Phil Campbell

It’s from Macbeth. A play all about politics. The way they used to do it back in Scotland. And the line I remember comes from Act 5. Scene 1.

Where Lady Macbeth has talked her husband into KILLING THE KING. And he’s done it. She’s the brains of the operation. And after the murder, she picks up one of the daggers. And gets blood on her hands.

Which from then on, becomes a symbol. A symbol of her guilt.

And by Act 5, Lady Macbeth is cracking up. She’s walking in her sleep every night, she’s babbling to herself, and they call in the doctor. Who’s standing in the corridor watching, as Lady Macbeth tries to wash this invisible stain off her hands.

And there’s the famous line. She says "OUT DAMNED SPOT! out, I say!" And hour after hour, she stands scrubbing at the sink. And it won’t come out. Because the spot’s not REALLY ON HER HAND AT ALL. It’s on her heart. And she says,

"Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." And she’s right.

Because all the washing in the world won’t can’t wash off the GUILT of what she’s done.

Now this morning, we’re looking again at the book of Leviticus. The part of the bible that reminds us most of all about THE HOLINESS OF GOD.

And I don’t know what stains you’ve got on YOUR LIFE this morning. On YOUR CONSCIENCE. That you can’t wash off, no matter how hard you try. But the good news is, as we come to Leviticus, and especially as we see how the regulations of Leviticus have been fulfilled by JESUS… the good news is, that God has provided a way… for every stain of sin to be washed clean.

But maybe the problem for you is slightly different. And that is, maybe you’re not as clean as you THINK. Maybe you reckon you’re all okay. Maybe you think you’re cleaner than you really are.

A bit like when I tidy up in the kitchen. I look around and think everything’s FINE. It takes Louise about a second to find the bits I’ve missed.

Well we’re going to see in the next few minutes that for the people of ISRAEL, that’s not a mistake they’re going to easily make. Because every day of their lives, every move they make, they’re going to be reminded in a symbolic way… of what it means to be CLEAN before a Holy God.

Now remember; last week we saw that Leviticus is full of the regulations God laid out for the Israelites as they’re about to move into the PROMISED LAND. God lays out the ground-rules. The principles that are going to guide them EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES. As they live in the land he gives them. And we saw last week, the over-riding principle. That the GOD OF ISRAEL IS A HOLY GOD. And he calls his people to be HOLY TOO.

Which brings us to what are maybe some of the most TASTELESS chapters in the whole bible. Leviticus 11 to 15. Five chapters of regulations given to the Israelites that set up an incredibly details system designed to teach them about GOD. And themselves.

And it’s all to do with what’s CLEAN. And what’s UNCLEAN.

Now I just want to race through and give a quick overview. And show you first of all the structure of what we’re looking at. Because the regulations are arranged in groups; and at the end of each group there’s like a summary that tells you what you’ve just been looking at.

So Chapter 11. You’ll see from the heading it’s all about Clean and unclean food. The animals you can eat, and can’t eat. Because some are clean. And some aren’t.. From verse 1; the Lord says to Moses and Aaron, say to the Israelites, "Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: you may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided, and that chews the cud. And then come the details. Verse 7, the most famous, maybe, if you’ve ever known anyone Jewish, "And the PIG… though it’s got a split hoof, it doesn’t chew the cud; it’s unclean. So you don’t eat their meat or touch their carcasses; THEY ARE UNCLEAN FOR YOU.

And Jews still abide by that today. Except I read recently that they’ve worked out a way to make ARTIFICIAL BACON. So they don’t have to miss out on their bacon and eggs.

And on it goes. Land animals. Sea animals. Clean and unclean.

All the way to verse 46 and 47, where it’s summed up like this. And follow what it says. These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about the ground. YOU MUST DISTINGUISH between the UNCLEAN AND THE CLEAN, between living creatures that may be eaten, and those that MAY NOT BE EATEN.

Every time you go hunting. Every time you decide what’s for dinner. That’s the question you’ve got to be asking. CLEAN. Or UNCLEAN.

CHILDBIRTH (Lev 12)

Chapter 12. Regulations for CHILDBIRTH. Which makes a woman UNCLEAN. And you’ll notice, verse 2, if she gives birth to a son, she’ll be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is during her monthly period. And then 33 more days of purification. If she has a girl, two weeks unclean; 66 days of purification.

Chapter 13. Get’s really tacky. With regulations for SORES and SKIN DISEASES. That make an Israelite either CLEAN. Or UNCLEAN. You get a sore on your face, it’s off to see the priest. And he’s got to work through all the regulations you see there in the first few verses to see if it’s infectious or not. Whether you’re clean. Or unclean.

And from verse 47 if you flip over there, there are even regulations for MILDEW. On your clothes. Or on your shoes. Or on the walls of your house. CLEAN. Or UNCLEAN. You look in your wardrobe, you take out your best woollen jacket, and there’s a spot on the sleeve. Mildew. So it’s off to the priest. And he looks at it; and he’ll tell you if you’ve got to burn it; or wash it; or tear a hole in it. And verse 59, a summary of the section; These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material or any leather article, for pronouncing them CLEAN or UNCLEAN.

