15:1. “And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,”
As noted already, when
Moses and Aaron are both addressed it signifies that God is speaking in law,
and also in grace, His love and mercy in giving the Lord Jesus Christ to die
in our stead for our sins, enabling Him to administer His holy law in
conjunction with His incomprehensible grace and mercy.
15:2. “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,
When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he
is unclean.”
The running issue was
literally a running sore, and it represents sin: not just an accidental
breach of obedience, but a continuous self-willed indulgence in wrong; and
since the person was an Israelite he represents a professed believer; and as
his sin defiled him, so also does that of a professed believer.
15:3. “And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue:
whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his
issue, it is his uncleanness.”
Even if the sore had
stopped oozing pus, the man was still unclean. The spiritual counterpart is
that of a professed believer who had been living continuously in sin, but
who then ceased the sinful activity. His discontinuing the sin doesn’t
absolve him. His sin must be dealt with. He is still defiled.
There must be proof of his
awareness of the heinousness of sin, and evidence of genuine repentance.
15:4. “Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is
unclean: and everything, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean.”
The bed is synonymous with
rest and sleep, as sitting is also with rest, but also with study and
meditation. The lesson here is that the mere professor, as well as the
genuine believer who is living in sin cannot enjoy “the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding,” Philippians 4:7, nor can he enjoy the
enlightenment of the Holy Spirit relative to what he may study of Scripture.
15:5. “And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his
clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.”
This seems to indicate
some involvement with the sin of the guilty individual; and teaches that
even the remotest contact with sin is defiling. See comments on 14:46
relative to “the even.”
15:6. “And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that
hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be
unclean until the even.”
This continues to speak of
guilt by association, and particularly of indifference to the sin
committed. When we remember what it cost the Lord to make atonement for our
sins, indifference to sin bespeaks a failure to evaluate at its proper worth
the sacrifice He offered to God for the expiation of our sins.
15:7. “And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the
issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean
until the even.”
This goes beyond mere
indifference to sin: the touching implies association, and places the guilty
individual under the necessity of repenting and forsaking the sin.
15:8. “And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is
clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be
unclean until the even.”
To spit upon someone is an
act of utter derision and hatred, see e.g., Matthew 26:67 which records the
Jews’ spitting on Christ. This ordinance may in fact have been meant to
foreshadow that very act of the Jews by which they intended to make the Lord
unclean by spitting upon Him. What they failed to understand was that He
was willing, not just to be spat upon, but to take their sins upon Himself,
as it is written, “For he (God) hath made Him (Christ), who knew no sin, to
be made sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,”
2 Corinthians 5:21.
“... until the even.” The
even is the end of the day, and is used symbolically to speak of the end of
one’s life, and relative to Christ it points to the fact that by taking our
sins upon Himself that day when He went out to Calvary, He was willing to be
made unclean until the even, i.e., until the end of His life, His death
expiating all our sins, making available to us God’s pardon and gift of
eternal life.
15:9. “And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the
issue shall be unclean.”
I regret being unable to
see the spiritual application of this verse.
15:10. “And whosoever toucheth anything that was under him
shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things
shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the
even.”
The emphasis continues to
be on the vileness of sin, and upon the ease with which one may be
contaminated by it; the repeated “until the even,” i.e., the end of man’s
natural life, reminding us that he is exposed to its defilement all the days
of his life here on earth.
15:11. “And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and
hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe
himself in water, and be unclean until the even.”
If the one with the issue
touched another person without first having washed his own hands, he
transferred the contamination to that person, thus making it necessary for
the touched, and now defiled individual, to wash his clothes, bathe himself,
and remain ceremonially unclean until the end of the day.
The lesson continues to be
of the ease with which the defilement of sin can be transmitted, and also of
its deadly nature: of all the communicable diseases it is by far the most
virulent.
15:12. “And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath
the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in
water.”
