IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Purification After Childbirth

Date: Oct. 7, 2026

Passage

Leviticus 12:1-8

Purification After Childbirth

12:1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.

6 “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7 and he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. 8 And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”

Daily Bread

Key Verse: Leviticus 12:7

and he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female.

To help his people to be holy, the LORD taught about maternity care. When a woman gave birth to a son, she was unclean for seven days. On the eighth day, the boy was circumcised (2,3). Then she waited another 33 days to be purified from her bleeding (4). If she gave birth to a daughter, the period would double. She was unclean for 14 days and 66 days were required for purification (5). Afterwards she offered a burnt offering with a year-old lamb and a sin offering with a young pigeon or a dove (6).

Proper maternity care is critical for pregnant women, especially for ancient mothers who gave birth to many children. The LORD taught what needed to be done for the mother and the child after giving birth. God gave time for mothers to recover and created conditions to mitigate health complications from childbirth. This could also be time for mothers to meditate on God’s grace. The burnt and sin offerings were reminders of God’s grace despite our sins and the need for atonement.

Prayer: Father, thank you for helping mothers to give birth. Thank you for every child who is born. And thank you for Jesus who has made atonement for every mother and child.

One Word: God protects mothers and children

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Daily Bread

Eating Blood Forbidden

Leviticus 17:1-16

Key Verse: 17:11

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

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