On the eighth day they must bring them for their cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the LORD. – Leviticus 14:23

Today's Scripture Reading (December 28, 2024): Leviticus 14

I love the concept of the eighth day. The idea of an eighth day raised its head several times during the biblical record. For me, the eighth day has always spoken of hope. I also believe that it prophesies of a time in the future for the Sabbath to move from Saturday to Sunday. I don't think the Christian Church worships on the first day of the week, regardless of what our calendars might say. We worship on the eighth day, a day that is firmly focused on the future. 

So, a male child is to be circumcised on the eighth day. It was a mark of honor for the people of Israel. Paul makes a big deal out of the fact that he was circumcised on the eighth day. 

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless (Philippians 3:4-6).

Festivals often closed on the eighth day. The Feast of Tabernacles declared a feast on the eighth day. 

The eighth day was also the day of purification for people who needed to be cleansed. In this case, it was the day of purification for those who needed to be declared clean from a skin disease. The priest may have declared the person to be clean earlier, but it wasn't until the eighth day that the purification ritual could be performed. On the eighth day, the appropriate sacrifice was to be brought to the Tabernacle, and the purification ritual could finally be performed. After the eighth day, the future once again was opened up to the hope of what it might hold for the one that, up until this time, had been condemned to live outside of the community of Israel. 

The eighth day was very special. And it still is. It is a day when the Christian Church has traditionally met for worship. Sunday worship isn't an antibiblical response to the Sabbath but rather a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. It is a day when we focus not on what has happened in the past but on what will happen in the future. It is a day when we celebrate that our sins have been forgiven, and because of that forgiveness, the future is filled with hope. We can focus on the future because with our past forgiven, nothing can stop a child of the eighth day.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 15