Lesson #16

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Leviticus

September 21, 2015

Introduction

May 13, 2010

Leviticus Lesson #02

May 13, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

LEVITICUS 15
Lesson #16
HIDDEN DEPRAVITY

• Memory Verse: Gen 6:5
• We have studied two chapters that are concerned with leprosy. We have seen that leprosy is symbolic for sin.
• Lev 15 deals with a more insidious form of leprosy, running sores.
  • This is the darkest, most vile chapter concerning the sins of man.
    • What is the meaning of the word “depravity”?
    • The word “depravity” means = lacking all moral holiness and possessing a wicked and corrupt nature.
  • The usual forms of leprosy could not be hidden for long until everyone could see the marks on the skin, the rotting of the flesh, or the disappearance of body parts.
  • The situation with sores running with pus is that this condition could be hidden from view.
    • Therefore, running sores represent the deepest depravity of man’s heart, the vilest of human sins.
    • These sins are represented and culminated in the filth of sexual immorality and their subsequent sexual diseases.
  • While all who study this lesson may be believers in Jesus Christ, we are all human and part of the human family.
    • Therefore, we must study even the worst of man’s sinful condition in order to gain God’s viewpoint, especially when society leans more toward accepting these sins and practices as normal.
    • Isa 64:6a says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” We will RETURN at the end of our lesson to this scripture to see why God uses these words to describe man’s sinful condition.
• Read Lev 15:1-15 Life in the home
  • The instruction for leprosy was given to Moses, but the instruction for running sores was given to both Moses and Aaron (1).
    • Aaron was the first high priest. He is a prefigure of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest.
    • Jesus was tempted in all points as we are so as to identify himself with sinful man. (Heb 4:14-15)
      • Even though Jesus was tempted to sin, he was not touched by sin. He remained without sin.
      • Even though he took our sins on himself on the cross, our sins did not defile His deity.
  • Read Mat 15:18-20
  • Read Rom 7:18
    • The sins of the heart may or may not come to the surface so that all can see them. Some people are very good at keeping their sins hidden.
    • There are many people that say they live a good life or that their neighbor lives a good life, “How could a loving God condemn that person to an eternal hell?
    • It is because man does not see the human heart as God sees it. That is the problem. If we could see the heart as God sees it, we would not need to ask that question.
      • We do not have God’s perspective, and that is why we study the book of Leviticus.
      • Man sees only the outward actions, while God sees the depths of man’s heart; the inner depravity of a heart void of holiness and controlled by every lust known to man.
  • This passage of Lev 15:1-15 deals with conduct and contamination in the home.
    • It is the home that is the breeding ground for sin.
    • Parents model sins for their children. Even the very best of parents train their children in patterns of sin. How?
      • By modeling to our children our value system of what is important in life.
        • The believer in Christ models his value system by how he spends his money.
        • The believer in Christ models his value system by how he spends his free time, what he watches on television and what he listens to in music.
      • By excusing and rationalizing our own behavior before our children.
        • When children do not see a parent pray, they do not see the value of communication with God.
        • When children do not see a parent ask for forgiveness, they do not see the importance of forgiveness.
          • Read Psa 32:5
          • Read 1Joh 1:9
• Lev 15:16-33 deals with sexual matters
  • Sexual sins and sexual diseases are often secret sins successfully hidden for a time.
    • Venereal diseases are at an epidemic level in modern society, but they are hidden.
    • Television ads and modern psychology that excuse sex outside of marriage do not tell us the dangers and consequences of these so-called modern practices.
  • In the grand scheme of life, there is a spiritual principle of life that we must understand. We find this principle exemplified in Rom 1:20-32.
    • Read Rom 1:20-32 The progression of depravity.
      • Notice that man starts out knowing that there is a God (Rom 1:20-21).
      • If man does not recognize and honor God, foolishly he will fill that empty spiritual void that exists inside of man with the worship of something else. (Rom 1:23)
      • Read Psa 14:1
      • In man’s foolishness, he hardens his heart toward God, and here is where the downward spiral to depravity begins. (Rom 1:22)
      • When God is not in control of man’s life, the sin nature within man gains control.
      • The downward progression of sin eventually leads to sexual sins. (Rom 1:24, 26)
        • These sexual sins begin in the fantasy of the mind.
        • These sexual sins eventually are acted out in the lust of the flesh.
      • Idolatry is only one milestone on this downward spiral of depravity.
        • History and archaeology are littered with dead societies given to all manner of sexual sins.
        • For example, the Greeks worshipped the human body instead of God. Their art and their sexual practices undermined the family and eventually all of society. Paul wrote the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians to Christians living in this depraved society.
    • What is the spiritual principle in two parts?
      • =1= MAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS A DETERRENT TO THE SIN THAT SPRINGS FROM THE SIN NATURE.
      • =2= MAN’S SIN NATURE LEFT UNHINDERED WILL EVENUTALLY RESULT IN VILE SEXUAL SINS.
    • The end result of this downward spiral of depravity is what we see in Romans.
    • The Law that God gives to His people in Leviticus is to prevent his people from starting on this slippery slope of depravity.
      • When the Israelites entered the Promised Land under Joshua, the inhabitants of the land had fallen to all manner of sexual sins and suffered from an epidemic of sexual diseases according to evidence in archaeology.
      • When we see these sexual sins run rampant through society, and society embraces them as normal, acceptable, or excusable, we can know that society has foolishly put aside the worship of the Holy God, Jehovah.
  • Now that we understand the principle, we can understand God’s Law in Leviticus that was to protect His people from this depravity.
    • The definition of specific words and phrases:
      • The word “copulation” means = to join together in couples. The word has come to mean sexual intercourse.

