This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall,
This is the law summing up God's provision for every form of leprosy and scall, belonging to the laws of uncleanness and cleansing given to Israel. Leprosy is a fitting outward picture of sin as a terrible moral disease, showing on the body what sin does within the inner man. Like leprosy, sin taints all of Adam's race, never heals of itself and cannot be cured by human means, spreads by contact and consumes its victim from within while defiling all around him. True cleansing comes afterward by atonement with blood, every detail of the service pointing forward to Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary. The only cure is help from the great Physician of souls, whose blood cleanses from sin those who truly repent and believe and put off the old self to become as a little child.
Law's Context and Procedure
This is the summary law for all manner of plague of leprosy and scall. It belongs to the laws of uncleanness and cleansing given to ancient Israel in Leviticus 12-15, regulating uncleanness and leprosy. Chapters 13 and 14 in particular give sanitary instructions concerning leprosy and contagious or infectious disease. These are cleansing truths for God's people to follow in faithfulness to cleansing and health principles.
The chapter prescribes hyssop as a plant used in purifications, especially for people and houses affected by leprosy. For a house infected with leprosy, the law in Leviticus 14:33-57 requires taking out the stones affected with the plague, scraping the house within round about, and repairing it with new material. This covers unsanitary houses and related conditions that can leave contagious or infectious germs in buildings.
Removal of visible physical uncleanness does not itself make the person or house clean but only prepares it to be cleansed according to the law. The object must be made visibly clean, so it would be called clean, with physical uncleanness removed before the atonement by which it is reconciled or cleansed. A person cured of leprosy must show himself to the priests and make an offering, after which he is officially pronounced clean. Jesus' command to the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests follows this law and told them their prayer was answered, the same as I will; be thou clean, and their healing did not appear until they began to obey, showing faith by starting while the evidence of leprosy was still upon them.
Leprosy as Type of Sin
Leprosy, a horrible disease, is a fitting type and outward illustration of sin as a terrible moral disease, and the laws regulating uncleanness emphasize everywhere the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Under this law leprosy is presented primarily as a result of sin, showing in outward form on the body what sin does in the inner man, so that being made whole is more than having disease removed. A person cured of leprosy must show himself to the priests and make an offering, after which he is officially pronounced clean, and Jesus' command to the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests told them their prayer was answered, the same as be thou clean. Their healing did not appear until they began to obey, showing faith by starting while the evidence of leprosy was still upon them.
Like leprosy, sin infects everyone born of Adam's race, is incurable by human means and never gets well of itself, spreads through contact and is contagious, and consumes its victim. It has its chief seat within, corrupting the source of life as well as making a person outwardly shameful. It contaminates the very atmosphere and introduces pollution where all before was comparative purity, so that the society of the sinner leading others to sin is more to be feared than the infection of the leper. Sin is a worse disease than bodily leprosy, and God is the God who heals, yet He requires proper precaution from His people and faithfulness to cleansing and health principles.
Removal of visible physical uncleanness does not itself make clean but only prepares for cleansing according to the law, and true cleansing comes afterward when the priest makes atonement with blood, as when he takes two birds and cleanses the house with the blood of the bird. Atone, cleanse, purify, reconcile and similar words signify the same work of bringing into favor with God, and in all cases blood is the means. Like all the sacrifices and regulations in Leviticus, this law is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the slain beasts pointing forward to the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Every detail has meaning, with fuller meaning found in His sacrifice, life, and work.
It belongs to the complete yearly round of service in the typical sanctuary built by Moses in the wilderness, whose building, appointments, priesthood, and service in Leviticus 1-16 typify Christ and His priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary begun when Jesus ascended on high, the service performed every year typifying in each year the service of Christ which was once for all. The only cure for sin is help from the great Physician of souls: Christ's blood cleanses from sin, and He receives those who truly repent and believe. Healing from it requires pride and the old self to die, putting off the old self and putting on the new and becoming humble enough to receive God's kingdom as a little child. Although the dry details gain new life and blessing when He is seen in them, spending much time on the meaning of the details may not be comparatively profitable.
