Leviticus 15:25, The Plague of Uncleanness Spreads!

Posted on Monday, November 5, 2012 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

//This matter of separating the clean from the unclean is a serious thing! A woman during her period is naturally unclean, but if the blood flow continues after the normal time of her period, she remains unclean. She cannot be touched. If she touches anything, then what she touches cannot be touched. Anyone who touches anything she touches likewise becomes unclean, and like a plague, uncleanness inadvertently begins spreading through the camp. The possibility for an outbreak of uncleanness becomes a serious threat.

One time, the plague threatened to get out of control. Consider these verses in Luke chapter 8:

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak …”Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

This poor woman had an “issue of blood” (the KJV wording) for twelve years! She remained perpetually unclean! Here she touches Jesus and turns him unclean, and everybody is jostling up against Jesus. Can you imagine the crowd panic when it’s discovered that a seed of uncleanness had been planted? Is there any chance of getting this plague under control?

Piece of cake. Turns out that a little human contact doesn’t start a plague, it just heals the one who is suffering. Probably, this was Jesus’ most important lesson of the day.