Thursday Night Bible Study

Leviticus 13-Leviticus14:9 (Click title for audio access)

"Dealing With Leprosy And Lepers"  •  9.22.11  •  Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- The Levitical system of worship was dependant upon the maintenance of ceremonial purity. Consequently, certain animals could not be eaten and certain actions were prohibited.

- These were issues that were outside of the human body. What we have before us in chapters 13 and 14 originates in the human body and made one unclean, unfit for worship.

- The danger was a disease called "leprosy." For the Israelites, it was a physical ailment. For you and I, it is a typical ailment relating to sin. When we see that, we'll have the key to understanding.

- This is how they were to deal with the issue of leprosy. The parallels will become increasingly obvious. First, there was to be "examination."

Text

•  Leviticus 13:1-3  :  "And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white, and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. Then the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean."  : Leprosy silently incubates under the skin, but presents when skin lesions appear. Before that, there is no warning.

- Eventually, these lesions deaden the nerve endings, leaving it's victim without pain sensation.

- Over time, extremities would become infected, eventually leading to the loss of limbs.

- If a person developed a skin condition, God tells Moses that the priests are to diagnose it. I believe that to be very telling, especially given the type. Priests need to discern sin versus pattern.

- The best equipped people, with God's help, were the priests. They needed to be able to discern what leprosy was as there were skin issues that resembled leprosy, but were not.

- The distinguishing marks of early detected leprosy would be whitening hair and depth.

- If the color of the hair had not changed and the sore was only skin deep, it was non-leprous, othwerwise, the person would be pronounced "unclean" and leprous.

- This is an interesting concept as it pertains to sin. Sin can be a one time event. However, the danger is when sin becomes a habitual practice.

- One might observe the event, but it's the pattern that is dangerous. This is not just a surface condition. It goes much deeper than that. That takes time to discern. Look at verse 4.

•  Leviticus 13:4-8  :  "But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days. And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore appears to be as it was, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him another seven days. Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore has faded, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the scab should at all spread over the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen by the priest again. And if the priest sees that the scab has indeed spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy."  : After examination comes isolation. There needs to be time for further study of the patterns developing.

- The person that came to the priest with concern over his skin would go through a two week cycle of observation, isolated from the camp as well as the worship of the Lord.

- The priest needed time to investigate and examine the sore. Had it changed in 7 days? Had it become deeper? Had it spread? Leprosy never stayed in one place. It would eventually spread.

- If in two weeks the sore began to mend, then the person would return to his life. If not, this person was unclean and was given a sentence of lerosy! Imagine that two week wait!?

•  Leviticus 13:9-11  :  "When the leprous sore is on a person, then he shall be brought to the priest. And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the swelling on the skin is white, and it has turned the hair white, and there is a spot of raw flesh in the swelling, it is an old leprosy on the skin of his body. The priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not isolate him, for he is unclean."  :  This section begins to deal with other skin disorders, though the term "leprous" is still employed.

- Such skin disorders or "leprous sores" might be eczema, psoriasis or even acne. Imagine the dry heat of the desert, with the exposure to the sun and you could see how the skin could react.

- The priest would examine a man to discover if the area of infection was active, which would show itself in an open sore. For one with such a chronic condition, he would not have to be isolated.

- Isolation was for those with leprosy. This type of person was unclean but not contagious.

- The point here is that God wants His Priests to be very careful in their diagnosis. Don't needlessly isolate a person who merely had a skin condition.

- These next sections cover different skin disorders, so we'll cover them quickly.

•  Leviticus 13:12-23  :  "And if leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the one who has the sore, from his head to his foot, wherever the priest looks, then the priest shall consider; and indeed if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. It has all turned white. He is clean. But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean; for the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy. Or if the raw flesh changes and turns white again, he shall come to the priest. And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the sore has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. He is clean. If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is healed, and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be shown to the priest; and if, when the priest sees it, it indeed appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore which has broken out of the boil. But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in it, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days; and if it should at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean."  : The condition was raw skin. Was there an active infection or was this an old condition that had faded or was fading. The priest was to examine the man to see whether or not the leprosy has returned.

•  Leviticus 13:24-28  :  "Or if the body receives a burn on its skin by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white, then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the hair of the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper than the skin, it is leprosy broken out in the burn. Therefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in the bright spot, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days. And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread on the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn. The priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn."  :  Being burned caused one to be unclean, but it could also be a precursor to leprosy.

•  Leviticus 13:29-37  :  "If a man or woman has a sore on the head or the beard, then the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if it appears deeper than the skin, and there is in it thin yellow hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a scaly leprosy of the head or beard. But if the priest examines the scaly sore, and indeed it does not appear deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale seven days. And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if the scale has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the scale does not appear deeper than the skin, he shall shave himself, but the scale he shall not shave. And the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale another seven days. On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scale; and indeed if the scale has not spread over the skin, and does not appear deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the scale should at all spread over the skin after his cleansing, then the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the scale has spread over the skin, the priest need not seek for yellow hair. He is unclean. But if the scale appears to be at a standstill, and there is black hair grown up in it, the scale has healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean."  : God is referring here to psoriasis of the scalp. In extreme cases, that would appear to be leprous.

