The lesson we are about to begin has to do with leprosy. I will tell
you right from the beginning, there are 2 kinds of leprosy. One leprosy {the
physical} you can see with your eyes, but there is also a leprosy of the
spirit. Even though you can not see the leprosy of the spirit, it does not
make it any less deadly.
We will begin now in Leviticus 13:1 “And the LORD spake unto Moses and
Aaron, saying,” Leviticus 13:2 “When a man shall have in the skin of his
flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh
[like] the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the
priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:”
This has great spiritual thoughts in it. If this illness is just
physical, why do they not take the person with it to a physician? It is very
unusual to take a person to the high priest, before you take the patient to
a doctor for a physical problem. The sons of Aaron, as well as Aaron, were
to judge the matter of whether the person had leprosy. It seemed that any
raw sore, such as a boil, must be examined to determine whether or not it
was leprosy.
Leviticus 13:3 “And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of
the flesh: and [when] the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague
in sight [be] deeper than the skin of his flesh, it [is] a plague of
leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.”
Notice, that leprosy, as well as sin, is a disease of the flesh. When
this sin or disease has gone into the person, the priest declares them
unclean. One of the requests we all make to Jesus, is wash me, and I shall
be whiter than snow, or {take my spiritual leprosy.
Leviticus 13:4 “If the bright spot [be] white in the skin of his flesh,
and in sight [be] not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not
turned white; then the priest shall shut up [him that hath] the plague seven
days:”
We know that 7 means spiritually complete. It is easy to understand,
just as Aaron and his son’s had to wait at the door 7 days to be
ceremonially clean for work in the sanctuary, these people wait 7 days to be
declared physically clean. This seven days, this person is neither declared
to have leprosy nor to be clean. When Aaron waited at the door 7 days, he
was neither high priest, nor released to go into the world. In both cases,
this is a period of waiting to be accepted.
Leviticus 13:5 “And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and,
behold, [if] the plague in his sight be at a stay, [and] the plague spread
not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:”
Leviticus 13:6 “And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and,
behold, [if] the plague [be] somewhat dark, [and] the plague spread not in
the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it [is but] a scab: and he
shall wash his clothes, and be clean.”
In some very unusual way, this first 7 days of waiting, here,
symbolizes the time of the law. The 14 days; the two periods of 7 days,
symbolize the waiting for grace to come. Notice, at the end of this 14 days
he is washed and made whole. When we are washed in the blood of the Lamb, we
are made every whit whole. Our sin {leprosy} is gone.
Leviticus 13:7 “But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after
that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of
the priest again:” Leviticus 13:8 “And [if] the priest see that, behold, the
scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it
[is] a leprosy.”
We see in this a hopeless situation. The priest tried, but there was no
change.
Leviticus 13:9 “When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall
be brought unto the priest;” Leviticus 13:10 “And the priest shall see
[him]: and, behold, [if] the rising [be] white in the skin, and it have
turned the hair white, and [there be] quick raw flesh in the rising;”
Leviticus 13:11 “It [is] an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the
priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he [is]
unclean.”
In diseases, you would call this a chronic disease, which is past the
contagious stage. In the spiritual realm, this would be a habitual sinner.
By this time, the person is so hideous from the disease {sin}, that no one
will come near them anyway. There is no need to lock them up. I am not
saying in this that leprosy is caused by sin. I do not know. I am saying
that leprosy in the flesh is symbolic of leprosy of sin in the inner man, in
his spirit.
Leviticus 13:12 “And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the
leprosy cover all the skin of [him that hath] the plague from his head even
to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;” Leviticus 13:13 “Then the
priest shall consider: and, behold, [if] the leprosy have covered all his
flesh, he shall pronounce [him] clean [that hath] the plague: it is all
turned white: he [is] clean.”
The only way to explain this, is with a statement from the New
Testament. Luke 5:12 “And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city,
behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on [his] face, and
besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Luke
5:13 “And he put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou
clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.” I believe the
statement {full of leprosy} is the connection between the two. The only help
for someone full of sin, or leprosy, is for Jesus to wash them and make them
whole.
Leviticus 13:14 “But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be
unclean.”
Leprosy is not a very contagious disease, but is contagious when the
sore is open and running.
Leviticus 13:15 “And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce
him to be unclean: [for] the raw flesh [is] unclean: it [is] a leprosy.”
It is a horrible task, but it is the duty of the leader of the church
to point out sin to their members. Just as the leprosy here, sin must be
dealt with.
Leviticus 13:16 “Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto
white, he shall come unto the priest;” Leviticus 13:17 “And the priest shall
see him: and, behold, [if] the plague be turned into white; then the priest
shall pronounce [him] clean [that hath] the plague: he [is] clean.”
This reminds me so much of what Paul did in the books of Corinthians.
There was a terrible sin in the church, and Paul told them to remove the
person who had sinned so badly. In 2 Corinthians, after the person repented,
Paul told the church to take him back into the fold.
Leviticus 13:18 “The flesh also, in which, [even] in the skin thereof,
was a boil, and is healed,” Leviticus 13:19 “And in the place of the boil
there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and
it be shewed to the priest;” Leviticus 13:20 “And if, when the priest seeth
it, behold, it [be] in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be
turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it [is] a plague of
leprosy broken out of the boil.”
This is the sinner who has not repented. This desire to sin has gone
deeper than the flesh and is rooted. The leader of the church must remove
this sore. One rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel if it is not
separated from the other apples.
In this lesson we see how God says to deal with sin in the camp.