Old Testament

Leviticus 13:38-59
The Law of Leprosy, Part III

Once again, we come to a passage that is as clearly designed to show us spiritual truths as anything possibly could be. The first half finishes our verses on leprosy of the skin. It includes a couple verses about being bald. If a person’s hair falls out and nothing more, he is bald but he is clean. That’s a genuine relief for some of us. It would be a bit more than tragic if people were unclean simply because they were bald. Shine on men; all is well.

After that, there is the note about what a person who is declared unclean is required to do. It is, again, a really nice thing that these things only belonged to the law of Moses, and that being unclean in these ways was only a temporary part of what is seen in redemptive history. The poor lepers of Israel were excluded from society, they were to make it visibly and audibly known that this was the case, and unless they were cured of their affliction, they remained this way permanently.

And then, of course, there is the final major section of our verses, that of leprous garments. As you will see, there is no known parallel to what is described here in these verses. What is given applied only to Israel, and only during the time of the law. As there is nothing to match what is described here anywhere else in history, or at any other location, then it is a clear indication that these verses are given to show us spiritual truths. This is 100% certain.

Text Verse: “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; ²³ but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” Jude 1:22, 23

Nowhere in the New Testament is there any hint of literal garments being defiled, and thus being considered unclean. This is good because when I finish my morning jobs, especially the one at 7-11, someone might otherwise want to send me to a priest for an evaluation. And even worse were the things I used to wear when I worked in the wastewater business. That might lead to a lifetime sentence against me. But such is not the case.

Verses in the New Testament, and even passages from the Old Testament, speak of garments as spiritual metaphors of either pure or unclean lives. To wash one’s garments signifies having one’s life purified. To have garments defiled by the flesh speaks of having one’s life defiled by earthly lusts and pleasures.

Now that you know this, the seemingly irrelevant and even tedious final verses of Leviticus 13 should be considered neither irrelevant nor tedious. Instead, they should be a delightful banquet for you to sit down and consume as we continue our journey through this magnificent gift from God; His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Unclean! Unclean! (Verses 38-46)

³⁸ “If a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, specifically white bright spots,

We now have, once again, the specific identification which was first seen in verse 29 – “a man or a woman.” Here, the Hebrew states the affliction being considered – beharoth beharoth levanoth, or “bright spots, bright spots white. The same word for this condition, bahereth, was first used in verse 2. It is a bright spot which draws attention to itself. In this case, it is also specified as white, a color denoting works.

³⁹ then the priest shall look; and indeed if the bright spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is a white spot that grows on the skin. He is clean.

The priest is to evaluate the bright spots to determine if they really are “bright.” If they are, it would be another matter entirely. But, if they are instead kehot levanoth bohaq, or darkish white eczema, then there is nothing to worry about. The word bohaq, is only found here in Scripture. It is a word that has continued to be used in the Middle East though. It corresponds to an Arabic word pronounced the same. It is a known affliction which does not render a person unclean, and therefore he is pronounced as such.

The symbolism seems obvious. If a person’s life is literally covered in works which are evident for all to see, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are prideful in their deeds, even though it may appear that way on the surface. This would be the person who literally gives himself away in doing good for others, so much so that they would wear the skin off their body in the process. God continues to use afflictions of the body to teach us spiritual lessons.

⁴⁰ “As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean.

The words translated as “hair has fallen” is a new verb, marat, which is derived from a root meaning, “to polish.” Another new word is the adjective qereakh, translated as “bald.” This particular word signifies baldness on the back of the head. It is only used here, and of the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 2:23. As hair in the Bible signifies awareness, and in particular awareness of sin, being bald would signify being naive to sin, and a readiness to receive, or “discover,” Christ. Such a person is clean.

⁴¹ He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean.

Now a different type of baldness is defined. It is where the hair falls mi’peath panav, or from the side toward his face. When the hair falls off the head in this manner then gibeakh hu, or “his forehead is bald.” This word, gibeakh, or bald forehead, is found only here in the Bible. The root it comes from signifies “to be high” as in the forehead.

In the Bible, the forehead is the place of conscience and identification. Therefore, this symbolizes a person who sets their mind on something. As there is no leprous outbreak, the person pictured here is described by Paul in Colossians which says –

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1, 2

This person is considered clean. However, in contrast to him…

⁴² And if there is on the bald head or bald forehead a reddish-white sore, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead.

Here are two nouns, qarakhath, and gabakhath, which will each be seen only four times, and all in this chapter. The first signifies to be bald or bare on the back part, the second signifies the same, but on the forehead. If a reddish-white sore appears on either location, it is an indication of leprosy. Inspection is needed…

⁴³ Then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy on the skin of the body,

The priest is to inspect the leprous sore and make a determination as if it has the appearance of any other leprous sore elsewhere on the body. If this is so, then he is to make his pronouncement…

⁴⁴ he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head.

In picture, the sore on the back of the head is a person who is not seeking Christ. The sore on the front of the head is a person seeking that which is carnal. Such people are unclean and are thus rendered unclean by the priest. As it says, b’rosho nigo, in his head is the plague. Paul describes such as these –

“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.” Philippians 3:18, 19

⁴⁵ “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’

The torn clothes, the disheveled hair, and the covered upper lip are all seen elsewhere in the Bible as signs of mourning and/or shame. The cry of “Unclean! Unclean!” was a sign and a warning to others of the disgrace they bore. Albert Barnes rightly notes their state –

“The leper was a living parable in the world of the sin of which death was the wages; not the less so because his suffering might have been in no degree due to his own personal desserts: he bore about with him at once the deadly fruit and the symbol of the sin of his race. As his body slowly perished, first the skin, then the flesh, then the bone, fell to pieces while yet the animal life survived; he was a terrible picture of the gradual corruption of the spirit worked by sin.” Albert Barnes

Sin is a deep infection, and the varied kinds of sin which are reflected in these various skin maladies, render a person unclean. Such people will ultimately be separated forever from the people of God, unless they turn to Christ for healing. Such is seen next…

⁴⁶ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.

The sin which causes a person to be unclean keeps them defiled until they come to the Physician in order to be healed. Only Christ can do this. And so they are not to be considered a part of the community of the saints. The word translated as “alone” however, is not technically correct. It is badad, a verb which indicates alone, but as if in isolation. In other words, if there are other lepers, they could, and were, isolated together. It is reflective of the division between those deemed as clean, and those deemed as unclean. All the days that a person was unclean, they were to dwell not among the clean, but among the unclean.

Unclean! Unclean! My sin is an infectious wound
It has separated me from God’s purified people
In a land of exile, I have been marooned
Kept from fellowship there beneath the church steeple

I have had my mind set on earthly things
My eyes have lusted after that which is not pure and good
Only sadness and pain this type of life brings
And of this truth I have finally understood

Heal me of my infectious wound O Lord
Cleanse me by the shed blood of the perfect Christ
And I will ever after turn my life toward
The One who on Calvary’s cross was sacrificed

Purified, whole, and forever made clean
In garments of white, radiant, pure, and pristine

II. Leprous Garments (verses 47-59)

⁴⁷ “Also, if a garment has a leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment,

The word now turns to leprosy of a garment. Here, two types of fabric are named – tsemer, or wool, and pesheth, or flax linen. What seems curious is that a garment is said to have leprosy. Different theories about this have arisen to somehow explain that this isn’t actually leprosy, but the wording and the symptoms of the plague warn against these introductions.

Charles Ellicott notes that administrators of the law during the second temple period believed that the “leprosy of garments and houses was not to be found in the world generally, but was a sign and miracle in Israel to guard them against an evil tongue.” In other words, this was a real, unique plague that was only found in Israel.

Both of these materials were used for garments as coverings. They were never to be mixed in the same garment though. That is forbidden in Deuteronomy 22:11.

⁴⁸ whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool,

The translation here is extremely hard to pin down as to its true meaning. First, two new words are again introduced. The shethi, translated as warp, will be seen 9 times in this chapter, and never again. They are the lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom to create cloth. This comes from a word which means “to set.” Next also is translated the erev, or woof. They are the threads which are drawn through, inserted over-and-under, the lengthwise warp. Erev signifies mix or mingle. Elsewhere it is translated as “foreigner.” Together, these form a fabric.

But, because it seems more than improbable that a material would have an infection in threads going in one direction, but not in another, I don’t think this is what is being relayed here. One scholar says, “the inside, or the outside.” Others say it is the yarn to be used for the warp or woof, but not yet sewn. But once they are sewn, it would still be impossible to tear one out and not the other.

There are two likely possibilities. The first is what is seen in several modern translations. They separate the two by saying “woven or knitted material.” In that, they distinguish between the types of fabric which have been made, not based on cloth for the material, but how the material is made. That is actually ingenious after eons of translations saying “warp and woof.”

The other possibility is that it is speaking of the two materials, the wool and the linen, being sewn into two different types of cloth. It is the material which is being described. This is what I would go with. The roots of the words seem to give us the answer.

The shethi is the linen. It indicates that which is set. Thus it is an Israelite. The erev is the wool. It signifies mixture or mingling, and is also translated “foreigner.” Thus it is a foreigner, just as the Zemarites of Genesis 10:18 are foreigners, having descended from Noah’s grandson Canaan. This would then perfectly explain the spiritual meaning of why wool and linen were forbidden to be mixed in Deuteronomy 22:11.

^{48 (con’t)} whether in leather or in anything made of leather,

Here it also mentions or, or “skin,” and thus it is a leprous plague in a hide, or in anything made of a hide. This is a third category. There are those of Israel, and there are those of the Gentiles, but what does the or, or “skin,” signify? The word signifies to be exposed, or bare. I would suggest that it speaks of the universality of man – Jew and Gentile. One could make a distinction between the two by the first two terms, but the third term unites the two where there is now no distinction between Jew and Gentile. All must come to Christ in the same way.

⁴⁹ and if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a leprous plague and shall be shown to the priest.

The word yeraqraq or “greenish” is introduced here. It is believed to give the sense of having a yellowish tone to it rather than being fully green. Although it is such a rare word that there is disagreement on this. It is used only three times. The third is in Psalm 68 when describing gold, and so it probably means either yellowish or glistening. If the material or garment or any other thing made of skins, such as a wineskin, etc, is greenish or reddish, it is to be considered leprous and requiring the priest to examine it.

⁵⁰ The priest shall examine the plague and isolate that which has the plague seven days.

Like the leprosy on a person who is then to be isolated seven days, so it is with the item made of one of these materials. Seven, being the number of spiritual perfection, are the number of days required in order to provide a sufficient time for an evaluation to be made, and see if any positive or negative changes occur during that time.

⁵¹ And he shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather or in anything made of leather, the plague is an active leprosy. It is unclean.

The word maar, or malignant, is brought in here. It will be seen three times in Leviticus, and once in Ezekiel. It indicates a prick, as if from a brier, but it comes from a root which means bitter, or causatively, to embitter. If the plague spreads during that seven days of isolation, the leprosy is considered active, and thus the garment is unclean. Bad news for the garment…

⁵² He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; the garment shall be burned in the fire.

Unlike today, where we go shopping for clothes on any given day, and wear them until we tire of them and then toss them out, in Israel, a garment had much greater value. The same is true with any thing made of leather. Things were kept as long as possible because they cost a much larger percentage of a person’s budget than now. However, if there was a spreading leprosy in the item, it was toast. One would speculate that it would be the priest himself who would guarantee the garment was burned in order to ensure that the plague was destroyed.

⁵³ “But if the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather,

If, in the determination of the priest, the leprosy has not spread, then it may not be malignant at all. Despite it being a leprosy, it may just be one which is stalled and can be taken care of in another way. If this is the case…

⁵⁴ then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the plague; and he shall isolate it another seven days.

If after seven days, there was no change in the garment, then it is to be washed and then isolated once again. The word for wash, kabas, is used 51 times in the Bible, almost every instance of which it is speaking of garments. Of the few exceptions to this, the most notable is found in Psalm 51 where it is used twice –

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
³ For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
⁶ Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
⁹ Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities. Psalm 51:1-9

One other time it doesn’t specifically refer to garments being washed is in Jeremiah 2 –

“For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap,
Yet your iniquity is marked before Me,” says the Lord God.” Jeremiah 2:22

Subtle hints of other things are certainly being seen in these choicely selected words.

⁵⁵ Then the priest shall examine the plague after it has been washed; and indeed if the plague has not changed its color, though the plague has not spread, it is unclean, and you shall burn it in the fire; it continues eating away, whether the damage is outside or inside.

What might seem surprising at first, but which isn’t at all when considered, is that if there is no change in the leprous plague, the garment was to be destroyed. One might at first have thought that its not spreading was a good thing. But it is the plague, not its spreading, which is unclean. Unless the plague retreated, signifying that it was in complete remission, it was just as much a plague as it was when it was identified.

The translation here says, “has not changed its color.” However, the Hebrew says, “not changed the plague its eye.” In other words, “its appearance.” The word “color” lacks the whole aspect of the intent of the word. As the eye perceives, so is its “eye” or “appearance.” If the plague remains after being washed, it is described by a word used just this once in the Bible; it is a pekhetheth – an eating. The word thus means “a pit.”

And what actually is surprising is that in this verse are the two nouns, qarakhath, and gabakhath, which were first seen in verse 42, there translated as “bald head” and “bald forehead.” Here, they are translated as “outside” and “inside.” Regardless as to whether the plague is on the side which is seen, or the inside which is not seen, it is still a leprous plague, and it is to be burnt in the fire. With this verse, we can now say goodbye to the words qarakhath and gabakhath.

⁵⁶ If the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has faded after washing it, then he shall tear it out of the garment, whether out of the warp or out of the woof, or out of the leather.

The verse is pretty much self-explanatory. The word faded means to darken. Instead of being a glistening plague, it has now dulled. If this occurs, then the part which contains it is to be torn out of it. Whatever material it is made of, that portion which is defiled is to be torn from it.

⁵⁷ But if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a spreading plague; you shall burn with fire that in which is the plague.

Bad news again. If at any time the plague reappears in any garment as described, the plague is to be considered a malignant one, and the entire garment is to be burnt.

⁵⁸ And if you wash the garment, either warp or woof, or whatever is made of leather, if the plague has disappeared from it, then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean.

If the first washing was fully successful in cleaning the garment, then there is no need to tear anything out of it. Instead, it is to be given a second washing, and wahlah, it is considered clean.

*⁵⁹ “This is the law of the leprous plague in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof, or in anything made of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.”

