Water is holy and without it there is no life. The sanctity of the water is derived from its source, as it is the only thing we use that falls from the skies. In religious circles there is a common belief that the Lord our God also dwells in the skies, also known as heavens. It would then be fair to say that rain comes from heaven, although there is a scientific explanation to its formation. Water brings life to all living creatures, plants and everything else that has a life in it. God used water, dust of the ground and the breath of air to transform the formation of a man into a living being (Genesis 2 verse 6-7).
Prosper Tingini
Baptism is the purification of the human body by the use of water, done by either immersing the whole body into the water or pouring the water onto the head of the body. Water thus cleanses both the body and soul. It is a cleansing agent which purifies people. The sacred ritual of baptism therefore recognises the sanctity of water, its holiness. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Lord our God almost always directs mankind to cleanse themselves with water to wash away any uncleanness on humans. Water has the divine power to do so.
In the third book of Moses, Leviticus, the Lord our God dwelt on the subject of human uncleanness at length. Anything of the flesh that loses its life becomes unclean before God. He disowns anything that loses its life and that thing becomes “unholy”. Any dead body is thus unclean. According to the Lord, whoever touches a human dead body or of an unclean animal should wash himself with water to cleanse himself. In the book of Numbers 19 verse 13, He proclaims, “Whoever touches a dead person, the body of any man who has died, and does not cleanse himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still upon him”.
Of the animals He commanded not to be eaten the Lord says, “Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening” (Leviticus 11 verse 24-26). Again, it is the water that cleanses the uncleanness. Of the animals that we may eat but that die of their own causes, He commands, “If any animal of which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening, and he who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening” (Leviticus 11 verses 39-40).
Naturally, we humans need water to rid ourselves of any visible uncleanness that can be observed by the eye, whether on our bodies or on the clothes we wear. We want to maintain a clean image of ourselves. However, the Lord our God is more concerned about the cleanness of the inner body, of the inner soul. Anything that loses its life becomes unholy and unclean since He is a God of life. He relinquishes ownership of dead things as they have lost the sanctity of the God-given life. Even a discharge from a human body that is brought about by a disease is unclean. The same goes for any male discharge that brings death to the living cells on discharge, like semen. This also includes the discharge of women at menstruation. The ovum which does not get fertilised in the womb loses its life, dies and is discharged from the body. The discharge of dead ovum is thus unclean by reason of the absence of life in the blood. The whole of Leviticus chapter 15 dwells on this topic.
In Leviticus 15 verse 1-15; the Lord our God spoke to both Moses and Aaron, instructing them, “Say to the people, when any man has a discharge (sickness) from his body, his discharge is unclean. And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: . . . And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and bath his body in running water, and shall be clean. . . ., and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge”. Water is again the cleansing agent to wash away the impurity. Upon being cleansed, an offering should be made to the Lord for the atonement of the sin.
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In Leviticus 15 verse 16-18, the Lord proceeded to say, “If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water, and be unclean until the evening. And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the evening. If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bath themselves in water, and be unclean until the evening”. It is the death of the living cells of the semen, which cannot survive outside of the body, that brings the uncleanness to a person. Water washes away the uncleanness from any person or garment onto which the semen comes into contact with.
With regards to a woman at menstruation, the Lord proceeded to say, “When a woman has a discharge of blood from her body, she shall be unclean until the evening . . . And if any man lies with her, her impurity shall come upon him, and he shall be unclean seven days and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean” (Leviticus 15 verse 19-24). Water should again be used to cleanse the uncleanness from the body and from the clothes. Washing of the body and of the clothes is in fact a human necessity and a part of our lives, therefore there should be no problems at all if mankind were to apply these laws.
A woman who discharges blood outside the menstrual cycle could be diseased, hence should also be treated as unclean. In Leviticus 15 verse 23-30, the Lord our God proceeded to say, “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness; . . ., and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge”. This kind of discharge could emanate from a disease of sin, hence God requires the atonement of the sin in the form of an offering, after cleansing the body with water.
The significance of water in human life is huge and is of a divine nature. Mankind should value water as a very precious commodity, ahead of diamonds, gold or silver.
l Prosper Tingini is a religious writer. He compiled a book titled, God’s Constitution For Mankind: The laws and commandments. His contact details are: 0771 260 195 or email: [email protected]
