Saturday, February 20- Pamela

Today's readings from the One Year Chronological Reading Plan are Leviticus 12:1-14:32.

Leviticus Chapter 12 speaks about purification after childbirth. We are not told exactly why the period of ceremonial uncleanness was twice as long when a woman gave birth to a daughter (80 days) compared to when she gave birth to a son (40 days).

I found this commentary here about a woman's total isolation immediately after childbirth:

It seems apparent that God gave the Jews a heads-up on a disease that claimed the lives of as many as 20% of all women who bore children prior to the 19th century; this disease was called "childbed fever" back then, and today is known as "puerperal fever." It was observed that women who were isolated from others (i.e. home deliveries) rarely were infected, but women who went to a hospital for delivery had the highest incident of death from this disease. After extended research in the 19th century by the Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Semmelweiz, on the disease, he was able to determine that it was the contact with others after childbirth that caused the women to contract an infection which was often fatal. He discovered that the use of soap and water was not sufficient to remove dangerous bacteria from the hands of hospital staff caring for these women after childbirth. The greater the contact of these new mothers with people, the greater likelihood they had of contracting this disease. The extended period of ceremonial uncleanness for the women after the 7 or 14 days of total isolation was probably as much for the benefit of the child as for the mother. During this extended period her contact with others in public places was significantly reduced, even though she was not totally isolated.
This disease, puerperal fever, still exists today, though uncommon due to the use of anti-bacterial soaps and gloves. However, millennia before the use of special soaps and gloves, God knew that the best way to protect moms and babies was to just keep them isolated for several days after childbirth. It is ironic that in order to do so, the women were declared to be "unclean" and not the actual unclean people. Whatever...the moms were protected.

I also thought it was interesting that the commentary also added this:

At the end of the purification days, she brought a sacrifice to the priest to complete her cleansing process. The offering was to be a lamb, or in the case of those who were poor, two "turtles" (aka turtledoves aka doves) or two pigeons. Incidentally, we see in Luke 2:24 that Joseph and Mary brought birds to sacrifice after the birth of Jesus instead of a lamb. This speaks to the fact that Joseph and Mary were not people of wealth.

Chapter 13 speaks indepth about contagious diseases, or more specifically, the containment of them.

Until reading this commentary, it had never really occured to me as I struggled through reading Leviticus last year the enourmous job that the priests had. Can you imagine? I thought this commentary summed it up nicely:

On top of everything else the priests had to do, they also served as health inspectors... Yes, that's right; the priests were responsible for protecting the Israelites from the contagious spreading of leprosy. In this chapter, directions are given on how the priest is to do just that. These detailed descriptions of oozing skin disorders might just take away your appetite. By the way, our word "leprosy" comes from a Greek word "lepra" which means a scaliness. The descriptions in Leviticus 13 may include more contagious skin ailments than just our modern formal definition for leprosy, but "leprosy" is the most descriptive word we have in English for the assortment of skin maladies being described in this passage. Really, any skin abnormality was tested by the priest, and those with perceived contagious skin diseases were quarantined.

Being "health inspectors" could not have been a very enjoyable job. It was a certainly needed to make sure disease did not spread, but it could not have been fun to have people lining up to show you all of their skin conditions. I also think of the weight of responsiblity that accompanied such a position. If they were wrong about their diagnosis, it could have fatal consequences. I wonder if all of the people who came to see the priests had easy symptoms or were their cases that a priest had to just make a judgement. Did priests err on on the side of caution and quarantine people or did they occasionally misdiagnose?

I also think about the punishment (is that the right word?) of the people declared unclean.

Leviticus 13: 45-46

"The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'. As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp."

The person is totally cut off and forced to announce themselves to keep others away. I understand the reason but I feel bad for the people who found themselves in that situation.

This commentary likens the isolation of those with infectious diseases to our own isolation from God by our sin:

When the priest had pronounced the leper unclean, it put a stop to his business in the world, cut him off from his friends and relations, and ruined all the comfort he could have in the world. He must humble himself under the mighty hand of God, not insisting upon his cleanness, when the priest had pronounced him unclean, but accepting the punishment. Thus must we take to ourselves the shame that belongs to us, and with broken hearts call ourselves "Unclean, unclean;" heart unclean, life unclean; unclean by original corruption, unclean by actual transgression; unclean, therefore deserving to be for ever shut out from communion with God, and all hope of happiness in him; unclean, therefore undone, if infinite mercy do not interpose.

In Chapter 14, the instructions are shared about cleansing from infectious diseases. It sure seemed to take extreme measures to purify someone, but considering the alternative (letting someone back into the community and possible spread it to everyone there) it is easier to understand the strict process. I found this commentary that compared the purification process to our own journey to rid sin from our lives.

The leprosy in a house is unaccountable to us, as well as the leprosy in a garment; but now sin, where that reigns in a house, is a plague there, as it is in a heart. Masters of families should be aware, and afraid of the first appearance of sin in their families, and put it away, whatever it is. If the leprosy is got into the house, the infected part must be taken out. If it remain in the house, the whole must be pulled down. The owner had better be without a dwelling, than live in one that was infected. The leprosy of sin ruins families and churches. Thus sin is so interwoven with the human body, that it must be taken down by death.

Think about that last part for a minute... The owner had better be without a dwelling, than live in one that was infected. The leprosy of sin ruins families and churches. Thus sin is so interwoven with the human body, that it must be taken down by death. What do you think?

Tomorrow's readings are Leviticus 14:33-16:34 .