• The phrase “times of a woman’s separation” (25) means = a woman’s monthly flow of blood.

• The phrase “sick of her flowers” (33) means = another name for a woman’s monthly flow of blood.

• Venereal diseases that are like a constant running sore: (16-18)
  • God created sex between husband and wife to provide a way of procreation.
  • Therefore, sex between a husband and his wife is sacred.
    • Through the Law of Leviticus, God gave His people this provision to protect the process of procreation.
    • His people must guard the process to keep it clean and pure.
• Lev 15:19-24 A woman’s monthly menstrual period made her unclean for seven days.
  • In the Old Testament law, a woman had to separate herself from her family and live outside of the camp for those seven days because she was considered “unclean”.
  • While this may seem harsh today in this age of grace, it had a purpose.
    • What was the purpose?
    • It reminded God’s people that through the shedding of blood there was the remission of sin.
      • However, it is not by the shedding of any blood, and in this case specifically, the woman’s blood, but by the blood of Christ is sin finally totally removed and forgiven.
      • A woman could only bring a sinner into the world through the normal processes of her body.
      • The one exception was when Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that forgiveness of sin came to all men.
• Lev 15:25-29 An abnormal issue of blood.
  • In the New Testament we have a woman that had this condition and came to Jesus in a crowd of people.
    • According to the Law of Moses she was supposed to stay away from crowds and walk through the streets declaring that she was unclean.
    • This was obviously one of these hidden sins of depravity that we see here in Leviticus.
  • Read Luk 8:43-48 The woman with an issue of blood
    • This woman had been ill with this sickness for 12 years.
    • She was ashamed when Jesus called attention to her because she was in violation of the Law.
    • However, Jesus healed her because of her faith which tells us that faith transcends the Law of Moses.
    • Jesus Christ is the fountain of blood that cleanses man from all sins, even the sins of a depraved heart.
• The cleansing remedy for any of these matters:
  • Personal hygiene and physical cleanliness were required.
  • A sin offering and a burnt offering were required. (14-15, 29-30)
  • Notice the religious offering was done on the eighth day, the number of new beginnings.

• Applicaion:
  • Isa 64:6a says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…”
    • Isaiah gives us God’s viewpoint of man’s sinful condition as explained in Lev 15.
    • The words, “filthy rags” are not just any dirty rags that you used to clean your house.
    • The words, “filthy rags” are specific cloths that were used for a woman’s monthly menstrual period.
  • According to Leviticus 15 these were “unclean” and had to be dealt with properly under the Law of Moses.
    • Notice that cleansing is by water and by blood.
      • Cleansing by water is mentioned in 13 verses of Lev 15.
      • Cleansing by blood sacrifice is mentioned in 2 verses of Lev 15.
      • For the New Testament believer, we are cleansed in the same way:
        • By the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
        • By the washing of the water of the Word of God. (Eph 5:26)
  • According to Leviticus 15 our sins as filthy rags represent the deepest depravity of man’s sinful nature.
    • This condition of deep depravity is how God sees sinful man.
    • It is while we were in this condition of depravity that Jesus Christ came and died for us. God reached down and picked us up out of the filth of the gutter to give us a hug, to purchase us as something valuable, and to cleanse us for all eternity.
    • A society that forgets God will embark on this slippery slope of immorality and depravity.

HOMEWORK
Leviticus 16
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Lev 15
  • What new appreciation do you now have of what Jesus Christ did for us while we were yet sinners?

• The Lord wants His New Testament people to be free from hidden sins. If the Lord convicts you of any specific sin, repent, turn in the opposite direction, and ask God to forgive you. (1Joh 1:9)

• Preparation for Lev 16
  • Read Lev 16:1-34
    • Look up in a dictionary the meaning of the word, “scapegoat”.

• How does this word relate to Jesus Christ?

• Memory Verse: Rom 5:11