Leviticus 14

CHAPTER 14THEME: Ceremonial cleansing of the leper; ceremonial cleansing of a house of leprosy; ceremonial law for cleansing of leprosy and issues of the fleshAgain I must insist that we are not being given a cure for leprosy. This is the ceremonial cleansing. In the preceding chapter we saw the details of the decisions in diagnosing the leprosy. There evidently were those lepers who were cured by the treatment of that daywhatever it was, and also there were those who were healed supernaturally. We know today there is a cure for leprosy. It is not an incurable disease, and Scripture does not present it as such. It was a terrible disease and is used to teach us tremendous spiritual lessons about sin. This chapter casts a ray of light and hope into the darkness of the leper’s plight. We note that no physician’s prescription is given for the treatment and cure of leprosy. Rather, it shows the ceremonial cleansing which follows the cure. This alludes to the redemption of the sinner. The ritual is entirely symbolic, yet there is a therapeutic value in the washing and cleansing. When a man sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin separated God and man. This barrier of sin moved in a twofold direction in that it affected both God and man. It moved upward toward God and made man guilty before a holy God. It moved downward toward man, and man became polluted and contaminated with sin. Leprosy is a picture of sin in its pollution and contamination. The remarkable feature in this chapter is the unique ceremony of cleansing and the treatment of a plague of leprosy in a house. The house is treated as a leper, obviously emphasizing the thought of contagion.

Leviticus 14:1

CEREMONIAL CLEANSING OF THE LEPER WITHOUT THE CAMPWe notice that the priest is not going out to heal the leper but is going out to see if he has been healed. That is important. This is the “law of the leper in the day of his cleansing.” This is a ritual which was to be followed precisely. It is a ceremonial cleansing which followed the cure of the leprosy. The man had been pronounced a leper by the priest. Now the priest must declare him cleansed.

The priest must go out to the leper and meet him where he is. The leper would not dare to come into society, among the people, for he was forbidden to do that. He was shut out. Therefore, the priest must go to him. We find this mentioned in Luk_17:12, “and as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off.” There is a wonderful parallel here to the person and work of our High Priest and Great Physician. He came forth from heaven’s glory to this sin-cursed earth where man was suffering from the leprosy of sin. Friends, we can’t go up into the society of heaven when we are lepers. We’ve done well to make it to the moon, but the men didn’t get rid of their sin when they went to the moon. No, it was necessary for the Lord Jesus to come out of heaven’s glory to this earth. The hymn states it very accurately, “Out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe.” That is His story! There is a great deal of emphasis placed on this. The second chapter of Hebrews tells about this: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings…. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil…. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Heb_2:9-10, Heb_2:14, Heb_2:16-17).

He came out of heaven’s glory, down to this earth. The Priest had to come to the leper! “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal_4:4-5). We need to emphasize that He still goes all the way to the sinner to heal his plague of sin. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev_3:20). God has declared that the heart of man is vile, and so it is God who must pronounce a man clean. He alone can cleanse. “…And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1Jn_1:7). Now notice what the priest did when he came to the leper.

