Unclean! Unclean!

God gave specific instruction concerning leprosy, the issue of the blood or the issue of the flesh and how to treat them.  The priest was to declare the person unclean and set them apart from the camp.  Just as they were set apart by their disease, we are set apart from God by our disease: Sin.  As anyone approached them, they were required to shout out, “Unclean, unclean” declaring their disease so that anyone approaching could prevent themselves from becoming defiled by the disease.  Today we have a conscious that declares to us, “unclean, unclean” when we approach wickedness.  God has always made a way of escape; it’s just that sometimes we choose to defile ourselves.  Once they were declared clean by the priest, they were to wash their clothes and shave off all their hair and wash themselves in water for cleansing.  We too have a cleansing:  the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the righteous.  Once they were allowed to enter the camp they were to tarry abroad and not enter into their tent for seven days.  We too must not enter into the Holy place of prayer until we have made ourselves sanctified, not just saved.  On the eighth day, they were to make sacrifices unto the Lord.  God told them exactly what to sacrifice, how the sacrifice was to be performed.  God also made provision for the poor person to give an offering to the Lord.  They were able to give less and follow the same ritual.  This makes me think of us here today.  Before we are saved, we are like the lepers:  unclean.  We live outside of God’s love and blessing but once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness and welcomes us into his family.  After we are saved, we should bring our offerings to Him; not just money but our time, our talents and our love.  I am reminded of Romans 12:1-2.  We should work for Him so that others may come to know Him and to accept Him as we did.  I am so thankful we are under grace and not under the law.  It would’ve been very difficult to live with all the rules they were under.