Unclean טָמֵא

We are in chapter five of Leviticus with our word for today. טָמֵא unclean, polluted, defiled, profane, dishonor. It is used 88 times in the Old Testament, 8 times in our chapter. Over half of the uses are found in the book of Leviticus with 47. Let’s look at the 8 uses in our chapter. Leviticus 5:2-3 if anyone touches an טָמֵא֒ unclean thing, whether a carcass of an טְמֵאָ֗ה unclean wild animal or a carcass of טְמֵאָ֔ה unclean livestock or a carcass of טָמֵ֑א unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him and he has become טָמֵ֖א unclean, and he realizes his guilt; or if he touches human בְּטֻמְאַ֣ת uncleanness, of whatever sort the טֻמְאָת֔וֹ uncleanness may be with which one יִטְמָ֖א becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and realizes his guilt. Job uses our word while describing the challenges we face on this earth that eventually lead us to death. He asks this question. Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an מִטָּמֵ֗אunclean? There is not one. He is saying that things in this life are messed up and cannot be fixed. Later in the Old Testament God gives Isaiah the answer to Job’s question. That life can indeed be fixed by none other than God himself. Isaiah 6:1-6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of טְמֵֽא unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of טְמֵ֣א unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Did you catch that? God cleans his people of their uncleanness. The Holy Spirit ties this to Jesus speaking through Paul who describes Christ act as cleaning us, making us holy. Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. The ultimate problem to be fixed is death which Job also asks about later in the chapter we just looked at with our word earlier. Job 14:10-12 But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he? As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake. We know that God solves this problem by raising his son from the dead not only proving that he has the power over death our ultimate problem from sin but also fixing our uncleanness. Jesus as our perfect sacrifice died for our sins and then was raised to new life. This death and resurrection fixes all of our uncleanness. I’ll close with this great passage that says this so well. Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.