As we saw already, the garment or utensil itself was infected with the scourge. It didn’t merely transmit a disease as we would think of something communicable today. Rather, the garment itself bore the disease, and thus it was a sign and it was a miraculous curse for Israel to learn from. And as Israel was to learn from this, so we too are to learn from it. What literally happened in Israel, is something which carries spiritual meaning for us today.

The leprous article has essentially the same spiritual application as that of leprosy on a person. Further, as I showed above, the words translated as “warp” and “woof” actually look to the materials of which the garments are made. One was from linen, picturing Israelites; the other was from wool, picturing Gentiles. The third category, leather, or literally “skin,” signifies any without distinction.

If a plague of leprosy is found, as it is with all people bearing original sin, it is an indication of grievous sin, just as it was in the skin of people in the early verses of this chapter. It must be dealt with – through purification of healing, or through purification in destruction by fire.

When a garment bears the curse of sin it is to be isolated for seven days. This is the time allotted for any person during the course of their life. It is emblematic of the time deemed by God as their pre-appointed span. If they are shown to be unregenerate, and if their leprosy spreads during that span, they have had their chance. Without purification, for them it is off to the Lake of Fire for what is truly divine purification – eternal and final.

If however, there is no change after the first evaluation, meaning there is still original sin, but there is no further spreading of the leprous plague, it is to be isolated another seven days. If there is no change in the garment after that, meaning whatever time of grace the person is given to be purified, the person is still sent off to be eternally burned.

As I said in that verse (55), it is the plague itself which is unclean, not whether it has spread or not. As we bear original sin, we stand unclean. Even if we live a life full of good works, and our original sin never spreads, we are still tainted with the plague. It must be purified. In this case it wasn’t, and so it is off to the Lake for purification through fire.

In the next example, the plague has gone into remission and the plague has faded (56), that portion of the garment is to be torn out. The plague has been excised, but there is a warning that if it returns again, the garment is to be burnt with fire. The instructions for this situation never proclaim the garment clean. It simply leaves the note that if the plague appears again, it will be burned. A garment which is not declared clean, is by default unclean. A person who purifies their life, and removes every vestige of sin, is no closer to being declared clean than the most vile sinner. There is only the sense that spreading sin could return at any time and reinfect the poor soul.

The final example is the garment which was washed, and the plague has disappeared, that garment shall be washed a second time, and it will be declared clean. The first time, the priest commanded the owner to wash the garment. This is then the person who is attentive to the word and who takes it to heart. When the conversion is seen, the second washing, that of cleansing and purification through the blood of Christ, is what truly cleanses. The declaration is, “Clean!”

In the end, the passage concerning the leprous garment only has one way to be declared clean, and that is through the second washing, picturing the work of Christ. There are some who are obviously defiled. Their garments are stained, and they continue to stain them. Their plague is active, and it will end in destruction.

There are those who hear the word and who do nothing with it. They may rely on their own washing, but their plague remains. They are the ones spoken of by Jeremiah. They wash themselves with lye, but their iniquity is still there before the Lord. It is an open sore which is not healed. Their end is also destruction.

There are those who hear the word and who clean themselves up in accord with the word, even to the point where their sin is no longer evident. But they are never declared clean. It is only a hopeful signal of future good. It is one which is left unanswered as to what they will finally do with their lives.

Unless they receive the second birth through the washing of water through the word, taking the message of Christ in and having no trace of the plague of defilement, they are simply garments with holes torn out of them, unable to serve the purpose for which they were originally intended.

And then there are those who come to the great Physician, who have their garments purified by Him, and who are saved from the eternal fire which awaits any and all who fail to do likewise. The lesson here is that of grace. The infection is already in the garment, and it must be removed. The Priest could just say, “This is infected, burn it.” And He would be well within His rights to do so. But when grace is offered, and when it is received, He can take that which was defiled and purify it wholly and completely.

If you are still awaiting your declaration of purity – your guarantee of eternal life because of the removal of that which separates you from God – call on Christ Jesus, be washed in the blood of the Lamb, and be purified whiter than snow itself.

Closing Verse: “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5, 6

Next Week: Leviticus 14:1-9 What will these nine verses yield? (Set Free in an Open Field) (22^nd Leviticus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if you have a lifetime of sin heaped up behind you, He can wash it away and purify you completely and wholly. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Law of Leprosy

“If a man or a woman has bright spots
On the skin of the body, specifically white bright spots
———-such is the sight
Then the priest shall look; and indeed
If the bright spots on the skin of the body are dull white

It is a white spot that grows on the skin
He is clean; surely this is worthy of a super happy grin

“As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head
He is bald, but he is clean
Don’t worry Charlie
This is all that it does mean

He whose hair has fallen from his forehead; only forehead is seen
He is bald on the forehead, but he is clean

And if there is on the bald head or bald forehead
A reddish-white sore
It is leprosy breaking out on his bald head
Or his bald forehead; it is leprosy for sure

Then the priest shall examine it
And indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white
On his bald head or on his bald forehead
As the appearance of leprosy on the skin of the body is the sight

He is a leprous man. He is unclean
The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean
His sore is on his head
This is what that sore does mean

“Now the leper on whom the sore is
His clothes shall be torn and his head bare
And he shall cover his mustache, and cry
‘Unclean! Unclean!’ A most distressing affair

He shall be unclean
All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean; it is so
He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone
His dwelling shall be outside the camp; out there he shall go

“Also, if a garment has a leprous plague in it
Whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment, whichever
Whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool
Whether in leather or in anything made of leather

And if the plague is greenish or reddish
In the garment or in the leather
Whether in the warp or in the woof
Or in anything made of leather, yes anything whatsoever

It is a leprous plague and shall be shown to the priest
This applies to everyone, from the greatest to the least

The priest shall examine the plague
And isolate that which has the plague seven days
And he shall examine the plague on the seventh day
If the plague has spread in the garment, in any of these ways

Either in the warp or in the woof
In the leather or in anything made of leather it is seen
The plague is an active leprosy
It is unclean; this is what that does mean

He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague
Whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen; ready the burning pyre
Or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy
The garment shall be burned in the fire

“But if the priest examines it
And indeed the plague in the garment has not spread
Either in the warp or in the woof
Or in anything made of leather, as I have said

Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing
In which is the plague, they shall do this as I say
And he shall isolate it another seven days
Thus shall it be this way

Then the priest shall examine the plague after it has been washed
And indeed if the plague has not changed its color at all
Though the plague has not spread, it is unclean
And you shall burn it in the fire, this is My judgment call

It continues eating away, it is unclean
Whether the damage is outside or inside; this is what it does mean

If the priest examines it
And indeed the plague has faded after washing it
Then he shall tear it out of the garment
Whether out of the warp or out of the woof, or out of the leather
———– so to you I do submit

But if it appears again in the garment
Either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather
It is a spreading plague; you shall burn with fire
That in which is the plague, yes in anything whatsoever

And if you wash the garment, either warp or woof
Or whatever is made of leather, whatever material is seen
If the plague has disappeared from it
Then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean

“This is the law of the leprous plague
In a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof as is seen
Or in anything made of leather
To pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean

Lord God, we were all unclean before Your eyes
Each of us deserved to be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire
But You treated us like a marvelous prize
And rescued or souls from that terrible burning pyre

What value is man that You would do such for us?
What do You see in us that this thing has been done?
You took our uncleanness and placed it upon Jesus
There on Calvary’s cross; laid upon Your Son

Though it is beyond our ability to understand
We receive the Gift and now call out in praise to You
For what You have done; so marvelous and grand
Thank You for Christ our Lord; who is ever faithful and true

Praises, yes praises we call out now and forevermore
Whether here on earth, or upon that heavenly shore

Hallelujah and Amen…

Leviticus 13:18-37
The Law of Leprosy, Part II

I explained last week that certain physical afflictions made a person unclean under the law, but nothing is said about these things in the New Testament. Nowhere in the New Testament is a person with any of these afflictions barred from attending the church.

As I said then, if these things really defiled a person, then there would, in fact, be the same requirements now. Also, if physical defilement was a concern, then it would appear that the Lord cared more about the people of Israel than those of the church. Such is not the case.

Even more, certain physical deformities and afflictions precluded a person from ever being in the priesthood. If this type of thing had more than a spiritual meaning, then no person who had those afflictions today would be allowed into the ministry. But the New Testament never speaks of such things. These, and many other clues tell us that the things we are looking at have much more than a physical meaning which was merely intended to keep the camp pure from disease.

Text Verse: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

Another point to consider goes far beyond any notion that these leprosy verses are only speaking of purity within the nation for the physical well-being of the people. The word for leprosy covers a multitude of skin diseases. Some really will defile other people who come into contact with them. Others surely are not as contagious.

But, there are many other things which are highly contagious, and of which the Bible says nothing. Surely the Lord knows all about these things, and yet they are never mentioned in the purity laws of the Torah. If all that He was concerned about was health, why isn’t there a law for anyone with the flu to be isolated? What about chickenpox, pneumonia, conjunctivitis, shingles, scarlet fever, impetigo, mumps, ringworm, tonsillitis, bronchitis, or charlie-itis?

These and a host of other contagious diseases are never even glanced at, and yet scholars would say that the leprosy and mold laws are simply given for the health and well-being of the society, as if this were the only few things that could affect it. We overlook the obvious when we overlook the need to determine why the Lord selected these particular things to talk about.

When He did, He chose particular words which would then be transferable to spiritual truths found in the New Testament. They are truths which cover doctrine which is necessary for the spiritual health of the church. This… this is why these things are given, and so let’s see if we can figure some of them out. It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Boil in the Skin (verses 18-23)

¹⁸ “If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is healed,

The word of God now moves from laws concerning tsaraat, or leprosy, to the shekhin, or boil. Though this is the first time the boil is mentioned in Leviticus, it is not the first time it is found in Scripture. Going back to the ten plagues of Egypt we find its source. There in Exodus 9, they are mentioned four times.

Thus, they are, like leprosy, a striking of God as if in a curse. This becomes perfectly evident from Deuteronomy 28. In the curses upon Israel for disobedience, this is one of them –

“The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.” Deuteronomy 28:27

Likewise, poor Job was afflicted with boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And finally, King Hezekiah was afflicted with a boil that almost took his life, but it was cured by the application of a poultice of figs. These are the times that boils are mentioned in Scripture, and they each reflect a strike of God, either directly, or as in the case of Job, as an allowance by God.

The word shekhin comes from an unused root which means to burn, and thus it is an inflammation which produces a boil. The boil or inflammation which is described here was, at the time of Christ, defined as having a risen from a wound from stone, word, metal, pitch, hot water, etc. It is being set in contrast to the wound incurred by fire mentioned in verse 24.

¹⁹ and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white,

If from this wound, one of two things arises, it had to be taken to the priest. The first is a seeth levanah, or a “swelling white.” This word for swelling was seen in verse 2. It comes from the word nasa, which means “lifted” or “to rise.” It indicates a swelling of the flesh. Such a swelling would be spiritually equated with the pride of life. The word lavan, or white, comes from lavan meaning brick. This takes us back to the thought of works as has been seen many times.

The second is a bahereth, or “bright spot.” It is also the same as in verse 2. As we saw, it comes from the adjective bahir which means bright. It indicates then a whitish spot which is found on the flesh, or even a glossy pimple. It would indicate that which draws attention to itself; the lust of the eyes.

This bright spot is then further identified as levanah adamdamet, or reddish white. The word adamdam is used here for the first of six times, all will be in chapters 13 & 14. It is simply a reduplication of the word adom, or red. Thus it gives the sense of reddish. The use of the word adom is explained in Isaiah –

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’
Says the Lord,
‘Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.'” Isaiah 1:18

In picture, we are being shown an example of works which have the appearance of being sinful. In order to determine if this is infectious, further action is needed…

^{19 (con’t)} then it shall be shown to the priest;

The priest will determine if the boil is unclean or if it requires further observance. As the high priest is the one who mediates for the people, he is typical of Christ who determines whether our deeds are acceptable or unacceptable; clean or unclean.

However, the lower priests were given authority to make these declarations concerning what is clean and what is unclean. Therefore, these pronouncements which we have seen and will continue to see, explain Jesus’ words of Matthew 16:19. There He said to the apostles –

“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

In this statement, the keys are referring to a true knowledge of doctrine. Just as a priest could look at a wound, and with the word of the law to guide him, he could make a determination of distinguishing between what is clean and what is unclean, so could Jesus’ disciples make similar determinations.

This then follows through, logically, with the church age as well. We have the word of God, and we are to use it in a priestly manner by inspecting what is sound doctrine and what is unsound; what consists of good works, and what sinful works look like; and so on. Adam Clarke explains it with the following words –

“The priest polluted or cleansed, i. e., declared the man clean or unclean, according to signs well known and infallible. The disciples or ministers of Christ bind or loose, declare to be fit or unfit for Church fellowship, according to unequivocal evidences of innocence or guilt. In the former case, the priest declared the person fit or unfit for civil society; in the latter, the ministers of Christ declare the person against whom the suspicion of guilt is laid, fit or unfit for continued association with the Church of God. The office was the same in both, a declaration of the truth, not from any power that they possessed of cleansing or polluting, of binding or of loosing, but by the knowledge they gained from the infallible signs and evidences produced on the respective cases.” Adam Clarke

What appears to be a passage about infectious diseases, which it is in literal history, is actually more fully and completely about discerning the word of God and applying its precepts properly in spiritual matters. Whether it is Israel of old, inspecting a boil on an arm, or the church of today looking at a person’s conduct, both are gauged by what has already been given in the word of God.

²⁰ and if, when the priest sees it, it indeed appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore which has broken out of the boil.

This verse is a close repeat of verse 3, but instead of the word amoq, or “deeper” of verse 3, this verse includes a new word, shaphal, here also translated as “deeper.” It gives the sense of abased, lowered, or humbled.

This verse being similar to verse 3, carries much of the same meaning as it did there. This is an infection which is of the flesh, and which is displayed in unclean works. There is a turning, or a perversion of what should exist. But as we saw, the type of wound is derived from the sense of inflammation or burning, and the result is that of being abased. Thus, this is in type and picture, that of sexual sin. It is what Paul speaks of in Romans 1 –

“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” Romans 1:26, 27

Unfortunately, in much of the church today, such infections are not called out as unclean, but are rather hailed as right and proper. There is no adherence to the word of God, and there is no discernment by those who should be making judgments according to that same word.

