Distinguishing Clean and Unclean

Rev. Jason Schockman, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc, WI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Leviticus 11:1-12:8. In the wake of the death of Nadab and Abihu, the LORD makes plain the distinction between clean and unclean. He starts with the matter of Israelite diet. That which is sacrificed at the LORD’s altar makes the difference. That food which is fit for the LORD’s table is fit for tables in Israelite homes; that food which does not have a place on the LORD’s table should not be set on Israelite tables either. The purification of a mother after childbirth points forward to our LORD’s presentation at the temple, when He fulfilled the Law in our place and was proclaimed a light for the nations. “The Holiness of God” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Leviticus. Because God desired to dwell among His sinful people for their blessing rather than their destruction, He gave them the sacrifices and regulations of Leviticus to bestow His holiness upon them. In this way, the book of Leviticus points us to Christ who is our great High Priest who offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to make us holy before God.