Leviticus 12:6-7 - ‘When
the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter,
she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and
a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle
of meeting. Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and
make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the
law for her who has borne a male or a female.
The laws of purification included some strict guidelines for
women who had borne a child. The gender
of child you had borne determined how long you were considered unclean and had
to stay in isolation. Males had to be circumcised on the 8th day
after birth…so a woman’s time was shorter for them.
It was the presence of blood during this process that made
them unclean…and gave them reason to isolate themselves for a period. And when
their time was finished…it was important for them to offer both a burnt
offering and a sin offering as a sacrifice. These two things would complete the
purification and allow her to share her joy of a child with the rest of the
family.
Times sure have changed since these days of Old Testament law.
Jesus’ great sacrifice on the cross did away with the need to purify ourselves
from each small issue that was considered unclean. We enjoy a great bond of
family with the birth of children…some even getting to witness the event.
Perhaps the reminder is to thank God for the fulfilling of
his law…so that we can concentrate more on how to share it with others. Blood
no longer makes us unclean…but simple belief in the blood that Christ shed
purifies our soul for all eternity. It washes all the sin from our heart and
makes room for what God needs to put there.
Father…thank you for the reminder that you shed your
precious blood for all so that we no longer have to sacrifice animals to
cleanse our souls. Forgive me for the
times that I take that for granted. Help
me to ponder the cost to you of the freedom I enjoy… and let that drive a
passion in my heart to share you with others. Amen.
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