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LEVIT IC U S 1 6
until evening. 23 This includes her bed or any
other object she has sat on; you will be unclean
until evening if you touch it. 24 If a man has sexual intercourse with her and her blood touches
him, her menstrual impurity will be transmitted
to him. He will remain unclean for seven days,
and any bed on which he lies will be unclean.
25 “If a woman has a flow of blood for many
days that is unrelated to her menstrual period,
or if the blood continues beyond the normal
period, she is ceremonially unclean. As during her menstrual period, the woman will be
unclean as long as the discharge continues.
26 Any bed she lies on and any object she sits on
during that time will be unclean, just as during her normal menstrual period. 27 If any of you
touch these things, you will be ceremonially unclean. You must wash your clothes and bathe
yourself in water, and you will remain unclean
until evening.
28 “When the woman’s bleeding stops, she
must count off seven days. Then she will be ceremonially clean. 29 On the eighth day she must
bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons
and present them to the priest at the entrance
of the Tabernacle. 30 The priest will offer one for
a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify
• Worship
LE V IT IC U S 1 5 :3 1 -3 3
What can we learn about worship from
this chapter? Worship is recognizing
who God is and who we are in relation
to him. When it dawns on us how great
this gulf is between God and people,
we understand how unworthy we are
to approach him in worship, and how
important it is to have our hearts as
prepared as possible to fellowship with
our perfect and holy God. All of these
instructions about approaching the
Tabernacle are designed to demonstrate
that we can’t have a casual approach
to God. To be willfully sinning with the
left hand while worshiping with the right
makes a mockery of God’s holy nature.
Even to be sinning and not realize it is
still inappropriate in the presence of God.
These detailed regulations for everyday
life in Israel teach us that we too should
be in tune with whether our actions and
convictions are consistent with God’s
requirements for holy living so that we
can enter his presence prepared to
give him the honor and praise that he
deserves.
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her before the Lord for the ceremonial impurity
caused by her bleeding.
31 “This is how you will guard the people of
Israel from ceremonial uncleanness. Otherwise
they would die, for their impurity would defile
my Tabernacle that stands among them. 32 These
are the instructions for dealing with anyone who
has a bodily discharge—a man who is unclean
because of an emission of semen 33 or a woman
during her menstrual period. It applies to any
man or woman who has a bodily discharge,
and to a man who has sexual intercourse with a
woman who is ceremonially unclean.”
The Day of Atonement
The Lord spoke to Moses after the death
of Aaron’s two sons, who died after they
entered the Lord’s presence and burned the
wrong kind of fire before him. 2 The Lord said to
Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter
the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain
whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die.
For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—
is there, and I myself am present in the cloud
above the atonement cover.
3 “When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he
must follow these instructions fully. He must
bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram
for a burnt offering. 4 He must put on his linen
tunic and the linen undergarments worn next
to his body. He must tie the linen sash around
his waist and put the linen turban on his head.
These are sacred garments, so he must bathe
himself in water before he puts them on. 5 Aaron
must take from the community of Israel two
male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a
burnt offering.
6 “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making
them right with the Lord.* 7 Then he must take
the two male goats and present them to the
Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle.* 8 He
is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat
will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and
which will carry the sins of the people to the
wilderness of Azazel. 9 Aaron will then present
as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the
Lord. 10 The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by
lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing
before the Lord. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified
and made right with the Lord.*
11 “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making
them right with the Lord. After he has slaughtered the bull as a sin offering, 12 he will fill an
incense burner with burning coals from the
altar that stands before the Lord. Then he will
16
16:6 Or to make atonement for himself and his family; similarly
in 16:11, 17b, 24, 34. 16:7 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 16:16,
17, 20, 23, 33. 16:10 Or wilderness, it will make atonement for
the people.