Squeaky Clean

I. Food Laws (Lev. 11)

Clean vs. Unclean Animals

Land Creatures (Lev. 11:1-8)

Split-hoofed, cud-chewing land animals are clean.

Other land animals, having one of the above characteristics but not the other, were unclean.

Eating the animals, or coming into contact with their dead carcass, would result in uncleanness of the individual.

Sea Creatures (Lev. 11:9-12)

Fishes that have fins and scaled are clean.

Fishes that do not are unclean.

Eating the animals, or coming into contact with their dead carcass, would result in uncleanness of the individual.

Air Creatures (Lev. 11:13-19)

Certain named birds (probably birds of prey) are unclean.

Eating the animals results in uncleanness of the individual.

Insects (Lev. 11:20-23)

Insects that move in irregular patterns (swarmers) are unclean.

However, four kinds of locusts, grasshoppers, or crickets are pronounced clean.

Their legs, used for hopping, allow them to have a distinctive, “natural” motion.

Cleansing Treatment

Land Creatures (Lev. 11:24-28)

Uncleanness (from eating or touching the carcass) lasted until evening.

Uncleanness affected the individual’s clothes.

Swarming Creatures (Lev. 11:29-38)

Most likely refers to small animals (e.g., mice) that could find their way into homes and household items.

Uncleanness lasted until evening.

Articles they fell into were unclean, and had to be soaked in water until evening.

Food or liquid that was affected had to be thrown out.

Earthenware vessels needed to be broken.

If they fell into dry seed (planting?) it was clean.

If they fell into wet seed (cooking?) it was unclean.

Clean Animals (Lev. 11:39-40)

Any animal carcass—clean or unclean—would cause uncleanness until evening.

Additional Regulations (Lev. 11:41-44)

Reason for Differentiating Between Clean and Unclean (Lev. 11:45-47)

The laws were reminders that God had distinguished them from the other nations.

II. Childbirth Laws (Lev. 12)

Birth of a Boy (Lev. 12:2-4)

The woman is unclean for 7 days (as with her menstrual cycle — Lev. 15) and then an additional 33 days after (40 days total).

Birth of a Girl (Lev. 12:5)

The woman is unclean for 14 days (as with her menstrual cycle) and then an additional 66 days (80 days total).

Sacrifices (Lev. 12:6-8)

The woman would offer two offerings:

A lamb for a burnt offering

Two turtledoves/two pigeons were acceptable out of financial necessity (one for the burnt offering, one for the purification offering).

A pigeon or turtledove for a purification offering

III. “Skin” Diseases (Lev. 13-14)

Clean vs. Unclean Skin Diseases

Pattern of Diagnosis

Symptoms

Priestly inspection

Symptoms to look for

Priestly diagnosis and prescribed treatment

Skin Diseases (Lev. 13:2-17)

Symptoms experienced:

Swelling, scab, or bright spot

Symptoms for priest to look for:

Unclean — white hair, deeper than skin

Uncertain — no white hair, not deeper than skin

Quarantine for 7 days

No change after seven days, quarantine for another 7 days — declared clean

Spreads — declared unclean

Symptoms for priest to look for:

Unclean — white hair, “raw” flesh, patchy

Clean — if the condition covers the whole body

Localized Infections (Lev. 13:18-28)

Symptoms experienced:

Boils, burns, or scars

Symptoms for priest to look for:

Unclean — deeper than skin, white hair

Uncertain — no white hair, not deeper than skin, faded

Quarantine for 7 days

Unclean — spreads

Clean — remains localized

Scalp or Beard (Lev. 13:29-37)

Symptoms experienced:

Infection on head or beard

Symptoms for priest to look for:

Unclean — deeper than skin, yellow hair

Uncertain — not deeper than skin, no black hair

Quarantine for 7 days

Inspected by priest and shaved

Quarantined for 7 additional days

Clean — infection has not spread

Unclean — infection has spread

Clean Skin Disease (Lev. 13:38-39)

Symptoms experienced:

Bright spots on body

Symptoms for priest to look for:

Clean — Faint white spots that cover the entire body

Baldness (Lev. 13:40-44)

Symptoms experienced:

Baldness

Symptoms for priest to look for:

Reddish-white infection

Treatment (Lev 13:45-46)

Clothes torn

Hair uncovered

Cover his mustache

Cry “Unclean!” “Unclean!”

Live alone outside the camp

“Skin” Diseases in Clothing

Mold on Wool, Linen, or Leather (Lev. 13:47-58)

Symptoms experienced:

Greenish or reddish mold

Symptoms for priests to look for:

Quarantine item for 7 days

Unclean — mold has spread

Item shall be burned

Uncertain — mold has not spread

Item shall be washed

Quarantined for additional 7 days

Unclean — If the appearance of the mold has not changed, even if it has not spread — burned

Unclean — If the mold appears again after being torn out — burned

Clean — If the mold leaves it shall be washed a second time

Cleansing Ritual (Lev. 14:1-32)

Rituals Outside the Camp (Lev. 14:2-9)

If the individual is clean:

Two birds are brought

One is killed, the other left alive

Blood of the sacrificed bird mixed with fresh water

Live bird dipped in the blood mixture

Blood mixture is sprinkled 7 times of the cleansed individual

Live bird set free

May enter the camp, but must remain outside his tent for 7 days.

After seven days, wash clothes, shave hair, bathe

Rituals Inside the Camp (Lev. 14:10-32)

Offers all the mandatory sacrifices:

Purification Offering

Burnt Offering

Grain Offering

Reparation Offering

“Skin” Diseases in Houses

Mold or Mildew in a House (Lev. 14:33-52)

Symptoms experienced:

Mold or mildew

Symptoms for priest to look for:

Priest orders the house emptied

Greenish or reddish marks on the surface

Quarantine for 7 days

If it has spread, the house should be scraped down inside and stones removed.

Results

Bring new stones and re-plaster.

Unclean — mold or mildew returns — house torn down

Clean — mold or mildew has not spread — house cleansed (as with other “skin” diseases)

IV. Discharges (Lev. 15)

Male Discharges (Lev. 15:2-18)

Long-term

Uncleanness lasts as long as condition lasts

Contact with other persons or items caused them to become unclean.

Cleansed

7 days for cleansing

Wash clothes and bathe

Two turtledoves or pigeons offered as a purification offering and burnt offering

Short-term

Semen

Man and woman are unclean until evening

Clothes or items should be washed

Female Discharges (Lev. 15:19-30)

Short-term

Menstrual Cycle

Unclean for 7 days

Contact with other persons or items caused them to become unclean

Long-term

Uncleanness lasts as long as the condition lasts

Cleansed

7 days for cleansing

Offer two turtledoves or pigeons as a purification and burnt offering

V. NT Application

God’s Complete Cleansing

Acts 10:9–16 NASB95

9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; 11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. 13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” 15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

Jesus Draws Near to the Unclean

Matthew 8:1–4 NASB95

1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Jesus’ Higher Standard of Purity

Mark 7:1–23 NASB95

1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ 8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10 “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.” 14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”