114 lines
8.4 KiB
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114 lines
8.4 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Lev.xiii" n="xiii" next="Lev.xiv" prev="Lev.xii" progress="55.56%" title="Chapter XII">
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<h2 id="Lev.xiii-p0.1">L E V I T I C U S</h2>
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<h3 id="Lev.xiii-p0.2">CHAP. XII.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="Lev.xiii-p1">After the laws concerning clean and unclean food
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come the laws concerning clean and unclean persons; and the first
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is in this chapter concerning the ceremonial uncleanness of women
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in child-birth, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12.1-Lev.12.5" parsed="|Lev|12|1|12|5" passage="Le 12:1-5">ver. 1-5</scripRef>.
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And concerning their purification from that uncleanness, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12.6-Lev.12.8" parsed="|Lev|12|6|12|8" passage="Le 12:6-8">ver. 6</scripRef>, &c.</p>
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<scripCom id="Lev.xiii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12" parsed="|Lev|12|0|0|0" passage="Le 12" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="Lev.xiii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12.1-Lev.12.5" parsed="|Lev|12|1|12|5" passage="Le 12:1-5" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Lev.12.1-Lev.12.5">
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<h4 id="Lev.xiii-p1.5">Ceremonial Purification. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Lev.xiii-p1.6">b. c.</span> 1490.)</h4>
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<p class="passage" id="Lev.xiii-p2">1 And the <span class="smallcaps" id="Lev.xiii-p2.1">Lord</span>
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spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of
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Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man
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child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days
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of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 3
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And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be
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circumcised. 4 And she shall then continue in the blood of
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her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed
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thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying
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be fulfilled. 5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall
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be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue
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in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Lev.xiii-p3">The law here pronounces women lying-in
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ceremonially unclean. The Jews say, "The law extended even to an
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abortion, if the child was so formed as that the sex was
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distinguishable." 1. There was some time of strict separation
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immediately after the birth, which continued seven days for a son
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and fourteen for a daughter, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12.2 Bible:Lev.12.5" parsed="|Lev|12|2|0|0;|Lev|12|5|0|0" passage="Le 12:2,5"><i>v.</i> 2, 5</scripRef>. During these days she was
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separated from her husband and friends, and those that necessarily
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attended her were ceremonially unclean, which was one reason why
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the males were not circumcised till the eighth day, because they
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participated in the mother's pollution during the days of her
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separation. 2. There was also a longer time appointed for their
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purifying; thirty-three days more (forty in all) if the birth were
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a male, and double that time if a female, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12.4-Lev.12.5" parsed="|Lev|12|4|12|5" passage="Le 12:4,5"><i>v.</i> 4, 5</scripRef>. During this time they were
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only separated from the sanctuary and forbidden to eat of the
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passover, or peace-offerings, or, if a priest's wife, to eat of any
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thing that was holy to the Lord. Why the time of both those was
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double for a female to what it was for a male I can assign no
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reason but the will of the Law-maker; in Christ Jesus no difference
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is made of male and female, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:Gal.3.28 Bible:Col.3.11" parsed="|Gal|3|28|0|0;|Col|3|11|0|0" passage="Ga 3:28,Col 3:11">Gal. iii. 28; Col. iii. 11</scripRef>. But this
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ceremonial uncleanness which the law laid women in child-bed under
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was to signify the pollution of sin which we are all conceived and
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born in, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.51.5" parsed="|Ps|51|5|0|0" passage="Ps 51:5">Ps. li. 5</scripRef>. For, if
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the root be impure, so is the branch, <i>Who can bring a clean
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thing out of an unclean?</i> If sin had not entered, nothing but
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purity and honour had attended all the productions of that great
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blessing, <i>Be fruitful and multiply;</i> but now that the nature
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of man is degenerated the propagation of that nature is laid under
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these marks of disgrace, because of the sin and corruption that are
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propagated with it, and in remembrance of the curse upon the woman
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that was first in the transgression. That <i>in sorrow</i> (to
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which it is here further added <i>in shame</i>) she should <i>bring
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forth children.</i> And the exclusion of the woman for so many days
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from the sanctuary, and all participation of the holy things,
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signified that our original corruption (that sinning sin which we
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brought into the world with us) would have excluded us for ever
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from the enjoyment of God and his favours if he had not graciously
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provided for our purifying.</p>
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</div><scripCom id="Lev.xiii-p3.5" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12.6-Lev.12.8" parsed="|Lev|12|6|12|8" passage="Le 12:6-8" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Lev.12.6-Lev.12.8">
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<p class="passage" id="Lev.xiii-p4">6 And when the days of her purifying are
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fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of
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the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a
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turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of
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the congregation, unto the priest: 7 Who shall offer it
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before the <span class="smallcaps" id="Lev.xiii-p4.1">Lord</span>, and make an
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atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her
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blood. This <i>is</i> the law for her that hath born a male or a
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female. 8 And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she
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shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the
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burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest
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shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Lev.xiii-p5">A woman that had lain in, when the time set
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for her return to the sanctuary had come, was not to attend there
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empty, but must bring her offerings, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Lev.12.6" parsed="|Lev|12|6|0|0" passage="Le 12:6"><i>v.</i> 6</scripRef>. 1. A <i>burnt-offering;</i> a
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lamb if she was able, if poor, a pigeon. This she was to offer in
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thankfulness to God for his mercy to her, in bringing her safely
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through the pains of child-bearing and all the perils of child-bed,
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and in desire and hopes of God's further favour both to her and to
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the child. When a child is born there is joy and there is hope, and
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therefore it was proper to bring this offering, which was of a
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general nature; for what we rejoice in we must give thanks for, and
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what we are in hopes of we must pray for. But, besides this, 2. She
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must offer a <i>sin-offering,</i> which must be the same for poor
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and rich, a turtle-dove or a young pigeon; for, whatever difference
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there may be between rich and poor in the sacrifices of
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acknowledgment, that of atonement is the same for both. This
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sin-offering was intended either, (1.) To complete her purification
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from that ceremonial uncleanness which, though it was not in itself
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sinful, yet was typical of moral pollution; or, (2.) To make
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atonement for that which was really sin, either an inordinate
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desire of the blessing of children or discontent or impatience
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under the pains of child-bearing. It is only by Christ, the great
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sin-offering, that the corruption of our nature is done away, and
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to that it is owing that we are not for ever excluded by it from
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the sanctuary, and from eating of the holy things. According to
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this law, we find that the mother of our blessed Lord, though he
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was not conceived in sin as others, yet <i>accomplished the days of
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purification,</i> and then presented her son to the Lord, being a
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first-born, and brought her own offering, <i>a pair of
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turtle-doves,</i> <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Luke.2.22-Luke.2.24" parsed="|Luke|2|22|2|24" passage="Lu 2:22-24">Luke ii.
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22-24</scripRef>. So poor were Christ's parents that they were not
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able to bring a lamb for a burnt-offering; and so early was Christ
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<i>made under the law, to redeem those that were under it.</i> The
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morality of this law obliges those women that have received mercy
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from God in child-bearing with all thankfulness to own God's
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goodness to them, acknowledging themselves unworthy of it, and
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(which is the best purification of women that have been saved in
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child-bearing, <scripRef id="Lev.xiii-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:1Tim.2.15" parsed="|1Tim|2|15|0|0" passage="1Ti 2:15">1 Tim. ii.
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15</scripRef>) to <i>continue in faith, and charity, and holiness,
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with sobriety;</i> for this shall please the Lord better than the
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turtle-doves or the young pigeons.</p>
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</div></div2>
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