Daily Devotion | Leviticus 11:29–47 | February 4, 2026

Title: Daily Devotion

Scripture: Leviticus 11:29–47

Date: February 4, 2026

Daily Devotion | Leviticus 11:29–47 | February 4, 2026

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you. We thank God for His grace that He brings us into a new day to study our daily devotion. The passage we are studying today is Leviticus chapter 11, verses 29 through 47. Let us pray.

O God, we thank You. We thank You for leading us into a new day and for continuing to help us understand Your statutes and ordinances. Lord, we thank You, because it is You who leads us, by Your grace, to live a holy life continually. Lord, we must continually cleanse ourselves, continually learn to discern, and continually put to death our old self and the old man. May You be with us. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

In this portion of Scripture, the Bible continues to tell us what we discussed yesterday. Yesterday we talked about which animals are clean and which are unclean, and today the same theme continues. For example, it speaks about creeping things, that all creeping things on the earth are unclean. Verse 29 tells us that the creeping things on the earth are unclean, and it tells us what is considered unclean.

In addition, this passage tells us another important matter, which is that uncleanness is contagious. This is something the passage clearly teaches. For example, verse 32 tells us that whatever an unclean thing falls upon becomes unclean. In other words, uncleanness spreads.

Third, the passage tells us how uncleanness should be dealt with. How do we handle uncleanness? For instance, if an unclean thing falls into a clay vessel, the vessel must be broken. If it falls on an oven or a stove, the stove must be broken. This section explains how uncleanness is to be treated.

Fourth, the passage tells us the reason why we must be clean. Why must we be clean? Verse 44 says, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” Do not defile yourselves with any creeping thing that crawls on the ground. Then verse 45 again tells us, “For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

So brothers and sisters, you should notice that in this passage we actually see four messages. Let us look at them one by one.

First, the passage tells us what is unclean. It speaks about creeping things: the weasel, the mouse, the lizard, and others of that kind. These are all unclean. Therefore, creeping things on the earth are defined as unclean. Verse 41 also says that every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is detestable and shall not be eaten. So things that crawl on the ground are unclean.

Continuing the theme from yesterday, we ask why these things are unclean. The point is not that Scripture is trying to give us some hidden spiritual symbolism that we must discover. Rather, God detests these things and declares them to be unclean. However, we are not completely unable to see some meaning behind it.

What it broadly conveys is that things which cling closely to the ground are associated with uncleanness. In the ancient Near Eastern context, dust and the ground were expressions of lowliness, humiliation, and impurity. Therefore, things that are close to the ground and cling to it are considered unclean.

Verse 41 says that everything that creeps on the ground is detestable and shall not be eaten. Verse 42 says that whatever goes on its belly, or whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet—any creeping thing—is not to be eaten, for it is detestable. These creatures remain close to the dust and are brought low, and this is not what God delights in.

This also reminds us of God’s curse upon Satan, that he would eat dust all the days of his life. To eat dust means to be brought down to the lowest place, always crawling on the ground.

In contrast, what is the image of humanity? Humanity is created with an upright posture. Humans can stand, look up toward heaven, and commune with God. Although this is only a symbol and not meant to carry excessive allegorical meaning, the contrast is clear. All animals move close to the ground, whether on four legs or by crawling, but human beings alone walk upright and can lift their eyes to heaven.

This physical form reflects that humanity is distinct from the animals and has a unique position in creation. So this gives us a simple extension of meaning: creeping things on the earth are unclean. That is the first point—what is clean and what is unclean.

The second thing this passage tells us is that uncleanness is contagious. Whatever an unclean thing touches becomes unclean. Whoever touches it also becomes unclean. Therefore, these things require great caution. You must keep your distance from unclean things.

If an unclean thing falls on household items—such as an oven or a stove—those items must be broken. For a household, these items are actually quite valuable. You cannot simply replace them at will. Even clay vessels, which are not plentiful, must be broken if they become unclean.

This teaches us that once something is defiled, it is no longer fit for use. A defiled vessel cannot continue to be used. This is the very clear message of this passage.

Continuing yesterday’s theme, we must clearly understand what uncleanness represents. Uncleanness refers to living centered on the world, centered on the self, rather than centered on God. This includes greed for material things, greed for money, attachment to the old self, and the constant desire to elevate oneself and magnify one’s own image.

These things are all unclean. Therefore, we must cleanse ourselves before God. We must stop loving the world, stop centering our lives on worldly things, and stop being consumed with self-image. Instead, we must live God-centered lives.

Some people struggle to understand the spiritual meaning of cleanliness and uncleanness. They may ask, “Does this mean we must live extremely poor lives? Does it mean we cannot use heating in winter or air conditioning in summer? Does it mean we must eat poorly and wear old, worn-out clothes in order to be spiritual?”

No, that is not what this means. Brothers and sisters, not loving the world does not mean we cannot use worldly things. We may live in good houses, and if God permits, we may even have good vehicles. We may live decent lives. These things are not wrong, and God may bless us with them.

The key issue is not whether you have these things, but whether you are attached to them. Do you cling to them? Do you consider them indispensable? True detachment means that you can have them, or you can lose them, and it makes no difference to your devotion to God.