This is the law summing up God's provision for every form of leprosy and scall, belonging to the laws of uncleanness and cleansing given to Israel. Leprosy is a fitting outward picture of sin as a terrible moral disease, showing on the body what sin does within the inner man. Like leprosy, sin taints all of Adam's race, never heals of itself and cannot be cured by human means, spreads by contact and consumes its victim from within while defiling all around him. True cleansing comes afterward by atonement with blood, every detail of the service pointing forward to Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary. The only cure is help from the great Physician of souls, whose blood cleanses from sin those who truly repent and believe and put off the old self to become as a little child.
Law's Context and Procedure
This is the summary law for all manner of plague of leprosy and scall. It belongs to the laws of uncleanness and cleansing given to ancient Israel in Leviticus 12-15, regulating uncleanness and leprosy. Chapters 13 and 14 in particular give sanitary instructions concerning leprosy and contagious or infectious disease. These are cleansing truths for God's people to follow in faithfulness to cleansing and health principles.
The chapter prescribes hyssop as a plant used in purifications, especially for people and houses affected by leprosy. For a house infected with leprosy, the law in Leviticus 14:33-57 requires taking out the stones affected with the plague, scraping the house within round about, and repairing it with new material. This covers unsanitary houses and related conditions that can leave contagious or infectious germs in buildings.
Removal of visible physical uncleanness does not itself make the person or house clean but only prepares it to be cleansed according to the law. The object must be made visibly clean, so it would be called clean, with physical uncleanness removed before the atonement by which it is reconciled or cleansed. A person cured of leprosy must show himself to the priests and make an offering, after which he is officially pronounced clean. Jesus' command to the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests follows this law and told them their prayer was answered, the same as I will; be thou clean, and their healing did not appear until they began to obey, showing faith by starting while the evidence of leprosy was still upon them.
Leprosy as Type of Sin
Leprosy, a horrible disease, is a fitting type and outward illustration of sin as a terrible moral disease, and the laws regulating uncleanness emphasize everywhere the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Under this law leprosy is presented primarily as a result of sin, showing in outward form on the body what sin does in the inner man, so that being made whole is more than having disease removed. A person cured of leprosy must show himself to the priests and make an offering, after which he is officially pronounced clean, and Jesus' command to the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests told them their prayer was answered, the same as be thou clean. Their healing did not appear until they began to obey, showing faith by starting while the evidence of leprosy was still upon them.
Like leprosy, sin infects everyone born of Adam's race, is incurable by human means and never gets well of itself, spreads through contact and is contagious, and consumes its victim. It has its chief seat within, corrupting the source of life as well as making a person outwardly shameful. It contaminates the very atmosphere and introduces pollution where all before was comparative purity, so that the society of the sinner leading others to sin is more to be feared than the infection of the leper. Sin is a worse disease than bodily leprosy, and God is the God who heals, yet He requires proper precaution from His people and faithfulness to cleansing and health principles.
Removal of visible physical uncleanness does not itself make clean but only prepares for cleansing according to the law, and true cleansing comes afterward when the priest makes atonement with blood, as when he takes two birds and cleanses the house with the blood of the bird. Atone, cleanse, purify, reconcile and similar words signify the same work of bringing into favor with God, and in all cases blood is the means. Like all the sacrifices and regulations in Leviticus, this law is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the slain beasts pointing forward to the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Every detail has meaning, with fuller meaning found in His sacrifice, life, and work.
It belongs to the complete yearly round of service in the typical sanctuary built by Moses in the wilderness, whose building, appointments, priesthood, and service in Leviticus 1-16 typify Christ and His priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary begun when Jesus ascended on high, the service performed every year typifying in each year the service of Christ which was once for all. The only cure for sin is help from the great Physician of souls: Christ's blood cleanses from sin, and He receives those who truly repent and believe. Healing from it requires pride and the old self to die, putting off the old self and putting on the new and becoming humble enough to receive God's kingdom as a little child. Although the dry details gain new life and blessing when He is seen in them, spending much time on the meaning of the details may not be comparatively profitable.