Leviticus 15:25-33

Leviticus 15:25-33

[25] And if a woman  have  an issue  of her blood  many  days  out  of the time  of her separation,  or if it run  beyond the time  of her separation;  all the days  of the issue  of her uncleanness  shall be as the days  of her separation:  she shall be unclean.  [26] Every bed  whereon she lieth  all the days  of her issue  shall be unto her as the bed  of her separation:  and whatsoever  she sitteth  upon shall be unclean,  as the uncleanness  of her separation.  [27] And whosoever toucheth  those things shall be unclean,  and shall wash  his clothes,  and bathe  himself in water,  and be unclean  until the even.  [28] But if she be cleansed  of her issue,  then she shall number  to herself seven  days,  and after  that she shall be clean.  [29] And on the eighth  day  she shall take  unto her two  turtles,  or two  young  pigeons,  and bring  them unto the priest,  to the door  of the tabernacle  of the congregation.  [30] And the priest  shall offer  the one  for a sin offering,  and the other  for a burnt offering;  and the priest  shall make an atonement  for her before  for the issue  of her uncleanness.  [31] Thus shall ye separate  the children  of Israel  from their uncleanness;  that they die  not in their uncleanness,  when they defile  my tabernacle  that is among  [32] This is the law  of him that hath an issue,  and of him whose seed  goeth  from him, and is defiled  therewith; [33] And of her that is sick  of her flowers,  and of him that hath  an issue,  of the man,  and of the woman,  and of him  that lieth  with her that is unclean. 

What does Leviticus 15:25-33 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The fourth case involves a woman who had continuing menstrual problems beyond her normal period. The ritual for purification was the same as for a man with an extended sexual malady (case one above, Leviticus 15:13-15; cf. Mark 5:25; Luke 8:43).
Leviticus 15:31 explains the reason for these regulations. God gave them so the Israelites would not fall into serious sin because of ignorance of how they should behave when unclean. The rules about bodily discharges helped the Israelites appreciate the seriousness of intermarriage with the Canaanites and the prohibitions against foreign customs and religion, which conflicted with Israel"s holy calling. God discouraged certain acts by designating them as resulting in uncleanness, which undoubtedly proved helpful in the area of private morality where legal sanctions are not as effective as in public life. [1]
"The sexual processes thus make men [2] unclean, but that is not the same as saying they are sinful. Uncleanness establishes boundaries of action, but as long as these are not transgressed no guilt is incurred." [3]
What made these secretions unclean was perhaps their association with unnatural (irregular) bodily functions. Childbearing (ch12) and the bodily fluids involved in procreation (ch15) were ritually unclean because they have connection with what is abnormal in terms of regularity. They were not unclean because sex is sinful. It is not ( Genesis 1:28).
Note the slightly different views of two other writers. Their emphases may be part of the total answer as to why these practices rendered an Israelite unclean.
"Within this framework it becomes clear why the conditions described in Leviticus 12 , 15 are polluting. They all involve the loss of "life liquids." "Life is in the blood" ( Leviticus 17:11; Leviticus 17:14). Thus a woman suffering from any bloody discharge, whether it be the puerperal discharge ( Leviticus 12:4-5), menstruation ( Leviticus 15:19-24), or some other malady ( Leviticus 15:25-30), is presumed to be losing life. Bleeding may eventually lead to death. So the discharging woman is regarded as unclean in that she evidently does not enjoy perfect life: indeed unchecked her condition could end in her death. Similarly too we presume that male semen was viewed as a "life liquid." Hence its loss whether long-term ( Leviticus 15:1-15) or transient ( Leviticus 15:16-18) was viewed as polluting." [4]
"God was teaching the household of faith the distinction between the physical and the holy. Anything connected with sexual function was part of the physical world; it was categorized as common, not holy. Sex could never be brought into the sanctuary, for unlike the Canaanite view, sexual activity was not a way to enhance spirituality or commune with God ..." [5]
Sin is wrong done to God, but ritual uncleanness was a condition that, while related to sin, was not itself sinful. Sin separated the person further from God than uncleanness did. These unclean conditions did not result in the sinfulness of the Israelite but in his or her disqualification from public worship in the nation.
Jesus" attitude toward the laws about bodily uncleanness was the same as His attitude toward the food laws (cf. Matthew 15:17-20). When He came He announced the end of their authority because God would open the church to Jews and Gentiles equally. These Israelite laws separated Jews from Gentiles by illustrating Israel"s unique function in God"s program, which ended temporarily (until the Millennium) with the death of Christ. [6]