Thurs.’s Devo - Cleansing

Read: Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark 6:30-56; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 10:11-12
God gave them a ceremony to use when someone was healed of an infectious skin disease. The priest was to take two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop brought by the person who was healed. The priest would order one of the birds to be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. The other live bird was to be dipped in the blood with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop. Then the person that was to be cleansed was to be sprinkled with the blood seven times. The live bird was then released in the open fields. The birds represented Jesus. The first bird was killed signifying His death. Along with the bird were all the symbols at the crucifixion. The cedar wood represented the cross. The scarlet yarn represented the scarlet thread that weaves itself through every book of the Bible. The hyssop was what was offered Jesus to lesson his pain. He chose not to take the hyssop so the hyssop represents the pain and suffering of the cross. The bird that went free represented Jesus resurrected body.
There is no record of this ritual ever being done but when Jesus healed the Jewish man of leprosy, he told him to go and present himself to the priests. They would have had to perform this ritual.
The person made clean represened a person who comes to Jesus and gives his sin to Jesus. He was to wash his clothes which represented putting away his past sinful habits. Then he was to shave off all his hair representing his change of coverings. He was no longer trying to be good apart from the grace of God. Jesus blood is our covering that makes us righteous, not our works. He was then invited to come back into the camp, but he was to spend his first 7 days outside his tent. On the 7th day, he had to shave off all his hair on his body, wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he would be clean.
When we become Christians we are invited into the camp of God. We spend our life on earth. On our “8th day” we enter heaven. We are completely rid of the power of death and sin before we enter heaven. This is our spiritual bath and shaving.
God also dealt with mildew in a house which represents bloodline sins. Anyone who comes into this family is affected by their curses or sins that they participate in. They must be cleansed the same way leprosy is cleansed. They have to be brought to the cross and have the blood of Jesus applied to their hurts and wombs.
In Mark, the disciples realized the people were as hungry as they were and wanted them to go home. Jesus told the disciples to feed them. They immediately looked at the natural and realized that was an impossibility. Jesus was trying to train them to see with spiritual eyes. Jesus fed the 5,000 and sent his disciples across the lake so he could go up on the mountain to pray. After Jesus spent time with his Father, he started walking across the water to join his disciples on the other side. His disciples were fighting angry waves of Satan who did not want them to make it to the other side. Jesus had already showed them what to do in a storm so he passed them on his way over. They recognized him and cried out in fear. Jesus calmed their fears and the sea calmed down as he entered the boat.
They came to Gennesaret where he had delivered the man of Legion and been kicked out. This time the people came from everywhere. They begged him to touch them. The man that had been delivered had done his job and spread the news of what Jesus had done for him. They were ready to hear this time.
Lord, help us to learn how to do the things that you did with great faith. Enlarge our hearts and our faith.