Day 56, February 25 Bible Reading

Day 56,  February 25

Num. 19     The water of cleansing / Uncleanness and death

Lev. 13:1-46  Regulations concerning infectious skin diseases (leprosy)

Lev. 14:1-32  Cleansing from infectious skin diseases

Num. 19     The water of cleansing / Uncleanness and death

• Num 19:1-10 This is a special sacrifice, the sacrifice of a red heifer. Unlike a lot of other sacrifices, which must be killed inside the camp at the altar, the red heifer, without blemish, must be killed outside the camp.  Then the priest takes the blood and sprinkle it 7 times in front of the tabernacle or meeting, and everything burned.   Cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet were also thrown into the fire. This sacrifice was to cleanse anyone unclean.  The priest has to take a bath, wash his clothes before coming back into the camp.  He is unclean until evening.   The ashes kept for water purification for many generations. The red heifer was very very rare, hence the ashes kept to purify unclean people later.  Today a bunch of people are waiting for a red heifer to emerge to signal the rebuild of a third temple.  They would be disappointed.

• Num 19:11-13 If you touch a dead body, you are unclean for 7 days. You take the water of purification mixed with some of the red heifer ashes and wash/ sprinkle on the 3rd and 7th day. After that he will be clean. If someone refugees to be made ritually clean should be cut off. 

• Num 19:14-22 When a death occurs in a tent, everyone has to be unclean for 7 days.  All open vessels with no cover are unclean. If you touched a grave, a bone, or someone who has died in an open field, you are unclean. Take the water of purification mixed with the red heifer ashes and a lean person, with a hyssop and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the vessels, on unclean humans on the 3rd and 7th day. The same person must also wash their clothes and be unclean until evening.

Lev. 13:1-46  Regulations concerning infectious skin diseases (leprosy)

• Lev 13:1-8 These are regulations dealing with infectious skin diseases. The Levite acted as the physician to diagnose diseases.  If the hair on the sore has turned white and the sore is sunken into the skin, it is leprous, and that person is declared unclean. Else once examined on the 7th day if it has not spread and turn into a scab, then that person is clean. If the scab spreads after the 7th day, that person is declared unclean.

• Lev 13:9-39 Boils, skin burned by fire, raw flesh, sore on head, bright spots on skin needs to be examined. Notice having white hair on skin was a bad sign. Also notice these Israelites had black hair.  They were not Caucasians.  They were brown people. “But if the priest examines the scaly sore, and indeed it does not appear deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale seven days”

• Lev 13:40-46 Got to watch out also for bald spots or when hair is falling out.  If there is a reddish-white sore, it is leprosy breaking out. The leper should tear his clothes, head bare, cover mustache, and cry Unclean, all the days he or she is sore.

Lev. 14:1-32  Cleansing from infectious skin diseases

• Lev 14:1-9 To cleanse a leper, the priest shall go out of the camp and examine him. If the leprosy is healed, the priest will take two birds, with cedar wood, scarlet, hyssop and perform a cleansing. One of the birds is killed in an earthen vessel over running water, and the living bird is dipped into the water in the blood of the dead bird.  The blood water is sprinkled 7 times on him who is to be cleansed. The living bird is released, and He who is cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, wash himself with water. After coming into the camp, he stays outside his tent and after another 7 days, he shaves all his hair off, his beard, eyebrows and wash again.  

• Recall that normally you are not supposed to shave the sides of your head etc.  An exception was made for cleansing from leprosy. 

• Notice how often the people in Israel were told to wash themselves also.  Ancient people back then hardly bathe themselves. God required his people to wash regularly.  That is a good thing.

• Lev 14:10-20 After being pronounced clean, sacrifices are made: 2 male lambs, one female lamb without blemish for a trespass, sin and burnt offering, and three times the typical amount for a grain offer, 3/10 of an ephah of flour with a log of oil.  Notice the same consecration done to the priests where the blood and oil were placed in the right ear lobe, right thumb and right big toe, was done to the ex leper. It is almost as if the ex leper was made a new man and made a priest unto the Lord.

• Lev 14:21-32 If the person was too poor, they can present instead one male lamb, two turtledoves or pigeons, for the trespass, sin and burnt offering, and 1/10 of an ephah for the grain offering. God accommodates someone based on their economic circumstances.