Daily Devotion | Leviticus 15 | 2026 February 19  

Title: Daily Devotion | Leviticus 15 | 2026 February 19  
Scripture: Leviticus 15 (ESV, reference only)  
Date: 2026 February 19  
Speaker: Rev. John Chen  
Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Dear brothers and sisters, peace. We thank God for his grace as he brings us to a new day to study the Daily Devotion. Today our passage is Leviticus chapter 15. Let us pray. Our God, we thank you. Thank you for bringing us into a new day to learn your Word. Teach us to keep ourselves pure and to live a clean life. Lord, this is your mercy; this is your grace. Help us to walk in your will, to keep your statutes and observe your rules. Have mercy on us, and lead us to live a holy life. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Now let us look at Leviticus chapter 15. This chapter presents a fairly clear structure—a symmetrical structure. At the beginning it speaks of a man’s discharge; at the end it speaks of a woman’s discharge; in the middle it speaks of a man’s emission and a woman’s menstrual period; and in the center, verse 18, it speaks of sexual relations between a man and a woman as making them unclean. The whole structure is symmetrical. Men and women are alike—both can fall into these matters, and both have regulations regarding uncleanness.

We may not read chapter 15 very often, and many people do not pay close attention to it. But its content is actually very important. First, I want to remind you: it speaks of a man’s discharge. Verse 2 says, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.” Many of us do not know what this “discharge” refers to in practical terms. What kind of condition is it? Because I studied medicine before, and in my observation, this condition sounds very much like the symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection.

Usually, when Scripture speaks of a “discharge” from a man’s body, how would such a condition arise? Often it is related to infection and to sexual immorality. But the main point here is not simply a “hygiene” regulation. It is about uncleanness. And what I think is fairly clear is that this kind of uncleanness is connected to one’s behavior. Such disease can function as God’s chastening, and such uncleanness is connected with sinful conduct. So the person is declared unclean in the ritual sense, and then the regulations explain what becomes unclean—his bed, what he sits on, whoever touches him; and people must wash, and there are details about vessels; clay vessels are broken, and so on.

Then, if he becomes clean, what happens? He washes his body with water, and then he offers two sacrifices—one sin offering and one burnt offering—because of the man’s discharge. The priest makes atonement for him. So verses 1 to 15 speak of the man’s discharge. Again, I am inclined to see this as something like a sexually transmitted disease, connected with unclean sexual conduct, connected with God’s chastening. So this kind of uncleanness is easier to understand: unclean sexual behavior can lead to bodily disease, and God disciplines him. The man must cleanse himself, repent, and seek atonement.

Now, in the middle of the chapter, it speaks of a man’s emission as unclean, and a woman’s menstrual period as unclean. Here we face an important question. A man’s sexually transmitted disease being unclean may be understandable, but a woman’s monthly cycle is a normal biological process. Why is it also declared unclean? Here we must distinguish between two things: uncleanness and guilt are not the same. They are not identical.

A man’s uncleanness in this matter may be tied to sin. But a woman’s menstrual uncleanness is not tied to sin. Therefore, uncleanness does not necessarily mean moral guilt. If uncleanness always meant guilt, then a woman’s menstrual uncleanness would be impossible to explain. So we must hold this distinction: uncleanness and sin are two different categories. A person who is guilty must deal not only with ritual uncleanness but also with guilt before God; while a woman’s monthly uncleanness is not “because she sinned,” but because God has appointed it as a state of ritual uncleanness.

If a woman’s bleeding continues beyond the normal time, that is also unclean, and the regulations for uncleanness can be very painful and burdensome—whatever she touches is unclean; whoever touches those things must wash; and after the discharge ends, she too offers sacrifices—two offerings.

Some brothers and sisters may feel this is “unfair,” as if women are treated too harshly. But it is not that God is unjust. As the Creator, he has authority to define what is clean and what is unclean. And from another angle, these regulations can be viewed as protective: during that time, a woman does not need to do many things and can rest and recover physically. We can consider that as one aspect of God’s care.

Then verse 18 raises another issue: sexual relations between husband and wife result in uncleanness. We can understand this from at least two angles. First, as we said, uncleanness is not equal to sin. Second, it also teaches restraint and self-control. God is not encouraging people to indulge their desires without limit. There is a proper order and restraint consistent with God’s design. If there is indulgence and excess, then in the ritual system there will be constant uncleanness and constant disruption. So these regulations, in a practical way, restrain people from unbridled indulgence and call them to holiness in their conduct.

Verse 31 says, “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.” So the goal is to keep the people from spreading uncleanness and from defiling the Lord’s dwelling place among them. Uncleanness is treated as “contagious”—it spreads through contact. Therefore, the regulations teach what the unclean person must not do, and how the unclean person must live, so that he does not defile others and does not defile the tabernacle. God is holy, and he dwells among his covenant people; he does not want uncleanness to remain unchecked among them.