Now I’ve got to admit, here I am this morning standing up here telling you about MILDEW ON CLOTHES. And as you read this stuff, it’s really about as exciting as WATCHING PAINT DRY.

But if you go to chapter 14, you’ll see you’ve actually got to watch the paint dry as well. Verse 35. What happens if you’re living in the promised land and you look at the walls of your house… and there’s some RISING DAMP. Spreading mildew.

Chapter 14 verse 35. Off you go to the priest. And you say, "I’ve seen something that looks like MILDEW in my house." And you empty out the house. And the priest goes and checks the wall. And declares whether your house is CLEAN. Or UNCLEAN.

Chapter 15; more of the stuff you need a strong stomach for. Bodily discharges; blood. Puss. Oozing sores. All the details you don’t really want to know about; spelled out. Got an pussy sore and you pick up a clay pot? You’ve made it unclean. BREAK IT. Throw it away. Touch someone without rinsing your hands – they’re unclean. Like you.

Now the question is, what is it that ties it all together? I mean, it’s bad enough just having to READ THIS STUFF. Imagine if you had to LIVE IT. Day after day. Year after year. Learning all the rules for what’s CLEAN. And what’s NOT. So WHAT’S THE POINT?

Now some experts as they read this stuff, they’ve made the observation that there are a lot of HYGEINE benefits in the regulations God’s giving Israel. And a lot of times, with things like infectious skin diseases, you can see that that’s TRUE. And probably even with some of the food laws. They reckon PORK back then was a very unhealthy meat. Full of parasites. And so when God’s telling the Israelites to avoid stuff that’s UNCLEAN, he’s really giving them a lesson in basic HYGEINE. Like parents keep trying to do with their teenage sons. So Leviticus 11 to 15 becomes a giant sort of , WASH YOUR FACE EVERY MORNING and CLEAN YOUR TEETH every night thing.

Now the trouble is, that makes sense of some of the rules. But it doesn’t with others. And in the end, the reality is that the hygiene benefits are just a by-product of something BIGGER.

Because it seems like what God is doing is actually setting up a series of SYMBOLS. That are designed to teach the Israelites something that’s even bigger than PERSONAL HYGEINE. And that is, he’s teaching them about SIN. And HOLINESS. And almost everything in life came into one of three categories. Either UNCLEAN. CLEAN. Or HOLY.

Your food. The people you mixed with. The clothes you wore. Even YOU. Yourself. And the only thing that stayed absolutely HOLY though all of it was GOD HIMSELF. And the HOLY and the UNCLEAN… can’t come into contact. Or the unclean is CONSUMED. And so anything with a spot on it, or a blemish on it – it’s exactly the same symbolism as we saw with Lady Macbeth. It becomes a VISIBLE REMINDER OF WHAT SIN IS LIKE. It’s not about HYGIENE. It’s about visible symbols of HOLINESS. And SIN.

And the whole system is summed up in verse 31 of chapter 15; which says this. Here’s the crunch. God says to Moses, here’s the big one. This is the key. With all these ways to get unclean, here’s what people have got to learn. He says, You must keep the Israelites SEPARATE from things that make them unclean, so they will not DIE IN THEIR UNCLEANNESS for defiling my Holy Place which is among them.

GOD HIMSELF. Is living among the people of Israel. Showing his presence in a glowing presence in their tabernacle. And if anyone brings their UNCLEANNESS into the presence of God… they’re DEAD.

So if there’s ONE LESSON the people of Israel have to learn… it’s that HOLINESS and UNCLEANNESS don’t mix.

And if you go through these five chapters, you’ve got the word over and over again. Unclean. 96 times. 96 ways to get UNCLEAN BEFORE GOD. 96 ways to be reminded about SIN.

We live with some pretty powerful symbols today, don’t we. Symbols that the more we use them, sort of work their way into our consciousness. Just have to see one of those yellow Ms that looks like a pair of Golden Arches and your mouth starts watering.

For Israel, there were 96 ways to be reminded about SIN.

But the big thing I want you to notice, is that it’s not all BAD NEWS. Because there’s some GOOD NEWS AS WELL. It’s not all ONE WAY TRAFFIC. Because in these same 5 chapters, there’s also the way to GET CLEAN. 37 times. You’ll see the word CLEAN. 37 times. We can see the UNCLEAN. Becoming clean again.

In a way Lady Macbeth couldn’t. Because God is saying to Israel, when you’re reminded about my HOLINESS, when you’re reminded about SIN… you need to know, the effects of SIN AND DEATH can be reversed. And the unclean can become CLEAN. And the CLEAN can become HOLY.

And so sometimes it’s a ceremonial WASHING. And other times, it’s the ritual you see in chapter 14. Verse 19. And I want you to have a look at it. And see the principle.

You’ve had a skin disease. You’ve been unclean. It’s healed. But that’s not the end of the story.

Verse 19. Because the priest has to do this. "Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make ATONEMENT for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering, and offer it on the altar together with the grain offering and make atonement for him… and he will be CLEAN.