²¹ But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in it, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days;

This verse corresponds closely to verse 4. If an evaluation by the priest indicates that the bright spot is, at this time, not seemingly leprous because it lacks the two identifying marks, then the person is to be shut up in a state of isolation for seven days. The same word used in verse 4, sagar, is used again here. It is the shutting up of something. It can be for protecting someone against harm, and it can also be to bring someone harm.

Seven is the number of spiritual perfection. An evaluation of the flesh is to be remade after this set interval. In picture, it is given to show that we are not to be hasty in rendering a judgment which could be incorrect. We are being asked to consider a spiritual state of others by these Old Testament physical examples.

²² and if it should at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore.

The Hebrew says v’im pasoh tiphseh – “and if spreading it spreads.” This spreading of the infection is, in type and picture, an indication of a confirmation of sexual immorality within the church. In such a case, the book of 1 Corinthians explains what the judgment is to be –

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. ¹⁰ Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

¹² For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? ¹³ But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

The pronouncement is to be made – “Unclean. You are out of fellowship.” The person has, and is, a leprous sore.

²³ But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

The words say, “And if in its place stands the bright spot.” To stand is to remain fixed and firm. One stands against the forces of evil. One stands firm in doctrine. One stands on the word of God. There was the basis for wrong doing, but the symptoms have not taken hold of the person.

This verse can be described by the sentiment, “Nothing to see here, move along.” There may have been a transgression which was considered a wound on the body, the church. It was inspected, and thankfully it has not spread. It was monitored, and no error is seen. The word tsarebeth, translated as “scar of the boil” is found only three times in the Bible. The second will be in verse 28, and the last will be in Proverbs 16:27 –

An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.

It comes from the word tsarav, which means to burn. Thus one can see that there was a burning, as if in a passion, but the passion was quenched. The church, therefore, determines that there is nothing to see in this matter. The declaration is “Clean.”

I have transgressed and not done what was right
A wound stands as a testimony to my sinful act
But I will not let it take me over, against it I will fight
I will stand on God’s word, and that is a fact

The burning took hold of me, and I failed my Lord
But there is a fountain of cleansing if I turn again to Him
This is what is said in His marvelous word
And in that precious pool of life, from now on will I swim

Thank You, O God, for second chances in Christ
Thank You that You have cleansed us through the blood of Jesus
For us was the Lamb of God sacrificed
God has done such a marvelous thing for us

II. A Burn on the Skin By Fire (verses 24-28)

²⁴ “Or if the body receives a burn on its skin by fire,

Now a new type of wound will be detailed. This is from a new word in Scripture, mikvah. It will be seen five times through verse 28, and then it will not be seen again. Be sure to enjoy it while it lasts. Mikvah comes from kavah, scorched or seared. Both times kavah is used, it is speaking of walking on fire or coals –

“Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
²⁹ So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.” Proverbs 6:28

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.”Isaiah 43:2

And so in this verse, we have a burning in the flesh which is the result of fire. If this occurs, then an evaluation needs to be made upon the coming of any infection…

^{24 (con’t)} and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white,

This is similar to what was said in verse 19, but it also includes a word which was seen last week in verse 10, mikhyah, described by scholars as “proud flesh.” The Hebrew says mikhyah ha’mikvah, or “proud flesh that burns.” Again, like before, if from this wound, comes a bahereth levanah adamdemet ow levanah, or “a bright spot, reddish white, or white,” then it requires further investigation. As we have seen, this then would indicate sinful works which draw attention to themselves.

²⁵ then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the hair of the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper than the skin,

The symbolism continues to be the same as before, but the word “deeper” here is not the same as verse 18. Rather, it is the same word, amoq, that was used in verses 3 & 4. It is deeper in a comparative sense, and it indicates a deep thing, or even something mysterious. This type of infection then is that which is described by Paul in 1 Timothy 4 –

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, ³ forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; ⁵ for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Here we have being described the mysterious doctrines of demons which sear the conscience of those who teach them and who follow them. They are self-serving works which are identified by the outwardly pious attitude, but which reflect only inner corruption because they reject the work of Christ and depend on self to obtain merit. Because of such deeds we see that…

^{25  (con’t)} it is leprosy broken out in the burn. Therefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore.

The description for this leprosy goes back to a word used in verse 12, parakh. It indicates that which flourishes or blossoms. Thus it is a blossoming leprosy. The attitude of those described by Paul to Timothy perfectly reflect the sentiment. Their wound is one that multiplies and blossoms forth. The pronouncement for them is “Unclean!” They have, and they are, the plague of leprosy.

²⁶ But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in the bright spot, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days.

However, in the evaluation by the priest, if the bright spot doesn’t have white hairs (sinful works), and it is not deeper than the skin, (proud flesh), then more is required. Interestingly, the word for “deeper” here goes back to the same word as verse 18. It is shaphal, not amoq, and so it isn’t just not of depth, it is not even abased. The skin has not lowered at all, and instead it has faded. This fading is the word keheh from verse 6. It means to darken. The brightness of the wound has diminished. Should these things be the case, then he shall be isolated seven days.

²⁷ And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore.

Seven is the number of spiritual perfection. Seven days, then, is reflective of the proper time to spiritually discern this condition. In the examination, the same condition as was seen in verse 7 and 22 is used, im pasoh tiphseh, in spreading it has spread.

In this, the person has been burned by the doctrine of demons, and the infection has spread all over him. His doctrine is leprous, and he is a leper. He is unclean. But thank goodness not everyone who is so tainted remains that way…

²⁸ But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread on the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn. The priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn.

Again, the word amad, or stand, is used. There may have been the introduction of crummy doctrine, but the infection was caught, and the individual stands against it so that it doesn’t spread, but rather dims, then the person is to be pronounced clean from their burn. As promised earlier, the word mikvah, or burn, is now used for the last time in Scripture. You can wave farewell to it.

Time and again, we are seeing pictures of doctrine and how to handle it. We are to keep from bad doctrine, we are to stay away from those who would infect us with it, and we are to stand on the truth of the word of God. However, there is the truth that the person who has the affliction has no idea if it is unclean or not. They have to go to the priest to have it identified.

The sad thing is that the infection normally comes from the priest they go to for an examination. In other words, if a person gets crummy doctrine at Church of Apostasy under Pastor Heretic, and he is told he has an infection by a friend, if he goes back to Pastor Heretic to examine him, he is going to be told he is clean. This is why knowing the Bible is so hugely important, and why it is so, so frustrating to see people trust leaders who are already as unclean as any festering, leprous boil imaginable. It is maddening.

O God, open our eyes to the truth of Your word
There are countless views on what is wrong and what is right
Lead us in the correct path as is expected by the Lord
Keep us from bad doctrine, that terrible plight

Should we stray, lead us back to You by Your Spirit
Keep us from works which will never truly satisfy
Help us to stand on the work of Jesus; He our sure Merit
Yes, keep us, O Lord, from ever going awry

And Lord, for those whose doctrines are evil
Keep us from them, lead us to sound and proper teachers
May we never be seduced by the lies of the devil
Yes, keep us, O Lord, from nutty heretical preachers

III. A Sore On the Head or Beard (verses 29-37)

²⁹ “If a man or woman has a sore on the head or the beard,

The wording here is correctly translated, b’rosh o b’zaqan, “the head or the beard.” However, it indicates “the place of the beard,” not just the beard itself, thus it is the chin. One might think that a sore on the head or chin would normally be the same type of thing that would affect anywhere else on the rest of the body, and so why would there be a distinction between the two? It is, again, to give us spiritual pictures of other things.

What is fun, at least to me, is that the zaqan, or beard, is now introduced into the Bible. Although only speculation, it is pretty certain that all the great men of God since creation itself, until the time of Moses had beards, and most of them since then have as well.

The zaqan, despite being so magnificent a display of manliness, is actually only seen 19 times in the Bible. It comes from the verb zaqen, which is to be or become old, and so it can be translated as “old man.” Let’s leave comments on that alone for now.

³⁰ then the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if it appears deeper than the skin, and there is in it thin yellow hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean.

Once again, an inspection is needed. In this case, the word amoq is again used. It is a deep sore. In addition to that, it has a hair described with a new word, tsahov, or “yellowish.” This will only be seen three times, through verse 36, and then it is biblical history. It comes from tsahev, an even rarer word which is translated as shiny. In Ezra 8, its only use, it describes shiny bronze as precious as gold. It thus signifies that which is gleaming and golden in color.

The word thin is daq. It comes from the word daqaq which indicates being pulverized or crushed. Thus, this is something small or thin. If such a deep sore with thin, shiny, yellowish or golden hair is in it, that fellow is unclean. His head or chin is leprous, and he is a leper…

^{30 (con’t)} It is a scaly leprosy of the head or beard.

The word “scaly” is new. It is netheq. It will be seen 14 times in chapters 13 & 14, and then it too will be gone. It comes from nathaq which indicates breaking off, plucking away, or rooting out. Thus, it is a scale than can be pulled away.

³¹ But if the priest examines the scaly sore, and indeed it does not appear deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale seven days.

Again, a period of seven days is used to determine if what has arisen to the sight is something contagious and unclean, or if it is just something which looks bad, but has no uncleanness in and of itself. The requirements are 1) it does not appear deeper than the skin. The word is amoq, and it indicates that which is deep; and 2) there is no black hair in it.

Surprisingly, the word black, or shakhor is new to Scripture. For such a common adjective, one would think it would have been used a jillion times by now. But no. Even more surprising, is that it will be used just 6 times in the Bible. Other words do indicate black, but the specific adjective is rather rare. It comes from a root which is identical to shakhar which means to seek, and which then comes from the dawning of the morning. It is a jet black.

The scholar Keil sees a problem with this. He says that there is an error in the text. The verse says, “no black hair.” But verse 37 will says that there is a black hair. And so he states that this verse either needs to drop the word no, or change black to yellow. Some other scholars appear to agree with him, but this is incorrect.

A black hair would indicate that things were OK at this point. Verse 37 indicates that the black hair had grown into it. This is the purpose of isolating the person. It would give time for things to either degrade or progress enough so that a final determination could be made. The two weeks of isolation would allow time for a black hair to become well evident. If there was already a black hair in it, then there would be no need to isolate the person at this time.

³² And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if the scale has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the scale does not appear deeper than the skin,

On the seventh day, three things are to be looked for: 1) no spreading of the scale; 2) no yellowish hair, and; 3) the scale isn’t deeper than the skin. If these three are the case, then…

³³ he shall shave himself, but the scale he shall not shave.

By shaving, he will clear out any chance of the surrounding hair interfering with a proper evaluation, or irritating the scale. Only the area of the scale is not shaved. This then is to see if the scale grows outward, and it will allow the hairs in the scale area to grow at the same time as the non scale areas so that they can be compared. And finally, in not shaving the scale itself, it won’t become inflamed and give a false reading if it wasn’t leprosy in the first place.

^{33 (con’t)} And the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale another seven days.

Seven days are again appointed. By this time, a hair will grow out of the area, or no hair will grow out of it, but it will remain unchanged. Either the hair, or the appearance, will make the determination possible.

³⁴ On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scale; and indeed if the scale has not spread over the skin, and does not appear deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean.

Only two things are needed for a declaration of being clean. The first is no spreading of the scale, and the second is that it is not deeper than the skin. If both of these are true, then he is to be declared clean. After the declaration, he was then do the same thing as was instructed back in verse 6, wash his clothes.

It is a ceremonial act. He was detained fourteen days on suspicion, and was thus considered tainted by ceremonial pollution. Plus, one’s clothes would need to be washed after 14 days, or things could only go from bad to worse. After washing his clothes he will be considered clean.

³⁵ But if the scale should at all spread over the skin after his cleansing,

Unlike verse 7 from last week which was somewhat ambiguous, there is no doubt that this is speaking of happening after he has been declared clean and washed his clothes. What will next be described is after that point…

³⁶ then the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the scale has spread over the skin, the priest need not seek for yellow hair. He is unclean.

This is for a sore on the head. Other sores were seen to have spread, and yet it didn’t necessarily mean there was uncleanness involved. But for a sore on the head, even without secondary evidences, the person was to be declared unclean. A spreading of this scaly leprosy on the head is sufficient for this.

³⁷ But if the scale appears to be at a standstill, and there is black hair grown up in it, the scale has healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

This verse at first seems superfluous. If it takes us back to verse 34 and the examination after the second week of isolation, then he has already been declared clean because of what it said there. However, if it follows logically after the previous verse, then he has been declared unclean because it has spread since he was declared clean.

But what appears to be the reason for this verse, is to show that it is the word of God as given to the priests which determines what makes a person clean or unclean. The priest is to give his rendering based on that, and nothing else.

With this final section, we see a leprosy somewhat different than the others. First, it is the first time it includes a woman. The others simply said man, person, or body, but this one specifies a woman. Secondly, it is a specific part of the body in that it affects the head or the beard.

For head, the word is rosh. It carries many meanings, first, leader, ruler, top, and on and on. Here it is the head which is the seat of knowledge, and biblically, the symbol of authority or preeminence. The beard is specifically a sign of manhood, and even more, a man of years and thus supposed discretion. In such a man, prudence and wisdom are what one would expect.

However, there is now a sore upon the head of such a person – male or female. It is deep, implied by the use of the word amoq four times in these few verses. The next time the word will be used will be in Job 11 when comparing the deep things of God. They are higher than heaven and deeper than hell according to the passage. After that, it will be used in Proverbs to speak of an adulteress as being a deep pit. Everything about this passage now is speaking of what is presented to the church of Thyatira in Revelation 2 –

“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write,
‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: ¹⁹ “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. ²⁰ Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ²¹ And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. ²² Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their  deeds. ²³ I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
²⁴ “Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden.” Revelation 2:18-24

The sore upon the head is symbolic of the sore upon the leader of the congregation, here termed, the angel of the church at Thyatira. The sore, rather than of wisdom and prudence, is a cancer which has infected the head. It is deep, and it has sear sahov dag, thin yellow hair. The word used to describe the hair is being compared to the feet of fine brass of Christ.

It is that most unusual word concerning gleam as if gold, and which came from the word used to describe the fine bronze of Ezra’s time which was as valuable as gold. The “fine brass” used to describe Jesus’ feet is another very rare word, khalkolbanan, which carries the same meaning. Bronze, or brass, signifies judgment. Christ’s feet are the seat of His judgment. This person has judgment in the sore of the head or beard. It is a thin, weak judgment, as the words imply.

