4.2. FROM CONGENITAL DEPRAVITY (Leviticus 12:1-8)

Part of the ceremonial uncleanness for the woman was probably consideration for her. Through days of separation relieving her of certain responsibilities.

Leviticus 12:4 "... She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled."

In the case of the birth of a boy she was banned from performing sanctuary duties for 40 days, or for 80 days when a girl was born.

The important lesson of birth uncleanness is its symbolic recognition of sin transference. Here, it has been said, is "sin at its source". Sin is not something taken on later in life from outside the man, but something that is part of him from birth. Of fallen Adam it is written:

Genesis 5:3 "And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth."

Now in his sinful likeness, passing on his own fallen nature.

Ephesians 2:3 "among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. "

(i.e. deserving of wrath). Man's basic nature has been affected by sin.

Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me."

This verse is not teaching conceiving and giving birth is sinful, but that from the moment of conception a person possesses a sinful nature. These Levitical regulations for the Israelite women requiring a period of uncleanness provided a symbolic demonstration of the presence of sin in all that human life produced (Leviticus 12:5 ).

Leviticus 12:7 "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 woman was cleansed from her issue by the offering, pointing to the fact that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

The believing sinner is presented by Christ to God with a clean heart. Then he lives in obedience to God, no longer walking in darkness.

Leviticus 12:3 "And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised."

God constituted circumcision as signifying purification of sin at its fountain-head, dealing with the evil nature with which we were born.

Colossians 2:11-13 "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses."

We who believe have no need of the rite of circumcision, for we have received from Christ the spiritual circumcision of which the rite was a type - a spiritual act made without hands. In Christ we are accepted by God. We have broken with the past and have renounced, put off, the evil flesh life. This putting away of the old nature was openly declared by Christian baptism, and risen with Him in newness of life.

Dake says, "Jews circumcised their sons on this day even if it fell on a Sabbath (John 7:33). Thus they demonstrated that this law superceded the law of the Sabbath. Circumcision brought the boy under the covenant of protection with God."

Eighth day being the first day of a new week points to the resurrection of Christ who rose from the dead on the first day. The day after the seventh, the eighth day, as the firstborn from the dead and the Lord of a new creation. So the eighth day symbolises our putting off the old nature and putting on the new in Christ.

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QUESTIONS FOR GROUP INTERACTION

1. How important is it to recognise the fact of sin and its transference (Leviticus 12:4; Genesis 5:3 )?

2. What significance has the 8th day for you as a believer (Leviticus 12:3; Numbers 6:10-11 )?