Lessons in Purity: Childbirth (Lev. 12)

In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire – and died, as fire came out from the LORD and consumed them.

In Leviticus 16, we are told that the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died (suggesting that they may have tried to go into the Most Holy Place).

Chapters 11-15 form something of an interlude to that narrative. These laws about the clean and the unclean are all about how Israel can approach a holy God! Aaron and his sons are supposed to distinguish between the holy and the common – and between the clean and the unclean.

Holy – is that which is devoted solely to God
Common – is that which is for man'' use

And within the "common" there is yet another distinction:

The Clean – is suitable for/moving toward the holy place
The Unclean – is unsuitable for/moving away from the holy place

And as we saw last time, there is another category as well:

The Abomination – that which is detestable – connected with idolatry and death.

So where does childbirth lie in these categories?