He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.
He is pronounced utterly unclean under the laws of cleansing and leprosy when the priest's examination finds the plague established in his head. The one so pronounced is shut out for life from home, family, congregation and society, made to warn others away as unclean, with all he touches counted unclean, as one already dead. His loathsome, dreadful disease is a fitting type of sin, which like leprosy never heals of itself, cannot be cured by human means, spreads its pollution to others, and eats its victim from within while bringing outward shame. Cleansing from this condition comes only through Christ the great Physician, whose blood cleanses those who repent and believe.
Law's Setting and Procedure
Leviticus 13:44 belongs to the laws regulating uncleanness and leprosy, which form part of the cleansing laws in Leviticus 12-15. More particularly it belongs to the instructions on leprosy in chapters 13 and 14, which give sanitary directions concerning contagious diseases and infections that can remain even in buildings. Within those rules the priest's examination identified confirmed leprosy once the disease was established, and when the plague was in the head it marked its worst form. In that case the man was unclean, and the priest was required to pronounce him utterly unclean.
That pronouncement sent the person away from home and friends for life as an outcast. He was separated from family and society, and from family and the congregation, condemned to live in exile. He was required to warn others away by crying Unclean, unclean. Whatever he touched was counted unclean, and he lived as one already dead.
His condition was a visible, physical uncleanness that had to be removed before the sanctuary's cleansing with blood could apply to him. That outward cleansing was distinct from the sanctuary's deeper defilement, which came from human sin.
Leprosy as Type of Sin
Leprosy is a horrible, loathsome and dreadful moral disease and a fitting type of sin, even mortal sin. As figured in the Mosaic treatment of leprosy, sin is a dreadful disease from which men need healing. In its utmost loathsomeness it pictures mortal sin.
Like leprosy, sin never gets well of itself and is incurable by human means. Like leprosy, it is infectious and contagious. The sinner contaminates the very atmosphere about him and introduces pollution where all before was comparative purity, and by his society leads others to sin, so that there is more reason to fear such influence than to fear infection from a leper.
Like leprosy, sin eats up its victim and has its chief seat within. It pollutes the fountain of life as well as brings outward shame. This inward and outward ruin is pictured by a sick head and a body with no soundness, answering to the plague in the head pronounced utterly unclean.
Healing and Present Application
Cleansing from the utterly unclean state of leprosy in the head comes through Christ the great Physician, whose blood cleanses those who repent and believe. The leprosy given through Moses in its utmost loathsomeness as a type of mortal sin showcases His power to heal.
The laws concerning leprosy to which this pronouncement belongs are admirable precautions addressing disease and unsanitary conditions. They are sanitary directions concerning contagious diseases and infections that can remain in buildings. The sanitary law promulgated by Moses still stands at the head of sanitary laws, and its real value in prevention of disease and death shows divine guidance.
The instruction to remain clean given to ancient Israel about cleanliness and bodily health belongs among cleansing truths Christians are warned not to abandon, applying to obedience to health reform and preparation to receive the latter rain. The same loathsome disease still prevails in the Holy Land as in scriptural days, and its continued presence bears witness to scriptural truth.
He is pronounced utterly unclean under the laws of cleansing and leprosy when the priest's examination finds the plague established in his head. The one so pronounced is shut out for life from home, family, congregation and society, made to warn others away as unclean, with all he touches counted unclean, as one already dead. His loathsome, dreadful disease is a fitting type of sin, which like leprosy never heals of itself, cannot be cured by human means, spreads its pollution to others, and eats its victim from within while bringing outward shame. Cleansing from this condition comes only through Christ the great Physician, whose blood cleanses those who repent and believe.
Law's Setting and Procedure
Leviticus 13:44 belongs to the laws regulating uncleanness and leprosy, which form part of the cleansing laws in Leviticus 12-15. More particularly it belongs to the instructions on leprosy in chapters 13 and 14, which give sanitary directions concerning contagious diseases and infections that can remain even in buildings. Within those rules the priest's examination identified confirmed leprosy once the disease was established, and when the plague was in the head it marked its worst form. In that case the man was unclean, and the priest was required to pronounce him utterly unclean.
That pronouncement sent the person away from home and friends for life as an outcast. He was separated from family and society, and from family and the congregation, condemned to live in exile. He was required to warn others away by crying Unclean, unclean. Whatever he touched was counted unclean, and he lived as one already dead.
His condition was a visible, physical uncleanness that had to be removed before the sanctuary's cleansing with blood could apply to him. That outward cleansing was distinct from the sanctuary's deeper defilement, which came from human sin.
Leprosy as Type of Sin
Leprosy is a horrible, loathsome and dreadful moral disease and a fitting type of sin, even mortal sin. As figured in the Mosaic treatment of leprosy, sin is a dreadful disease from which men need healing. In its utmost loathsomeness it pictures mortal sin.
Like leprosy, sin never gets well of itself and is incurable by human means. Like leprosy, it is infectious and contagious. The sinner contaminates the very atmosphere about him and introduces pollution where all before was comparative purity, and by his society leads others to sin, so that there is more reason to fear such influence than to fear infection from a leper.
Like leprosy, sin eats up its victim and has its chief seat within. It pollutes the fountain of life as well as brings outward shame. This inward and outward ruin is pictured by a sick head and a body with no soundness, answering to the plague in the head pronounced utterly unclean.
Healing and Present Application
Cleansing from the utterly unclean state of leprosy in the head comes through Christ the great Physician, whose blood cleanses those who repent and believe. The leprosy given through Moses in its utmost loathsomeness as a type of mortal sin showcases His power to heal.
The laws concerning leprosy to which this pronouncement belongs are admirable precautions addressing disease and unsanitary conditions. They are sanitary directions concerning contagious diseases and infections that can remain in buildings. The sanitary law promulgated by Moses still stands at the head of sanitary laws, and its real value in prevention of disease and death shows divine guidance.
The instruction to remain clean given to ancient Israel about cleanliness and bodily health belongs among cleansing truths Christians are warned not to abandon, applying to obedience to health reform and preparation to receive the latter rain. The same loathsome disease still prevails in the Holy Land as in scriptural days, and its continued presence bears witness to scriptural truth.