Verse 11a refers to rinsing the hands in water. This signifies purging away our filthiness with the word of God and with the life and Spirit in the word of God.
Again we would emphasize our need of the cross of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the Spirit, the divine life, and the holy Word. These things are the place where we should be. We should be in the death of Christ and in His resurrection. We should also be in the Spirit, in the divine life, and in the holy Word. We thank the Lord that there is a place for us! Naturally speaking, there is no clean place on earth. But, spiritually speaking, there is a wonderful place for us to stay. This place is the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the Spirit of life, the divine life, and the holy Word.
“The earthenware vessel which he who has the discharge touches shall be broken; and every wooden vessel shall be rinsed in water” (v. 12). This signifies that the created and fallen man (earthenware vessel) should be broken, whereas the God-created humanity (wooden vessel) should be kept but needs to be rinsed with the word of God and with the life and Spirit in the word of God.
After the fall, we human beings became quite complicated. On the one hand, we are God’s created people; on the other hand, we have become a fallen, corrupted people. As fallen, corrupted people, we need to be broken. This is signified by the breaking of the earthenware vessel. As God’s created people, however, we do not need to be broken, yet we do need to be rinsed with the Spirit, the divine life, and the holy Word. This is signified by the rinsing of the wooden vessel in water. Day by day we should live under the rinsing of the Spirit, the divine life, and the holy Word.
“When he who has the discharge is cleansed from his discharge, he shall count seven days for his cleansing; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water, and he shall be clean” (v. 13). This signifies that the dealing with our natural life should be to the extent that our natural life is fully terminated, and that we should be cleansed with the word of God in His Spirit.
“Then on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before Jehovah, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest; and the priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. Thus the priest shall make propitiation for him before Jehovah because of his discharge” (vv. 14-15). This signifies that man living by his natural life needs not only the redemption of Christ to deal with his sinful nature, but also the life of Christ that he may live for God.
Here Christ is typified by the two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One of these birds is a sin offering, and the other, a burnt offering. The function of Christ as the sin offering is to deal with our sinful nature. The function of Christ as the burnt offering is to be our life that we may live a life that is absolute for God. We need Christ in these two ways, in these two aspects. Only Christ can meet our need. When we have Christ as our sin offering and as our burnt offering, the problem of our discharges is solved.
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