I’m reading the Laws of Moses or all the rules and regulations God gave the Israelites after they escaped Egypt. These laws governed their daily lives and how they interacted with the people in their community. It dealt with all sorts of issues, from the types of food they could and could not eat, to how to handle illness. It’s an exhaustive list and a bit overwhelming to read through. Although, it was probably harder trying to follow them.
Skin diseases are what I’m currently reading (although mildew on clothing and in the home is also included in this section). The rules that dealt with medical issues have always sounded a bit cruel. To label someone ceremonially unclean or force them to live outside the camp didn’t sit well with me. It always seemed a bit over the top, especially in extreme cases when they had to cover their mouth and yell ‘unclean, unclean’ if anyone came their way. But reading this section post-Covid, I see it very differently.
God established these laws before anyone knew anything about bacterial or viral infections. Well before the world knew much about diseases and how they spread. Ignorance, however; wasn’t going to keep illness at bay. The close conditions the Israelites were traveling under were ideal for the rampant spread of disease. But, how does one explain bacterium to people who’ve never seen or heard of microscopic organisms?
Clean or ceremonially unclean
God made it simple, He explained it in a way they could understand: clean or ceremonially unclean. You were one or the other and the whole community knew where you stood. It probably didn’t feel good to be the person who was ceremonially unclean and mitigated to live outside the camp, even temporarily. But God knew how rapidly infection would spread in a close, tight traveling community like theirs. That’s why He set up a system to keep them safe even if it didn’t look that way from their perspective. Covering their mouth with their hands, was what we would call a face mask. Yelling ‘unclean, unclean’ when someone approaches is what we would call social distancing.
But God wasn’t just creating laws to control the spread of disease, He also knew the human psyche. He knew how the community would react to people with illnesses and He made sure there was a way for the ceremonially unclean to be accepted back into society. This ensured they integrated back with a fresh start and without the stigma of their condition hanging over their heads. I think that’s pretty cool!
What I’m learning
There are times when God’s rules don’t make sense. Sometimes it may seem cruel or irrelevant. However, the more I study scripture, the more I understand that God’s laws aren’t there to punish us or spoil our fun, it’s for our safety.
But how does someone who knows everything share that knowledge? He explains in a way we can understand based on what we know.
There’s still so much to learn about our bodies and how the world works. We know more now than when the Israelites were traveling through the desert, but our knowledge isn’t complete. There are still gaps in our understanding. God doesn’t have that problem. He knows how everything works down to the molecular level. He knows what will harm us and what won’t. Based on His wisdom, He’s put rules in place to keep us safe.
It gives me a whole new appreciation for the Laws of Moses. I’m in awe of God’s goodness as I read all the laws He has in place for dealing with different kinds of skin conditions. God’s amazing! And I’m thankful He always has our best interests at heart.