In my kitchen cabinet, I have a first aid kit ready to use on any injury, fever, or tummy ache that is bound to occur with my four active kiddos. It is stocked with all the things I know I can use to help my children. While I may not always be able to prevent what happens to them, I have a plan and am prepared to offer comfort when they need it most.
In a different way, today’s Scripture reading gives us a look into God’s plan for hope and healing for His people. In Leviticus 13, we continue reading about the laws and instructions regarding uncleanness. These laws reminded the Israelites God also desired to be in the presence of His people, even with their imperfections. He made a way for the Israelites to be ritually purified through ceremonial sacrifices, making a plan for redemption toward restored relationship with His people.
I recognize my own need for God too. Sometimes when I depend more on myself than God, I lose sight of His care for me. If I’m being honest, my self-sufficiency can spiral quickly into worry or anxiety when life is out of my control. But then I am reminded that no matter what happens, I can go to God when I need Him most.
In Luke, we read about a man who needed God too. This man had leprosy but knew that if he approached Jesus, he could be made clean (Luke 5:12–14). Jesus reached out and healed him. Not only did Jesus show compassion for this man, but He gave physical comfort by touching him. Notice, also, how He instructed the man to tell no one and go straight to the priests? Jesus knew the ceremonial sacrifices required for the cleansing of leprosy, as we read in Leviticus, would give evidence that this man had been healed. But Jesus also knew that those sacrifices pointed to God’s ultimate plan for salvation.
When life is filled with uncertainty, we don’t have to do it alone. We, too, can approach God. We have a God who has made a way for us to be in His presence forever because of what Jesus Christ did for us. We can come to Him to find hope, comfort, and healing.
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45 thoughts on "Instructions Regarding Uncleanness"
Lord you are good we praise you Lord
Listening to the podcast has greatly helped me with understanding how the illnesses described did not point back to the sin of the person being called unclean but instead the brokenness of the world and the kindness of God for giving us a way to come back to him, because his holiness desired wholeness.
I can’t thank you enough for digging in deeper into scripture today! ❤️
I can’t thank you enough for digging in deeper into scripture today!
@Kimberly Z thank you
I am so glad I can turn to God in my most troubling hour or in my happiest moment. He wants it all! Thank you Jesus! Amen
@susanlincks- Susan, wow. I can’t even imagine. God loves you and sees you in this. (Psalm 116 comes to mind for you). As you sit with the Lord, I’ll be praying…that as you pause to listen…that you would hear His loving heart mending, healing and restoring you in ways you never even thought of. That he would bring to mind exactly what your soul needs so that you may rest in Him. Psalm 116:7.
Thanks for sharing!
It is nice to know in the uncertain moments of my life we can turn back to God. I constantly wonder, worry, pray, etc. if I’ll ever get married and start a family of my own. It’s comforting to know even though my worries and anger that God has not forgotten about me even though some days I wonder. God is good even through uncertainty.
@Susan Lincks praying for you! As somebody who treats rare skin diseases along with cancer patients I know how tough it can be to go through somethings like that. It’s frustrating to grapple with the fact that it’s even has to be something one goes through. Please know you’re not alone! @Dorothy praying that you feel contentment.
Thank you for saying something. ♥️ @Eileen Dowd
Thank you for saying something. ♥️
MERCY, thank you for sharing that information. And taking the time to look into that. Great stuff to know.
I am praying for you ladies. May you know the peace of God through any and all situations.
I got curious with some symbolic images proposed in our reading today, so I did some digging. Why was blood applied to those particular extremities–the right thumb, toe and ear?
Why the ear?
The ear symbolizes the ability of the person to receive the instruction of the Lord. The person with the sin forgiven is now able to hear the Word of God. The person with the aid of the Holy Spirit can now understand the Word of God. Hearing the Word of God was important then because no one had their own copy of what we would now call the Bible. Mainly the law of Moses and later on the writings of the prophets. You didn’t just go down to your local Jewish Bookstore and pickup a copy of the Torah. That was kept in the Tabernacle or later the Temple. Each family did not have one sitting out on the coffee table of their tent. Hearing the Word of the Lord was imperative.
Why the thumb?