The plague is Jezebel, who is described, just as the adulteress of Proverbs. She is a deep infection, and her doctrines are perverse. In fact, the Lord describes her doctrines as the depths of Satan. It is a perfect contrast to the wisdom of the Lord which was described in Job – higher than the heaven and deeper than hell. The Lord says that He will cast her into a bed, along with those who commit adultery with her, into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. This is the picture which we are seeing here.

In this, identified with thin yellow hair, there is an immediate pronunciation of being unclean. It is why a woman is specified for the first time. No woman is to be in such a position of authority in the church according to 1 Corinthians 14, and 1 Timothy 2. There is no need to look for any further sign. It is plague; it is unclean.

However, if there is a sore on the head which cannot be properly identified as wholly unclean, and there is no black hair in it, then the person is to be isolated. The black hair would indicate seeking proper doctrine, as the root of the word implies, “to seek.”

But because that is not evident, there is a period of evaluation, just as it was in verses 4-6 from last week. If after a first evaluation, there is no sign of further corruption, then the evaluation is conducted for another seven days, at which time a verdict is to be rendered. If the plague has not spread, the infection is ended and the person is proclaimed clean. But if the bad doctrine returns at anytime after he is pronounced clean, there is no need to look for any further telltale signs, he is unclean and is to be expelled.

The final verse, verse 37, is given as a support for the leader who has corrected his error. It says, if the scale is at a standstill and he has a black hair grown up in it, he is healed. The standing still of the scale signifies that bad doctrine is no longer being spread, and the black hair signifies right doctrine is being sought out.

What is obvious in these verses, is that the truth of the matter, and not the determination by the priest, is what shows a person to be clean or not. If the priest pronounced an unclean person clean, or if he pronounced a clean person unclean, it doesn’t negate the truth of the state in relation to the word. Ultimately, it is the word which determines what is clean. The judgment of the priest must be in accord with it, or it is null and void.

This is what is seen here. Just because a church ordains a person, it does not mean that they are suitable to be ordained. Likewise, just because someone claims a leader is not suitable for the ministry, it does not mean he isn’t. Instead, the qualifications are already laid out in the word of God. This is what is seen concerning a sore upon the head of a person in this otherwise difficult to understand set of verses from Leviticus.

As you can see, there is a surface meaning to what is given in the Bible, but there is also something that is being pictured for us to consider. As I said earlier, there are many other things which can bring about infections of one sort or another in a society, and the Lord knows all of them. But he chose these things which are detailed in Leviticus to teach us spiritual truths as well.

And the greatest spiritual truth of all is that we need Jesus. It is He who is on prominent display here. He is the one who ultimately determines if we are clean or if we are unclean, and if that condition is temporal or eternal. Let us be sure to come to Him for full purification, so that we will not be condemned on that great Day, and also so that we will be pleasing to Him even now if we have already been saved by Him.

Closing Verse: But hold fast what you have till I come. ²⁶ And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
²⁷ ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
as I also have received from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him the morning star.
²⁹ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’ Revelation: 2:25-29

Next Week: Leviticus 13:38-59 More interesting things for us to seek out and see… (The Law of Leprosy, Part III) (21^st Leviticus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if you have a lifetime of sin heaped up behind you, He can wash it away and purify you completely and wholly. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Law of Leprosy

“If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is healed
And in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling
Or a bright spot, reddish-white
Then it shall be shown to the priest; for his decision-telling

And if, when the priest sees it
It indeed appears deeper than the skin
And its hair has turned white
The priest shall pronounce him unclean; Shoot! leprosy again

It is a leprous sore which has broken out of the boil
Something that will make everyone else recoil

But if the priest examines it
And indeed there are no white hairs in it, not in this phase
And it is not deeper than the skin but has faded
Then the priest shall isolate him seven days

And if it should at all spread over the skin
Then the priest shall pronounce him unclean
It is a leprous sore
That is what this does mean

But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread
It is the scar of the boil
And the priest shall pronounce him clean
From him nobody will need to recoil

“Or if the body receives a burn
On its skin by fire
And the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot
Reddish-white or white, as if on a white-wall tire

Then the priest shall examine it
And indeed if the hair of the bright spot has turned white
And it appears deeper than the skin
It is leprosy broken out in the burn, it is a leprous sight

Therefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean
It is a leprous sore; this is what that spot does mean

But if the priest examines it
And indeed there are no white hairs in the bright spot
And it is not deeper than the skin
But has faded, a little bit or even a lot

Then the priest shall isolate him seven days
And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, for sure
If it has at all spread over the skin
Then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; It is a leprous sore 

But if the bright spot stays in one place
And has not spread on the skin, but has faded, so do we learn
It is a swelling from the burn that is seen
The priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn

“If a man or woman has a sore on the head or the beard
Then the priest shall examine the sore
And indeed if it appears deeper than the skin
And there is in it thin yellow hair; not like before

Then the priest shall pronounce him unclean
It is a scaly leprosy of the head or beard; this is what it does mean

But if the priest examines the scaly sore
And indeed it does not appear deeper than the skin, such are its ways
And there is no black hair in it
Then the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale seven days

And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the sore
And indeed if the scale has not spread; it stayed where it has been
And there is no yellow hair in it
And the scale does not appear deeper than the skin

He shall shave himself, but the scale he shall not shave
Yes, he shall follow in these ways
And the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale
Another seven days 

On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scale
And indeed if the scale has not spread over the skin
And does not appear deeper than the skin
Then the priest shall pronounce him clean; this battle he did win

He shall wash his clothes and be clean
In response to what the priest has seen

But if the scale should at all spread over the skin after his cleansing
Then the priest shall examine him to see what can be seen
And indeed if the scale has spread over the skin
The priest need not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean

But if the scale appears to be at a standstill
And there is black hair grown up in it
The scale has healed; he is clean
And the priest shall pronounce him clean; so I do submit

Lord God, by Your goodness alone we are reconciled to You
You sent Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
And so help us to trust in Him alone; yes through and through
Our deeds can’t satisfy, and they leave us in more of a mess

But what Christ has done is fully sufficient to save
In Him we are cleansed and made pure in Your sight
Help us to live by faith alone; this is how we are to behave
And through Him all things are made perfect and right

Thank You, O God, for Christ Jesus our Lord
And for what we know of Him through Your superior word

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Leviticus 13:1-17
The Law of Leprosy, Part I

Chapters 13 & 14 go into great detail concerning the issue of the dreaded disease of leprosy. It is argued that the Hebrew word signifies various diseases or conditions which are all lumped under the one word which is translated as leprosy. For this reason, the NIV translates the word as “defiling skin disease.”

In English, the word comes from the Greek lepoa which is from lepis, a scale. This is because with leprosy, the body would at times be covered with thin white scales. It would then give it the appearance of snow. There are many great commentaries on the actual afflictions, and how they affected the people and the society.

If you are into the medical aspects of these things, all you need to do is read the verses of these two chapters, and you will know a sufficient amount to determine what is being conveyed. For further details, you can go to any of those myriad commentaries and read all about the afflictions from a medical standpoint.

But… what is being relayed in these chapters is not just something that is found on the surface. It is also information which conveys pictures of other things. As always, the Bible needs to be looked at from the viewpoint of it being a manual about the redemption of man. If considered from that viewpoint, and with Jesus Christ as the One to bring this about, then what seems obscure and pointless becomes far more interesting.

Text Verse: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63

We will carefully evaluate these chapters and verses with a view to why God selected the particular words and things which surround that which brings uncleanness and that which brings about cleanness. In so doing, we will be able to see really exquisite pictures of His dealings with man. Physical afflictions made a person unclean under the law, but these things are not carried over in the New Testament. There is nothing which says, “A person with various skin afflictions is barred from the church.”

If these things could truly defile a person, then the Lord would have re-included them in the New Testament. But they don’t. Jesus tells us that the flesh profits nothing. It is not the flesh that the Lord is at all concerned about. Therefore, it must be true that what is being conveyed here is more than just a set of rules and guidelines which were intended to protect the Israelites from the spread of disease. If this were not so, then it would certainly give an indication that the Lord cared less about the church than He did about Israel. But this is not the case at all.

In fact, in understanding the spiritual meaning of what is being conveyed, and how it pictures other things, we can see that the Lord truly cares about the state of man – be he in Israel or in the church – in an absolutely pure way. The Lord’s words that He gives to His people are spirit, and they are life. These truths are to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. New Sores and Old Sores (verses 1-11)

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

The address is made, once again, to both Moses and Aaron. The last time this occurred was in verse 11:1. This addressing of both of them is rather uncommon. Mostly it is to Moses alone. What is ahead is a long discussion on ritual purification because of health issues. The issue of leprosy will take up all of Chapters 13 and 14, and this will be followed up in Chapter 15 with bodily discharges.

In these three chapters, the Lord will address both Moses and Aaron three times, and once he will address only Moses.

² “When a man has on the skin of his body

The word adam, or man, is used instead of nephesh, or soul. What will be described next is on his or, or skin, which covers his besar, or flesh. The word or, meaning skin, is used 99 times in the Bible, and yet 46 of them are mentioned in this one chapter. The or is the covering of the man. Having an affliction in the skin then is an outward sign of uncleanness. As you will see, it is an uncleanness which pictures sin in man; a plague of death.

The words show us that this is pertaining to physical afflictions of the body which arise in the course of this physical existence. However, there are spiritual meanings behind these physical conditions. In the identification process, there are three initial signs to be considered, the first is…

^2 (con’t) a swelling,

The seeth, or swelling, is an interesting word. It comes from the word nasa, which means “lifted” or “to rise.” Outside of Leviticus, it is translated as “acceptance,” “majesty,” “authority,” and the like. The idea is that when someone is favored, they are lifted up. However, in Leviticus, this lifting up is not a good thing. It indicates a swelling of the flesh. Such a swelling would be spiritually equated to the pride of life.

^2 (con’t) a scab,

Next is a sapakhath, or “scab.” It is introduced here and will only be seen one more time, in verse 14:56. It comes from saphakh, which gives the sense of attachment, or gathering. Thus a scab is where the skins gather at an eruption. It would picture gathering together with that which is vile; the lust of the flesh.

^2 (con’t) or a bright spot,

The baheret, or bright spot, is also introduced here. It will only be used in chapters 13 and 14 of Leviticus. It comes from the adjective bahir which means bright. It indicates then a whitish spot which is found on the flesh, or even a glossy pimple. It would indicate that which draws attention to itself; the lust of the eyes. And so we have here, three things which match that which John writes about –

“For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16

It is the three things which Adam was tested with in Genesis 3; it is the three things which Jesus was then tested with as is recorded in the gospels. And it is the same three things which we all face daily in our lives. Will we yield to the flesh? Or, will will be transformed by the renewing of our mind and pursue the Spirit? Instructions are given for us to evaluate these things and apply them to our lives.

^2 (con’t) and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.

When one of these three instances occurs, and turns into a nega tsaraat, or wound of leprosy, the person was to be brought to Aaron or one of his sons who are priests. This word, tsaraat, will be used 35 times in the Bible and all but 6 of them will be in chapters 13 and 14.

It comes from the verb tsara, or leper, which has only been seen once. That was when Moses was told to put his hand into his coat and then pull it out. When he did, it was leprous. That was one of the signs to Israel of Moses’ qualification to lead them. The word then comes from a primitive root which means to scourge.

Adam Clarke notes that “the root in Arabic signifies to cast down or prostrate, and in Ethiopian, to cause to cease, because,… ‘it prostrates the strength of man, and obliges him to cease from all work and labor.’” The idea is that a person is struck with leprosy, as if a curse. In other words, it is the stroke of God. Miriam, Moses’ sister will be struck with it as a curse in Numbers, as will Gahazi, the servant of Elisha in 2 Kings.

³ The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white,

In Israel, the priest was also the dermatologist. It was his to evaluate what made a person clean and what made him unclean. It was his to pronounce. He was to examine the skin, but also the sear or hair. Hair in the Bible indicates an awareness of things; consciousness. In particular that of the awareness of sin.

The first time it was used in the Bible was to describe the hairy body of Esau, who was himself a picture of Adam, the one who fell and became conscious of sin. One can see how the hair, being checked in order to identify uncleanness, ties in with that. If it has turned lavan, or white, it is an indication of that which is unclean. The word for “turn” is haphak. It indicates to change, but in this case it would be a perversion of what is normal; thus “to pervert.”

Going further, lavan (adj. white) comes from the verb lavan which indicates brick making. The idea is that when a brick is fired, it grows white. It is a picture of works in the Bible. For example, the making of bricks to build the tower of Babel was a picture of man’s attempt to reach heaven through his own works.

^3 (con’t) and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore.

The next thing to be evaluated was whether the sore was deeper than the skin of his flesh. The word for “deeper,” amoq, is introduced into the Bible here. It is an adjective and signifies that which is deeper, thus it is a comparative word. It indicates a deep thing, and even something mysterious. If the sore has gone below the skin, it has thus gotten into the flesh. As I’ve said, the flesh is that which is opposed to the spirit.

We are being given an Old Testament lesson concerning a New Testament truth, the sins of the flesh, those things which go deeper than our outer covering, our skin, are those things which cause us to be unclean. It was garments of skin which the Lord gave Adam and his wife after the fall. That was to be a covering for them. Since that time, the flesh and the spirit have been at war.

^3 (con’t) Then the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean.

If these things indicated leprosy, it would then v’time oto, “make him unclean.” In this, he is said to do that which his office pronounces as done. It is an idiom which indicates a pronouncement of being in an unclean state.

Think it through. A person has the awareness of sin, pictured by the white hair. It is based on his works which identify him as unclean. What he is doing it a perversion of what is normal. And it has gone from the skin, deep into the flesh. The type, leprosy, pictures the anti-type, unclean works which are of the flesh.

⁴ But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days.

If an evaluation by the priest indicates that the bright spot is, at this time, not seemingly leprous because it lacks the two other identifying marks, then the person is to be shut up in a state of isolation for seven days. It should be noted that this verse actually says that “the priest shall isolate the sore seven days.” The other words are inserted for clarity, but they are probably correct. It could be that only the sore is to be bandaged during the period, but more likely is that the person was to be shut up during this period because he had the sore.

The word for shut up is sagar. It is the shutting up of something. It can be for protecting someone against harm, such as Noah being shut up in the Ark. And it can also be to bring someone harm, such as when the Lord is said to shut up Israel for destruction.

