Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;
Leviticus 13:16 belongs to the laws and instructions governing leprosy, describing the examination when the raw flesh turns again and is changed to white, requiring the person to come to the priest. Leprosy in these laws is a fitting type of sin, representing sin as a widespread, infectious and incurable disease, a terrible moral disease embracing every kind of evil and mortal sin, from which people need cleansing and healing by God through Jesus Christ. Sin is like leprosy in that the disease never gets well of itself, and in that it is contagious, so the sinner contaminates the very atmosphere, introduces pollution where all before was comparative purity, and by his society leads others to sin, an influence more to be feared than the infection of the leper.
The verse belongs to the law of cleansing that required an object to be visibly clean before it could undergo cleansing with blood, illustrating the removal of physical uncleanness as preparation for the sanctuary's cleansing. The verse is included in the yearly round of service in the Levitical sanctuary, and that service typified Christ's ministry, which was offered once for all. As sanitary instruction about leprosy and contagious or infectious disease, these laws required proper precautions even though God is the healer, they remain valuable guidance for dealing with such diseases and still stand at the head of all sanitary law, and their enduring superiority proves divine inspiration guided Moses. The verse belongs to the bodily cleansing instruction given to ancient Israel that health reform continues to apply, showing that cleansing was one of the truths Israel was not to abandon, and the remnant likewise must follow the light of health reform and other cleansing truths.
Leviticus 13:16 belongs to the laws and instructions governing leprosy, describing the examination when the raw flesh turns again and is changed to white, requiring the person to come to the priest. Leprosy in these laws is a fitting type of sin, representing sin as a widespread, infectious and incurable disease, a terrible moral disease embracing every kind of evil and mortal sin, from which people need cleansing and healing by God through Jesus Christ. Sin is like leprosy in that the disease never gets well of itself, and in that it is contagious, so the sinner contaminates the very atmosphere, introduces pollution where all before was comparative purity, and by his society leads others to sin, an influence more to be feared than the infection of the leper.
The verse belongs to the law of cleansing that required an object to be visibly clean before it could undergo cleansing with blood, illustrating the removal of physical uncleanness as preparation for the sanctuary's cleansing. The verse is included in the yearly round of service in the Levitical sanctuary, and that service typified Christ's ministry, which was offered once for all. As sanitary instruction about leprosy and contagious or infectious disease, these laws required proper precautions even though God is the healer, they remain valuable guidance for dealing with such diseases and still stand at the head of all sanitary law, and their enduring superiority proves divine inspiration guided Moses. The verse belongs to the bodily cleansing instruction given to ancient Israel that health reform continues to apply, showing that cleansing was one of the truths Israel was not to abandon, and the remnant likewise must follow the light of health reform and other cleansing truths.