Leviticus 13:43-46

⁴³ The priest must examine him, and if he finds swelling around the reddish white sore anywhere on the man’s head and it looks like a skin disease, ⁴⁴ the man is indeed infected with a skin disease and is unclean. The priest must pronounce him ceremonially unclean because of the sore on his head.

⁴⁵ “Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.

Leviticus 13:43-46

Dear God, the Bible is a complicated book. Frankly, there is no way, as a lay person, I could ever completely understand what you are saying in each part of it. Even the most educated disagree on what different parts are saying, or misinterpret something out of context. From disagreements on a six-day creation story, to stories of miracles like Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, to Jesus feeding 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish, to rapture theory, it’s mostly a hazy mystery to all of us. And I do mean all of us.

This passage is another example. There are certain things that were true 5,000 years ago that are no longer true. We can now ignore much, if not all, of Leviticus 13. It seemingly no longer applies. That’s an easy line to draw that they couldn’t necessarily draw even 100 years ago. But there are other lines that are squishier. And if we allow ourselves to draw one line here, then what do we do with the other parts of books like Leviticus that are heavily debated?

I was listening to some theologians this week discuss Jesus’s second coming/rapture/tribulation theory, and I couldn’t help but hold onto my traditional view of this, which is, “I don’t care.” I simply don’t care about when Jesus is coming back, if there will be a rapture, and if I will be spared from a tribulation. I don’t care. There is so much in the Bible to sift through, and I love all of it–even Leviticus. I love that you share the essence of yourself through all of these flawed people and how they wrote about you. I love that the 66 books I have in my Protestant Bible are not dictated by you, but inspired by you (although, ironically, it seems that passages like the one today are literally dictated by you). But when I look for the bedrock upon which I can build my life, it all breaks down to the idea that Jesus restored me to you through his death and resurrection, and I now have the opportunity to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. And my job now is to continue to do that and then love my neighbor as myself. After that, everything points back to those two things.

So as I try to figure out which things in Leviticus are out of date and which ones should still be enforced (e.g., beastiality should undeniably and uncontroversially still be prohibited), let me first lead with loving you and then loving others. I heard one of the people discussing the end times stuff say something I really believe. If we are just trying to motivate people into discipleship through fear of hell or missing the rapture and suffering the tribulation then we are using the wrong thing to motivate them. That is not what Jesus did to motivate people into relationship with himself. He offered them freedom from their sin. That’s not what the apostles did to motivate people into relationship with you. They offered them freedom from their sin. I guess the word “saved” can mean “from hell,” but it can also mean “from the life your sin will give you on earth and the separation from God you are experiencing in the moment.”

Father, I’m not theologian. Frankly, a good portion of the things I even type into this prayer journal are likely wrong. I confess that. I’m not trying to teach anyone anything. I’m just trying to get to know you better, search what your Holy Spirit might be trying to say to me through scripture, and then inspire others to do the same thing. If I found out that people who read this only read it once, but then started doing some sort of daily worship of you themselves, that would delight me to no end. So use me. Use this blog. Use it in my life. If it’s appropriate, use it in the lives of others so that they might be drawn closer to you and into daily discipleship. Let it be a part of making my life a prayer to you.

I pray to you, Father, in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Leviticus 19:17-18

“Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:17-18

Dear God, why? There’s always a “why” to what you commanded. Sometimes, I think the modern church misses that. I think we read something in the Bible that we see you say is wrong, and we just run with it and then go out and judge anyone who is doing that thing. But we forget to take the “why” with us. We forget to meet people where they are and start with the “why” as opposed to starting with the “what.”

In this case, I think every one of these things listed in verses 17 and 18 are for our own good. Nursing hatred is poison to my own soul. Confronting people directly instead of just holding on to the judgment or gossiping about them helps me to be in relationship with people and build something positive (if the confrontation is done in the right way. Letting go of revenge and grudges frees up my spirit to simply love. And loving others is what is good for my soul. Loving you and loving others–the two great commandments.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I worship you this morning. I turn loose of the grudges of which I am aware and lean into you for my comfort where I am hurt. I turn loose of the people who have hurt me or wish me ill. I turn loose of those who have grudges towards me. Set them free, Lord. But not for my sake–for theirs. I can think of a few people who have grudges against me. Set them free for their sakes, not mine. For them.

I pray all of this through the grace you gave me in Jesus,

Amen

 

Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “If anyone has a swelling or a rash or discolored skin that might develop into a serious skin disease, that person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons…the man is indeed infected with a skin disease and is unclean. The priest must pronounce him ceremonially unclean because of the sore on his head. “Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.

Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46

Dear God, this can seem so draconian and barbaric. Really? Move them outside of town? Make them call out, “Unclean!” Isn’t that a bit much?

But there are always reasons behind your edicts. In this case, this was a serious situation that could spread through the population and kill people–not unlike how we’ve been treating COVID-19 in our modern society. Unfortunately for their time, they didn’t have the technology to address their situation. They just had to ride with it. For us, for most, it is a short-lived disease so they don’t have to remain separated more that a few weeks. Of course, it does kills some, and it does leave some permanently damaged, but, at least for those who live, they don’t have to be alone.

I wonder how a Christian who has fought against COVID-19 quarantines and precautions (e.g. face masks) would read this verse. Would they see the modern application? Would they understand the similarities? As Americans, especially, we have come to worship our individual rights as people. “Don’t Tread on Me!” But the mercy for others is supposed to come first. Isn’t that what the second greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is all about?

Father, there is nothing new in the world. Your people have had to deal with reality for as long as you have had relationship with us–and even before. We are humans. We are all in this together. Help us to have the humility we need to both honor and love our neighbors, and to know how to reach out to and minister to them as well.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen