13 - 15 Leviticus

13-15 Leviticus – Leprosy (Much information is taken from Lunsford, J. (2006). Leviticus 101.)

Reminder: Even here we are not dealing with individual sin – though maybe original sin. Leprosy makes you ceremonially unclean, unfit to go before God. AS DONE SIN!

The Burnt offering was one seeking acceptance by God.

Sin offering is really a decontamination offering, or purification offering.

The Guilt offering was an offering of restitution.

Leprosy was a pre-existing condition, pre-existing the exodus from Egypt.

Exodus 4:6 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

Leprosy – what is it?

Barnes gives quite a description of the disease in his notes as follows …

The leprosy is the most terrible of all the disorders to which the body of man is subject. There is no disease in which hope of recovery is so nearly extinguished. From a commencement slight in appearance, with but little pain or inconvenience, often in its earlier stage insidiously disappearing and reappearing, it goes on in its strong but sluggish course, generally in defiance of the efforts of medical skill, until it reduces the patient to a mutilated cripple with dulled or obliterated senses, the voice turned to a croak, and with features of ghastly deformity. When it reaches some vital part it generally occasions what seem like the symptoms of a distinct disease (most often dysentery), and so puts an end to the life of the sufferer.

Keil and Delitzsch offer this definition of the disease in their commentary …

Very frequently, even for years before the actual outbreak of the disease itself, white, yellowish spots are seen lying deep in the skin, particularly on the genitals, in the face, on the forehead, or in the joints. They are without feeling, and sometimes cause the hair to assume the same colour as the spots. These spots afterwards pierce through the cellular tissue, and reach the muscles and bones. The hair becomes white and woolly, and at length falls off; hard gelatinous swellings are formed in the cellular tissue; the skin gets hard, rough, and seamy, lymph exudes from it, and forms large scabs, which fall off from time to time, and under these there are often offensive running sores. The nails then swell, curl up, and fall off; entropium is formed, with bleeding gums, the nose stopped up, and a considerable flow of saliva.… The senses become dull, the patient gets thin and weak, colliquative diarrhea sets in, and incessant thirst and burning fever terminate his sufferings.

(Lunsford, J. (2006). Leviticus 101 (p. 109). Reformation Publishers.)

Leprosy – does it still exist and is it curable? Yes & Yes. Today, about 208,000 people worldwide are infected with leprosy, according to the World Health Organization, most of them in Africa and Asia. About 100 people are diagnosed with leprosy in the U.S. every year, mostly in the South, California, Hawaii, and some U.S. territories.

Leprosy – What do we know about it? Dr. Armauer Hansen of Norway was the first to see the leprosy germ under a microscope. This was a revolutionary discovery. The evidence was clear: leprosy is caused by a germ (Mycobacterium leprae). It was not hereditary, a curse, or from sin. Because of Dr. Hansen’s work, leprosy is also called Hansen’s disease.

So, we see from that, that the world no longer see leprosy as a curse or from sin. However, we know that GOD has used it as both.

· Numbers 12:10-15 – where Miriam was struck by God w/ leprosy for her part in her and Aaron mocking Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman.

· 2 Kings 5:27 – speaking of Gehazi who let greed enter into his heart, “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”

· That doesn’t mean that everyone that gets leprosy has sinned or is cursed. Thake the Nation of Israel for example. As explained already we can surmise that they had leprosy. How, why, and when can possible be deduced from the scriptures – Exodus 1:8-11.

o In other words, it is believed that the Israelites contracted the disease from Egypt.

Back to Leviticus 13 – Once again, we are still dealing with purity and cleanliness before God but in this case, it is for the sake of the Nation’s health.

The chapter begins with, “when a man… then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest…”. We are to understand from this that there is a responsibility placed on the people to come forth if there is a possibility of their having leprosy.

The Flesh:

V.2 lets us understand that (at lest at this point) we are dealing with 3 different kinds of leprosy.

· A rising (swelling)

· A scab

· A bright spot (similar to a boil)

It is also in verse 2 were the leprosy is referred to as a plague.

V.3 If upon examination the sore appeared to be “deeper than the skin of his body” the individual was pronounced unclean and placed in isolation for fourteen days. Think of the stigmatism that would come with being placed in quarantine – might make one reluctant to go see the priest.

The Hair:

V.29 begins the dealing with the hair – “If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;”

A life of exile:

V.45-46 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

The Garments:

V.47 Not only is the flesh covered in Leviticus 13 but also leprosy in the garments – “The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in…”

V.52 Burn it! - V.54 Wash it! - V.55 Burn it! - V.56 Tear it! - V.57 Burn it! - V.58 Wash it a second time!