Seven is the number of spiritual perfection. An evaluation of the flesh will be remade after this set interval. The seven days are to teach New Testament ministers not to be hasty in rendering a judgment which could be incorrect. We are asked to consider a spiritual state of others by these Old Testament physical examples.

⁵ And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day;

It is not after the seventh day, but on the seventh day that the person is examined. Eight in the Bible signifies new beginnings, and it is that which will occur based on the outcome of the inspection.

^5 (con’t) and indeed if the sore appears to be as it was, 

The Hebrew reads more strongly here. It says, “And behold! The plague stands in his eyes.” The idea of standing is that of not changing. In the New Testament, Paul tells us numerous times to stand when speaking of doctrine. It means to be fixed and unchanging. A classic example of standing as being unchanging in doctrine is given by Paul. Three times in Ephesians 6 he repeats the admonition –

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6:10-16

This is the idea of this possible plague. It has remained unchanging and has not spread. Further…

^5 (con’t) and the sore has not spread on the skin,

The word pasah, or spread, is introduced here. It is a word which will be used 22 times in Scripture, and yet all 22 will be in chapters 13 & 14. It is obviously an important consideration to the Lord for it to be used so many times concerning that which is unclean and defiled, and which spiritually pictures sin. The sore stood firm and did not spread, and so…

^5 (con’t) then the priest shall isolate him another seven days.

Not only are ministers to not be hasty in their judgments, but they are to be exactly the opposite. They are to refrain from quick judgments, but are to evaluate things very carefully. It is a precept which Paul explicitly states to his young protege Timothy –

“I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. ²² Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.” 1 Timothy 5:21, 22

This wise precept finds its origins all the way back in the highly disregarded and ignored book of Leviticus. Aren’t you becoming more excited about this book with each passing verse!

⁶ Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore has faded, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

A second evaluation is made, again on the seventh day from the previous evaluation. On this day, if the sore has faded, it is good news for the person. The word for fade, keheh, is new. It essentially means, “to darken,” or “make obscure.” It is used when one’s eyes dim as he falls asleep, or when a wick fades as the oil burns down in a lamp. If this sore has faded, then the priest is to pronounce the person clean. The word is taher, or literally “pure.” He is considered free from defilement.

The conclusion that the priest is to derive is that what he sees is only a scab. This is not the same word as verse 2. Here the word is a new one, mispakhath. It will be used now and in verses 7 and 8, and then drop from the pages of the Bible. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Because he is deemed clean, he is to wash his clothes as a ceremonial act. He was detained fourteen days on suspicion, and was thus considered tainted by ceremonial pollution, and his clothes would need to be washed after such a time anyway. After washing his clothes he will be considered clean.

What was thought to possibly be sinful works was actually something entirely different. There is a spiritual picture here which Paul explains. A person was doing some works which were hidden, but which others may have deemed as sinful. Through a careful inspection, the person’s works are actually found out to be pure, and thus the person is pure. Here are Paul’s words showing this –

“Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. ²⁵ Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.” 1Timothy 5:24, 25

A real-life example of this is a person who was known to hire hookers and then spend his time speaking to them about Jesus. What he was doing had people supposing he was doing one thing, while in fact he was doing another.

⁷ But if the scab should at all spread over the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen by the priest again.

It is debated if this follows after verse 6 for the person who was declared clean, or if it goes back to verse 5 for the person who was unchanged after the first week. What seems likely is that it goes back to verse 5. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, because either way, the Hebrew reads v’im pasoh tiphseh – “and if spreading it has spread.” Instead of the scab having no change, or having not spread after it had darkened, it has now spread outwards from its original spot, and so the priest is directed to evaluate him again.

⁸ And if the priest sees that the scab has indeed spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy.

Oh no! The scab has spread. In this case, the priest is now under obligation to pronounce the person unclean. What he has is leprous. In picture, the sin of the man is an infectious sin, and he is deemed as unclean. And now, with verses 6-8 behind us, we can say goodbye to the word mispakhath, or scab. It will not be seen again.

⁹ “When the leprous sore is on a person, then he shall be brought to the priest.

We now enter into a new situation concerning leprosy. Verses 1-8 were something which had appeared on a man and it was unknown what the affliction was. It was previously not there and had to be carefully evaluated to see if it was uncleanness of some sort. Here, it is an old leprosy which is clearly and undoubtedly unclean. It is something which has been hidden, but which is insidious in nature. Verses 9 and 10 lead up to verse 11 as conditional clauses which lead to the main clause.

¹⁰ And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the swelling on the skin is white, and it has turned the hair white, and there is a spot of raw flesh in the swelling,

Three things are needed to properly identify if what is being looked at is, in fact, leprosy. The first is a white swelling on the skin. This would be a very white swelling, like snow. This is what will be seen of Miriam when she is plagued with leprosy in Numbers 12 –

“And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.” Numbers 12:10

Second, the hair in the swelling is turned white. Again, the word white in both cases is lavan. It points to the idea of works. The third is that there is a “spot of raw flesh in the swelling.” The Hebrew reads u-mikhyat besar khai – “and reviving flesh live.” Thus scholars term this “proud flesh.” The entire picture to be seen is someone who is swollen up with pride in his works, and who boasts in his flesh. This is the attitude Paul warns about with these words –

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! ³ For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, ⁴ though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” Philippians 3:2-6

Paul speaks of those of the circumcision, meaning the Jews, who put their confidence in the flesh by observing the Law of Moses, instead of putting their confidence in Christ, who is the end of the law for all who believe. This is the proud flesh and it is perfectly described by the next verse…

¹¹ it is an old leprosy on the skin of his body.

It is an old leprosy. The word is yashen. It means to sleep, but the words gives the sense of something inveterate. It is long- established and unlikely to change. It is a perfect description of those who seek to be justified by the law. It’s rather odd, that the very law which identifies this old leprosy is actually describing those who adhere to it for their justification.

The infection is in the body, it is swelling, it is based on works, and those works reveal the prideful nature of the one to whom they belong. It is the Judiazers of Paul’s time and it is those of the Hebrew Roots movement of our time – perfectly described by the very law they cling to, and which identifies them as unclean. Because of this…

^{11 (con’t)} The priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.

There is no reason to evaluate if such a person’s works are actually appropriate or not. The Bible clearly and unambiguously tells us that those who live by deeds of the law are unclean. They have not come to God through Christ, and their works can never please Him. Paul says of this –

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:19, 20

Who is it that is unclean before the Lord?
It is the one who trusts in his own righteousness
He has ignored what is said about Jesus in the word
Who thinks he is secure, but is really a mess

Like leprosy, sin infects our lives, and we are done in
We attempt to work our way to heaven, displeasing God even more
Such is the depth of this body of sin
And unless we change, on us God will His great wrath pour

But there is hope for the soul who is unclean
Is is found in God’s Gift of our Lord Jesus
In the life of Jesus, the most marvelous grace is seen
And it is waiting there for each and every one of us

II. Completely Covered in White (verses 12-17)

¹² “And if leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the one who has the sore, from his head to his foot, wherever the priest looks,

The word “breaks out” is parakh. It indicates a blossoming or an abundance. In this, the skin is totally covered with this leprous look. The Hebrew repeats itself with the words paroakh tiphrakh, or “flowering, it flowers.” From the person’s head to the foot, he is literally covered in this outbreak.

It is actually unsure what condition is being relayed here. There is one black girl from Trinidad who got vitiligo so completely that she went from being totally black to completely white. It is happening to a black grandmother here in the US right now. But this is probably not what is being spoken of here. Whatever the condition is, it was one that causes the whole body to appear leprous, but it was so complete and without any other of the effects of normal leprosy, that it was treated in a unique way…

¹³ then the priest shall consider; and indeed if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. It has all turned white. He is clean.

Instead of being wholly unclean, the person who is so affected is considered completely clean and is pronounced as such. As this is not a normal medical condition which is identifiable, it is certainly a picture of something else, something unique and marvelous.

Sin is a leprous plague. When it infects a person, they are unclean because of it. Unclean is unclean – there are no true gradations of this state. One is either clean or they are unclean. But for those who think they can still merit God’s favor, they don’t think of themselves as wholly unclean. Thus, they fit those described previously. They have an infection and it causes them to be wholly unclean.

However, when a person realizes that they are wholly unclean, with no part of himself which is acceptable to God, they cannot boast in works of the flesh. When they come to the Priest, meaning Jesus, for His determination, He pronounces them clean. The reason is that His works fully, and completely, met the demands of the law. As Paul says to us –

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

¹⁴ But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean.

This is the same “proud flesh” mentioned before. This is still certainly speaking of the same person who was pronounced clean in the previous verse. In picture, this is the person who has been cleansed by Christ and who has been saved by Him, but then falls back on deeds of the law, boasting in their works. Paul speaks of them in Galatians –

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? ² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? ⁴ Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?” Galatians 3:1-4

They are those who are misdirected away from the gospel of Christ. Paul never calls their salvation into question, but he does tell them that they have become debtors to the entire law. They are unclean and they will be judged as such when they stand before the Lord at His bema seat of judgment. This is seen in the next verse…

¹⁵ And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean; for the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy.

The Priest, the Lord Jesus, examines our lives, He evaluates our deeds, and He looks into the motivations behind them. In this case, the person has been infected with ha’basar ha’khai, the flesh the proud, and he thus pronounces such people unclean. If you don’t think this is possible, I can tell you of countless emails of people desperate for friends, family, loved ones… all who have been sucked into the Hebrew Roots movement, just as the Galatians had been sucked into the false gospel of the Judaizers.

They started in the Spirit and turned to deeds of the law, figuring they could do a better job than the Lord did. They have set aside the grace of Christ. For those who were saved, they are saved, but they are to be judged in the most severe manner for their failing. They are lepers; they are unclean; and the Lord will take away the many rewards they could have earned by simply exercising faith in what He has done.

However, there is hope for even folks in this sad state. They can turn, and they can be renewed again by the Spirit. Paul told the Galatians to turn and forget the deeds of the flesh, using Peter’s falling back under the law as an example of such. Paul had to openly rebuke Peter, showing him his error. When he did, Peter was restored to right thinking. His proud flesh was cured…

¹⁶ Or if the raw flesh changes and turns white again, he shall come to the priest.

The one with proud flesh has once again realized the error of his way. Peter turned from his lack of trust in Christ, and he went on to his position as the Apostle to the Jews with his correction duly noted and responded to. So it can happen to anyone who has been saved and purified by Christ. We all stumble, we all fall, we all come short. But when we put away our proud flesh, the Priest will see, and He will respond accordingly…

¹⁷ And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the sore has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean who has the sore.

Whoo hoo! Cleansed and in right standing with the Lord! What more could anyone ask? The One who cleanses is an ever-lasting Fount of cleansing. As many times as we fail, and as many times as we return to Him for healing, He will heal. If we fall back on works of the law, as grievous of an offense as that is, the Lord is willing to restore us to a full and right relationship once again.

But as long as we are trusting in our deeds to be justified before Him, we stand unclean and under His unhappy judgment. We are separated from the body, and we lack the harmony in our life that we desperately need; we lack the filling of the Spirit and the fellowship with our heavenly Father. Let us not go down that path, but let Christ consider us as the one whose sore has turned white…

*^17 (fin) He is clean.

tahor hu – Pure (is) he. The declaration stands for any and all who live by faith, and by faith alone, in Jesus Christ. When we trust in His works, then we are in a clean and right-standing with our Creator. Stand fast on the gospel of Christ, and God will look at you as pristine white, cleansed by the precious blood of Christ.

As an eloquent and flowery followup to our 17 verses today, allow me to cite Matthew Henry who caught the gist of today’s passage quite well –

“The plague of leprosy was an uncleanness, rather than a disease. Christ is said to cleanse lepers, not to cure them. … And it was a figure of the moral pollutions of men’s minds by sin, which is the leprosy of the soul, defiling to the conscience, and from which Christ alone can cleanse. The priest could only convict the leper, (by the law is the knowledge of sin,) but Christ can cure the sinner, he can take away sin. It is a work of great importance, but of great difficulty, to judge of our spiritual state. We all have cause to suspect ourselves, being conscious of sores and spots; but whether clean or unclean is the question. As there were certain marks by which to know it was leprosy, so there are marks of such as are in the gall of bitterness. The priest must take time in making his judgment. This teaches all, both ministers and people, not to be hasty in censures, nor to judge anything before the time. If some men’s sins go before unto judgment, the sins of others follow after, and so do men’s good works. If the person suspected were found to be clean, yet he must wash his clothes, because there had been ground for the suspicion. We have need to be washed in the blood of Christ from our spots, though not leprosy spots; for who can say, I am pure from sin?” Matthew Henry

The answer to his question is, “Any and all who call on Christ Jesus.” Sin is a deep infection, and it is one that we cannot cure. Our attempts to do so only add to our sin, they do not help. When we attempt to buy God off through good works, it is an affront to Him. “I cannot look upon you! How can I look upon your futile gestures which only cause you to feel you merit My glory?”

