Read Leviticus 11 -- 13
In Today's Reading:
There is a very special "secret" in today's reading - it is the one underlying element God accepts to cleanse sin. It is important that you find it!
Verses for Today:
The leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be torn, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days which the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; outside the camp (Leviticus 13:45-46).
Highlights:
Health and dietary laws; the cleansing (purification) of women after childbirth; signs of and laws concerning leprosy.
The word leper struck terror in the heart of an Israelite for two reasons. First, the person who had leprosy became an outcast from society. He was forced to leave his home, family, friends, and place of worship and live outside the camp. If anyone went near him, the leper had to cry out: Unclean, unclean. But perhaps the most horrifying reason leprosy was so feared was that there was no known cure. It meant isolation until death.
When leprosy first appears, it seems harmless -- just a small, white or pink spot on the skin. And, in its earliest stages, it is totally painless. But, as leprosy progresses, the flesh develops offensive running sores. Eventually, the nose is totally eaten away, the fingers fall from the hands, and the toes fall from the feet, leaving stubs of raw flesh without feeling.
Leprosy is symbolic of the horribleness of sin. Because of this, the leper was separated from the place of sacrifice and worship -- at the Tabernacle, and later the Temple where God dwelt -- which illustrates how sin destroys our fellowship with God. As one continues in sin, the heart becomes hardened and, eventually, the Lord's judgment is inevitable. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed. . . . In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
Don't blame God for the wickedness and miseries all around you; blame Satan, the one who brought all sin and death into the world. Christ is the revelation of our loving Heavenly Father who desires to impart eternal life and cleansing from sin for all who repent and receive Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ (3:5).
A Thought from Proverbs: The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covers the mouth of the wicked (10:11).
Christ Revealed:
Through the clean food of the believer (Leviticus 11:47). Our Lord is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), supplies living water (4:14), and to do His Father's will was His meat (food) (4:34).
Word Studies:
11:3 clovenfooted = hoof parted into two distinct hooves; 11:5 coney = rock badger; 11:10 abomination = defiled, unclean, detestable to God; 11:13 ossifrage = vulture; 11:19 lapwing = an unclean bird; 11:35 ranges for pots = hearth; 13:2 rising = swelling; 13:3 plague in the skin of the flesh = infection; 13:4 shut him up = isolate; 13:39 freckled spot = scaly white spot; 13:48 warp or woof = the yarn prepared to be woven or knitted; 13:51 fretting = spreading.
Prayer Needs:
Government Official: Gov. Charles Turnbull (Vairgin Islands) · Pray for your Pastor · Country: Senegal (10 million) in western Africa · Major language: French · Religious freedom · 92% Muslim; 4% animism and ancestor worship; 3% Roman Catholic; .1% Protestant · Prayer Suggestion: Pray that God will keep you from speaking evil (Psalms 34:13).
Optional Reading: Mark 8
Memory Verse for the Week: Matthew 5:8