PM Feb 10th Lev 11

February 10^th     Leviticus 11       C. Holiness       Clean & unclean animals

1: And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3: Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. 4: Never theless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 5: And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 6: And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 7: And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 8: Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you. 9: These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 10: And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: 11: They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12: Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. 13: And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14: And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; 15: Every raven after his kind; 16: And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 17: And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18: And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 19: And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 20: All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. 21: Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; 22: Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 23: But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. 24: And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. 25: And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 26: The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. 27: And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even. 28: And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you. 29: These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, 30: And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. 31: These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. 32: And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed. 33: And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it. 34: Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 35: And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36: Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. 37: And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. 38: But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. 39: And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40: And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 41: And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42: Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 43: Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44: For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45: For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 46: This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

Leviticus 12       Cleanliness after childbirth

1: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 3: And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4: And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 5: But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days. 6: And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest: 7: Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female. 8: And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

Leviticus 13       Cleanliness and Leprosy

1: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, 2: When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or a bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: 3: And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. 4: If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: 5: And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: 6: And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 7: But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again: 8: And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy. 9: When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; 10: And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising; 11: It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean. 12: And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; 13: Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. 14: But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. 15: And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy. 16: Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest; 17: And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean. 18: The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed, 19: And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest; 20: And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil. 21: But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 22: And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague. 23: But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24: Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white; 25: Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 26: But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 27: And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 28: And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning. 29: If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard; 30: Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard. 31: And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days: 32: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin; 33: He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: 34: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 35: But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing; 36: Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean. 37: But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 38: If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; 39: Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean. 40: And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. 41: And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean. 42: And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 43: Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh; 44: He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head. 45: And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46: All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

Cleanliness and the home itself

47: The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment; 48: Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin; 49: And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be shewed unto the priest: 50: And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days: 51: And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. 52: He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. 53: And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; 54: Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: 55: And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without. 56: And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: 57: And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire. 58: And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. 59: This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.

In today’s reading we have described the Mosaic law requirement regarding holiness. First we have clean and unclean animals, then uncleanness regarding childbirth, then regarding leprosy and lastly in regard to the fabric of the home. In chapter 11 Moses describes the law of clean and unclean animals. Clean and unclean animals were mentioned in the narrative of Noah and the flood yet there was no specification there to forbid eating any animals. It seems that Moses was describing the division between clean and unclean for the benefit of his present readers. The law of clean and unclean animals was that all animals that have a divided foot and chews the cud was considered clean. However there were exceptions the camel, the rabbit, the hare and the pig. The children of Israel were not to eat them or touch them. In the sea or rivers fish with fins or scales were clean and could be eaten but all other sea creatures were unclean. Of the birds any bird that ate flesh was forbidden to be eaten. The eagle, ossifrage, ospray, vulture, kite, raven, owl, night hawk, the cuckoo and the hawk. The little owl, cormorant, great owl, swan, pelican, geir eagle, stock, heron, lapwing and the bat. All flying creatures that creep on four legs were unclean. Yet there were some flying creatures that were clean, locust, bald locust, beetle, grasshopper. Those that touch the dead body of these creatures is unclean that day. There were other creatures that were unclean, the weasel, the mouse, the tortoise, the ferret, the chameleon, the lizard, the snail and the mole. If an unclean animal fell into a pot that the pot was to be broken if the animal fell into water the same was true but if the animal fell into a lot of running water then the water source was clean. Any creatures that crawl of their belly like a lizard or a snake was unclean. These rules regarding clean and unclean were only applicable to the Israelites and were never a requirement for gentiles or Christians. This is clear from the Acts of the Apostles and Peters vision at Joppa. It seems in all these regulations that the point is that any creature that eats live animals was unclean because they have blood on their bodies and are vegetarian. Next Moses describes the law of cleanness regarding childbirth. A woman having given birth was unclean because she was nursing an uncircumcised child. However on the eighth day of the boys life she will circumcise him and after 33 days will be clean. During this time she must not touch any sacred thing or come into the Tabernacle. But if she has a baby girl she is unclean for just two weeks but the days of her purification is 66 days. When the days are over she will bring an offering to make atonement and then she is cleansed from blood defilement. The next issue is the case of Leprosy. The priests became the experts of seeing whether the leprosy was increasing or diminishing. In all the history of Israel there had never been a case of the healing of leprosy and yet this passage describes who to do when a case of healing was found. The elders of Israel when they were in the Babylonian captivity came to understand that if someone appeared who could cure leprosy then he must be the Messiah. The healing of leprosy was a Messianic sign. When Christ healed a leper he sent him to the High Priest to offer the sacrifice appropriate for the healing. This sparked off an investigation into who Christ was this was a ten day investigation to see if he was a significant candidate. When Christ had the men let down by four men. The house was crowded by rabbis from every city of Judea. They had come to investigate Christ. In this first part of the investigation they were not to ask questions so Christ answered their unasked questions. Leprosy was a terrible sickness and the sufferer lived a living death separated from society and more than that ‘unclean’.  Next we have the interesting case of leprosy in clothing and walls etc. In this case we are not quite sure what the leprosy actually was but isolation seemed to be the only means of preventing its spread.