8/12 Reading (Leviticus 13-15; Psalms 19-21)

NOTE: I still struggle with the psalms. I’m really having a hard time reading these. First, I’ve always had trouble reading poetry and these are written in that format. Second, I need some help reading these. I’m not sure if I’m overthinking this or what, but these are really challenging to me.

Leviticus 13: A full chapter on how to treat people who may or may not have leprosy. No wonder why people were so fearful of people with leprosy. Based of the notes what was referred to as leprosy is not the same as modern day leprosy. I do wonder if this type of affliction was common during this time frame?

Leviticus 14: another chapter on leprosy. This time on how to clean a person or where they live. Lots of information on this one disease.

Leviticus 15: And another chapter dealing with sex and bodily fluids. This chapter details the cleanliness of men and women depending on the type of discharge. We get one of the best quotes I’ve seen yet: “When any man has a discharge from his member…” (Lev. 15.2). We learn what happens when men have an abnormal discharge, normal discharge, and seminal discharge during sex (“If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening” (Lev. 15.18)). Then we learn what happens when women have normal discharge and abnormal discharge. The rules are pretty specific on how to become clean and pure again. Kinda interesting.

Psalm 19: According to the HOCO Sunday spirit from 8/6, this psalm is a favorite among scientists. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m struggling with the Psalms. Not sure what to do. Kinda lost. I’m going to have to go with the notes on this one: verses 1-6 are about creation and 7-14 focus on instruction. We see reference to rising of the sun in verses 1-6. For verses 7-14, the notes say this: “what the sun does for he earth–energizing it and making life possible–will be claimed by the psalmist for God’s instruction” (CEB Bible, notes section, p. 859 OT).

Psalm 20: This psalm focuses on asking God to continue to help the king.

Psalm 21: celebrating the help God gave the king in psalm 20.