Sun.’s Devo - The Process of Purification

Read Lev. 14:1-57, Mark 6:30-56, Ps. 40:1-10, Pr. 10:11-12 Today we are going to look closer at the process of purification. If a person is healed of his infection the priest takes two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. One bird is killed over fresh water in a clay pot and the other is dipped in its blood along with the wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. Then the rest of the blood is sprinkled seven times on the person to be cleansed and the bird is set free. I love this picture of the cross. Both birds represent Jesus - one to die and one to resurrect. We see all these pictures on Calvary. The bird is clean because Jesus was sinless. The water is the Holy Spirit and the clay pot was Jesus earthly body. The wood stood for the cross and the scarlet yarn stands for the blood of Jesus that is the scarlet thread that weaves all through the Bible. The hyssop was the plant used to apply the blood on the door posts during the first Passover in Egypt. The free bird was the resurrected Jesus released into the world for all to have. The person to be cleansed is sprinkled with blood seven times because seven is the number of completion. Jesus blood completely covers our sins. Then the cleansed person must shave off all his hair and bathe in water to show that he is completely cleansed and sin is no longer a part of him. The rest is up to the priest who offers the atonement for our sin and guilt. That is the job of our High Priest, Jesus. The same process happens when there is sin and wrong doctrine in the church - the house of God. The stones must be taken away and cast into an unclean place outside the city. The stone have to do with doctrines that have been used to build the church. If they are wrong, they must be removed. In Mark, Jesus was trying to teach them about his doctrine which is one that completely supplies our needs and feeds us with his food which overflows and never runs out. The disciples couldn’t get it because their hearts were hardened. Lord, thank you for the blood of Jesus that completely covers our sins and makes us righteous.