You can’t just jump right to the burning process. They didn’t have much. What they had was important if not all together precious. All the more reason for us to be careful in thanking GOD for all that we have.

Leprosy, whether in the flesh or the garment, is a picture of evil, even of the enemy of God, Satan himself. It is a picture of how the devil, through sin, separates and isolates us from God, forcing us to live in isolation from HIS love. It is a picture of why we need to be blood bought, blood cleansed, washed with the pure water of the Holy Ghost.

Leprosy like sin …

1) Appears Small At First

2) Becomes A Means Of Isolation

3) Causes Permanent Separation From Family And Friends

4) Delivers The Final Blow Of Death

… And sin when it is finished brings forth death. James 1:15 (Lunsford, J. (2006). Leviticus 101 (p. 119).)

Chapter 14 – the cleansing process, it’s like being born again – though healed, the scars remained. Believers (those that have been redeemed and born again) also bear the scars of a life of sin. The scars, however, are on the outside but praise be to God who looks at the heart.

All the sacrifices must be offered.

READ V.1-20 – the ritual process for cleansing and atonement

Note in V.2, the Priest had to go out and meet the leper much the same way our High Priest came to meet us, taking on the flesh of man and yet still remaining holy.

Don’t READ V.21-32 – same process, with allowances made for the poor – 32“This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.”

The House

READ V.33-53 – cleanse it or tear it down! All efforts being made to save the house first.

Our bodies represent the house of or the temple of the Holy Spirit. It too must be clean.

Chapter 15 – Bodily Discharges

V.2 “running issue” – Hebrew word zaab meaning discharge. Some suggest it is a reference to gonorrhea. A sexually transmitted disease.

· 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

· Egypt – worshiped Baalpeor & Ashteroththrough temple prostitution = sexual diseases.

V. 4-12 – illustrates for us a picture of how sin in our lives effect everything and everyone in our lives. If we are unclean we become a source of uncleaness.

· The writer of Hebrews warns - Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

V.13-15 – 7 days of cleansing – 8th day, offering of sacrifices

In / From the Man:

V.16-18 – again, the emission of bodily fluids makes one unclean. The act of sexual intercourse itself is not sinful. In fact, Paul wrote -

· Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: Hebrews 13:4

In / From the female

V.19-30 – Emissions of bodily fluids makes her unclean – if she is unclean, everything and everyone she comes in contact with is susceptible to becoming unclean as well.

V.31-33 – Final word from God, read-v

“In verse thirty-one God gets to the heart of the matter. “Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness;” God expects a pure, holy people to bring worship to Him! Not men and women who have lived life to the fullest Monday through Saturday, only to stand in church and praise God on Sunday!”

“Here at the close of Chapter 15 we find that these laws do in fact deserve our consideration. Because how you and I choose to live our lives each day goes a long way in determining our ability to approach a just and holy God!”

“Too many people are being told that they can run with the devil all week and still hold hands with God on Sunday. This should not be! God expects those who call themselves Christians to come out and be separate from the world!”

“This means in how we speak, how we dress, how we handle our business affairs, and how we handle our human flesh. Granted hygiene and health issues did play a role in the giving of these laws, but the main focus was in maintaining ceremonial purity so as not to be forbidden entrance into the presence of God. How are we any different today?” (J. Lunsford)

God called the children of Israel to holiness – do you think HE calls you to anything less?

In closing, I’d like to share the thoughts and words of Oswald Chamber

Vision by personal purity

Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8.

Purity is not innocence, it is much more. Purity is the outcome of sustained spiritual sympathy with God. We have to grow in purity. The life with God may be right and the inner purity remain unsullied, and yet every now and again the bloom on the outside may be sullied. God does not shield us from this possibility, because in this way we realize the necessity of maintaining the vision by personal purity. If the spiritual bloom of our life with God is getting impaired in the tiniest degree, we must leave off everything and get it put right. Remember that vision depends on character—the pure in heart see God.

God makes us pure by His sovereign grace, but we have something to look after, this bodily life by which we come in contact with other people and with other points of view; it is these that are apt to sully. Not only must the inner sanctuary be kept right with God, but the outer courts as well are to be brought into perfect accord with the purity God gives us by His grace. The spiritual understanding is blurred immediately the outer court is sullied. If we are going to retain personal contact with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean there are some things we must scorn to do or to think, some legitimate things we must scorn to touch.

A practical way of keeping personal purity unsullied in relation to other people is to say to yourself—That man, that woman, perfect in Christ Jesus! That friend, that relative, perfect in Christ Jesus!

(Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.)