Day 52

Leviticus 11:1–12:8; Mark 5:21-43; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 10:8-9

IN THE BOOK of Leviticus today, we learned of clean and unclean animals, as well as the rite of purification after childbirth. Although we can see a sense of logic in what is edible and what has no use justifying to humans, it’s easy enough to get lost as to the purpose of including these details in the Bible.

Let’s look a little closer. Perhaps we have differing opinions about what kind of animals we will (or will not) eat, depending on where we are on the planet. Regardless, clean and unclean things still exist. The principle God was weaving into the culture of the children of Israel —what was clean and what was unclean —is no less applicable today, because it was intended to outwardly represent what was also happening in people’s hearts.

There are things we know are clean and others that are unclean, whether behaviors, compulsions, activities, or contemplations. The fact that our reading in Leviticus represents an ancient custom has no bearing on the deeper realities. What Leviticus brought us today was an opportunity to consider how clean we really are. How much of the unclean have we been consuming or participating in?

Maybe we no longer need to be ritually pure. But we are supposed to be pure. Perhaps considering the unclean things we put into our bodies could also guide us to consider the unclean things we put into our hearts.

PRAYER:

Do not abandon me, O LORD. Do not stand at a distance, my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.