A Woman's Menstruation (Leviticus 15:19-24).
The next aspect of uncleanness is a woman's menstrual period. We can imagine how strange and even alarming this monthly flow of blood would have seemed to be in ancient times. But at least in Israel they could connect it with the fall of man. It would seem like a flowing out of life, and a period when the woman was losing some of her wholeness. It was thus a time of ‘uncleanness', a coming short of God's perfections. Furthermore to come in contact with the blood would be to come in contact with the woman's life force, and God wanted it to be known that this was disapproved of. That is the second reason why the blood was therefore declared ‘unclean'.
“And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days: and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.”
When a woman is having her monthly period and blood flows she is to be seen as ‘in her impurity' for seven days. Thus anyone who touches her becomes unclean until the evening. This would, at least to some extent, result in her not being pressed into work among others who might be affected by becoming unclean, and would protect her from the attentions of her husband. It would also assist with the problem of protecting herself against the problem of losing blood and how to cope with it.
“And everything that she lies on in her impurity shall be unclean. Everything also that she sits on shall be unclean.”
Whatever she lies on or sits on becomes unclean. It is feasible that this law may well be the carrying on of an old custom. Rachel may well have made use of it to ensure that Laban did not examine her saddle. If this was the custom then within the Terah tribes he would not want to be rendered ‘unclean', See Genesis 31:34-45.
“And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. And whoever touches anything that she sits on shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.”
Thus anyone who touches her bed and anything she sits on becomes unclean. Those who touch either must wash their clothes, wash themselves thoroughly with water, and be unclean until the evening. The very nuisance of this would form an envelope of protection around the woman.
“And if it be on the bed, or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until the evening.”
Also to touch any blood that falls on the bed or on a seat will mean to be rendered ‘unclean' until the evening.
“And if any man lie with her, and her impurity be on him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.”
To lie with a woman so that her blood comes on him will render a man unclean for seven days, and this will result in any bed on which he lies becoming unclean. This would seem to refer to a situation which is ‘unwitting', for Leviticus 20:18 makes a deliberate lying with a menstruous woman a ground for being ‘cut off', and Ezekiel lists it as a sin parallel to idolatry and adultery (Ezekiel 18:6; Ezekiel 22:10).