult text before us because we are far removed from the context, from the culture, from the historicity of this time.

But what I want to do now is I want to bring up three points, three points of possible misconceptions when one reads this text, and then we'll move to the final closing. Firstly, Leviticus 12 is not at all suggesting that being pregnant in the context of a covenant marriage is immoral or sinful in any way. Nor is this text implying that the intimate physical relationship between a husband and a wife that results in pregnancy is immoral or to be looked down upon. Beloved, the mandate given to Adam in the garden by the Lord was to be fruitful and multiply. This is good and right in the eyes of the Lord.

Indeed, after destroying the earth with the flood because of the deep-rooted wickedness of man, the Lord said to Noah and his sons, upon them coming out of the ark in the beginning of the new creation, remember what he said? He said, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Having children to train and instruct in the ways of the Lord from a loving relationship between a husband and a wife is not only good and right, but it's also obedient to God. Children, what about children? The Bible over and over tells us that they are a blessing from the Lord.

Psalm 137 tells us, behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who feels his quiver with them. Children are a blessing. The second thing I want to bring up, possibly a question I would think that is probably on most of your minds right now, is this.

Why does it require double time of purification when it's a girl compared to a boy? And the thought that comes to mind, and a lot in history have said all sorts of things about this. Some have inferred that is it possible that the girls are more sinful than boys? And I'll tell you straight away, that is not the case. Remember, this is for ritual purity.

not moral purity. It's moral in the sense that God has given the instruction. And if that instruction is not obeyed, then they are immoral in disobeying the instruction of the Lord. But the ritual itself is a ritual purity or ritual cleanliness or ceremonial cleanliness rather than moral purity. We need to keep that in the back of our minds.

Now, yes, ritual purity is symbolic of moral purity, But here, specific sin is not the issue. We'll get to that soon. And in any case, we're told that the same sacrifice is offered for both if the baby was a boy or if the baby was a girl. It's the same sacrifice. So why double the time?

Well, as you can imagine, as I said earlier, there has been much, much speculation as to why it is that the mother needs to spend twice as much time when she gives birth to a girl in her purification stage. Some suggest that it's because there are more toxins in the blood of the mother after giving birth to a girl. Actually, some scientific clinical studies have been made in this area, and if there is a difference, it's so minuscule, it would not justify the double time. Some others have suggested because the boy is circumcised, then less time is required for the purification if it is a boy who has been circumcised and he obviously in circumcision, he is to bleed also. But the text is clear, beloved.

The mother continues the period of purification because of her flow of blood and nothing inherent in the child. Another suggestion is that because the girl will one day have her own monthly flow, the mother now would need to wait double as long to be ritually pure on behalf of her own and her daughter's flow, perhaps. But brothers and sisters, I have to concede, we cannot know for sure. The Scripture doesn't tell us why, and for us to continue to speculate would be unhealthy and unreasonable. So I think it's best to leave it at that and pull back and see what this passage is really about.

But I do want to bring up a third thing. Because of the required sin offering that we see at the end of this chapter, The question may come to your mind, does that mean that every mother inevitably sins during the process of childbirth? You know, we have to start by pulling back. And as I said earlier, we have to acknowledge that ritual impurity is at the center here. Ritual cleanliness.

And it is because we're told in the text, because of her flow of blood. You see, as I said before, only that which is holy Only that which is perfect and only that which is clean can enter into the presence of God and worship God among his people. That is the big picture of the book of Leviticus. This is the message that everything we see in the tabernacle points to. It's the overarching message.

God is holy. And in the state of her flow after childbirth, the mother is in a state of physical unwholeness. She's in a state of incompleteness for the presence of God. In the normal state, her blood, which is a symbol of life by the way, will come to find this out. remains in her body.

But when she has her flow, even her monthly flow, as we'll soon see in chapter 15, and here in chapter 12, it's a month, it's a flow that is prolonged in state after childbirth. Her physical condition is not a normal condition. She's not complete. She's not whole during this time. That's her state at this point in time.

And therefore she becomes ritually unclean before the Lord. We'll see, brothers and sisters, in the next few chapters, that the same can be said of the bodily discharges, whether it's a man or a woman. The same can be said of skin diseases, as we'll come to see, leprosy, and others. The body in these cases is not in a normal state. It's not whole, it's not perfect in those times, and therefore it is unfit to be in the presence of God.

Remember, only that which is holy, only that which is pure, and only that which is perfect is fit to be in the presence of God. Israel were being taught a very serious lesson in these laws. And it's profound. And I started with it at the beginning of this evening. That's the point I made right at the beginning, beloved.

Only that which is holy is fit in the presence of God. The reality was to be implanted in the mind of these Israelites, in everything they saw, in everything they did, that God is holy. The book begins with the sacrifices, does it not? And even in the sacrifices, we see the animals that are to be offered in sacrifice are to be without spot and without blemish. They were to be perfect.

They were to be whole. Is an animal with a blemish less of an animal than one without? No, absolutely not. But it was a picture to understand that perfection is required before the Lord. The physical is a picture of the spiritual, beloved.

We need to keep that in our minds as we work our way through the Old Testament. We've said it over and over again, even in the tabernacle. Every single piece of furniture is a physical piece. It speaks to something that was required in those days. It had a purpose then, but every single piece points to a bigger and more profound spiritual reality.

And it's no different here. And now with the mother's flow after childbirth, she is seen to be less than whole, incomplete at that time. And she'll need to be whole again before she can be made ceremonially clean. And when that time comes, she's able to offer offerings as prescribed for us from verse six, the burnt offering, an offering of worship, that thanksgiving and continued relationship with God is what burnt offering is, which is seen as a sweet aroma to him. And then, and then she's to offer a sin offering.

