5 February | Teens
«‘Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness when they defile My tabernacle that is among them» Leviticus 15: 31
The Bible's sanitary laws were super advanced for the time, did you know that? God gave rules about cleanliness long before people understood about germs and diseases. In Leviticus 12 to 15, God explained how the people of Israel were to take care of their own hygiene and health, how to deal with illness and even how to wash their clothes. This was all very important to keep everyone healthy (remember, they were former slaves and needed to be “educated”).
Now, imagine if we didn't have any hygiene rules today. It would be total chaos! Dirty clothes scattered everywhere, sick people unattended, others with smelly breath... Yuck! God's laws weren't boring rules; they were clever ways to avoid sickness and trouble. Thanks to these health laws, the people of Israel stayed healthy in a time when there was no medicine like today.
God knew what He was doing in giving these laws. He wanted His people to be healthy, not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. And the cool thing is that these laws still make sense! Washing our hands, keeping everything clean and taking care of our health are things we learn from a young age, and it all started way back with the laws that God gave.
Take Action
How about doing a cleaning challenge? Pick a day to be more hygienic: tidy up your room, sort out your dirty clothes, wash your hands several times and see if you can keep everything clean. This will show you how God's rules help us live better and healthier.