Morning Light – Leviticus 12

[Leviticus 12] Is Original Sin Eve’s Fault? In Leviticus 12, the laws concerning clean and unclean things continue in this chapter specific to women’s issues. God instructs Moses that a woman giving birth is ceremonially unclean for a certain number of days. After giving birth, a cleansing sacrifice is required after completing a number of days sequestered from the temple and the company of others. There is much contention about the godliness of the fairer sex because Eve ate of the tree before Adam. Is original sin Eve’s fault? Was Adam an innocent victim? This short chapter will teach us something about the concept of original sin and the coming of the promised seed that would crush the serpent’s head.

[Lev 12:1-8 KJV] 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days. 6 And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest: 7 Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This [is] the law for her that hath born a male or a female. 8 And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

In verses 1-4, modern scholarship has often suggested that this passage expresses an archaic, chauvinistic attitude toward women. The two most common views about impurity caused by conception are either 1.) because a woman sheds blood in menstruation and conception, hence according to the law, a ceremonial cleansing is called for. 2.) Because the woman was “first in transgression” in Adam and Eve’s sin, she is singled out for greater focus regarding a greater uncleanness where a woman’s body was concerned due to the nature of her transgression and allegedly being a source of temptation to man.

Let’s touch on this for a moment. For thousands of years, Eve has been depicted as a temptress in league with the devil for defiling God’s pure and faithful servant Adam (as some scholars contend). In the thinking of Monastic Christianity, in ancient times and to a degree today, women are excluded as being considered incapable of deep piety. In Islam, women are covered from head to toe, forbidden to drive, excluded from education, and subject to a penalty of death if they even leave their homes unaccompanied. One prophet from the early 1900s blamed every ill of sinful humanity, death, sickness, alcoholism, etc., saying “every time these happen – it’s a woman’s fault…” Is this true?

The culture of modern Christianity is little different in these attitudes. Men overwhelmingly helm pulpits. Men predominantly lead seminaries and schools of theology. There is a strong and robust school of thinking that completely rejects women from ministry. Pastor’s wives are some of the most despised and abused members of our churches as members, reticent to speak out against the pastor will often lash out at her as an easy target. Is original sin woman’s fault? Was Adam an innocent victim? Paul spoke of this to young Timothy:

[1Ti 2:14 KJV] 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Think of the implications of this. The woman was deceived. This is not the same as using the excuse “the devil made me do it.” She was still responsible for her actions. But if you look at the original language, you will see that the word deception means to “be cheated by deception.” We would call that being defrauded. However, Adam was NOT cheated by deception. What does that mean? He knew exactly what he was doing and precisely what the cost would be. The word transgression means “going over” as in “going over to the other side…” Adam defected to the ranks of the demonic as a cognitive choice with his eyes wide open. Then Adam’s excuse was, “that woman you gave me …” And men have been blaming women ever since.

Because of Adam and Eve’s transgression, something called original sin was passed on to their children right down to you and me today. We are born in sin. This sin passed from Adam to Eve in conception and gestated in her body for nine months and to be brought forth as spiritual contamination in the heart every baby born. Ps. 58:3 says children are born speaking lies, going astray from the moment they come out of the womb. How can that be? Remember that Adam and Eve didn’t know they were naked until after they sinned. Before disobedience, they were entirely God-conscious. God-consciousness eclipsed self-consciousness in their make-up before they sinned. They were so wrapped up in God that they didn’t realize that nakedness was something inappropriate at all. After the fall, self-consciousness usurped God-consciousness. Now the awareness of God that consumed them in Eden was just a vague sense of God causing man to grope after spiritual things bowing down to idols and all manner of religious practices. In Christ, God-consciousness is restored, and self-consciousness is once again restrained to the degree we allow it. This is what we call dying to self.

The impurity connected with childbirth is because original sin and the consequences of sin (death) are passed generationally through the womb of the woman. God set these laws we are studying up (as our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ) so that we might be reminded of a sinful nature that needed to be dealt with. The first hint of redemptive truth in this chapter is regarding the man-child being circumcised on the eighth day. Eight is a new beginning. Circumcision is a cutting away at the very seat of paternity, implying in the law a new beginning that would eventually, through Christ cut away the curse of sin.

Notice in vs. 5-8 that if a male child was born, the woman was unclean 40 days, but if a girl baby, the uncleanness period was 80 days. Why? Because generational sin gestated in the infant in the womb for nine months and was passed on at birth even doubly so in the birth of a baby girl. In human society, women have been conversely worshipped and denigrated because of their ability to conceive and bear children. In ancient times women primarily served as objects of sexual perversion in pagan temples. In ancient Hebrew worship, the concept of redemptive shamefacedness is brought forward as a model for purified and godly womanhood. This subject can be a real minefield to step into, and man’s wrong ideas and religious misconceptions shout much louder than the peaceable truth of God. Suffice to say that in these things, God has something in mind that He wants us both to see and be accountable for in this case specifically related to women, although men are clearly not excluded.

In this climate of anything goes, and because of the encroachment of a culture of promiscuity into the church, it is very controversial to even mention these things. But consider the following verse that brings these thoughts over from the Old Testament archaic practices into the New Covenant of liberty in Christ:

[1Ti 2:8-10 KJV] 8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

I don’t believe that a man can point his finger in a woman’s face to compel her or enforce upon her some outward standard of dress or conduct. But in light of these references bridging from the Old Testament to the New Testament, let every woman consider these verses with the sober sense of responsibility to be accountable to the word if indeed we accept this as God’s holy word given for our benefit.