Leviticus 14:4

Didn’t I tell you this could be an unusual ceremony? I don’t think there is anything, anywhere, as unusual as this. All other sacrifices were to be made at the altar of the tabernacle and, later, at the temple at the command of God. This is the exception. The leper was shut out from the tabernacle, and so it was necessary for the priest to come to him. The brazen altar for the sacrifices speaks of the Cross of Christ. But, you see, that Cross had to be down here on this earth. He had to come down here to meet us where we are. Friends, we were shut out from God. We were strangers and afar off, without hope and without God in the world. He had to come here to meet us in our need. There were two live, clean birds used in this sacrifice. Most likely they were doves. One was killedto represent the death of Christ. The other was livingto represent the resurrection of Christ. These are the two facets of the gospel. Paul says, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Co_15:3-4). Two birds: death and resurrection! Then notice that they used cedar wood. This, I think, is a symbol of the perfect humanity of Christ. The wood was incorruptible. It served a practical purpose as the handle of a brush to which the hyssop was tied with the scarlet ring. The scarlet was evidently scarlet wool. The scarlet, I believe, is the sign of faith in the blood. It reminds us that Rahab was instructed to put out a scarlet cord as an evidence of her faith. Hyssop is a plant that grows upon rocks in damp places. It represents the faith of the individual. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa_51:7). It is the appropriation and the application of the redemption in Christ. You see, one can stand at the sidelines and nod his head and say he believes that Jesus died and rose again. That is not saving faith. The question is whether or not you have appropriated it for yourself. Have you actually put your trust in Him? Also it is the application of the death of Christ and the blood of Christ to sin in the believer’s life. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1Jn_1:7). The earthen vessel speaks of the humanity of Christ. He took upon Himself our flesh, our humanity. Paul calls himself an earthen vessel in 2Co_4:7. The earthen vessel is this body which we have. The emphasis is upon the weakness and infirmity of humanity. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb_4:15). Running water is living water. This water was taken from a running stream or fountain. This speaks of both the Word of God and the Spirit of God. The ritual is both unusual and beautiful. One of the birds is slain over the earthen vessel in which there is the living water. This represents the death of Christ who offered Himself by the eternal Spirit. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb_9:14). It was essential to have the two birds to carry out the typical meaning of resurrection. The live bird was dipped in the blood of the slain bird to identify him with the bird that was slain. Then the live bird was given its freedom, permitting it to fly away. Christ was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification to give us the liberty to stand steadfast in Christ. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal_5:1). That means not to get entangled again with religion and regulations and ritual and law. Christ took our place, died our death, paid our penalty.

He was raised for us. If He died for us down here, then we died in Him (2Co_5:14-15) and we were raised in Him and we are in Him up yonder at the right hand of God (Eph_1:1-6). Friends, the believer is as free as the birds of the heavens and is delivered from religion and ritual and law. The believer is now the bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is subject to Christ’s will and way. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (Joh_14:15). “He shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times.” Seven is the number of completeness and finality. This settled forever the question of whether the leper was cleansed or not. There are only two kinds of people in this world, friendsthere are lepers and cleansed lepers. That is, there are lost sinners and saved sinners. That is all. Living water and blood meet in this ceremony. John was careful to note for us that when Christ died and the soldier pierced His side, blood and water came forth (Joh_19:34-35). He repeats the fact that Jesus Christ came by water and the blood in his epistle (1Jn_5:6). The Gnostics in John’s day taught that Jesus was not God but that God came upon Him at baptism (that is the water) and departed from Him at the Cross (that is the blood). John insists that Jesus Christ was God from the very beginning when He was made flesh and that He was God on the Cross when He shed His precious blood. “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one” (1Jn_5:8). The ceremony and offering concerning the leper bore this out and illustrates this great truth.

Leviticus 14:8

Now you’ll have to admit that this is unusual also. The sacrificial ceremony has been completed denoting that the leper has been cleansed and accepted. Now, before he enters back into society, this further ritual shows that his old life has ended for him and a new life opens before him. The clothes represent the habits of life, his life style. The shaving off of all the hair of his body emphasizes the radical and revolutionary change that is taking place in his life. Friends, when a believer comes to Christ, there is going to be a change! The putting away of the flesh is essential to a consistent walk before the world. The Lord Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Mat_7:16). That is still the test tube for His own. Again, the seven days indicate a complete cycle of testing and inspection. He is to be tested before he returns to society. I think that sometimes we let new converts give a testimony too soon. Believers are to be put up and watched for a while. There must be a newness of life. At the end of this time, he washed himself thoroughly. The child of God needs to be continually washed. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (Joh_15:3). “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (Joh_17:17). Friend, you can never be cleansed or sanctified, set apart for God’s use, until you are saturated with the Word of God. How important that is! May I say that the seven days for the believer, the time of completeness, is when God completes the earthly journey of His church. Then He will present her to Himself as a cleansed church (Eph_5:25-27). In the meantime the believer is in the process of being sanctified. This is the practical aspect. There should be a daily growth, a development in faith and in practice. Holiness is to the spiritual life what health is to the physical body.

