Read Leviticus 15
Discharges Causing Uncleanness
15 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has an unusual bodily discharge, such a discharge is unclean. 3 Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness:
4 “‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. 5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. 6 Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
7 “‘Whoever touches the man who has a discharge must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
8 “‘If the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is clean, they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
9 “‘Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, 10 and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening; whoever picks up those things must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
11 “‘Anyone the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
12 “‘A clay pot that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden article is to be rinsed with water.
13 “‘When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance to the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15 The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.
16 “‘When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening. 17 Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. 18 When a man has sexual relations with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both of them must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
19 “‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.
20 “‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. 22 Anyone who touches anything she sits on will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, they will be unclean till evening.
24 “‘If a man has sexual relations with her and her monthly flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.
25 “‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. 26 Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. 27 Anyone who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
28 “‘When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29 On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 30 The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the Lord for the uncleanness of her discharge.
31 “‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.’”
32 These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, 33 for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.
Go Deeper
This is the final chapter in a series of chapters on the topic of uncleanliness. It reads as an almost-too-graphic textbook in parts. Leviticus 15 presents a detailed list of laws concerning ceremonial uncleanness which is associated with bodily discharge. In the opening verses, men are addressed here with laws regarding “unusual bodily discharge”, which results from a wanton sexual life. Through verse 13, the laws speak to every facet of how he is to be treated during this time; from what should be done with the bed he sleeps in to the clothes he wears and even the things he sits on to the things he touches.
Verses 19-33 concern discharge from both healthy and diseased women. Just as the laws regarding the discharge of men, every detail of her life is outlined including the parameters of time and ceremony in which she may become clean again. Verse 31 provides a reasoning for the litany of ordinances: “You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.” The holy nature of the Israelites depended on them separating themselves through their rituals and adherence to these laws.
Reading Levitical law is one of the easiest and often most poignant ways to see how the veil of the Old Covenant was torn with the person of Jesus. While Leviticus 15:11 says that “anyone the man with a discharge touches…will be unclean till evening”, we see in sharp contrast to Luke 5:12-13, when Jesus reaches out to the leprous man and says “Be clean!” And the man is instantly free from leprosy. Similarly, in Luke 8, the story of the hemorrhaging woman that “came up behind Him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped”. Both of these accounts directly contrast Levitical law, which would banish a person from society and the tabernacle. It is important for us to study these less narrative Old Testament books in order to form a context for the laws, cultural norms and milieu of Old Testament Israelites so we can fully gain perspective on the astonishing, world changing, supernatural work of the cross. Without rituals, Jesus promises in John 15:3 that “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”
Questions
- Do you hold yourself to any specific rules or social norms that make you feel you have earned more favor with God?
- What sorts of people, actions or habits, in our society, do we consider “unclean”?
- What other passages in the New Testament sharply contrast the book of Leviticus?
Keep Digging
After reading the past few chapters on uncleanliness, check out this helpful resource from The Gospel Coalition!
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10 thoughts on “Leviticus 15”
Happy New Year 2025
God thank You for this year that You are glorified and high and lifted up. God thank You that all that reads in this BRP that You direct their paths as they acknowledge You. God guard their hearts and minds. Help us to practice gratitude and forgiveness in these coming minutes of this year. Psalm 16:11 says You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. God help us to be in Your presences and to pray without ceasing, to love the unlovable, to be kind, generous, and full of grace as You are in Jesus name amen. WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 15
Clean vs unclean
The unclean in this chapter (per my Torah class) doesnt equate with sin always. God determined what was sin and unclean, or just unclean. Back in the day the Torah was taught to young boys starting around age of 6. So chapters of this nature had to be learned and this was not some shameful ideas. Women do not always know when their menstral cycle will start and are caught offguard at times. If she went to the temple or touched someone that went to the temple but was unaware this is why this was considered unclean but not a sin. God is in the details. He wants us to know Him fully. He wants us to be Holy like He is Holy and the only way is to acknowledge Him and let Him direct our paths.
God may I glorify You today, in these minutes, in all I say and do in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO some more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In their interpretation of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, The Chosen, in season 3 episode 5 titled “Clean, part 2” does an excellent job of showing just how radical Jesus was. According to the purity laws, she should not have even touched the hem of Jesus’ garment (Leviticus 15:19-23). It’s proof that Jesus came to set the captive free, the one who heals, forgives and redeems.
31 “‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.’”
The old saying “cleanliness is next to Godliness” keeps coming to mind as I’ve been reading these chapters.
Oh wow, Erik, that’s a really good point! I had not considered that. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve had the same thoughts throughout reading these chapters. My mom would quote it but never explained it. I think she used it the context to us taking a bath or brushing our teeth. However, it stuck.
Thanks be to Jesus for turning the status quo on its head!
The law and the Old Covenant certainly cannot be discarded by us believers, but Leviticus 15 is a poignant reminder of the grace and mercy we received from Christ under the New Covenant. However, this passage also speaks to the importance of Christians pursuing purity and holiness in all aspects of our lives.
Happy New Year! I love seeing the overarching message of the Bible and how it all points to Jesus! The Levitical laws is how God revealed himself to his chosen people to set them apart to be holy. But on the Cross the veil was torn from top to bottom as Jesus was being crucified, bringing instant salvation, freedom and forgiveness to all who call upon His name! Instantly “clean because of the word!” WOW!! How blessed to live in the light of his grace! By his wounds I am healed! Thank you Jesus!
God desires a holy covenant relationship with His people. Sin and impurities put a chasm between the two parties. Therefore, sacrifice and atonement must be made good. God’s Holiness is revealed through the law. I am ever so grateful to Jesus. I honestly would have not survived these rituals.
There is a lot of information to take in throughout this chapter and it makes me appreciative to how Jesus stepped out of the cultural norms of the time to reveal to people that he is the healer and cleanser because of what he would do on the cross and how he would wash our sins and iniquities away. I hope that I can live boldly in my faith to stand out from the darkness and stand up for my faith in Jesus.