The unclean; clean again. By this thing called ATONEMENT. Which we’re going to look at more closely next week. Where the life of a sacrifice… somehow stands in for you. And before God, you’re counted as CLEAN.

And so here’s the system; here’s the lesson. The UNCLEAN… cannot come into contact with the HOLY. Except at the cost of a life. Turn up in the presence of God unprepared, unclean, and it’s the cost of YOUR LIFE. Do it God’s way, and it’s the life of the SACRIFICE. In your place. And God will count you CLEAN AGAIN.

Now I said last week, and I’ll say it again, the thing we’ve always got to do when we read the Old Testament, is to see how JESUS FULFILS IT. Before we start applying it to ourselves today.

You know, the Jews were great ones for hanging on to symbols, like the symbols in Leviticus, AND LETTING GO OF THE REALITY. We can do the same. And we often do it especially with our rituals. So that the sacraments grow out of all proportion in our thinking. Even when we’ve let go of the gospel. And you notice that especially in the sort of churches that have given up on almost everything else, they’ll scream blue murder if you try to mess with the Lords Supper. You can preach CHRIST DIDN’T RISE FROM THE DEAD; and that’s okay. But you try changing the communion ritual just one little bit – and there’s an outcry.

The Israelites got very, very good at playing the game of CLEAN and UNCLEAN. But the problem was, they lost sight of the REAL MEANING of the symbols.

I was reading an article the other day about Jews in Sydney at the moment. They’ve had a rule that says on the Sabbath you’re not allowed to drive a car more than 800 metres from your home. Which actually makes it very difficult for Jews in a city the size of Sydney to get to the Synagogue. So what they’ve done is they’ve come up with what’s called an ERUV. Which means a declaration by a Rabbi, that extends the boundaries of your HOME. And so if there’s something like a powerline connected to your home and it goes down the road an connects to another line that runs up the highway, then as long as you stay within 800 metres of the powerlines, you can still drive your car. All the way to the synagogue.

That’s what Jews love to do. Stick to the letter of the law. And lose the substance. Which is exactly what Jesus said they did with the laws of clean. And unclean.

And you can see that if you turn to Mark chapter 7; and follow through what he says to them. The Pharisees, the strictest of the Jews in the time of Jesus, they’re criticising his disciples. Because they’re eating their food without going through all the rituals to become ceremonially clean.

And Jesus lets rip. He says, what you’re really doing, you hypocrites, is you’re losing sight of the REALITY; and holding on to the traditions of men.

If you’re opened at Mark 7, pick it up from verse 14. He says, listen to me everyone; and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him; rather it is what comes OUT OF A MAN that makes him unclean.

And then he leaves the crowd, and goes into the house, and the disciples say to him, WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?

And he says to them, don’t you get it? The sort of CLEAN THAT REALLY MATTERS… it’s what’s in the HEART. He says, Are you so dull – verse 18 – don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean? For it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his STOMACH and then out of his body. (And Mark tells us there, in that one simple sentence, Jesus turns the rituals of Leviticus upside down. They've reached their USE BY date.) And he goes on. Verse 20. The thing that makes people REALLY UNCLEAN… it what’s INSIDE. He says, What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from WITHIN, out of mens hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy – can I ask you as you look at these, HOW UNCLEAN ARE YOU – slander, arrogance and folly. ALL OF THESE, they come from the INSIDE. And make a man UNCLEAN."

You mightn’t have committed murder. Or adultery lately. Maybe you have. But even if you haven’t… what about GREED? Any stains there? ENVY? Unclean, unclean, unclean. All from right inside us. Even the best of us. It’s all there.

How can the UNCLEAN… people like that. People like US. Approach a Holy God? Without being struck down on the spot?

And the answer is, exactly the same. Only by SACRIFICE. The sacrifice of Jesus, who as he goes from place to place, as you follow through Mark’s gospel, time and time again makes the UNCLEAN CLEAN. As he touches people with skin diseases – and instead of becoming unclean, makes them CLEAN. As he touches the DEAD. And brings life. As he brushes against the woman in the crowd who’s been bleeding for 12 years. And again, instead of becoming unclean himself; makes her clean. Because he’s on the way to make the once and for all sacrifice – that wipes all the old regulations away. And makes it possible for people who are UNCLEAN ON THE INSIDE… to find forgiveness.

You know, you’ve got to say as you read all the regulations, all the rules, all the symbols Israel had to live with, it’s GREAT we don’t have to live with that stuff, isn’t it? And when you’ve got a red sore on your skin, you don’t have to go and see your priest and be put out of the camp. You can just go down and see Ken at the Chemist.

But if instead of appreciating our freedom, we end up FORGETTING OUR PROBLEM, then we’ve missed the point, haven’t we. That as sinners, all of us, need cleaning on the inside; or there’s no hope at all that we can approach our Holy God. And that as sinners, all of us… need to make sure that we realise that we can only approach God with that sacrifice before us; the sacrifice of the perfect life of our Lord Jesus. Who makes it possible for you to face God with every sin put aside. Every spot wiped clean. Every wrong forgiven.