"Don't Do *This* Dew!"

Scripture Passage for Today

Leviticus 14:33-16:34

Scripture Focus

“It appears that my house has some kind of mildew.” (Leviticus 14:35 NIV)

Observation

The health regulations continue! It’s like reading a college textbook! While I remain not especially stirred by such a document, I am appreciating something I’m not sure I’ve valued enough before.

I do see in a fresh way the necessity and value of regulations like these for the health management of 3 million people. From that perspective, while my eyes glaze over at the details, they are—in fact—quite simple for the scope of circumstances they might cover.

More fascinating is how they are not just about “health”, but about “cleanliness”—ritual cleanliness versus ritual impurity. Everything about these regulations not only protected Israel from the spread of disease. (Hey, if it’s not too personal to say so, bathing was not a particularly high priority in this culture, but I bet that making love was. So create a rule that says “take a bath after you’ve made love” and how significantly have you improved the health of an entire nation?) Wait—where was I?

Everything about these regulations not only protected Israel from disease but pointed Israel toward the holiness of God!

And so smack in the middle of regulations that protect public and personal health come regulations and ritual for the Day of Atonement—the once-a-year day when the sin—the uncleanness—of Israel was atoned for.

Everything about the daily routine of the Israelite, then, reminded them of the need for cleanliness—not just physical cleanliness for health reasons, but ritual cleanliness for spiritual reasons. It reminded them of the holiness of the awesome, all-consuming God with whom they had entered covenant. And once a year, on the Day of Atonement, all the uncleanness that marked their lives would be ceremonially addressed—in anticipation of that “once for all” sin offering Jesus would make on behalf of our unclean lives—unclean not just ceremonially, but actually, and irreparably, apart from what He’s done for us.

So I read about what a priest in ancient Israel should do about a house where mildew has been found on a plastered wall, and I then have reason to be grateful again for the unmatchable cleansing work Jesus has done in me.