In the Mosaic Law, the concept of atonement for persons deemed unclean is a significant aspect of maintaining holiness and purity within the community of Israel. The laws concerning uncleanness and the necessary atonement are primarily found in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. These laws underscore the importance of ritual purity and the means by which individuals could be restored to a state of ceremonial cleanliness.

Uncleanness and Its Causes

Uncleanness in the Old Testament could arise from various sources, including contact with a corpse, certain skin diseases, bodily discharges, and other specified conditions. These states of impurity were not necessarily sinful in themselves but required purification to restore the individual to full participation in the religious and communal life of Israel.

Atonement for Uncleanness

The process of atonement for uncleanness typically involved specific sacrifices and rituals. Leviticus 14 provides detailed instructions for the cleansing of a person healed from a skin disease, commonly referred to as leprosy. The ritual included the offering of two live clean birds, cedarwood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. One bird was killed over fresh water in a clay pot, and the living bird, along with the cedarwood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, was dipped in the blood of the slain bird and then released into the open field (Leviticus 14:4-7).

For other forms of uncleanness, such as bodily discharges, Leviticus 15 outlines the necessary offerings. After the period of uncleanness, the individual was required to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. One bird was offered as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, making atonement for the person before the LORD (Leviticus 15:14-15, 29-30).

The Role of the Priest

The priest played a crucial role in the atonement process, acting as a mediator between the unclean person and God. The priest's duties included examining the individual, performing the necessary rituals, and offering the prescribed sacrifices. This intercession was vital for the restoration of the unclean person to a state of ritual purity.

Spiritual Significance

The laws of atonement for uncleanness highlight the holiness of God and the need for His people to be set apart. They serve as a reminder of the pervasive nature of sin and impurity and the necessity of divine provision for cleansing and restoration. These rituals foreshadow the ultimate atonement provided through Jesus Christ, who, as the perfect High Priest, offers cleansing from sin and impurity for all who believe.

Scriptural References

· Leviticus 14:1-32: Instructions for the cleansing of a leper.
· Leviticus 15:1-33: Laws concerning bodily discharges and the required offerings.
· Numbers 19:11-22: The water of purification for those who touch a dead body.

The atonement for uncleanness under the Mosaic Law underscores the seriousness with which God views purity and the lengths to which He provides a means for His people to be reconciled to Him.Leviticus 5:2,3,6
Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast, or a carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

An Unalterable Law
... very soul of Jesus the sword of the law pierced, and ... his person, he was able to offer
an atonement to God ... of this: I would not disparage or under-estimate his ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 60 1914/an unalterable law.htm

Leviticus
... new year's day and the day of atonement, vv.23 ... and of things and persons that had
come under the ban ... Special importance attaches to the Law of Holiness, known to ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/leviticus.htm

The Council of Jerusalem.
... Under the law, blood was forbidden, because it made atonement for sin. It
was then sacred; it was appropriated to the service of God. ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xvi the council of.htm

The Coin in the Fish's Mouth
... this tax was levied with a double meaning; first, it was an atonement or ransom ... Thus
it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.' He comes under the law. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the coin in the fishs.htm

The Old, Old Story
... me, I left him early in the morning standing under such-and ... Even now that he has
come to manhood, law and terrors make ... Alas for those that deny the atonement! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/the old old story.htm

The Doctrine of Jesus Christ.
... holiness in the Old Testament (see under Attributes of ... The Levitical law, the laws
of clean and unclean ... is excluded from the blessings offered in the atonement. ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of jesus christ.htm

The Mission of Paul and Silas to Macedonia.
... and to submit to the gentle law, of Jesus ... of the human mind, pointed out an atonement
in which ... show the unhappy persons to have been under demoniacal influence ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xvii the mission of.htm

Justification.
... the fact beyond question, that the vicarious atonement of Christ ... does not thereafter
bring the soul under the condemning sentence of the law of God. ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxxvi justification.htm

The Wordless Book
... a man who had taken delight in God's law, meditating in ... that Jesus Christ, by virtue
of his great atonement, is not ... There are times, to one under a sense of sin ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 57 1911/the wordless book.htm

Scriptural Types.
... This represented that, under the old dispensation, the way ... bearing the curse of the
violated law, was burned ... sin-offering on the day of atonement, having been ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

What is the recapitulation theory of the atonement? | GotQuestions.org

What is the substitutionary atonement? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)? | GotQuestions.org

Atonement: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus