Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20080220.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Leviticus: Fellowship With A Holy God
Part III: Acceptable Living Before A Holy God, Leviticus 11:1-27:34
D. The Believer's Upright Response To Depravity And Secret Sins
(Leviticus 15:1-33)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the most difficult but important steps a believer must take in his walk is to face and handle his own private depravity and secret sins. Often, to be at ease, he tries to hide this from others or to deny it.
    2. However, private depravity and secret sins must be faced and overcome if we are to fellowship with a holy God, and they can be overcome in God's grace resulting in God's peace as Leviticus 15:1-33 reveals:
  2. The Believer's Upright Response To Depravity And Secret Sins, Leviticus 15:1-33.
    1. The cases of uncleanness in Leviticus 15 most likely deal with discharges from human reproductive organs (cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 194).
    2. The subject material is arranged in a figure of speech known as a chiasmus, an "a,b,b',a'" arrangement: (a) male chronic discharges are discussed in Lev. 15:1-15, followed by (b) male periodic discharges in Lev. 15:16-18, followed by (b') female periodic discharges in Leviticus 15:19-24 followed in turn by (a') female chronic discharges in Lev. 15:25-30, Ibid., p. 194-195. This figure of speech "is by far the most stately and dignified presentation of a subject; and is always used in the most solemn and important portions of Scripture," cf. E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used In The Bible, 1968, p. 374.
    3. As such, for the sake of decency, in noting the great importance of the topics involved, this lesson presents the broad application of depravity and secret sins without delving into the specifics (as follows):
      1. Under the Mosaic Law, chronic, unhealthy discharges described in Leviticus 15:1-15, 24-30 were caused by diseases arising from God's judgment on sinful conduct, Deuteronomy 28:15, 21.
      2. On the other hand, natural periodic discharges for men and women were not judgment for personal acts of sin, for either the man or the woman would be ceremonially unclean after such a discharge, and merely had to "wash-and-wait" before returning to group fellowship, Lev. 15:16-18, 19-24. Such normal discharges typologically reveal that sinful depravity is passed from one generation to the next by human reproduction, so it must be handled via salvation by faith in Christ, Rom. 3:23; Jn. 3:16.
      3. Yet, in cases where a sinful act led to God's discipline of chronic discharges from one's reproductive organs, besides the "wash-and-wait" requirements (Lev. 15:13, 25-27), he had to sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, Lev. 15:14-15, 29-30. This fact teaches that the guilty needs forgiveness (sin offering) and rededication (burnt offering) to God.
      4. The fact that this chronic condition could go unnoticed unless reported by the afflicted typologically indicates that, under the Law, it was God's judgment for a secret act of sin, J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, vol. I, p. 393. Fitting the thrust of modesty in handling secret sinful acts, the "least expensive offering" of small birds was required for atonement, Ibid., Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 195.
      5. However, even secret sins were intolerable to God, and had to be faced and handled, Lev. 15:31-33.
      6. [This explains the experience of the woman with the chronic reproductive discharge in Mark 5:25-34: when she touched the hem of Jesus' garment, she was not only made whole, but was noted by Jesus to have been cleansed by Him, meaning He knew all about her condition and her secret sin that had led to it! Yet, when Jesus revealed she had been healed, she came trembling and told everyone all about her state! Jesus responded kindly, using the term "Daughter," a "friendly greeting to girls or women" (Arndt & Ging., A Grk.-Engl. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 365), telling her that her faith had made her whole, and that she was to go in peace! What a hope for those who have failed in the realm of secret sins -- our Lord graciously gives immense forgiveness and peace over these sins through faith in Him!
Lesson: We must realize that we are depraved sinners at conception, and are capable of depraved secret sinful acts. However, these acts can be fully overcome in God's great GRACE and resulting PEACE!

Application: May we FACE and TRIUMPH over our depravity and even secret sinful acts by God's GRACE, confessing them to God to find His full forgiveness and resulting great peace!