As I pointed out yesterday, God wanted to use every opportunity to remind his people of their need for the salvation that was symbolised in the sacrificial rituals of Leviticus 1-9. These sacrifices pointed to the ultimate price that God would pay for the sin of the world, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is not surprising then, given the greatness of the price that God would pay for the salvation of his people, that he would want to remind them of the seriousness of the problem from which they needed to be saved. Any bodily discharge or anything that distorted the appearance of a person, a garment or a house was to be used as such a reminder. The affected people were to be exiled for a time, the mouldy garment burned, and mildewy houses razed. Imagine the effect. Times of exile would become times of prayer to seek God’s mercy. Discarding garments and destroying houses would ensure vigilance about cleanliness, which apart from the obvious hygiene benefits, would have cultivated a keen sensitivity to the issue of defilement. The people would always be reminded that they were created to be pure people living in a pure environment. Any encounter with impurity would become a reminder to seek God for mercy and purification. God will often remind us of our need for his mercy and grace. He will allow situations to bring out the worst in us so that we will see how dysfunctional we really are. These occasions can be valuable prompters to seek God and trust in Christ anew for our salvation.
Reflect on what you have seen in yourself lately. Seek God’s mercy.
Read Leviticus 14 and 15
