Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20001025.htm

LEVITICUS: GOD'S CALL FOR A SEPARATED WITNESS
Part II: The Path Of Walking In Fellowship With God (Leviticus 11-27)
D. God's Revelation Of Handling Private Sins
(Leviticus 15:1-33)
  1. Introduction
    1. When sin is performed in a public way, the people of God usually know enough to see it must be treated with spiritual confession, restoration, etc. or with discipline if the party who sins remains rebellious.
    2. However, sins of a private nature not readily observed by others can often be "swept under the rug".
    3. Yet, all sin in God's view must be faced and handled for one to maintain a truly holy walk with God, and Leviticus 15:1-33 in its context of the dispensation of the Mosaic Law reveals as much:
  2. God's Revelation Of Handling Private Sins, Leviticus 15:1-33.
    1. As we did in studying Leviticus 13-14 on serious physical diseases, we must recall that such ailments for people under the Law indicated personal sin behind them, Deut. 28:15, 21-22; Exodus 15:26.
    2. We thus apply the instructions of Leviticus 15 for TODAY regarding sins of a private or personal nature for appropriate lessons in our dispensation as Romans 15:4 teaches (as follows):
      1. At times, an adult male suffered a "chronic discharge" generally from the sexual organs, and this meant his sin of a sexual nature had to be dealt with before God as follows: (Lev. 15:1-15, cf. McGee, Thru The Bible, vol. I, p. 392-393; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 194-195)
        1. As this discharge was "probably gonorrhea" (Ibid., p. 194), the man was considered ceremonially unclean as other people or objects he contacted could spread the disease.
        2. Accordingly, objects he contacted were ceremonially unclean for others, especially those upon which he rested or sat, Leviticus 15:2-10.
        3. Though the man was not to be isolated outside the camp, his separation was nevertheless public enough that others knew of his problem, and were to separate from him during his issue, 15:10-11.
        4. When he was cleansed (due to confession under the dispensation of the Law), he was to make an offering following a seven-day waiting period and subsequent washings of his body and clothes, 15:13-15. Thus, confession of sin and turning from it were necessary for reunification of fellowship with others on a personal level!
      2. At other times, an adult male experienced a natural discharge of semen, and though this did not indicate a sin itself, it was to be treated with solemnity due to the spread of original sin via procreation:
        1. In the case of a discharge of semen, whether during nocturnal emission or during marital intercourse, an adult male in the nation of Israel was required simply to wash and wait until evening before being able to be involved in ritually holy gatherings, etc., Lev. 15:16-17.
        2. The man's wife involved in such an emission during intercourse also was likewise unclean until evening, and had to bath herself as did her husband, Leviticus 15:18.
        3. Since no sacrifice was required here, such copulation or nocturnal emission was not seen as sin itself, but these rites revealed the spread of original sin via procreation as a solemn reminder to all.
      3. At times, an adult female suffered a natural, periodic discharge from the sexual organs in menstruation, and this was to be treated not as sin, but with ceremonial separation for seven days during the flow, 15:19-24. However, no sacrifice was required, meaning this separation was again a solemn reminder of the spread of sin via procreation to the newborn infants.
      4. At other times, an adult female experienced a "chronic discharge" generally from the sexual organs, and this required extensive separation for her followed by a two-bird sacrifice for sin, Lev. 15:25-30.
Lesson: (1) Though NORMAL uses of the sexual organs in marriage were NOT SIN, God wanted His people to realize their POTENTIAL for ruinous abuse, and that their use to procreate spread original sin around with their offspring. Hence, PRIVATE matters are to be just as subject to God's holiness as public ones! (2) Sexually errant deeds or thoughts (cf. Mtt. 5:27-28) needed to be confessed to God lest they spread to pollute others. They are to be taken seriously as are open, public sins!

Application: Even our PRIVATE lives are IMPORTANT, and must involve holiness before the Lord!