So, what’s with the blood and the oil on the blood of the right thumb? This signifies that not only are we forgiven and set apart for use by the Lord but we are to be about the work that God has set before us! God didn’t save us to set us up for life on a beach enjoying the sunshine, He saved us to be part of His kingdom on earth doing the work of the kingdom! “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22 ESV)
Why the big toe?
When you walk or run, the big toe plays an essential role in arch stabilization during mid-stance, and during the take-off phase Without this stabilization, the foot would have limited, to no, shock absorption capability, and very limited propulsive force. No big toe, no go. The Lord not only wants His children, sons and daughters, to hear His voice and work in His kingdom but He wants us to walk in the paths of righteousness! He wants us to go down His road! When Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” … the way He was talking about was a road; the road of life in Christ!
@Gretchen-may the healing power of the Lord kick away any post covid fatigue or lingering symptoms.
@Rhonda J- thank you for the updates. Your cheery note is filled with hope even amidst the storm. It’s the peace that surpasses understanding. Praise the Lord. Praying for you and your family, and the state of FL.
@Gramsiesue,@ Diane Mom: praying for your husbands and a good medical report to follow by His grace, and new strength/peace for you.
Be blessed dear sisters. Remember, The LORD is my strength and my song!!! (Exodus 15:2).
It is comforting to know that we are in the presence of God always!
Praying for you and your husband Diane Mom
Praying for you and your husband Dine
Hi She’s! Thank you for all the prayers! So appreciated! We are still without power, but getting by! I am still trying to focus on the others around me that have had much more devastation! Its very heartbreaking because the first few days you are so elated to have survived such a horrific storm, but now reality is settling in that your house and stuff are all gone, you might be displaced for however long, and so on. I just let them talk and get it out.
Anyway, I am gaining so much about Leviticus from srt and you all!! As usual, it is one of those books I once read through quickly without much pondering, but the writer and you all bring so much wisdom! I hope to listen to the podcast tomorrow which is always so helpful as well!
Prayers for the requests! (Okay now Im wondering if I already commented this morning or if that was yesterday, I am in a state of confusion, the hurricane I blame, not my old brain!!
Praying for you Gretchen!
Would you pray for me? I need healing. I have been battling what we believe is long COVID fatigue for almost 5 months. It affects every moment of each day and has been sooo difficult on my family as well. I have a Dr appt tomorrow. Please pray that God would reveal and heal. tY so much!
I needed to read/hear this today. Until just the last few weeks I wouldn’t stress about much of anything but lately I’m stressing about just about everything. I keep trying to turn it over to God but for some reason I keep taking it, this isn’t like me. Please pray for me.
Be blessed and turn everything over to God and Christ(I am trying to do it).
Dear Susan Lincks, my thoughts and prayers go to you this morning. My beloved husband also suffered a skin illness and so I have great compassion for your pain. God never left my husband, not once, and He us with you now.
Dear Susan Lincks, my thoughts and prayers go to you this morning.
@Gramsiesue– I appreciate your post. It is SIN that leprosy represents. It breaks my heart to know how isolating this disease was(is). But how much more does God’s heart break over disease…
@Diane Mom– May God be so near to you and your husband. May He comfort and heal. Lord, please bless this family and help them to know and believe You are with them and support them. Let her husband be made well, in Jesus’s name.
@Cindy Hanna– I loved your post yesterday about being at these two celebrations – that they were different events that both made you aware of the Lord. I love that. May God be glorified in all things. Congrats to your granddaughter — May she grown up strong and bold in her faith! In Jesus’s name!
God bless you Shes! Be well and be close to Jesus in all you do!
Disease in an illustration of sin in the Bible:
1. Sin is deeper than the skin.
2. Sin spreads.
3. Sin defiles.
4. Sin isolates.
5. Sin is fit only for the fire (Hell).
Thankful that our God still desires to be with us and made a way!
Prayers please…It’s time for Steve’s MRI again (every two months) and scanxiety is here. We are driving to St Louis this afternoon, scan and doctor appointment tomorrow morning, then driving back home.
Praying for so many of you: @Diane Mom for your husband, the doctors, and you.
Blessings to all ❤️
Praying for you Diane Mom and for your husband.
So thankful our Great High Priest reached out to touch us in our uncleanness before we knew Him!
@Diane Mom praying for you and your husband!
