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The Israelites became "unclean" whenever they came into contact with something that represents mortality or death, which is the opposite of God who is full of life. Because of this, giving childbirth is a way that the Israelites became ceremonially unclean.
Hello and welcome to the Christians on College Campuses podcast. My name is Will from the University of Oklahoma, and today we are talking about Leviticus chapter 12. So this part of Leviticus is talking about how the Israelites can become pure and set apart in order to spend time in God's presence. In this time, people can become unpure in different ways, such as having a skin disease, touching mold or fungus, touching a dead body, or touching reproductive bodily fluids. All of this stuff the Israelites associated with mortality, being contaminated with touching death, where God is immortal and only filled with life. It is a temporary state of being unpure by these things, where you're only unclean slash impure for about a week or two and then it's over. So this chapter talks about purification after childbirth. It says that the Lord said to Moses, Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her menstrual period. After waiting thirty-three days, she will be purified from the bleeding of childbirth. During this time of purification she must not touch anything that is set apart as holy, and she must not enter the sanctuary until her time of purification is over. If a woman gives birth to a daughter, she will be ceremonially unclean for two weeks, just as she is unclean during her minstrel period. After waiting sixty-six days, she will be purified from the bleeding of childbirth. After this time of being unclean and impure, they will perform a sacrifice at the tabernacle, and then just all is well. When the time of purification is completed for either a son or a daughter, the woman must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtled dove for a purification offering. She must bring her offerings to the priest at the entrance of the tabernacle. The priest will then present them to the Lord to purify her. Then she will be ceremonially clean again after her bleeding at childbirth. These are the instructions for a woman after the birth of a son or a daughter. If a woman cannot afford to bring a lamb, she must bring two turtled doves or two young pigeons. One will be for the burnt offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will sacrifice them and to purify her, and she will be ceremonially clean. Now remember, the Israelites need to do this because their wages for their sin or being impure unclean is death. In other words, they are apart from God. Like I mentioned earlier, the Israelites become ceremonial unclean when they touch anything that is associated with mortality and death, such as skin disease, mold, a dead body, or reproductive bodily fluids. Um the women giving birth here falls under the reproductive bodily fluids one. Um and that that is why they are unclean in that way. And like uh like it says, it's usually only for like a short period of time, and then they're fine again. Uh and I think it's kind of they do this thing because just God is holy and never is gonna be associated with death because he is life and life to the full. So the Israelites are just being very, very careful to make sure that nothing associated with death comes into the presence of the Lord because then it will certainly die. Uh, that is why you have the tabernacle and the holy place set apart. That is why you always have to do these offerings for like sin and now childbirth, uh, anything that's like keeping you apart from God, you have to do some sort of apology for some sort of sacrifice to pay the price of death that is your sin in order to be made right with God for however long a time your sacrifice is worth. But because God loves us and wants to spend time with us, he made a way for us to become permanently clean and pure in his presence. God sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice to cover anything we do or interact with that makes us ceremonially unclean. He did this because while Jesus was on earth, he never sinned, never became unclean, and yet chose to die for the things that make us unclean. Dear Jesus, I come right now and I thank you that you want us to become permanently clean in your eyes. I thank you that you sent Jesus to earth as the ultimate sacrifice so that no matter what we do, our sins are always forgiven. And all we have to do is believe in you and choose to follow you and accept your free gift of life and salvation. And in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
