Week 14: Cleansed by His Blood

Have you ever been in a season where it felt hard to ask God for what you needed? Maybe you didn’t want to seem greedy or entitled, or like you were expecting too much. Or maybe, like me, you struggled to fully trust who God says He is.

I felt like I was standing on dry ground, toes pressed into the damp sand, staring at the walls of water God was holding back for me but afraid to take the next step. I heard Him whisper, “Trust me,” and yet I didn’t.

Instead, I worried…
“What if it turns into cancer?”
“What if it spreads?”
“What if I die?”
“What will my kids go through?”
“Will my husband re-marry?”

In my mind, I knew God was a healer. But in my heart, I didn’t fully trust Him to heal my body.

And still, He was patient. He held my hand and gently led me out of my own Egypt, step by step. He led me through those parted waters toward healing. And guess what? He completely healed me! Four months later, my scans showed zero sign of disease. My doctor called it “a miracle,” and I said, “Yes, God did that…even in my lack of faith!”

Before we dive into this week’s devotion, I want to invite you to listen to a song that carried me through my own “coming out of Egypt” season. LISTEN HERE.

Sometimes we know God is capable of doing something, but we struggle to believe that He wants to do it for us…right here, right now. Believing in God and believing God are two very different things…and perhaps like the Israelites, we too need a reminder that He is who He says He is, ALL the time.

This week we’re diving into Leviticus chapters 21 & 22, where God gives new instructions to Moses for the priests and the Israelites. Let’s get right to it!

Chapter 21

God instructs Moses to remind the priests of their special responsibilities. They were to remain clean and holy because of their role in leading the people. “Uncleanness was a ceremonial condition that resulted from a number of conditions that God gave to Israel as symbols of sin. The Israelites were to avoid becoming ceremonially unclean as a reminder that they should be on guard constantly against allowing sin to come into their lives. The priests needed to be especially careful to avoid becoming unclean because of the influence they needed to exercise in encouraging the people to stay away from sin.” 

Chapter 22

God continues with specific instructions for the priests and their families. The message is clear: while rituals and laws existed to preserve holiness, it was not the actions themselves that made them holy, it was God. Only He can make His people holy, because He alone is holy.

Why all the talk about cleanliness?

The Tent of Meeting was sacred and holy because God’s presence was there. Wherever God went, holiness followed. And what happens when sin collides with holiness? It can’t stay, it’s cut off. Boom. Caput. Sayonara. Hasta la vista, baby. Think back to Aaron’s sons, remember them? When they treated what was holy as common, they were struck down on the spot. Anything deemed unclean was immediately removed from God’s presence, because nothing unholy can survive standing beside His holiness. Period. 

Because of this, the priests were required to live holy, set-apart lives before they could come near God. Their actions weren’t just personal choices, they represented God to the Israelites. Being “unclean” was a big no-no in their day. God was calling them to walk the walk and talk the talk. Did the priests, and the people, keep the law perfectly? Of course not. That’s why God gave them the ritual and sacrificial system: a way to be cleansed from sin and restored in relationship with Him.

As followers of Jesus, we carry the same calling to live differently: to speak, think, feel, and know truth in a way that sets us apart. The difference is, we do so through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, where the Israelites relied on priests as mediators and the law. 

“The old covenant, unlike the new, was dependent upon the priests to represent the nation to God. The priests were not perfect, sinless men. They had to offer sacrifices on their own behalf, needing atonement just as much as any other member of the community. They were as likely to face the possibility of ritual contamination.”

“Without defect”

This phrase appears again in these chapters, just as it did in the earlier laws of sacrifice. God required animals without blemish because imperfections symbolized unworthiness. In the same way, priests with physical defects could not serve at the altar. These rules pointed forward to the dire need of one perfect sacrifice — Jesus.

Because the cross had not yet occurred, Israel’s rituals created a longing for that perfect sacrifice. And, hallelujah, Jesus fulfilled it once and for all. Where blemishes disqualified priests, His blood qualifies us all. Amen to that, right?!

What does this mean for us today?

Pastors and believers are not bound to Levitical law, but the principle still applies. In the New Testament, Jesus chose ordinary, often broken men and women to carry His message. Today, our “defects” may not be physical (like listed in chapter 22) but spiritual. Weak character or unresolved sin can create confusion or harm in ministry, and within one’s spirit. Still, we are reminded that holiness comes from Jesus through His HOLY SPIRIT, not from us. The blood Jesus shed makes us holy and perfect, cleansing away every single one of our sins. Period.

Priests were responsible for guiding their families and the people in cleanliness and holiness. We, too, are responsible for loving and guiding our families and friends in Christ. The difference? Their calling came with the weight of law and sacrifice. Ours comes with the gift of grace, because Jesus has already paid the price we were meant to pay!

Leviticus 22 ends with God’s words:
“I am the Lord, who made you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

Despite sin, failure, weakness, or lack of faith… this truth does not change:

God is God. He is unchanging. He is the Lord who makes us holy. He brought Israel out of Egypt, and He brings YOU out of your own “Egypt.”

So, friend, what is your Egypt? What waters do you need Him to part for you? What sin or shame are you still holding onto, believing it disqualifies you? Through the cross, Jesus has already declared you holy, loved, free, AND qualified.

Reflection:

Where in your life do you still feel “unqualified” to step into God’s presence and how does the truth of Jesus’ cleansing blood speak to that today?

When was the last time you hesitated to trust God with something heavy? What might it look like to take one small step forward, believing that He will part the waters for you?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for making me holy through the blood of Jesus. When I feel unworthy or afraid, remind me that You have already called me clean and set apart. Help me trust You with every step, knowing You are faithful to lead me through my own “Red Sea” moments. Amen.