Back to our question, the sin offering. Does that mean that she had committed sin Does that mean that all women commit sin in childbirth? Actually, when reading some of the commentators here, Some of them were saying that the sin offering was necessary because indeed, they were saying that the woman does commit sin in the process of childbirth. That they were justifying that by saying that it is for the oaths that she made during giving birth. And we know giving birth is a difficult time.

And oaths were made like, oh, we'll never let my husband near me again. And oaths that she may have to break down the track. But that's not what is spoken of here. Because, beloved, nothing, nothing in childbirth is specifically sinful. Actually, a careful reader would have seen that the order of these offerings is reversed.

If you had a look, you'd see that. When sin is the issue, the sin offering is offered first. You have to remember that when we went through the offerings, that the sin offering would be offered first and then the burnt offering or the peace offering. would need to offer the sin offering first so that he is made right with God. And then the burnt offering will come.

And then when the burnt offering comes, it is a sweet aroma unto the Lord. But what we see here is the burnt offering first and then the sin offering. And this would suggest that none of the mother's specific sins are the issue, rather being ritually clean. ritually pure is. Adding to that, there is no mention of confession of sin.

And the result is that she is made clean. But in the sin sacrifices, if we remember back in chapter four, we're told that the result of the sin sacrifice or the sin of the animal sacrifice or offered in the case of sin sacrifices, that the person is not made clean. But four times in that chapter, we're told that the person is forgiven. Here, the woman is made clean. Now, of course, beloved brothers and sisters, we have to pull back and realize that every animal sacrifice in this time, there was an element of atonement of sin.

Of course, everyone by nature is a sinner and those sins need to be atoned for. And every time an animal is sacrificed, there is an element of atonement. And it's no different here. But in particular, what I believe we're seeing before us in this ritual of purity, in particular, what is in view. is not the woman's or the mother's specific sins, but rather ritual purity to make her pure, to make her clean, as well as her general sins.

Not specific sins, but her general sins in the way of sin offering. I think that's the reason why a bird is required and not a goat or a lamb, for example, as we see in chapter four, because she has not committed any specific sins in childbirth. But when she offers the burnt offering and she offers the sin offering for her general sins, I believe now she is ritually pure. She's seen or said to be now clean and her general sins have been atoned for. Now she is able in good conscience to unite with God's people in worship because now she is ritually clean.

Because in her mind, she knows only that which is clean and perfect and holy can stand before a good and holy God and worship him rightly. So what's the big picture in all of this? God is holy and nothing short of complete and perfect and perfect is fit to enter into his presence. You see the natural response and this is what you'll get if if an unbeliever reads this and even many people who read this passage that the natural response is this. Come on, are you kidding me?

Bodily discharges of a woman after childbirth, bodily discharges that she cannot avoid, makes her unclean and unfit for worship before the Lord. Really? Beloved, yes, really. The reason some, and I hope none of us, may think this way is because we do not understand the holiness and the perfection of God. Beloved brothers and sisters, God is holy, holy, holy.

We cannot even fully fathom what it means to be holy. How can we fathom a God who is thrice holy? This was the lesson Israel was to learn and a lesson that we must learn that God is holy. The Old Testament God is the New Testament God and he's just as holy then as he is today. In his grace.

In His grace, which is so evidently made known, He made a way back then to count people as ritually holy or ritually pure or ritually clean, even though their hearts were far from that state. By the time we finish these chapters, beloved, you'll come to see, and you at least, I believe, you'll come to this conclusion that if in these days, In the days that we're speaking, the wilderness generation and in Israel and in the old covenant, that if someone, anyone had a heart that beats, it was only a matter of time before they became ritually unclean and unfit to stand before God in worship. Unfit to dwell with our holy God. And that is so true. And beloved, let me tell you this.

That's the whole point. No one is worthy. Not a single person is fit to worship or to stand in the presence of God. Grace is needed. Beloved, grace is needed.

And we see that we see that God is gracious to these people because he knows the content or he knows that the state of their hearts and he made a way for them to be ritually clean before him. But beloved, this was pointing, as I said earlier, to something bigger, the physical was pointing to something spiritual. Now for us, New Testament believers, we know that the old is but a shadow of the substance to come, and that substance is Jesus Christ. For there is only one man who is inherently holy, clean, and pure, and perfect, both spiritually and physically. He alone is worthy to always dwell in the presence of God, and he was always worthy to be in his presence.

He's holy, beloved, He's perfect, and He's pure, and He is the incarnate Son of God. In Him, and by faith, He has made those who have believed in Him positionally holy. by His finished work, but also in Him and by faith in Him, those who believe in Him, those who have been united to Him are also being made progressively or practically holy, pure and clean and perfect, just as He is perfect. One day, beloved, we shall be like Him. And his work, his work is defined in the New Testament.

And I want to end with this. The work of Jesus Christ is so that he might one day present us, that is his bride, that is his church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that we might be holy and without blemish. The longing of the heart of the people of Israel who were truly circumcised of the heart was to be in the presence of God. But they knew that in and of themselves, they are unworthy. Beloved ought to be our longing also.

And we ought to know as New Testament Christians that we too are unworthy in and of ourselves. But there is one who is worthy. And if we are found in him, Then praise be to God that he has forgiven us of our sins and made us pure and clean and righteous, wrapped us in his wonderful righteousness so that now we are able to enter into the very throne room of God without knocking knees in the sense of his judgment, but to come reverently before him, knowing full well that Jesus has made us clean.