Provisions for Holiness in Contamination
Leviticus 14:1-32, 49-53
Introduction.
Last time we talked of the bleak nature of leprosy.
We looked at the various skin conditions known as leprosy (leprous sore, old leprosy, scaly leprosy).
We also considered the leprous plague (mold/mildew) found in fabrics and houses.
While we don’t know exactly what these are, one key characteristic is that they spread.
We understand that sin brings forth death (Rom. 5:12), and that’s what these things represent: death, disease, and decay.
These things were not part of God’s original created order, so they had no business being in the camp, let alone the sanctuary.
The person with leprosy is to live outside the camp, with torn clothes shouting “Unclean!” whenever someone passes by.
The fabric was to be washed, torn, and/or burned.
The house is to be emptied, have the bricks removed, the house scraped and rebuilt. The bricks and scrapings go outside the camp. If it continues, the house is destroyed.
The sanctuary represented heaven, and no uncleanness can be there.
The camp represents the church, and no sin can be there or it brings down the camp—consider the battles lost because of Achan’s sin in Joshua 7.
Tonight we are talking about the provisions for purification after leprosy.
Note, nothing we are discussing here represents a treatment for leprosy.
The man with leprosy has to have had it cleared up first (14:1-3).
There is no ritual for the cleansing of the fabric, but there is for the man and the house.
There are three categories under consideration here: 1) man who had leprosy, 2) a poor man who had leprosy, 3) a house that had a leprous plague.
All three undergo the same ritual up to a point; the man and the poor man do the same thing to another point, but after that the only difference is the animals used in their sacrifices.
As a result, we will discuss them at the same time.
Preview:
Restoration to Community (14:1-9, 49-52).
Restoration to Worship (14:10-32).
Body.
Restoration to Community (14:1-9, 49-53).
Pronounced clean (14:4-7, 49-53).
The exact same rituals are presented here for both men and the house.
The priest was to examine the man or the house first to see that the leprosy or leprous plague was gone.
Then he was to take two living, clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.
He was to kill one bird over running water, and dip the living bird with the other elements into the blood and sprinkle the man or the house seven times.
The living bird was then let loose in an open field.
After this, the man was to be pronounced clean, though there were still some things he had to do.
Interestingly enough, after this ritual, it says they “made atonement for the house, and it shall be clean” (14:53).
How do you atone for an inanimate object? This was an atonement of purification, rededicating the house to be used again.
“Just as the [man] was restored to the whole congregation of Israel, so the house was returned in a ceremonially clean condition to its owner” (Harrison 157).
The ritual cleansing of the house is finished.
The next ritual is only for the person, poor or not (14:8-9).
He is to wash his clothes, shave all his hair, wash himself in water.
Then he was finally allowed into the camp, but he could not enter his tent (presumably his house in the PL) for seven days.
Then he was to repeat the shavings and washings and he would be clean.
The Christian application.
The birds have echoes of the rituals done on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16), where one animal is killed and another is set free.
This reminds the person going through it that he could have gone the way of the dead bird, but God granted him the healing to go free as the living bird.
This reminds us of the death of our Lord and His resurrection, and the cleansing that can be found in His blood sprinkled on us (Heb. 10:22).
Instead of leprosy, our bodies are sprinkled from an evil conscience.
The man is to be washed and shaved, an indication of a new beginning, a new birth.
Jesus asked Nicodemus why a teacher of Israel didn’t understand these ideas of being born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3-10) – maybe this is what Jesus is alluding to.
While the Israelites didn’t have the concept of baptism that we do, there were still cleansing rituals done in water as they are here, like a new birth, a new start.
This restored the man to be able to reenter the camp and his home (similarly we enter back into His church), but there was still more he had to do to enable him to enter the sanctuary to worship.
Restoration to Worship (14:10-32).
The man had to bring several things to sacrifice (14:10).
Two male lambs, one for a trespass and wave offering, another for a burnt offering.
One ewe lamb for a sin offering.
Three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
A log of oil for a wave offering and an anointing ritual.
The only difference with the poor man is that he was only to bring one male lamb for the trespass offering and two turtledoves/pigeons for the sin and burnt offerings. Also, he only had to bring one-tenth an ephah of fine flour mixed with for the grain offering (14:21-22).
All the elements are still there, and some are just as costly, like the male lamb.
But this shows that even the poor were entitled to be cleansed and restored.
The four sacrifices (14:11).
Four of the five sacrifices are under discussion here—all fulfilled in Christ.
Trespass offering – an offering of reparation, yet what did the former leper do to defraud God? (14:12-18).
While he was forced to live outside the camp, he defrauded God by not giving Him the service due Him.
Though this was through no fault of his own, God still required this of him.
Just as childbearing is not a sin (Lev. 12), neither is getting sick, but there were still things that needed to be done.
Note that no money was involved in the trespass offering for no sin was truly committed.
The blood of the trespass offering was used in a purification ritual similar to the consecration of priests (Lev. 8).
The log of oil was also used in a wave offering, and used to anoint the man in the same places as the blood, then poured over his head.
Sin offering – purification offering (14:19a).
Again, no sin committed.
This was to purify and ritually cleanse the former leper.
Burnt offering – offering of atonement (14:19b-20).
An offering to bring the former leper closer to God.
This brings him in a right relationship to Him so he can offer the grain offering.
Grain offering – dedication offering (14:20).
Shows the dedication he is willing to renew to the Lord.
His service is now accepted for he is now completely clean.
The Christian application.
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us fulfills all of these sacrificial requirements.
He makes reparation for us (Isa. 53:10).
His sacrifice purifies us (2 Cor. 5:21).
His was an atoning sacrifice (Rom. 3:25).
And through it we are dedicated to His service.
The anointing oil represents the sending of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20).
They had to go through all these things to be brought back into full fellowship again—all we have to do is become a Christian. And if we fall away, we must renew our service to Him just as these former lepers did.
Ultimately, these are provisions for restoration.
When we are restored after having fallen away, we must repent and pray (Acts 8:22).
If we walk back into the light after having walked in darkness for a time, the blood of Christ will cleanse us again.
Confessing our sins to the Lord, with repentance and prayer, will bring us back to Him—He will forgive us (1 John 1:7, 9).
We do not have to go through such an ornate ritual to receive full fellowship again.
Conclusion.
Our Lord is so wonderful and gracious.
He provided a way for the ritually unclean to come back to Him.
While these skin diseases reveal the holiness of God, these rituals reveal His mercy in allowing the formerly afflicted to return to Him.
For us, we are so blessed to have Christ that His blood shows the mercy, grace, and love of our Lord.
He was willing to die for us that we might have full fellowship with Him here on earth even if we have skin diseases and mold in our house.
Such things can’t be in heaven, and when we receive our glorified bodies, they won’t be.
But sin most assuredly can’t be there, and it’s covered by the blood of Christ.
Will you have your sins covered by His blood?
Will you be restored fully to service for Him?
Now is the chance to do so.
We’ve talked about what you need to do to be restored: repent, pray, and confess.
What must we do to be saved so we can have access to His blood?
Be saved today!