•  Leviticus 13:38,39  :  "If a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, specifically white bright spots, then the priest shall look; and indeed if the bright spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is a white spot that grows on the skin. He is clean."  : They were to be concerned with shiny white spots, perhaps even glossy. Pale spots were of no concern.

•  Leviticus 13:40-46  :  "As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean. He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean. And if there is on the bald head or bald forehead a reddish-white sore, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy on the skin of the body, he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head. Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." : From isolation to excommunication! A diagnosis of leprosy was devastating personally. He was also to be shunned publically.

- He was to tear his clothes and leave his head without a covering. He was to announce to anyone around him, with mouth covered, to avoid spreading the disease, that he was unclean.

- This would prevent communication of the disease among the people, curbing it's spread.

- Such a person was cut off from all the life of Israel, dwelling instead in solitude, outside of the camp of the Israelites where waste was taken. That is where the leper lived. Think principally.

- A person has not just sinned, but makes a practice of it. After a time of observation, it is time for that person to be removed from the camp before his sin spreads to others.

- Before long, where does that person find himself? Isolated and living among other lepers!

- God moves the instruction from warning us about leprosy in the body to warning us about the leprosy that could be contained in our possessions.

•  Leviticus 13:47-52  :  "Also, if a garment has a leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment, whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather, and if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a leprous plague and shall be shown to the priest. The priest shall examine the plague and isolate that which has the plague seven days. And he shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather or in anything made of leather, the plague is an active leprosy. It is unclean. He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; the garment shall be burned in the fire."  :  Remember again that the word "leprous" is used generically. Leprosy cannot exist in non-organic material. However, mold or mildew can.

- That is what God is communicating to Moses. Their bodies had to be clean and their outer garments had to be clean as well. Their garments and the covers for their tents were valuable.

- The warp was the lining or the stitching. The woof was the material that was attached to it. It could be leather or linen. If mold was found, the garment needed to be burned.

- No matter the value, if there is something leprous in the material, it needs to be burned!

•  Leviticus 13:53-59  :  "But if the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the plague; and he shall isolate it another seven days. Then the priest shall examine the plague after it has been washed; and indeed if the plague has not changed its color, though the plague has not spread, it is unclean, and you shall burn it in the fire; it continues eating away, whether the damage is outside or inside. If the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has faded after washing it, then he shall tear it out of the garment, whether out of the warp or out of the woof, or out of the leather. But if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a spreading plague; you shall burn with fire that in which is the plague. And if you wash the garment, either warp or woof, or whatever is made of leather, if the plague has disappeared from it, then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean. This is the law of the leprous plague in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof, or in anything made of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.'"  :  The garment was to be isolated and examined. It was to be burned if there was an enduring plague, washed if it faded.

- The application is simple: No matter the value of the thing, it would be unwise to expose yourself to leprous influence! Whatever God was referring to physically, the type is very clear.

- Anything that can defile, will defile! Don't give it room. Don't let it grow near you! The consequences are too costly.

•  Leviticus 14:1-3  :  "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest. And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper,"  :  Here is that silver lining of redemption. We have considered that leprosy could exist in the lives of these believers.

- But there would be a day of his cleansing! That is a fantastic truth! Yes, disease is a reality, but healing is an eventuality! Sin is a reality, but God is greater than sin!

- Notice that there was a day when the leper would be cleansed. He is not healed. He is cleansed. That is a very important distinction.

- You and I are never not sinners. However, we are washed and cleansed!

- The priest had the responsibility to diagnose the leper. At the same time, he had the responsibility to speak about God's healing. This is also extremely important.

- As Priests, we cannot be too careful with our diagnosis. At the same time, we must be ready to see God issue His healing touch! We are not just to leave a leper out for good. Look for healing!

•  Leviticus 14:4-9  :  "then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field. He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows—all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean."  : Two birds, one that would be killed in an Earthen vessel. The thought of a bird immediately moves our minds to the sky.

- Something from heaven joined into something that was made from the earth. What a picture of Christ, God clothed in flesh, killed. Then what about the living bird?

- That bird was to be dipped in the blood and the water from the first bird. The mixture of blood and water sounds familiar! Our Lord's heart was ruptured and blood and water flowed out.

- That blood water mix was to be put on the hyssop and sprinkled on the leper and the bird, let loose in the open fied. As that bird flew away to heaven, we think of Christ's ascension!

- As for the leper, he was to wash his clothes, shave and wash for a period of time. After seven days and a fresh shave, he was to be brought back into fellowship, for he was clean!

Conclusion

- Like leprosy in the days of the Israelites, the reality and danger of sin is very real. We need to be vigilant in not allowing it in our lives or in our congregation.

- At the same time, because Jesus Christ has died, fulfilling the law and it's demands perfectly, when a sinner turns from their way, we need to be the first to open our doors for our clean brother!