Praying for your husband, & for you, Diane Mom
Such a good reminder that we can always run to the Father, His arms are ALWAYS open wide <3 Praying for you @Sarah D, @Kimberly Z, @Diane Mom, and others! I felt anxious last night but was able to sleep well and felt relief from my anxiety this morning. Praying that I continue to experience relief and make time for rest
I love that when Jesus healed the man with leprosy he TOUCHED him. Can you imagine the shock from the leper? How kind of Christ to reach out and physically heal this man who had suffered.
My husband had a stroke Sunday morning while getting ready for church. He’s still in ICU. Please pray for healing, wisdom, and strength.
Amen for healing by a loving God !
The role of the priests was vital for the health of the community, both spiritual and physical. Jesus Christ’s role in our lives – vital! Thank you God for the detailed instructions to keep your people spiritually clean and physically clean, that we may learn from this – the importance of obedience and be reminded of Your love for each of us.
Praying for
SHARON JERSEY GIRL – your dad and your family
JENNY SOMERS – your cousin and family
LAUREN GW – you & your husband
KIMBERLY Z, TAYLOR & SARAH D – relief from anxiety (and Sarah’s job search)
TRISH DEARDON – son’s anxiety & panic
JORDYN C – sister’s mental health
RENEE K – son’s continued healing and that your daughter would turn to the Lord’s path for her
RHONDA J – continued recovery in your area from the storm. Got a chuckle from your coffee maker comment! After Michael, our refrigerator or freezer got unplugged from the generator for a few minutes every morning for that very thing!
LEXI B – for your next pitch later this month, so thankful for the blessing of the 5K win!
MARI V & DOROTHY – echoing KELLY (NEO)’s prayers for your classes MARI and upcoming move for you & sister DOROTHY
GRAMSIESUE – Amen. We should feel alarm in our spirit when we approach the dividing line between right and wrong – and run as fast as we can toward God, rather than seeing how close we can get to sin without being snared by it. Another lie by the evil one … just this once, it’s not really wrong, a little can’t hurt, no one will ever know …sadly, I believed too many of these lies especially in my 20’s & 30’s. Thankful for God’s mercy, grace, patience, love and forgiveness.
Although skin diseases are not always a direct consequence of a person’s particular sin, they are a result of the Fall and serve as a picture of sin and what it does in the Church, the body of Christ.
-Sin spreads. It starts with one person and spreads to many (Romans 5:12)
-Sin separates us from fellowship with God and other believers (Isaiah 59:2).
-We are to examine ourselves and see if we have anything keeping us from fellowship with the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).
-We are to remove unrepentant believers who continue in their sin from the local church so that they can have the opportunity to repent and reconcile with God and others (1 Corinthians 5; Romans 16:17-18; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; Titus 3:10-11)
-God makes provision for us to be cleansed from our sin & reconciled to Himself & His community. His cleansing includes atonement, consecration, pronouncement of reconciliation, forgiveness, purification, restored fellowship, committed devotion to the Lord, renewal of a right spirit, and the ability of the Holy Spirit to work freely in the person again.
This really spoke to me this morning and gave me comfort. Going through a struggle, and needed the reminder that I am not going through it alone. Ever.
I can’t help but see Gods love in all these directions. There was no medical school back then or detailed medical practice like we have now. But God knew His people needed direction in their desperation. And it wasn’t to separate or dishonor anyone in fact it seemed to be out of protection and love so that others could remain healthy. It’s wordy and gory but so is a good medical textbook? There is care and the finite detail that shows God knows his people deeply and intimately. He knows what they are made of and what their bodies are capable of and even more so He knows what turning to Him will do – it will heal.
My heart needs a good scrubbing every now and then. I’m so thankful for my God who washes me clean when I need it.
Amen
These verses show the provision and protection of God among His people. His care for them was more than “skin deep” [:)] The Lord’s statutes here protected the community from being overwhelmed by a plague.
LEXI B – congratulations!
KIMBERLY ZIEHL, TAYLOR & SARAH D – continue to press into Jesus. Praying He will bring you His peace for this day.
MARI V – praying your class is going well
DOROTHY – praying the Lord will guide you through your sister’s move
Thank You, Holy Father, that when we come to You, You are always ready to make us clean.
Hallelujah
Amen Lauren Eve.
Amen.
Happy Tuesday my beautiful SRT Family wrapped lovingly in love, hugs and prayers..❤
Congrats LEXI B- Exciting to hear about your business pitch success!