The vessels, whether of
earth or wood, represent men; but there is a distinction: the earthen
vessel, in the present context, represents man in his natural, unconverted
state, “of the earth, earthy,” 1 Corinthians 15:47; but the vessel of wood
portrays him as a born again man, a branch of Christ the living Vine, see
John 15:5. The breaking of the earthen vessel declares the truth that the
man who dies unconverted will be “broken,” i.e., cast away as a useless
thing, first into hell, and ultimately into the eternal torment of the
dreadful lake of fire, see Revelation 20:15.
How different is the fate
of the wooden vessel! It “shall be rinsed in water.” The believer is also
washed: first, in the precious blood of Christ, and then cleansed daily by
“the washing of water by the word,” Ephesians 5:26; and he will dwell for
ever with Christ in the bliss of heaven.
15:13. “And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his
issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and
wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.”
The cleansed man
represents the believer, and the seven days - number of perfection or
completeness - represent the remainder of his earthly life as a believer.
The washing of his clothes, and the bathing of his flesh in running water
(type of the written Word), declare symbolically that at the end of his
earthly life the believer will be found fit to enter heaven by virtue of his
having been cleansed from all sin by the blood of Christ shed at Calvary,
the running water representing the written Word through which he learned not
only his need, but also the means of cleansing.
15:14. “And on the eighth day he shall take to him two
turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord unto the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest:”
15:15. “And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin
offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an
atonement for him before the Lord for his issue.”
Since eight is the
scriptural number of a new beginning, the eighth day here speaks of a new
beginning for the man who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior: he
is born again spiritually, and passes from the state of death in which he
was born physically, to one of eternal life, the very life of Christ
Himself. His sins, past, present, and future are all forgiven, even before
he commits them.
The turtledoves or
pigeons, creatures of the heavens, symbols of mourning innocence, and two of
the few species of fowl that are classified as clean, are types of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the heavenly One, the innocent sinless One who mourned for the
misery brought into the world through sin.
First, one of the birds
had to be offered for a sin offering, before the other could be presented as
a burnt offering, this order declaring symbolically that sin must be put
away before one can present worship. Nor should we fail to note that the
man himself could not offer the birds: that was work which God had reserved
for the priests; the type being fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ
“offered himself without spot to God,” Hebrews 9:14. As discussed already,
the burnt offering was always a type of Christ’s sacrifice as being first
for the Father’s glory, and then for the expiation of our sins.
15:16. “And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him,
then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.”
This refers to the
involuntary nocturnal emission of seminal fluid during sleep. The fact that
it rendered the man “unclean until the even,” continues to remind us that
man in his natural state is spiritually unclean, and can become spiritually
clean only by being born again through faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.
The very seed from which man’s life develops is unclean, and makes him
unclean even before he is born. We don’t become sinners by sinning: the
sins we commit are the evidence, not the cause, of our ruined natural state
inherited from the first father of the human race, Adam.
15:17. “And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the
seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the
even.”
The emphasis continues to
be upon the fact that man is sinful and defiled even before the seed from
which he springs has entered his mother’s womb; nor can he avoid
transmitting the contagion to everything with which he has any contact.
15:18. “The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of
copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until
the even.”
Not only does semen defile
every garment, skin, or article it touches: it makes unclean also the woman
it touches, the emphasis continuing to be symbolically upon the utter
corruption of all that is related to the flesh, as declared by Paul in
Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is in my flesh,) dwelleth no good
thing ....” and again, “... flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption,” 1 Corinthians 15:50.
15:19. “And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her
flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth
her shall be unclean until the even.”
The reference here is to a
woman’s menstrual flow, and it is instructive to note that relative to blood
it is written, “The life of the flesh is in the blood,” Leviticus 17:11.
The menstrual flow therefore is the symbolic reminder that man’s physical
life is gradually ebbing away, each passing day drawing him nearer to the
grave.
The seven days of
separation represent the whole of man’s earthly life, the uncleanness of the
menstruous woman being the symbolic announcement of the fact that man in his
natural state is spiritually unclean, his only remedy being to become a new
creature, by being born again spiritually through faith in Christ as his
Savior and Lord, as it is written, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new,” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
15:20. “And everything that she lieth upon in her separation
shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.”
