Leprosy in Leviticus Table PDF
Problems of Holiness in Contamination
Leviticus 14:54-57
Introduction.
Leviticus 13 & 14 both make up a unit within the unit.
Recall, Lev. 11-15 lead up to the discussion on the Day of Atonement in Lev. 16.
This unit talks of being clean and unclean.
But Lev. 13 & 14 focus primarily on leprosy
Lev. 14:54-57 wraps it all up, calling it the “law of leprosy.”
Lev. 13 largely deals with diagnosis and Lev. 14 largely deals with cleansing.
These are also the longest chapters in Leviticus (rivaled by Lev. 25 & 26).
We are going to divide this into two main parts: problem & provision.
The problem will be discussed tonight.
The provision will be looked at next week.
There are three main problems discussed here.
Contamination of the Body (Lev. 13:1-45).
Contamination of Fabric (Lev. 13:46-59).
Contamination in a House (Lev. 14:33-47).
Body.
Contamination of the Body (13:1-45).
Leprosy, as the Bible describes it here, actually covers several skin diseases.
The laws given here were to help the priest to diagnose whether a blemish was a disease that fell into this category or not.
The diagnosis was not intended for medical treatment per se, but for ritual treatment to maintain the holiness of the people.
We did talk about leprosy some weeks ago when discussing the leper that Jesus healed in Mark 1.
We often think of leprosy as the difficult-to-cure Hansen’s disease.
Severe numbness and nerve damage, appendages reabsorbing, disfigured face.
Today it can be cured with a course of antibiotics lasting one to two years, but any nerve damage or disfigurement is permanent.
But biblical leprosy, while including this, did include several other, less severe illnesses.
It was a category of skin disease, the type that made one ritually unclean.
These include infectious but also non-infectious diseases.
Some commonalities among the different types of leprosy include:
White hair (or thin yellow hair) growing out of the sore.
It is deeper than the skin.
Raw flesh is exposed.
Reddish-white swelling for one type.
Most importantly, if it is spreading—this seems to be a commonality, even with the later contaminations.
Some commonalities of a sore being declared clean.
If it shows evidence of healing, especially after isolation.
It has faded and is not spreading.
It appears white—even if it had broken out over the whole body.
Scabs, scars, and white spots not considered unclean.
Some of these things did clear up on their own, but not always.
Here is what they were required to do (13:45-46).
Have their clothes torn.
Leave their head bare.
Cover their mustache (or upper lip) and cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” whenever someone came near.
Dwell alone, living outside the camp.
Reasons and application.
These contagious skin diseases were reminders of sin.
After the Fall, death and disease entered into the world through sin (Rom. 5:12).
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
There will be no death and disease in heaven, therefore there cannot be any evidence of it in the tabernacle/temple—at least no human death.
This might explain why white hair and raw flesh in the sore is considered unclean.
Recall that our sanctuary is in heaven, therefore we can worship together despite having any of these skin diseases. Though use common sense so such things are not spread if contagious.
There must also not be any sin in the camp, therefore they had to dwell alone outside the camp.
The disease spread, perhaps from person-to-person, but definitely all over the body.
Even if the disease weren’t contagious, ritual uncleanness was, just as sin is.
“A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9).
Remember Achan’s sin in Joshua 7—he and his whole family were executed to get the sin out of the camp.
We merely withdraw fellowship from such a brother who has defiled himself—a recognition of the state in which he has placed himself (1 Cor. 5).
These leprosy laws show that leprosy is analogous to sin—it spreads and must be put out of the camp, that is the church.
At the same time, it is more than skin-deep. It has taken root, as it were, and will not quickly fade away.
Contamination of Fabric (13:46-59).
The Bible calls this a leprous plague.
Since Moses uses this terminology to describe something that isn’t a skin disease, this shows the nature of the Hebrew word translated as “leprosy.”
It shows that it refers to something that spreads—in this case, it is mold or mildew.
There are certain molds, such as “black mold” which can appear greenish, that are considered toxic to humans, but most are harmless unless you’re allergic to it.
This is in wool or linen garments, but also in leather.
