Instructions Regarding Uncleanness

BY Lauren Eve

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.