Leviticus 14:10

CEREMONIAL CLEANSING OF THE LEPER WITHIN THE CAMPThe cleansed leper is now fit to enter the congregation of the Lord, but when he does, he must take his place with the other Israelites and present the offerings that every member of the congregation brought before the Lord. He brings two he lambs, one ewe lamb, fine flour, oil, and a log of oil. These are all the offerings which the average Israelite would normally make in his lifetime. It indicated the full acceptance of the cleansed leper.

Leviticus 14:11

This extended passage in the Authorized Version is in a single sentence. The action here is one continuous ceremony which encompasses all the offerings and means that the cleansed leper now stands before the door of the tabernacle just as any other Israelite. He brings a he lamb for a trespass offering to remind him that he is still a sinner who sins and who needs the cleansing blood of Christ applied by the Holy Spirit to his life. The other he lamb is for a sin offering, because the cleansed leper still has his sin nature. The ewe lamb is for a burnt offering to set forth the person of Christ as God sees Him. The fine flour mingled with oil speaks of the meal offering which sets forth the loveliness of the humanity of Christ. The blood put upon the tip of his right ear indicates that he can now hear the voice of the Son of God saying, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” The blood on the right thumb indicates that with clean hands he can now serve God. The blood on his right toe indicates that the cleansed leper can now walk in the way of God. The oil poured on his head indicates he is now totally dedicated to God. All these offerings speak of Christ, through whom the cleansed leper is acceptable to God. There is nothing special about him just because he is a cleansed leper. Too often we see Christians who feel that somehow they are different and special. They withdraw from the others and think they are better than the others. My friend, we each must come just as all the rest come. Everyone must be acceptable to God through Christ.

We each need to be washed. You remember that Peter protested to the Lord Jesus that He would never wash his feet. Our Lord answered, “…If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me” (Joh_13:8). There is a great lesson in this for you and for me. Yes, the leper was brought back and yes, he had been cleansed of his leprosy, but he stood with the rest of the congregation before God. He still stood as a sinner and he needed the constant cleansing before God. Verses Lev_14:21-32 explain the offering he could bring if he were poor. It would be logical to think that a person who had been a leper would not be able to afford an elaborate ritual. Again, the provision of God for the poor is marvelous. No one is shut out because of poverty. Turtledoves or pigeons could be substituted in the offering.

Leviticus 14:33

CEREMONIAL CLEANSING OF A HOUSE WHEREIN HAS BEEN LEPROSYI must confess that a house would be an unusual place to find leprosy. It is hard to know exactly what this meant. Perhaps it was some fungus growth or dry rot which entered into the fabric of the house. The priest would examine the house for greenish or reddish streaks and would examine it again in seven days to see if the plague were spreading. The picture is that we live in an old house down here, which is our body. And we live in this world which is also contaminated by sin. The old house we live in is filled with leprosy. There are three stages in the ceremonial cleansing of the house. First, the house was emptied of the furniture and occupants. The priest inspected it and then shut it up for seven days before making another inspection. If he then found a trace of leprosy, he removed the plaster from the infected part and took away the diseased stones.

Leviticus 14:43

If the priest found remnants of the infection in the renovated house, then the house was to be demolished and removed. You know, there will be a time when God will demolish this earth that is tainted with leprosy. He is going to make it clean. There will be a new heaven and a new earth and they will be free from sin.

Leviticus 14:48

The same ritual of the two birds is followed here as in the case of the ceremonial cleansing of the leper.

Leviticus 14:54

CEREMONIAL LAW FOR CLEANSING OF LEPROSY AND ISSUES OF THE FLESHThis seems to be an emphatic enforcement of the law concerning the cleansing of the leprosy. Notice that the primary purpose of the ritual was to teach. “To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean.” This is a great spiritual lesson and it is meant to teach us. You and I have spiritual leprosy. If either you or I went to heaven without Jesus Christ, without trusting Him, we would cry out, “Unclean, unclean,” and we would be cast out. In Christ, we are accepted in the Beloved! My friend, where are you today? Are you a leper who has come to Jesus Christ for cleansing or are you still unclean?