Leviticus 11-12

Charlie Purcell here, guest blogger no. 2 for Jeff Dodge while he is away.

It's never easy to follow Alex Tuckness in anything, and the subject matter of the following chapters in Leviticus won't make it any easier. I should have read those first before agreeing to this gig! Can you say, look before you leap? But, if you have stuck it out this long in your Bible reading plan, I'm hopeful my blogs posts on won't deter you either. Now that expectations have been properly set, here we go:

Chapter 11 provides instructions for the Israelites to distinguish between the clean and unclean animals, and what to do if they have contact with an unclean animal. The instructions may seem long and tedious, but remember that God's purpose is for his people to be holy, or set apart. They were not to eat just anything like the other peoples around them. Besides being distinct from the nations around them, these regulations were also designed to keep them healthy. For example, fish with fins and scales are free swimmers and tend not to have as many parasites, unlike crustaceans and bottom dwelling fish.

Chapter 12 provides instructions for how long women were to be considered unclean after childbirth and the offerings that were to be used in their purification. At first glance, these regulations may appear to be negative towards women. But, when you consider that while a woman was unclean, she could not prepare any food, touch any household items, and was limited in where she could go, we see that this period of purification was actually a great blessing. During these months, others would have to cook and take care of the household while the new mother recovered physically and enjoyed some uninterrupted time with their newborn son or daughter. This provides for good emotional and physical health for both mother and child.

Read Leviticus 11-12 here.