But, when we trust in His offer, and the work of His Son Jesus Christ, He is satisfied with our faith. It is a small thing, and yet it is so very difficult. If you don’t believe that, just look at the world around you, even once-saved believers at times have fallen back on their own deeds to satisfy God. It is proud flesh, and it will only lead to sadness. Let me very clearly explain to you how you can bring joy to God, and to your own troubled heart…

Closing Verse: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” …  “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:18 & 24, 25

Next Week: Leviticus 13:18-37 More infectious things to evaluate and to look through… (The Law of Leprosy, Part II) (20^th Leviticus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if you have a lifetime of sin heaped up behind you, He can wash it away and purify you completely and wholly. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Law of Leprosy

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
These are the words He was then relaying

“When a man has on the skin of his body
A swelling, a scab, or a bright spot
And it becomes on the skin of his body
Like a leprous sore; a kind of gross blot

Then he shall to Aaron the priest be brought
Or to one of his sons the priests who in the law has been taught

The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body
And if the hair on the sore has turned white
And the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body
It is a leprous sore; something with him is just not right

Then the priest shall examine him, so he shall be seen
And pronounce him unclean 

But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body
And does not appear to be deeper than the skin
And its hair has not turned white
Then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore
———-Seven days he shall be shut in

And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day
And indeed if the sore appears to be as it was during this phase
And the sore has not spread on the skin
Then the priest shall isolate him another seven days

Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day
And indeed if the sore has faded
And the sore has not spread on the skin
Then the priest shall pronounce him clean, surely for this he waited

It is only a scab, this is what it does mean
And he shall wash his clothes and be clean

But if the scab should at all spread over the skin
After he has been seen for his cleansing by the priest
He shall be seen by the priest again
He is not yet to be released

And if the priest sees that the scab
Has indeed spread on the skin
Then the priest shall pronounce him unclean
It is leprosy; surely much to his chagrin

“When the leprous sore is on a person, from the greatest to the least
Then he shall be brought to the priest 

And the priest shall examine him
And indeed if the swelling on the skin is white
And it has turned the hair white
And there is a spot of raw flesh in the swelling, something not right

It is an old leprosy on the skin of his body
The priest shall pronounce him unclean
And shall not isolate him, for he is unclean
This is what this thing does mean

“And if leprosy breaks out all over the skin
And the leprosy covers all the skin, for sure
Of the one who has the sore
From his head to his foot wherever the priest looks there is more

Then the priest shall consider
And indeed if the leprosy has covered all his body, this is seen
He shall pronounce him clean who has the sore
It has all turned white. He is clean 

But when raw flesh appears on him
He shall be unclean; a situation quite grim 

And the priest shall examine the raw flesh
And pronounce him to be unclean
For the raw flesh is unclean
It is leprosy; as the raw flesh does mean

Or if the raw flesh changes and turns white again
He shall come to the priest
And the priest shall examine him
And indeed if the sore has turned white, the raw flesh has ceased

Then the priest shall pronounce him clean who has the sore
He is clean; he ain’t got the leprosy blues no more

Lord God, by Your goodness alone we are reconciled to You
You sent Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
And so help us to trust in Him alone; yes through and through
Our deeds can’t satisfy, and they leave us in more of a mess

But what Christ has done is fully sufficient to save
In Him we are cleansed and made pure in Your sight
Help us to live by faith alone; this is how we are to behave
And through Him all things are made perfect and right

Thank You, O God, for Christ Jesus our Lord
And for what we know of Him through Your superior word

Hallelujah and Amen…

Leviticus 12:1-8
Purification After Childbirth

Who does God favor? The book of Isaiah says that the Lord, who is the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, and whose name is Holy – whose throne is heaven and whose footstool is the earth – this great One will look upon the one who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at His word.

There are lots of rich folk in the world. Some have millions, some hundreds of millions, and some billions. The world is working towards its first trillionaire, and it’s a coin toss who it will be. But just ask the Lord about that. “Big deal” He will say. In fact, Jesus said “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).

Fancy cars, lots of money, a big house with a great view… it is as temporary as the next market crash, or the sudden telephone pole that runs in front of your car. And more, if that is where you have put your hope, it truly is an abomination to God. He despises your priorities.

Nothing like those things lasts forever, but the favor of God does. And He favors the poor that has a contrite spirit far more than He favors an arrogant rich son of a nuther rich guy. The question is, just how poor can you get and yet still be in favor with Him? Well, we can go to the Bible and find out…

Text Verse: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9

The Bible says that Jesus Christ was rich – rich indeed was He! He possessed all of heaven’s riches, power, and glory. And yet, He came and walked among us. He was so poor that we read in the book of Luke that certain women, whom Luke goes on to name, provided for Him from their substance.

In today’s world, that might seem like a real bonus, to have a lady support you, but in Israel of old, that would have been a very humbling experience. It is not the kind of thing one would openly brag about. But the Bible actually highlights it so that we know His state among the people.

And more, it was pretty much always this way for Him. Take time to read through the New Testament, and you will get hints of it elsewhere. Maybe we’ll bring it up again later in this sermon. Yes, I think we will. So stay awake, pay attention, and we’ll get through these verses that you are shaking your head over and saying, “What on earth do I care about these eight verses Charlie just read to me?”

You will… you will care. Do you know why? Because it is a part of His magnificent and superior word. And you, like me, are the type who trembles at His word. It is perfect, it is holy, and it is a delight to the eyes and a joy to the heart. It is the wisdom of God, revealing His Son in each passage, on every page, and through every word. It is His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. After the Birth of a Child (verses 1-8)

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Chapter 11 dealt with clean and unclean foods, all things which could be eaten, or which were forbidden to be eaten. It opened with the words, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them…” Chapter 12 begins an entirely new thought, one which is introduced in the normal way by stating the words, v’dabber Yehovah el Mosheh lemor, or “And spoke Yehovah unto Moses, saying…” Aaron is once again left out of the words of instruction. What will be spoken is a completely different thought than Chapter 11, but it still deals with what is clean and that which is unclean.

Interestingly, the pattern follows that of the Genesis creation account. The animals were first described as having been created, and only then were humans created. The animals which could render an Israelite unclean were first detailed, and then that which is from man and which caused impurity in man is then detailed.

As we saw, the named animals each gave a picture of something else. Therefore, that which is outside the body and physical, but which caused spiritual defilement was first named. Now, that which comes from within the body and which is spiritual (inherited sin), and which caused more spiritual defilement, is named.

This is a chapter which has caused consternation for some people. It is as if they feel the Lord is saying there is some type of wrongdoing in having children. For example, a general search on Leviticus 12 on Google came up with the question, “Is Leviticus 12 saying that giving birth to a child is sin?” This type of question, or one about why female children bring about a longer duration of uncleanliness than a male, are most common.

There certainly must be a valid reason for each thing instructed in this chapter, but the words certainly seem foreign to anything we consider in our normal day to day thoughts.

² “Speak to the children of Israel, saying:

The contents of this chapter were to be relayed to all of the people. This was not a set of instructions merely for the priests to receive and contemplate, but all of Israel was to be informed of the guidelines which are presented here. It was something to be ingrained in the national psyche so that when the issue came about, it would be adhered to.

^2 (con’t) ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child,

ishah ki tazria v’yaledah zakar – “Woman if bring forth seed and bears male.” The word translated as “conceived” is the verb form of the word zera, or seed, commonly used in the Genesis creation account, and which was also used in Genesis 3:15 with the promise of the coming Redeemer. It is that by which life continues on. The woman here has conceived, zara, because she has received seed, or zera, in order for that to come about. In this case, the result is a male child.

^2 (con’t) then she shall be unclean seven days;

A state of defilement is noted because of the birth of the child. The uncleanness belonged to her, however, not to the child. Nothing is mentioned concerning premature birth, and so this indicates that whenever the child is born, the state of uncleanness exists. And so, even though the uncleanness belongs to her, it is the result of the beginning of the life. The life began, and at some point a child would be born, resulting in uncleanness for the mother.

^2 (con’t) as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.

The “days of her customary impurity” is speaking of the monthly period cycle. This is specifically recorded in Leviticus 15 with very detailed instructions. The first verse of that section says –

“If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.” Leviticus 15:19

The word for “customary” is niddah. This is the first of 29 times it will be used, mostly in Leviticus and Numbers. It comes from the word nadad, meaning “to flow” or “depart.” Thus it is that which flows. The word for “impurity” is found only here in the Bible. It is davah. It gives the sense of being sick, as if in menstruation. The state of impurity for childbirth follows the same line of reasoning as for that of the menstrual cycle. There has been an issue of blood which then causes defilement to the woman.

The fact that the impurity of childbirth is to be the same as that for having a period, even before the law of the period has been given, shows that the custom was already known and practiced, even before it became a part of the law. This is evident from an account all the way back in Genesis –

“Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. ³⁵ And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.” Genesis 31:34, 35

³ And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

Surprisingly, this is the only time that mul, or circumcision, is mentioned in all of Leviticus. Upon the ending of the time of the flow of her sickness, the child was then to be circumcised. This however, corresponds to what was originally prescribed for circumcision in the first place. That is recorded in Genesis 17 –

And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; ¹¹ and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. ¹² He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. ¹³ He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” Genesis 17:9-14

The ending of the woman’s customary impurity coincides with the time for the rite of circumcision. The importance of these two events coinciding in this way is because anything or anyone who touched a woman in such a time of impurity was considered unclean until evening. Thus, the child whom she nursed and held, would be considered as such.

Therefore, the circumcision of the child needed to be conducted after this time of defilement, and also in accord with what was prescribed to Abraham in Genesis 17. Everything fits perfectly in God’s law to ensure all will come out as it is intended to for His people. Unlike laws in America today, nothing in the law will cause a person to break one law while being obedient to another.

⁴ She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days.

The noun tahorah, or purification, is introduced here. It will be seen 15 times, mostly in Leviticus, but a few other times throughout the Old Testament. It comes from the verb taher which means to make clean or pure. Thus, it is the state of purification, and in this case, the state of pure blood. The state was to continue for 33 days, making the total time of cleansing 40 days.

What needs to be understood is why these things are decreed. Leviticus 17:11 tells us that the life of the flesh is in the blood. When a woman has her period, it is blood that is no longer used for the purpose of life, thus death is associated with it. As death is the result of sin, it is considered unclean.

When a woman becomes pregnant, periods end and the blood is redirected for the purpose of advancing life. When that life finally comes forth, the blood is no longer needed for the child in the same way and the body begins to go back to the previous state, but she does produce milk for the child. During this transition phase, the blood is in its state of purification.

^4 (con’t) She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.

During these final 33 days, she was not considered as unclean except in regard to the holy things. She could not touch the first-tithes, the flesh of offerings, and so on. Further, she was forbidden from entering the sanctuary during this time. However, other than being kept separate from these holy things, she could live a normal life in any other respect. Her blood was regarded as tahorah, or in a state of purification, and not nidah, or in an impure state.

⁵ ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity,

The period of impurity is doubled for that of a female child. Again, it is not the child who is deemed impure; it is the mother. And, instead of 7 days, it is 14. However, the child will remain with the mother during the time of impurity. She will be breastfed and tended to here constantly.

The only difference that is noted in the entire passage is that the boy is circumcised, and the girl is not. Thus, including circumcision, which would otherwise seem superfluous, must have bearing on the period of purification. It is showing us a theological reason for the doubling.

Although unknown to the Hebrew people why they circumcised, they knew they were to circumcise. We know now that it was a picture of the coming Christ in whom the sin nature would be cut. As sin transfers from father to child, the rite of circumcision, or cutting the male sex organ, symbolized a cutting away of the sin nature. In the coming of Christ, who had no human father, the transfer of sin was cut in reality. His Father being God, no sin was transmitted to the Son.

The picture being made is that in the circumcision of the child, the blood of sickness, that word davah of verse 2, which is found nowhere else in Scripture, is cut from the child. Only the mother had it, and her time of sickness had run its course. But with the female child, there was no circumcision, and so she would continue on the sickness in her own life. Thus a doubling of the time of uncleanness symbolizes this.

The boy was an Israelite, but not yet a Hebrew until he was circumcised. But the girl, though an Israelite, was not considered as such, and so a doubling of the time of impurity is mandated to rectify this.

^5 (con’t) and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

Fourteen days plus sixty-six days totals eighty days. This is the time of purification for a female child, not because there is anything wrong with being a female, or with having a female, but because of the typology which the Lord is presenting to us. The time of separation is doubled because the girl was not circumcised. Thus, in type, her positional uncleanness as a female required its own forty-day period of separation. As John Lange notes –

“The totality of the forty days of purification at the birth of a boy corresponds to the former explanation of the forty days in the life of Moses and Elijah: it is the symbolical time of purification, of exclusion from the world, as it was extended for the whole people to forty years. And the doubling of the forty days in the case of the new-born girl explains itself, if forty days are reckoned for the girl and forty for the mother; a doubling which could not be applied to the circumcised boy.” John Lange 

What is seen here is typology, not actual human uncleanness. The boy is circumcised, and is considered to have crossed over, or become a Hebrew – as the name implies. The girl has not, and must go through her own time of separation, and so the period is doubled in order to be inclusive of mother and child. The reason for that is, as I have already said, the mother and the child are always in contact with one another. Therefore, their state of uncleanness is shared between one another. In the case of a male, it is only in one direction. Thus, the ending of her forty days ends the time of separation for both.

⁶ ‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter,

On the 41^st day for a male, or on the 81^st day for a female, the days of purification were considered fulfilled. It is at this time that…

^6 (con’t) she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

There is an equalizing of male and female here which completely discounts any notion of greater uncleanness being derived from a female as there is for a male. The entire argument is shown as absurd by these words. The same sacrifice is required for either a male or a female. The state of uncleanness is then theological and typological, not natural. The Lord is giving us insights into the coming Messiah and the process of redemption in these verses.

In the offering itself, the burnt offering is noted first, and it is the greater and more expensive offering. The sin-offering is then noted, and it is small in proportion to that of the burnt-offering. These come in the opposite for the normal order of offerings where the sin-offering was always presented first.

The burnt-offering is a demonstration of the consecration of dedicating new life to the Lord. The sin offering is for the ending of the extended period of uncleanness of the mother. This sin-offering is not for sin committed, but for the state of human sin which exists in her. It is a type of ceremonial defilement.

For these, a kebes ben sh’nato or “lamb son of his year” was to be presented for the burnt offering. This is a lamb still within its first year. Along with that, a dove or a turtledove was to be presented for a sin offering. Together, these were to be presented, as it says, at the door of the tent of meeting.

This actually means, as we have seen in multiple sermons, at the altar of burnt offering. However, the sacrifice at the altar is what symbolically allows access through the door of the tent of meeting. From there, the person would symbolically be brought into the Holy Place of the tabernacle.

Each of these offerings, typical of Christ – as previously seen, was made in anticipation of the truths which they picture in His coming. They were to be presented to the officiating priest.

⁷ Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her.

Here the stress is laid on the sin offering. It is that which makes a covering, or atonement, for the mother. It is typical of the atonement of Christ for all sin, both inherited and committed.

^7 (con’t) And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood.

Upon the completion of the sin offering, the woman was atoned for, and she is considered clean from the flow of her blood. The word for flow here, maqor, is new to Scripture. It indicates a spring or a fountain which has been dug out, and thus it is euphemistically applied to the flow of menstruation. It will be used just 18 times, and only in Leviticus is it used in this way. It is elsewhere at times used when speaking of the Lord, as in Him being the fountain of living waters, or the fountain of cleansing, and so on.

The flow of her blood has made the woman unclean, and yet the blood which flowed within the woman to nurture Christ formed the most precious blood of all, even springing up to be the Fountain of living waters which can heal all people from all sin and uncleanness.

^7 (con’t) This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.