This distinction is difficult for many people to grasp. We may enjoy respect from others, and we may be glad when people treat us kindly, but we must not exalt ourselves or believe that we deserve such treatment.

This is something that takes place in one’s personal relationship with God. In the time of Leviticus, cleanliness was easier to observe externally. You simply did not touch what was unclean, and you remained clean.

In that sense, Old Testament regulations were actually easier to keep on a surface level. You did not touch the bird; you did not touch the creeping thing; you remained clean.

But in the New Testament era, the matter becomes more complex. Now the question is not whether you touch something, but whether your heart is bound to it. You may eat good food, you may dine at a restaurant—these things are not sinful. But is your heart obsessed with them? Is your desire fixed upon them?

Many people never seriously examine this question, and that is dangerous. Some choose extreme asceticism, believing that poverty equals spirituality. Others plunge fully into the world, focusing entirely on wealth, entertainment, and pleasure.

Scripture teaches neither extreme. You may use worldly things, but you must not be enslaved by them. This requires constant spiritual discernment and continual reflection.

The principle of Scripture remains clear: do not be defiled. You may possess things, but you must be willing to relinquish them at any time for the sake of Christ.

This kind of discernment requires continual practice. You live in the world like everyone else—buying groceries, shopping, participating in society— yet you must constantly ask whether you are obeying God’s law.

This is why I repeatedly remind you of the importance of the law. The law teaches us what is clean and what is unclean. Through continual practice and discernment, we learn how to live a holy life.

We may live in the same neighborhood as others, but while others smoke, drink excessively, curse, bribe, or accept bribes, we do not do these things. In this way, we live lives that are set apart.

Brothers and sisters, you must remember this: if a vessel—a believer—is completely filled with uncleanness, it is rendered unusable. You must not allow yourself to be filled with the world or with the old self.

In Christian theology, humility is not merely a state but an action. It means actively lowering oneself. Pride, on the other hand, is the act of elevating oneself, and this is what God detests.

If pride and self-exaltation defile a person, that vessel must be broken. This is a very serious warning.

Now there is a very interesting detail in this passage. It tells us that if something unclean touches a spring, the spring remains clean, but if it touches seed, the seed becomes unclean. This detail is extremely important.

A spring represents a source with continuous renewing power. It is constantly flowing, constantly renewing. A seed also represents life and power—the ability to produce growth. However, if seed is wetted, it becomes unusable.

Although I am not a farmer, the idea seems to be that once seed has been watered prematurely, it can no longer be used. Therefore, seed that has been wetted is no longer clean.

I believe these details are deliberately placed here by God as a clear signal to us. What do they teach us about cleanliness and uncleanness?

For us as Christians, even if we are contaminated by worldliness—such as pride or self-exaltation— because we have within us the living spring that comes from Jesus Christ, we are able to be cleansed again.

Likewise, because we have the seed of life within us—the seed of Christ— even when we become defiled, we may be restored and used again. The seed carries life and renewal.

But if a person is like a seed that has been watered—outwardly appearing alive, yet inwardly lifeless—then that person is like a vessel that must be broken. Such a person may appear religious, may attend gatherings, may speak Christian language, yet have no true life within.

This detail, especially in verses 36 through 38, is deeply comforting to believers. Although we sometimes love the world, sometimes desire worldly things, because we have Christ within us, we can repent, be renewed, and be cleansed again.

We may admire a large house, feel joy when we see beautiful things, yet we are quickly reminded by the Spirit to repent. When that happens, we are cleansed again. This shows the renewing work of the living spring within us.

This teaches us how we should view ourselves as Christians. We must have within us the living spring of Christ. We must have the seed of life within us. Then, even when defiled, we may be cleansed and restored.

We must never become lifeless seed—appearing Christian outwardly, yet lacking true spiritual life inwardly.

The passage also teaches us what to do when uncleanness occurs. The person must wash their clothes and remain unclean until evening. Uncleanness is not permanent; God has established a time for restoration.

This reveals God’s mercy. Although uncleanness is serious and contagious, it is not irreversible. There is cleansing, there is restoration, and there is renewal.

This is why we need daily devotion, daily exposure to God’s Word, and continual repentance. Through the Word of God, we are washed and cleansed again and again.

Even though we know we should not be defiled, we often fail. Yet God has provided a means of cleansing. We return to Christ, and He renews us.

Finally, the passage clearly tells us why we must be holy: “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”

God reminds us again that He is the One who brought His people out of Egypt. Egypt represents the world, a system destined for destruction. God brought His people out so that they would no longer belong to that system.

All worldly things—houses, decorations, possessions, comforts—will eventually pass away. We use them now because we need them, but they hold no ultimate value.

If our hearts long for these things more than for God, then we are still enslaved to Egypt. God brought us out of Egypt so that we would no longer carry Egypt within us.

We are living a wilderness life, but this wilderness leads to Canaan. God’s purpose is to bring us into eternal communion with Him.

If we do not put to death our love for the world, we will never truly love God. Our hearts will remain divided.

The question is not whether we possess things, but whether we are willing to abandon them for Christ if required.

This is the true test of holiness. As Paul said, he knew how to live in abundance and how to live in need.

This is the normal Christian life. May God grant us grace to live truly holy lives, set apart for Him, and devoted to His glory.

This concludes today’s sharing. Thank you, everyone.