Uncovering Nakedness (3) – The Seventh Commandment

Uncovering Nakedness (3)

The Seventh Commandment

Leviticus 18:19

“You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.”

Leviticus 20:18

“If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.”

Here is the first instance in which “uncovering nakedness” is equated with fornication. It’s not clear to me why this particular example of uncovering nakedness had to be singled out, except that a woman would be less likely to conceive during her menstrual period, and might be tempted, as might a man, to try to take advantage of this time for an illicit sexual liaison.

Presumably, however, this would also apply to married couples. The idea of making “naked her fountain” is mysterious; nevertheless, while we (I) may not completely understand the rationale for this, the plain meaning is unmistakable. We don’t have to understand all God’s commands completely in order to obey them faithfully.

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.