It is this law, prescribed in the previous verses, which is to be fulfilled according to its words for a woman who has born a male or a female. There are no exceptions, and this verse, when taken in connection with Scripture found in the New Testament, disproves wholly and completely, the idea of Immaculate Conception. It is a false teaching which is heretical in what it states and implies. This will be explained while evaluating the final verse of the chapter…

*⁸ ‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

The way the Hebrew reads here is, “And if her hand is not able to reach what is sufficient for a lamb.” In other words, the hand is used to describe what the hand acquires. It would be like saying, “Charlie’s face could never make him a model.” The face is being used to describe the woeful appearance which no modeling agency would hire. In this verse, the words are intended to mean that the woman is too poor to be able to afford a lamb.

In such a case, an allowance was made that the family might bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons instead of a lamb and a pigeon or a turtledove. The burnt offering could be lessened from the lamb to the bird. This gracious act would probably have been very infrequently used.

First, in such a case of rejoicing, the family would surely have extended family who could help out with such a thing. Secondly, there was an extended time to prepare for it. From the time it was known a child was due, until the time of the days of purification were over, the family could prepare for such a wonderful offering to the Lord. To come with just two birds would thus show the magnitude of the poverty of the couple who so came forward.

And yet… this is what occurred at the temple in Jerusalem just after the time of the birth of Israel’s true King. The One who possessed all of heaven’s riches condescended to come to earth to dwell among men. But he didn’t do it in a king’s house, at least not the house of an earthly king. Instead, he came to the poorest of poor. In the Gospel of Luke, we read these words –

Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24

In this case, the Child who was called “holy to the Lord,” was and is the Lord, and yet His parents were in such abject poverty that they could afford but a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. With the presentation of these humble offerings of sacrifice, the priest would have thus declared Mary, the mother of the Lord, cleansed.

And so that brings us back to the concept of Immaculate Conception. If Mary was born sinless, if she remained sinless throughout her life, and if she was the receptacle for the sinless Son of God, then there would be no sin of any kind to be atoned for – imputed or committed. And thus the offering would not have to be made. But Mary did have to offer for herself, and thus the Bible bears witness that there is but One who is sinless, Christ the Lord.

It is heretical to say that she bore no sin, for several important reasons. First, if God could make a person sinless apart from Christ, then there would be no need for Christ. Secondly, if Mary was sinless, then she could be an acceptable redemptrix or mediatrix for man, but the Bible says otherwise of both. All typology, and all written Scripture demonstrates that Christ alone is sinless, and that we are to fix our eyes and thoughts on Christ alone. And we are to submit our prayers to God through Him alone.

Soon I will be cleansed from all defilement
The time of purification is now complete
And so at the sanctuary I have an appointment
Yes, towards the sanctuary, I will move my feet

I will make an offering to my God
A burnt offering and a sin offering too
And so, with my sandals I am shod
To the sanctuary I go, and this I shall do

There for my impurity and my sin comes my atonement
The priest will perform the rite, and I will be clean
I will certainly not miss this appointment
And so the trek to the sanctuary I now convene

And with me will go this beautiful Child
The One whom God gave me, when upon me He smiled

What a marvel and a mystery, how will it all turn out?
Praise the Lord who has brought this thing about

II. Pictures of Christ and His Work

Having looked at these verses, and seen the requirements of the law, we still need to ask ourselves, “If the defilement of the woman was typological, then what type is being presented to us?” We have seen shades of Christ, but just dabs here and there. What is the overall picture showing us?

Well, first of all we see the concept of inherited sin. Man is born of woman, and that very act, according to the law, brings about a state of uncleanness. Thus, it is something that is inherited in all people because all are born of woman, and all can potentially be the parent of a woman. As this state of uncleanness is a part of the biological processes of women, then it shows that the uncleanness is an inherited one.

As this is so, then there must have been an original sin from which it came. Sin cannot evolve into a being. Rather it occurred as an infraction against God, and it is then transmitted to those who follow after. As I said in verse 2, the uncleanness belongs to the mother. It is the result of the beginning of the life. The life began, and at some point a child would be born, resulting in uncleanness for the mother. The uncleanness is not acquired from the child, but from the childbearing process; it is already within her.

Further, the fact that this defiled state, which resulted from the issue of blood, was understood before the time of the giving of the law – as was seen in the account of Rachel and Laban – it shows that the law did not introduce the uncleanness. Instead, it simply defined it, and what was to be done with it.

The time periods, however, are introduced now. Seven days and thirty-three days, and fourteen days and sixty six days. The only remarkable distinction between the two which could justify the difference is the rite of circumcision. As we know, circumcision points directly and specifically to Christ.

And so the forty days and the eighty days must then point to what He has done as well. To understand the significance of what is being seen, we first must remind ourselves of what the number forty signifies in Scripture. EW Bullinger defines it for us. It…

“…has long been universally recognized as an important number, both on account of the frequency of its occurrence, and the uniformity of its association with a period of probation, trial, and chastisement—(not judgment …). It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where forty relates to a period of evident probation.”

A time of probation, trial, and chastisement, but not punishment, is seen in picture by bearing of the male child. However, John Lange was right as to why it was doubled for the female when he said –

“And the doubling of the forty days in the case of the new-born girl explains itself, if forty days are reckoned for the girl and forty for the mother; a doubling which could not be applied to the circumcised boy.” John Lange 

The mother with the circumcised child, picturing Christ, was cleansed by a period of forty days. However, the female required an additional forty days because there was no circumcision involved to purify the female. And so their time of uncleanness was served not concurrently, but sequentially, and in full for each. Here then we have a picture of the law and of grace. This was first seen in the account of Moses receiving the law.

He was on Mt. Sinai for forty days and forty nights, the same length of time as for the cleansing from giving birth to a male child. But Israel was down in the valley whipping up a golden calf, even after having agreed to accept the covenant. They broke the covenant and the covenant was broken, symbolized by Moses’ dashing the tablets to the ground. What we don’t see until Deuteronomy, is that Moses’ second ascent up the mountain was also for forty days and forty nights –

“And I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.” Deuteronomy 9:18

He petitioned the Lord for mercy, and they received it. When he came down with the second set of tablets, they were placed inside of the Ark, which clearly pictures Christ. He is the embodiment of the law, pictured by them being placed inside the Ark and under the Mercy Seat. The two periods of forty days, in themselves, look forward then to the work of Christ which still lay ahead.

And so here we have a picture of Israel being born of woman, and being circumcised on the eighth day which in type ends the nidah, or impure state. From there she is in the state of tahorah or purification for thirty-three more days, or to the end of the full forty. However, this is only a picture. No Israelite could meet the demands of the law. And so they still needed grace.

This was until the coming of Christ, the true Israel and the fulfillment of the picture of circumcision. Sin was cut in Him. Literally, forty days after His birth from the womb of Mary, Christ – the second Adam – was presented to the temple in Human flesh.

After that, and during His life, He endured forty days of trial, carefully recorded in all three synoptic gospels. He defeated the devil then, and He continued to defeat him throughout his life, finally going to the cross, still sinless, and thus an acceptable offering to God for the sins of the people. This is the time of the law. Forty days of trial for the law.

From there, He rose again, offering grace to His people. But remember, the forty days of purification under the law was only typical of Christ, not Israel under the law. They were not cleansed by the law, because they had inherited sin. Only those under the law who looked forward to Christ in faith were truly saved, and that by faith, not by the law.

Like the mother who was awaiting the end of her forty days, they were progressing towards a state of cleanness, but only in picture. Those forty days are a period of probation leading to revival and renewal in Christ. This is the law, leading to grace.

The mother who bore a female, however, had to go through eighty days. This is symbolized by Christ’s first forty days, and then his second forty days. These second forty days are recorded in Acts 1 –

“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ² until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, ³ to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:2, 3

There was the law; there was the fulfillment of the law in Christ, and then there was the pouring out of grace. After His resurrection, or what could be considered His birth from the grave – as is seen in Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5 – He was again presented in Human flesh, but this time it was at the Ascension and to the heavenly temple. There, we are presented in Him, cleansed and purified. This is the time of grace. Forty days for grace.

Throughout the years, it has been argued that the longer period of cleansing for a female represented a lower status of women within the society, but this is incorrect. Samuel Balentine explains –

The logic of this interpretation is faulty for at least two reasons. First Lev 27 assigns a higher value to males because of their ability to carry out the heavy labour associated with the sanctuary, not because of their inherent worth. Second, the rationale behind the priestly purity system would suggest that the potential for defilement is related to an object or a person’s power, not weakness. Thus, if a female’s impurities require more attention, it might well be argued that she must be accorded more regard, not less, than a male. (Samuel Balentine, Leviticus. (Interpretation). John Knox Press, 2002).

And so it is. In the Bible, there is far more regard for those under grace than those under law. In fact, the law sets up a barrier between God and His people, except for that of the intervention of Christ Himself who is the fulfillment of these types and pictures. As He is perfect and without sin, the first forty days was for Him, proving that He is the true and circumcised male Child. For all in the body looking forward to Him, they are cleansed by His word.

The time after His resurrection from the grave was for those of us who come after as the fully cleansed female. This is why the terms “congregation” or edah in Hebrew, and church, or ecclesia in Greek, are both feminine words. Both are purified, completely and wholly, through the grace of Jesus Christ, and we will be presented as a called-out group and as a chaste virgin to one Husband, free from all defilement because of the work of Christ.

And so in this passage today, we see that everything points to Him. The circumcised Male child; the purification of the female through His grace, the time frames given to show us pictures of this, the burnt offering of the lamb – the perfect and acceptable fragrant offering to God – or the dove or turtledove! The sin offering – the dove and the turtle dove. The cleansing, the atonement, it is all about Jesus Christ. Every beautiful word of this almost completely ignored or misinterpreted passage of Scripture points to Christ.

And a point we should consider before we close concerns what Christ went through for us in His earthly life. As I said earlier, the law states that anyone who touched a woman in the time of her customary impurity would be considered unclean until evening. This means that Jesus was in this state for the first seven days of His life. Think it through, the Lord of all creation, was considered ceremonially unclean according to His own law which He gave to Israel, for the first seven days of His life. On the last day of His life, He then took all of the uncleanness of man upon Himself, thus becoming an unclean thing for us before His Father. If this doesn’t show to you the extent to which God was willing to go to reconcile us to Himself, I’m not sure what else would.

The amazing thing is that right in the middle of a book which causes eyes to glaze over and heads to nod, there is treasure – rich and abundant – if we will just look for it. Never stop asking yourself, “Lord, what are these verses here for?” With time and study, it will be revealed to you. But, there is a truth that you need to consider. You cannot tie in the rest of Scripture with passages like this if you DO NOT KNOW the rest of Scripture. Open it! Read it! Listen to it as you drive! Meditate on it! Contemplate it! Memorize it! Return to the well day and night. The more you are in it, the more it all comes together to make complete sense.

In the end, it is all about Jesus. Each section is intended to show us this. And with Jesus, there is a plan that is being worked out. It is a marvelous plan where life and purity is drawn out from death and impurity. If that life isn’t drawn out, then we will remain forever unclean and impure. And so the fact is that we need Jesus. You need Jesus. Let me tell you about how you too can have JESUS.

Closing Verse:“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation
³¹ Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
³² A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32

Next Week: Leviticus 13:1-17 Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Won’t this be fun… (The Law of Leprosy, Part I) (19^th Leviticus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if you have a lifetime of sin heaped up behind you, He can wash it away and purify you completely and wholly. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Purification After Childbirth

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying
These are the words He was then relaying 

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying:
‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child
Then she shall be unclean seven days
So shall her state be, as one defiled

As in the days of her customary impurity
She shall be unclean, so shall she be

And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin
Shall be circumcised, so shall it be done to him 

She shall then continue in the blood
Of her purification thirty-three days
She shall not touch any hallowed thing
Nor come into the sanctuary during this phase

Until the days of her purification are fulfilled
Thus shall it be as I have willed

‘But if she bears a female child
Then she shall for two weeks be unclean
As in her customary impurity
That totals days fourteen

And she shall continue in the blood of her purification
Sixty-six days according to this notification

‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled
Whether for a son or a daughter, remember this thing
She shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year
As a burnt offering

And a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering
To the door of the tabernacle of meeting

Then he shall offer it before the Lord
And make atonement for her, according to this detail
And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood
This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female

‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb
Then she may two turtledoves or two young pigeons bring
One as a burnt offering
And the other as a sin offering

So the priest shall make atonement for her
And she will be clean; no longer impure

Lord, who can bring out purity from that which is impure
How can we be cleansed, when we are already found with sin?
It seemed like we were goners, a disease the law couldn’t cure
Yes, surely it looked like we were done in

But from the woman came a Child, born without sin
And from Him came cleansing for us all
No longer are we fearful of being done in
When upon the name of JESUS, we do call

Hallelujah that purity can come to we who are impure
By calling on Jesus and being washed from all our sin
Now eternity is ours, His shed blood this does ensure
No longer are we fearful that we are done in

Thank You, O God, for our precious Lord Jesus
Thank You, O God, for all You have done for us

Hallelujah and Amen…

Leviticus 11:24-47
Dietary Laws, Part II

What is it that makes things unclean? Are tomatoes unclean? Let me tell you a story about tomatoes. When I worked at the Siesta Key wastewater plant, they used to have surface aerators on top of the contact and reaeration tanks. Surface aerators have a motor with a shaft. At the bottom is a propeller, just like on a boat.

The propeller runs so that it pulls all the water up from the bottom and blasts it into the air. In order to keep the water in the tank, there is a large disk that the motor sits on. As the water pushes up, it hits the disk and fans out over the surface of the tank, thus aerating, or providing oxygen to, the wastewater.

Without a wind, there is still plenty of over spray. And with even a slight breeze, the spray gets pretty much everywhere. The whole plant has a nice brown tint to it. But there is more fun than that. Tomato seeds come into the plant by the jillions, as do all kinds of other fun stuff. But tomato seeds are small enough to pass through the screens and go right into the tanks.

From there, they blow right out of the tank and find a home somewhere on the plant grounds. And of course tomato seeds grow up into tomato plants. And with all the fertilizer blowing around, there are some pretty healthy tomato plants to be found. All kinds too – big ones, little ones, round ones. It’s like a tomato farm.

And the plants are always covered in a nice brown tint. How many of you, if at the plant, would say, “I’m going out to get some tomatoes for lunch?” Just curious because that was a usual lunchtime experience at SKUA. Were they unclean? No. But if you knew where they were from, many people would say, “Yes.”