Now, these regulations still have meaning for us today, even though we do not live under the old ceremonial system. First, especially in the first part of chapter 15 (verses 1 to 15), if this is indeed connected to sexually transmitted disease, then it clearly warns men not to practice immoral behavior. If one lives in marital faithfulness—if there is no third party—then ordinarily such disease is avoided. So the man’s discharge here likely connects to Israel being tempted to imitate the Canaanites. In pagan temples, idolatrous worship often involved sexual immorality, and such immorality often led to disease. This becomes God’s warning to Israel: you must keep sexual relations holy. Later chapters will speak even more directly about these sins, because God takes this seriously.

And brothers and sisters, remember: in the ancient Near East, before the influence of Christian ethics, such immorality was widespread, and women’s status was extremely low. In places like ancient Rome, this kind of conduct was common. So in that world, to restrain men—to tell men to keep themselves clean, to not indulge desire, to not act with unbounded license—this was a serious and weighty matter. It was a mark of a true and higher moral order. It was not “normal” in that culture. God was shaping his people as a holy nation.

Today, as society grows more corrupt, both men and women engage in increasing immorality, and this is what God hates. These regulations remind us: if a person lives in uncleanness and is struck with such consequences, God declares him unclean. And the life of the unclean person is painful—he can touch almost nothing, do almost nothing; he needs care from others just to eat. So this is a powerful restraint: it teaches that one cannot act however one wishes without consequence. God hates Israel imitating the Canaanites, whose sexual chaos provoked God’s wrath. Disease and uncleanness functioned as judgment and warning, displaying God’s justice.

Now, for women, monthly uncleanness is unavoidable; it is part of God’s created order, and women bear a particular burden. As I said, there is also a protective aspect—rest and recovery. But if a woman has prolonged bleeding, that becomes a very painful condition. Here we must especially remember the story of Jesus healing the woman with the discharge of blood. This kind of uncleanness is different from the man’s case: for a man, it commonly involves immoral behavior; for a woman, it can arise simply from bodily suffering, and it can last a long time.

So when we read the second half of chapter 15, we should immediately think of the woman with the flow of blood in the Gospels. She had been bleeding for many years; she had spent all she had; and her suffering was immense. In light of Leviticus 15, she could not touch people. If she touched something, it would become unclean. So her life would be full of restriction, shame, and isolation. That is why, in the Gospel story, she came behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his garment. Why did she do that? Because she said in her heart, “If I touch even his garment, I will be made well.”

This is a “reverse cleansing.” She is unclean, but when she touches the holy One, she becomes clean. She believes that the holiness in Christ will cleanse her. And she does it secretly because she is ashamed. She is unclean; she cannot touch others; if she touches others, she would “defile” them. So she dares not do it openly. But Jesus insists on bringing her into the light and calling her forward. He could have said nothing. Why does he ask, “Who touched me?” He requires her to testify publicly. He wants her to confess before the crowd that he is the Messiah who cleanses.

In Mark 5, it says she touched his garment and immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed. Jesus perceived that power had gone out from him and asked who touched him. The woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down and told him the whole truth. Jesus then said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” In Luke 8 the story is similar: at first she tried to hide, but Jesus drew her out so that she would testify openly about what Christ had done.

So you see: reading Leviticus 15 helps us understand the Gospel story far better. If you do not know this background, you may not understand why she touched Jesus, why she was afraid to admit it, and why Jesus insisted that she speak. But once you understand Leviticus 15, everything becomes clear: she was unclean; she could not touch others; and yet she believed in a holy, cleansing power in Christ. She believed in “reverse cleansing,” and indeed the Lord granted it.

Therefore, the cleanliness regulations teach us at least this: they warn men against immoral sexual behavior, and they also speak to women’s suffering and burdens in a fallen world. But whether warning or comfort, in the end everything points to Christ. We have said before: if you read these purity laws without Christ, you will feel despair. Skin disease disqualifies you; menstrual uncleanness seems to make you “always unclean”; discharges bring endless restrictions—where is hope? Under the old covenant, life could be very difficult. People lived cautiously, afraid of being defiled, and defilement was easy to contract. It was not rare at all.

But thanks be to God, there is true hope. In the sacrificial system, two birds or two doves—one for a sin offering, one for a burnt offering—there is a way of atonement and cleansing. And in the Gospels, Jesus cleansing the woman with the discharge of blood shows the same truth: our true hope is in Christ. In Christ, our “discharges”—our endless cravings for the world, our uncontrolled desires, our wandering thoughts—can be stopped. If we are not in Christ, our hearts will keep being drawn out toward the world, leaking and flowing without end. But in Christ, he exposes our “leak,” he heals it, and he turns our mind and heart to his beauty and holiness, so that we may no longer love the world but follow the Lord Jesus on the way of the cross.

May God have mercy on us, and lead us to live a holy life. That is all for today. Thank you, everyone.