Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness. – Leviticus 15:3

Today's Scripture Reading (December 29, 2024): Leviticus 15

There are some things about which we simply don't talk. Or maybe more precisely phrased, there are some things about which we don't discuss in polite society. It is a conversation about which my wife and I have frequent conversations. I am a pretty conservative and private person, which means I don't share much on several subjects that I consider to be taboo, but if I am conservative and private, my wife is even more so. And occasionally, I stumble into an area where my wife feels I have overshared. Some things that are frequently shared by my contacts on social media my wife would be horrified if I shared that same information with my closest friends. 

I admit that I think we overshare on social media. No one needs to know whose house you spent last night socializing at, even if it was innocent. If you want to thank someone for their hospitality, don't shout it from the rooftops or publicly display your thanks; do it with a private message. Maybe even a better plan might be to drop off a card. I can't tell you how many conflicts have begun with a misunderstanding of a message between two people that was displayed on social media for all to see. 

And while we are becoming a more open society sexually, there are still things that we feel we need to keep private. The recent increase in North American sites advertising ED products for men that you can get without talking to your family doctor, but rather by talking to an anonymous doctor from somewhere else in the country, is proof of this demand or need for privacy over some subjects. This need is reflected in this passage in Leviticus. The subject matter seems to be about both normal and abnormal emissions from the male sex organ. And the understanding is that these emissions make the male unclean, at least for a short period of time. It is also about typical emissions that are blocked. But what is interesting is that there is no command to "go and show the priest" like there is with skin illnesses. The Bible understands that there are some things that we don't want to talk about. And so, it leaves the diagnosis up to the person. Maybe this is why these instructions don't try to differentiate between normal and abnormal emissions. It trusts us to be honest and isolate ourselves if it is necessary. However, this is a subject that the affected person could keep private because no one needs to know about it. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 16