8 Sep 2017, Lev 13-15 利13-15 章, Health and Hygiene 健康与卫生

Posted on Aug 25, 2017 in Devotions, Leviticus |

Scripture Reading    : Lev 13-15

Theme                        : Health and Hygiene

 

These three chapters in Leviticus deal with bodily infirmities of one kind or another, because God was concerned about His people’s physical welfare as well as spiritual welfare. He cared for their needs during their wilderness march (Deut. 29:5) and, if they obeyed Him, He promised to shield them from the diseases they’d seen in Egypt (Ex. 15:26; Deut. 7:12–15). While it’s true that our greatest needs are spiritual, God still has the physical well-being of His people at heart.

The Hebrew word translated leprosy in Leviticus 14–15 includes various skin diseases and even mildew (13:47ff; 14:33ff). But there’s more to these chapters than simply a description of symptoms and ceremonies. In Scripture, disease is one of the images of sin (Ps. 147:3; Isa. 1:5–6; Jer. 8:2; 30:12; Mark 2:17). Thus as we study these chapters, we can learn what sin is like and how God wants us to deal with it. We must look beyond Moses to Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, who was wounded that we might be healed (Isa. 53:5). These three chapters illustrate three topics that are vitally related to the life of holiness: sin (Lev. 13), salvation (chap. 14), and sanctity (chap. 15).[1]


Praying the Scripture

  1. Since infection made a person ceremonially unclean, God appointed the priests to act as His examiners to determine whether the victim was “unclean” and therefore had to be separated from the rest of the camp. Note also that the investigation included not only persons (vv. 1–46), but also clothing (vv. 47–59) and even houses (14:33–57). Sin is “deeper than the skin” (13:3–4, 25, 30–32, 34). “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) The word translated “wicked” in this verse means “sick”; the NIV translates it “beyond cure.” Sin is not a surface problem that can be solved with simple remedies, like trying to cure cancer with hand lotion. Sin comes from within, from fallen human nature; unless the heart is changed, there can be no solving of the sin problem.
  2. Discharge from the body (vv. 1–15) could be anything from diarrhea to discharges caused by a venereal disease such as gonorrhea. Anything the afflicted man touched or spat upon was unclean. In fact, those defiled by touching him had to wash themselves and their clothes, and they remained unclean until evening. Clay vessels that he touched were to be broken and wooden vessels washed. The possibility of infection was taken very seriously. In the same way, bodily fluids as a result of intercourse made a person unclean, the husband and wife had to take pains to wash themselves and maintain ceremonial purity. Therefore, marriage is not only the sharing of the physical but your whole personhood. Adultery becomes a way of spreading the uncleanness to your family.

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Holy, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 53-55.

 
 

经文：利13-15 章

主题：健康与卫生

 

这三篇经文所针对的是人身体上的某种残缺或疾病，因为神不仅关心众子民的属灵状况，祂也在乎他们的健康。当以色列人在旷野时，神也同样看顾他们（申29:5），而如果他们顺服神，神应许作他们的庇护，不让他们经历在埃及所看到的疾病（出15:26；申7:12-15）。虽然灵命才是我们最大的需要，但神仍然注重我们身体上的健康。

利未记14-15里的“麻风病”，希伯来文原文也包括各种皮肤疾病，甚至霉病（13:47；14:33）。然而，这段经文所描述的不单是一套症状和仪式。在圣经里，疾病是罪的象征（诗147:3；赛1:5-6；耶8:2；30:12；可2:17）。因此，当我们研究这些章节时，我们可以学习到罪的样貌，而神又要我们如何处理。我们不能眼停在摩西身上，更要看到我们的大医治者耶稣基督，因祂鞭伤我们得医治（赛53:5）。这三章经文讲述有关圣洁生命的三个要点：罪（未13）、救赎（14章）和成圣（15章）。


用经文祷告

  1. 既然疾病使人在仪式上变得不洁净，所以神就任命祭司检查患者是否得病，并是否需要与他人隔离。也要注意，祭司不只要检查他们的身体（1-46节），也要检查衣服（47-59节），甚至是居住的房子（14:33-57）。罪比“皮肤更深”（13:3-4，25，30-32，34）。 “人心比万物都诡诈，坏到极处，谁能识透呢？”（耶17:9）“诡诈”的意思是“有病”；新国际版本（NIV）翻译为“病入膏肓”。罪不是表面的问题，可由简单的方法解决，就如你不能用洗手液洗掉癌细胞一样。罪从内而生，从堕落的人性而起；除非我们的内心更变，否则罪是无法解决的。
  2. 身体的排泄物（1-15节），可以指腹泻的排物，或性病如淋病所导致的排泄物。凡他所触碰或溅到的皆变为不洁。事实上，凡触摸那人的必不洁净到晚上，并要洗衣服，用水洗澡。凡他所触碰的瓦器就必打碎；所摸的一切木器也必用水涮洗。大家都认真对待受感染的可能。同样的，由于性交所致的体液也使人不洁，所以夫妇必须清洗自己，保持礼仪上的洁净。因此，婚姻不仅是肉体的共享，也包括全人的共享，所以奸淫能把污秽扩散至你全家。