We only have two chapters today, but one is pretty long. Leviticus 14-15 focus again on that topic of cleanliness.
Cleaning up
Yesterday we looked at what makes us unclean. These two chapters contain an extensive discussion of bodily emissions.
While there is plenty to discuss in that area, what kept coming to my mind was the length and depth of what the Israelites had to do to become clean.
Most of us today give little thought to this area.
Because of Covid, some people have become germaphobic. I believe that a slightly less sterile environment is beneficial. God designed your body to have a healthy immune system.
We never have antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers. Many studies recommend their use, but I have found others who claim they lower our immunity. I’m not a scientist or medical professional. But common sense tells me if you don’t use something, it atrophies. It applies to everything else in the human body. Why not the immune system?
Even the Food and Drug Administration recommends skipping the antibacterial soap and using plain soap and water. (1)
I am fastidious about washing my hands throughout the day. I type on a keyboard all day and would not want to have an accumulation of filth. But, I wash with soap and water, and not the antibacterial kind.
Once a year I might catch a cold, but I work around small children at church so the risk is always there. My wife, who is always around children, has only gotten sick about two times in the last thirty-two years. She can sleep next to me when I am ill, and remain healthy.
Spiritual cleanliness
Those are things people do to stay physically clean. But what do you do to stay clean spiritually?
Yesterday we discussed not letting impure images, words, or thoughts into our hearts and minds.
Looking at the verses today about becoming ceremonial clean, I had to contemplate what we do to cleanse ourselves once the filth is already in.
I get a lot of disgusting spam on social media. Social media is used to promote my book and this website. When I get a response, I open it to see if it is someone reaching out with a prayer request or inquiry about joining us.
I see things I have no interest in seeing before I can stop the images from appearing.
What then? I can’t unsee it, so how do I remove it? My sites have a delete button, but what about my mind?
Clean thoughts
The only remedy I have found is Philippians 4:8. My focus is on all the good things the Lord has done for me. Then I think about the love I have and the love I am shown by my brothers and sisters in Christ. By focusing on what God is doing right now in America and the world, I can avoid those other thoughts.
Changing my focus to Jesus and everything about Him means those other things have no soil to plant themselves in my mind.
Idle hands are the devil’s playground, so I find activities, like writing a sermon, helping in a ministry, or reading my Bible. I can’t find time to indulge in those distractions, so they soon fade away.
You need to build spiritual muscle to counter the forces which will try to weaken you.
I would love to hear from my readers. What steps do you take to cleanse yourself when spiritually defiled?
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(https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/skip-antibacterial-soap-use-plain-soap-and-water#)
Tomorrow we read Leviticus 16-19