This includes clothes, blankets, sandals, and even the material that their tents were made of, their homes.
Since they were in the desert most of this time in the wilderness, it seems unlikely they had to deal with it too much, but it did come up.
What about the mold makes it unclean?
If it spreads, it is most certainly considered unclean.
There is one instance if it doesn’t spread that it is still considered unclean: if it is washed and after 7 days there is no change to it at all (13:55).
It continues to eat away, damaging the inside—so internal damage is also considered.
To be considered clean two things had to happen.
It must not spread.
After washing it had to either fade or disappear entirely.
If it fades, the affected area had to be cut out and the mold could not return.
To remedy the moldy garment.
If it were considered unclean, it was to be burned in a fire.
If the mold faded after washing, the moldy section was to be torn out as mentioned.
If it came back even after being torn out, it needed to be burned.
If it doesn’t spread and disappears when washed, it is considered clean after a second wash.
Reasons and applications.
As with the leprous sores, the leprous plague was reminiscent of sin.
But added onto the idea of death and disease, we have here the idea of decay.
These three d’s, death, disease, and decay, were not part of God’s perfect order at Creation.
They came into the world through sin and are reminders of sin and the Fall.
Though not stated here, they had the potential to make anyone who touched it unclean.
Often there is evidence of sin festering in our lives, even if it doesn’t appear to grow, as the mold that doesn’t spread but doesn’t fade.
It has the potential to make things worse as the damage continues though invisible.
As the leprous man had to go outside the camp, the faded mold had to be cut out.
As we are still bothered by the after-effects of sin, we must seek to cut that out of our lives with a circumcision of the heart, not made with hands (Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Col. 2:11).
If we are infected, we, too, will be burned in the lake of fire, the second death.
Contamination in a House (14:33-47).
This was in anticipation of their entering into Canaan (14:34).
They would build homes there—I’m sure this was a comforting thought.
But then God says He might put a leprous plague there.
Leprosy and the molds were often considered a curse againt whomever was afflicted.
It certainly wasn’t always the case, but it was a curse to Miriam (though temporary), King Uzziah, and Elisha’s servant Gehazi.
Here, we are still talking of the molds, perhaps toxic molds, as before.
Even before the priest examines it, everything in the house is removed so they do not become contaminated (unclean).
What makes it unclean?
Similar to the mold in the garments, it is reddish or greenish.
But it also has ingrained streaks, and is deep in the wall.
But most importantly, it spreads after the house has been shut up for 7 days.
How did they handle this?
No one was allowed in the house, nor could they lie down or eat in it.
If they did, they were unclean until evening and had to wash their clothes.
They first removed all the affected stones in the house and dumped them outside the city.
Next they scraped the whole house, inside and out, and put the scrapings outside the city as well.
Then they rebuilt the walls with fresh stones.
If the mold returned, the house was demolished.
If not, the house was clean.
Reasons and application.
The reasons are very similar to what we have discussed already, but using a different illustration.
When we are afflicted, there are two possibilities: either God is testing us, or He is chastising us.
When we suffer, let us always examine ourselves to see which it might be.
Today, what is the house of God? Paul calls it the church of the living God (1 Tim. 3:15).
I wrote so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.
That church is made up of living stones (1 Pet. 2:5).
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
If we become corrupted by sin, we may need to be removed.
If the whole church, the whole house, becomes corrupted, what must happen?
Our lampstand is in danger of being removed as it was for the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:5).
Repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
But instead of being completely demolished without hope, all we need to do is to repent.
Conclusion.
Looking at all these contaminations, we see there is common thread among them.
They all deal with something that spreads.
They are all analogous sin and the death and decay that sin ushered into this world.
They cannot be in the sanctuary which corresponds to heaven in the Christian age.
They are not in heaven, and we have our glorified and holy bodies to look forward to.
Next week, we will consider the purification rituals involved.
This includes the cleansing of the skin diseases.
This also includes cleansing houses of their mold.
Interestingly enough, fabrics do not get a cleansing ritual.
There is hope for us through Christ even when we are stuck in sin.
Are you stuck in sin today? There is only one remedy—Jesus!