Purity for the Marriage Bed, Purity for God’s House

Rev. Chris Hull, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Leviticus 15:1-33. Although the LORD’s teaching concerning bodily discharges may strike modern readers as unusual, the LORD’s concern is revealed in the structure of the chapter. At the center is the relationship between the husband and the wife. Though the consummation of their relationship is not some special source of holiness, as pagans practiced, still the LORD protects and honors His good gift to husband and wife. The proper place for God’s gift of sexuality to husband and wife is in their home, not in His home. In this way, the LORD teaches us to receive holiness as a gift from Him alone and to seek to live in that holiness within our own homes. “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.