Bible study · Leviticus 12
Leviticus 12: She shall be clean
Read Leviticus 12 before you meet.
In a few lines
After a birth, Leviticus 12 gives a mother two stretches of days: seven and thirty-three for a son, two weeks and sixty-six for a daughter, with a son circumcised on the eighth day. Then the same offerings for either, and if she "cannot afford a lamb", two birds (12:8). Luke tells of it kept at Jesus' birth: the eighth day, the days of purification, and the two birds (Luke 2:21-24).
The verse to carry
“If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons: the one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering. The priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.’”
Leviticus 12:8
To talk about
1. After Jesus was born, his parents "accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord" (Luke 2:39). What helps you keep faithful habits in a tired or crowded season?
2. A mother who "cannot afford a lamb" brought two birds, and it ended the same way: "she shall be clean" (12:8). What does that tell you about coming to God with what you have?
3. This law brought a mother, after a birth, to "the door of the Tent of Meeting" with an offering (12:6). How could you mark the big moments of life, like a birth or a new start, before God together?