The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 271

Mark. vii, 20-23; Jas. i. 21). (3) Or if the blood, which is the life, flow away from the body, that also is a fitting emblem of sin which is spiritual death. Therefore the woman who has an issue of blood is accounted unclean, as being in that condition in which the atreams of the fountain of life are diverted from their uses of health and nourishment. Those who reject the life-giving efficacy of the gospel are morally dead, and must, if they remain so, rot in their iniquities (see Lam. i. 9, 17; Ezek. xxxvi. 17). 3. The Law enjoined the separation of the -unclean. (1) They must not come into the tabernacle. They are unfit to stand in God's presence or to mingle with his people. They must not eat of the holy things. 'l'hey are in no moral condition to hold fellow- ship with God and his Church (see Ps. xxiv. 4; Matt. v. 8). (2) They have to remove outside the camp, like the leper (see Numb. v. 2, 3). There they must remain until they are healed and cleansed. (3) They transgress these bounds at their peril. They may be stoned to death by the people, or God himself may deal with them (ver. 31; Exod. xix. 12, 13). The profane under the gospel have a "much sorer punishment" (see Heb. x. 26--31). II. THEY RENDERED UNCLEAN WHATEVER THEY TOUCHED. 1. This trignified the contagion of sin. (1) Persons were rendered unclean by contact with them (vers. 7, 19, 26). We cannot have fellowship with sin and with God (1 Cor. v. 11; xv. 33; 2 Cor. vi. 15-18; Eph. iv. 29; Jas. iv. 4). (2) Things touched by them were also rendered unclean. The bed, the chair, the saddle, etc. (vers. 4, 12, 20). These things may represent men in their properties or attributes, or in their usages, which are all damaged by the influence of sin (1 Thess. iv. 4). (3) Those who touched things rendered unclean by contact,'also became unclean (vers. 5, 6, 21-23). What a picture of the spreading power of evil example I How careful should we be to save ourselves from the untoward generation I 2. Even when cured they must be cleansed. (1) Genuine repentance may cure sinful habits, but does not cancel gL1ilt nor purify from sin. The utmost it could do is to prevent accumulations of guilt; the old score remains to be dealt with. It does not touch the depravity of the heart (see Matt. xxiii. 25). (2) Time is given to test the cure. ,vhere the disease was rooted, " seven days" of quarantine were required (see vers. 13, 24, 28). The repentance of a moment after a life of evil habits may prove illusive. (3) Where no disease existed, but uncleanness was contracted by contact, the quarantine was "until the even." The time here indicated was that of the evening sacrifice, which pointed significantly to the evening of the Jewish day, otherwise called the" end of thti world" or age, viz. when Jesns "appeared to put away sin [sacrifices] by the sacrifice of himself," and remove ritual obligations. 3. Observe the ceremonies of cleansing. (1) Some who were made clean by contact had to wash their hands (ver. 11; comp. Luke xi. 38-41). 'l'his was when they were pa.~sive when the contact was inflicted. Ilut if they neglected to rinse their hands, then they were as though they were active, so they had to w11sh their flesh 11nd their clothes, and be unclean until the even. No special sacrifices were prescribed. They availed themselves of the daily sacrifice ever on the altar. So in our contact with the moral filth of this world, which is often unavoidable, we have the fountain of the house of David ever flowing, to enable us, almost without an interruption, to walk in the light (see 2 Cor. vii. 1; 1 John i. 7; comp. John xiii. 10). (2) The person healed of an issue had to bathe his flesh and wash his clothes on the seventh day, when be became" clean." So far he cleansed himsel/. Tho ~pirit of the Law was fulfilled thus far if he put away all bis evil ways (see Isa. i. 16; Matt. xv. 20; Jas. iv. 8). He was clean so far as repentance could make him so, which was e-xternally only, or before his fellow-men. (3) He still needed the removal of sin from his soul. He had, therefore, now on the eighth day, to bring bis sin offering and burnt offerin~, that with these the priest should "make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue" (vers. 14, 15, 29, 30). Christ is the Healer and Cleanser (comp. Matt. viii.16, 17, with Isa. liii, 4, 6).----J. .A. M. Vera. 1-33.-Personal purity. It is not permissible to treat this chapter in any detail; to do so would be to act inconsistently with the very object of the legislation, viz., the encouragement of all delicacy of thought as well as propriety of conduct. But the fact that such a chapter as this (with others like it) is found in Scripture ls suggestive and instructive. We gather- 236 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [ea :n1. 1-34.