Dung פֶּ֫רֶש

We are in chapter eight of Leviticus with our word for today. פֶּ֫רֶש contents of the gut, feces, offal, dung. It is used 7 times in the Old Testament. I’ll start with a form of our word פַּרְשְׁדֹ֑נָה [our word is in the root] that helps use understand our word better. Judges 3:21-22 And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and הַֽפַּרְשְׁדֹֽנָה the dung came out. All of the uses of our word make reference to the sacrificial offerings. Leviticus 16:27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and פִּרְשָֽׁם their dung shall be burned up with fire. This connection with the sin offering is also how our word is used in our chapter today. Leviticus 8:16-17 And he took all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar. But the bull and its skin and its flesh and פִּרְשׁ֔וֹ its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses. Notice the contrast that our word is not to be used as the sacrifice for the sin offering but rather burned outside the camp. So we are looking at something that is not worthy. I find interesting that in the New Testament this idea of discarding what is not worthy is applied to Paul himself. His past life of accomplishments all add up to something that you discard and throw away when you compare it to being in a saving relationship with Christ. I’ll close with this great passage. Philippians 3:4-9 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.