In the book, Habits of the Heart, Robert Bellah interviewed a young nurse named Sheila who represented many Americans views on religion. She said, “I believe in God. I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It is ‘Sheilaism.’ Just my own little voice.” An individualistic, set-your-own-rules religion falls far short of what God wants to do in peoples’ lives.
Any discharge, seminal emission, menstrual blood from a person’s body made them unclean. A man who lies with an unclean woman became unclean along with the bed. Anyone who touched his bed or person with a discharge would wash his clothes, bathe in water and be unclean until evening (Lev. 15:1-12). Sin transfers easily to others.
When a man with a discharge was cleansed from his discharge, he would count seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water to become clean. On the eighth day, he took for himself two turtledoves, came to the Lord and gave them to the priest to offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to make atonement before the Lord. Keep sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness and not die in their uncleanness by defiling His tabernacle among them (Lev. 15:13-33). Take time to be in God’s presence knowing that you are identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
After the death of Aaron’s two sons, Moses told Aaron not to enter the holy place inside the veil before the mercy seat. God would appear in a cloud over the mercy seat. Aaron would enter the holy place with a bull for the sin offering and a ram for the burnt offering. He bathed his body before putting on a holy linen tunic and undergarments next to his body along with a linen sash and turban. He took two male goats from the congregation for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron offered the bull for a sin offering for himself and his household to make atonement. He cast lots for two goats: one lot for the Lord as a sin offering and the other for a scapegoat, which was presented alive in the wilderness to make atonement (Lev. 16:1-10). Consider yourself dead to sin because of Christ’s work on the cross and alive to God because of His resurrection.
Aaron took a firepan full of coals of fire and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense to be brought inside the veil. The cloud of incense from the fire covered the mercy seat on the ark of testimony so he would not die. He sprinkled the blood from the bull on the mercy seat. He slaughtered the goat of the sin offering for the people, brought its blood inside the veil and sprinkled it on the mercy seat to make atonement for himself, his household and for Israel. He sprinkled the blood seven times on the horns of the altar to cleanse it from the impurities of Israel (Lev. 16:11-19). Pray fervently that you don’t allow sin to reign in your body by appealing to the blood of Christ.
When finishing atoning for the holy place, tent of meeting and altar, he offered a live goat, laid his hands on the head of the live goat and confessed all the iniquities of Israel while laying them on the goat, which was sent into the wilderness. The goat bore all their their iniquities. Aaron took off his linen garments and left them in the tent of meeting, bathed in the holy place, offered burnt offering for himself and the people, and offered the fat up in smoke as a sin offering. On the seventh month and tenth day, one humbled his soul as as a Sabbath rest to be cleansed from sin as an annual atonement (Lev. 16:20-34). Reconcile to God by confessing your sin, along with sin in your family and community because of Christ’s shed blood.
Any man from Israel who slaughtered an ox, lamb or goat either in or outside the camp without bringing it to the tent of meeting as an offering to the Lord, bloodguiltiness would be reckoned to him. They should be sacrificed as peace offerings, blood sprinkled on the altar at the tent of meeting and offered as a soothing aroma to the Lord. They should not sacrifice to the goat demons or play the harlot. Any man who ate blood, God set His face against that person and cut him off from among His people. The life of the flesh is in the blood, which was given to make atonement for their souls. If a man killed a beast or bird, he poured out its blood and covered it with earth for the blood was identified with its life. He washed his clothes and bathed in water when any person ate an animal that died (Lev. 17:1-16). Present the members of your body alive to God by trusting completing in Christ’s death and resurrection.
Study Romans 6:1-14 and meditate on these truths that correlate with Lev. 15-17:
1. Know that you are identified with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-10)
2. Consider yourself dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11)
3. Pray that sin does not reign in your mortal body to obey its lusts but present yourself to God as alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness (Rom. 6:12-14)
