Seven Days

The laws in Leviticus were given before antibiotics. They had to be extremely careful or a sickness could wipe them out, (see 2 Samuel 24:15). That is why they quarantined the sick.

Today I noticed something unusual. Even after a person was healthy again, they could not enter the temple for another 7 days. They had to wash all their clothes and shower.

Leviticus 15:13, “When a person with a discharge is cleansed from it, he is to count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes and bathe in running water. Then he is clean.” The Message

Bathing in running water would have been difficult. They were in the desert. Showers had not been invented. This precaution was to keep sickness from spreading.

There’s a nasty infection a few of my friends contracted. But with the use of antibiotics, they only missed one day of work. Their coughs have hung on for weeks.

Wouldn’t it be nice if they could take an extra week off to rebuild their strength?

#bible