15:21. “And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his
clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.”
15:22. “And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon
shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the
even.
This continues to
emphasize the defiling nature of everything pertaining to the flesh, in
regard to which Paul has written, “For I know that in me (that is in my
flesh), dwelleth no good thing ....” Romans 7:18; “.... flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God,” 1 Cor 15:50; and again, “.... they that
are in the flesh cannot please God,” Romans 8:8.
15:23. “And if it be on her bed, or on anything whereon she
sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.”
Lying on a bed, or just
sitting, are synonymous with rest or relaxation, and the lesson being taught
is that even when it is quiescent the flesh is corrupt because it is
inherently evil.
15:24. “And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers
be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he
lieth shall be unclean.”
“... flowers” in the
present context is a synonymn for menstrual discharge, and the lesson
continues to be of the inherent defiling evil of the flesh.
The fact of his being
unclean, even while lying on his bed, seems to emphasize the same lesson as
in the preceding verse: even when it isn’t active, the flesh is still
inherently defiling and evil.
15:25. “And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days
out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her
separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the
days of her separation: she shall be unclean.”
The NAB renders the first
half of this verse, “When a woman is afflicted with a flow of blood for
several days outside her menstrual period, or when her flow continues beyond
the ordinary period ....”
The prolonged menstrual
flow mentioned here seems to speak symbolically of long continuation in sin,
and/or of a phenomenally heinous type of sin. It may, in fact, be the OT
symbolic foreshadowing of what exists today: sin has become not only more
abounding in extent, but also more heinous in character; nor is there any
sense of shame, but on the contrary a brazen wantonness on the part of the
people generally.
15:26. “Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her
issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she
sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.”
The continued reference to
her lying on a bed or sitting on a seat, speaks of inactivity, and declares
metaphorically that the sins committed are simply the outward evidence of
the evil of the fallen nature which spawned them.
15:27. “And whosoever toucheth those things shall be
unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be
unclean until the even.”
The meaning here is the
same as in verses 4-7, except that there it relates to the male, and here to
the woman, the spiritual distinction being that the male emphasizes the
activity of sin; but the female, its evil nature.
15:28. “But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall
number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.”
The difference between the
cleansing of the man and the woman was that he was to wash his clothes, and
bathe himself in running water, verse 13; but relative to the woman, there
is no mention of washing her clothes, or bathing herself. Some, however,
understand the washing of the clothes, and the bathing of her body, to be
implied; but if that inference is wrong, there is no readily apparent reason
for the exception in her case.
15:29. “And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two
turtles (turtledoves), or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest,
to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
15:30. “And the priest shall offer the one for a sin
offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an
atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness.”
This
part of the cleansing ritual is exactly the same as for the man, see
comments on verses 14-15.
15:31. “Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from
their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile
my tabernacle that is among them.”
15:32. “This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of
him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;”
15:33. “And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him
that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with
her that is unclean.”
The refusal of an
Israelite to follow the prescribed cleansing ritual, would have defiled the
tabernacle, God’s house, and would have resulted in the death of the rebel.
Failure of a believer today to repent, confess, and forsake his sin,
similarly defiles God’s house, for the believer’s body is the dwelling place
of God the Holy Spirit, see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, “Know ye not that ye are
the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man
defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is
holy, which temple ye are,” and again in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? know
ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
ye have of God, and ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Another obvious
application of this is to the local church. The sin of one member affects
the whole company, hence the need of vigilance and wisdom on the part of the
elders in dealing with sin in the local assembly.
“... that they die not.”
Any infraction brought death; and while it may not bring immediate physical
death today, it does bring the offending believer into a state that is the
equivalent of death, for it cuts him off from the enlightenment and
enablement of the Holy Spirit.
To appreciate the terrible
nature of sin we have only to consider what befell the Lord at Calvary when
He took our sins upon Himself as though He had been the sinner, and He “who
knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him,” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
[Leviticus 16]