Some things are medically unclean. Some things are culturally unclean. Some things are unclean because of a defiled conscience. And… some things can be unclean because the Lord says they are unclean…

Text Verse:“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. ⁶ When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ ¹⁰ Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. Acts 11:5-10

What the Lord once said was unclean was suddenly called cleansed. How could that be? Is the Lord fickle? Did He change His mind? Or was it that the foods which were deemed unclean were actually never truly unclean, except to teach the people of Israel a lesson?

Folks at SKUA ate tomatoes that you might be a little leery over eating, but if nobody told you where they came from, or what type of fertilizer they were covered in from day to day, you would be oh so happy to have some of them nummy t’maters. And if nobody ever told you their history, you’d say, “Them’s was the nummiest t’maters I ever did eat.”

There are people all over the world that eat things we would think are crazy. And many of us will eat something today that a Law-observant Jew (or a severely confused Christian) might think was crazy. And yet, what God has cleansed through the work of Jesus Christ is wholly acceptable and is not to be shunned unless you just don’t have a taste for it.

The law served a purpose, and that purpose is finished, it is set aside, obsolete, and annulled. This is because it was nailed to the cross of Christ. It’s all to be found ——- Oh, by the way, I hate tomatoes. So stop looking at me like that.

Great stuff is to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Carcasses and Creeping Things (verses 24-38)

²⁴ ‘By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening;

This verse is referring to what lies ahead in verses 26 & 27, not that which was previously stated. However, it is a categorical expansion of what was said in verse 8. There is a precise logic to the progression of thought in how the chapter is laid out. Anyone who touches one of the carcasses that will be described “shall be unclean until evening.”

This term is now used in this way for the first time in Scripture. There was a state of defilement which existed, and it would continue until the evening. As Hebrew days go from evening until evening, it is indicating that the state of defilement lasted until the starting of the new day. Only when the old had passed away, could the new come in.

This then looks forward to the work of Christ in two ways. He died in the afternoon, but was buried as the evening approached. With His death and burial, all defilement of man was truly washed away. This is seen in Matthew 27 –

“Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. ⁵⁹ When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. ⁶¹ And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.” Matthew 27:57-61

²⁵ whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening:

Carrying a carcass implies that the garments have become defiled, as it would be highly improbable that it did not touch the garments. The defilement of sin, represented by death had to be washed off. This then is actually the second way it looks forward to the work of Christ. Although speaking of the tribulation period, we see the concept of having washed one’s garments in Revelation 7 –

“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14

This occurs at the end of the age, represented by the evening time, when all things are made new. Whatever age one comes to Christ, it is for that person, the end of one age and an entering into another. This is seen in Hebrews 9 when speaking of the work of Christ –

“He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26

It is through Christ that all defilement is washed away. Though the dispensation of grace has lasted for 2000 years, it is still the end of the ages for each who comes to Him by faith. When this dispensation ends, there will be final 7 years of tribulation, and then the millennium will be ushered in.

As far as defilement for touching an unclean carcass, an offering was required for this, as is noted in Leviticus 5:2. However, what seems to be implied is that this offering was only required if this necessary purification was not accomplished through negligence or forgetfulness. If is was performed on the day in which the defilement occurred, then there would be no need for an offering.

²⁶ The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean.

The words “the carcass” are inserted here, but rightly so. It is speaking not of any animal in the categories, but the carcass of such an animal. If this were not the case, then touching a horse, mule, or donkey would make someone unclean. However, it is obvious from Scripture that this is not the case. Even in the law itself, the touching of such animals is perfectly acceptable.

In verses 26 and 27, we will see animals which are specified by their characteristics. In verses 29 and 30, we will see them identified by specific names. The animal carcasses which do divide the foot, but which are not cloven hoofed, or which do not chew the cud are unclean.

As we saw, not having a cloven hoof is a person who doesn’t rightly divide the word. A person who does not chew the cud is typical of a person who may or may not know the word, but they do not apply it to their lives. The Lord is using real animals to make spiritual images of the various states of man.

The eating of the carcass of such animals was not allowed. But even further, simply touching them made a person unclean.

²⁷ And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening.

The word translated as “paws” here is kaph. Literally, it is a hand, or the sole of the foot, just like yours or mine. This then is referring to animals whose feet resemble the hands and feet of a human, such as monkeys, apes, dogs, cats, frogs, bears, and the like.

²⁸ Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.

This is a general repeat of verse 25, given for specificity concerning, this particular group of animals.

²⁹ ‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind;

The kholed, or mole, is introduced here, and he will never be seen again. Say hello and goodbye to him. The word comes from kheled, meaning “world.” The idea here is that which is temporary and flies swiftly away, just as a mole glides swiftly. The work kheled is used in the 17^th Psalm and it tells us who the mole pictures –

“With Your hand from men, O Lord,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.” Psalm 17:14

In picture, the person seen in this mole is noted in Philippians 3 –

“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.”  Philippians 3:18, 19

The akbar, or mouse, will be seen 6 times. It is derived from the same word as spider, which is akkavish. This gives the sense of entangling, just as a mouse would weave together its nest. This is the type of person who is spoken of by both Paul in Galatians –

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. ² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.” Galatians 5:1

The mouse is the person who weaves the law into the grace of Christ, and thus rejects Him. And next is the tsav, or “large lizard.” It comes from a root meaning “to establish.” This leads to the idea of clinging fast, just as a lizard clings to whatever it is on. Paul tells us in Romans 12 to abhor what is evil and to cling to what is good. The lizard is emblematic of those who would do just the opposite. They cling to evil and they are unclean.

³⁰ the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.

The gecko, or anaqah, is known for its crying out, or groaning. This animal is reflective of those who groan out against the truth as described by James in his epistle. The koakh, or monitor lizard, is also a very common word in the Bible which gives the sense of force or strength – in either a good or bad sense. This is reflective of the person who boasts in their own strength and not in that of Christ. He then is the opposite of what Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

After that is the letaah, or lizard. You can greet this one as it comes in the door and goes back out. It is only seen this once in Scripture. It comes from a root which means “to hide.” The scholar Bochart says that it creeps close to the ground and is poisonous. It is emblematic of a person Paul and James speak of who have a tongue which is deceitful and full of deadly poison.

Next is the khomet, or sand reptile. You can also say hello and goodbye to this fellow as well. He is seen only here in Scripture. Khomet comes from an unused root meaning to lie low, and thus creep. Such a person represented here is seen in 2 Timothy 3:6 –

“For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts…”

And finally is the tinshemeth, or chameleon. This is the same word used in verse 18 to describe the white owl. It is from a root which means to pant, as in a hard breather, and hence to blow away or destroy. As we saw, it speaks of those who would come in to destroy the faith of others.

³¹ These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening.

Again, one is unclean until evening by touching any such carcass. As long as we can remember that each of these is showing us a spiritual picture of uncleanness in specific people, we can more readily understand why this is included. Believers are to separate themselves from such types, except in the matter of continued evangelism.

³² Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean.

This verse specifically singles out items in which melakah, or work, is done. Nothing is said about such things that are not used for work. All of these items were non-absorbent, and therefore they simply needed to be washed and then they were unclean until evening. On the other hand…

³³ Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean:

An earthen vessel is absorbent, and therefore it was to be broken. In type, the clay jar is a picture of humanity. In Leviticus 6, a clay instrument which was used for the holy things was to be broken in order to not transfer holiness. Here it is for the exact opposite reason. When it is touched by something defiled, it was also to be broken. The person who has absorbed defilement must be destroyed. This will either happen at the cross of Calvary, or it will happen at the final judgment.

The holy is not to be mixed with the profane, and we, as earthen jars, are to be filled with that which is holy. After that, we are to keep ourselves from being mixed with that which is profane.

³⁴ in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean.

“In such a vessel” is speaking of any vessel in verses 33 & 34. If they have food in them, and that food is moistened with water, or if there is any type of drink in such a vessel, and it has become unclean by one of these carcasses, then the food or drink becomes unclean; it is not to be eaten. In other words, the unclean vessel defiles the water, and the unclean water defiles the food.

³⁵ And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.

Here are mentioned the tannur and the kir. The tannur are small fire pots or even portable earthenware furnaces. The tannur represents divine judgment. The kir, or stove, is seen only here in the Bible. It is a cooking range consisting of two parallel stones, across which the boiler is set, and it comes from kur which is a furnace. It is a picture of divine testing and purification, as in Isaiah 48:10. The picture is clear, there is to be complete purification from, and judgment of, uncleanness from such defilement.

³⁶ Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean.

The mayan, or spring hasn’t been seen since Genesis 8 at the time when the great springs of the deep gushed forth. It is a spring which issues water from it. The bowr, or cistern, is similar. It is a well or a pit. These are then described by the word mikveh mayim, or gathering together of water. The idea is that they have water flowing in them underground.

Because of the large volume of water which they contained, and especially for such a pit which would continuously renourish itself, the water would not be considered defiled. However, someone would need to get the dead thing out, and such a person would become unclean in the process. In other words, the carcass remains a source of defilement. And yet, he could wash with the water from which it was pulled out of in order to cleanse himself.

One can see the word of God all over this. It is that which purifies us. It is a constant flow of purification, and will not become defiled, but the one who applies it to their life can still become defiled through mixing with the profane. Thus we need to watch our lives, and purge out that which is unclean.

³⁷ And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean.

The word zerua is introduced here. It will only be seen now and in Isaiah 61:11. It indicates a seed which is sown.

A seed is a seed until something is done with it. In Masada, Israel, a collection of date palm seeds were preserved in an ancient jar dating back 2000 years. In 2005, they were planted and one of them sprouted and has grown since then, even going on to reproduce. It is affectionately known as the Methuselah palm. Until its seed had something done to it, it simply remained a seed.

This is the idea that was understood even 3500 years ago. Seed that was to be planted did not pick up defilement. It remained impermeable to such impurity. If a lizard or some other unclean animal died in a pile of seed, it would not become impure.

³⁸ But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you.

There are quite a few opinions on what this means, but it should be obvious. If seed becomes wet, and if a carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean. If seed has been sown, then a carcass wouldn’t fall on it. Water is the main key to begin germination. Once water is applied to a seed, it begins the process. Therefore, if un-sown seed has had its shell weakened in this way, then the seed becomes defiled. It is not to be used for cooking or for sowing; it is defiled.

The picture is obvious, like seed which will produce after its kind, if a doctrine is defiled, it will produce only defiled doctrine. It cannot be made pure. All false doctrines are unclean and they are to be thrown out.

Unclean until evening, what will I do?
Nobody saw me touch that thing, and yet this is right
To myself and to my God, I must be true
And it’s only 10 more hours until comes the night

It’s kind of hard for me to understand this
If I had touched it at 5pm, I would only be unclean an hour
What am I not getting, or from the law what did I miss?
That being unclean would carry such a varying power

What is it about the ending of the day?
What is it about the turning of that one hour?
That will my debt of uncleanness pay
What is it about that certain time, that carries cleansing power?

I know that in Messiah, all of this will be made known
And the revealing of every mystery will be shown

II. You Shall be Holy For I am Holy (verses 39-47)

³⁹ ‘And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening.

This is speaking of any animal which was considered acceptable as food. If it died, meaning naturally or by being killed by another animal or the like, but not in the proper manner where its blood was drained first, it was unclean and touching it would make the person unclean until evening.

What must be considered after hearing the term “unclean until evening” now for the seventh time is what that must mean. As I said earlier, this is picturing the work of Christ, as it must be. Nothing is said anywhere about the time of the defilement. It might have happened at 6 in the morning or 5:48 on a day when evening started at 6pm. The period of defilement ended at evening – the beginning of a new day.

No distinction is made between 12 hours and 12 minutes. The defilement ends with the new day. Thus, the defilement does not cling for a set time period. It also means that the defilement is one of conscience. More often than not, only God and the person would be aware of what occurred. If a person had a consciousness of their defilement, they were to let it go at evening time.

This is why it is so important to remember that all debts and all defilement, are forever removed in Christ, and the purification of the conscience in Him should therefore be permanent. This is why the good news of the book of Hebrews is such really good news. There we are told that “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

⁴⁰ He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Eating the meat of a carcass was forbidden because the animal had not been properly bled. However, if someone did this unintentionally, or if they did it out of necessity, it could not be considered an intentional sin. It became a sin of ceremonial defilement. For such an infraction, the person had to both wash his clothes and remain unclean until evening.

The same is true with someone who carried such a carcass. In the previous verse, we saw that a person who simply touched such a carcass was unclean, but they did not need to wash their garments. And in carrying the carcass of a clean animal, they became just as unclean as someone who carried the carcass of an unclean animal. In this, we see that it is the death which defiles, not the type of animal itself.

⁴¹ ‘And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten.

This is now given as an all-encompassing statement. Besides those eight creatures mentioned in verses 29 & 30 which are forbidden to touch their dead carcasses, and besides those acceptable insects of verses 21 & 22, all other creeping things that creep on the earth were forbidden to be eaten. They were to be considered detestable, putrid things.

⁴² Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.

The general statement of the previous verse is now broken down into three specifics: 1) Whatever crawls on its belly, meaning serpents and the like; 2) whatever goes on all fours, would be things like scorpions, beetles, and the like; and 3) Whatever has many feet, which describes caterpillars, centipedes, millipedes, and the like. All such things were to be considered as detestable, putrid things to Israel.

Of a point of interest, the word gakhon, or belly is used for the last of only two times in the Bible. It was first used in Genesis 3:14 when the serpent was cursed by the Lord –

So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life. Genesis 3:14

In the Hebrew manuscripts, the third letter of this word is a vav, and it is written much larger than other letters – a very rare occurrence in the Bible. The text then adds in a margin note which states that this is the center of the five books of Moses.

But don’t get too excited about that, depending on which text is used, this is not the always the case. Other countings place it in Leviticus 8:28 or elsewhere. What is exciting about this large vav, is that in the first use of gakhon in Genesis 3:14, there was no vav. But in this final use, there is one, and it is much larger than normal.

As a letter, the vav is used as a hook or a transition in the Hebrew language. But, the vav isn’t just a letter. It also a word, meaning hook. As a word, it is used 13 times in the Bible, all in Exodus in the building of the tabernacle. As a letter, it is the sixth letter of the aleph-bet, six being the number of man. In picture, the hooks of Exodus were clearly seen to be that of the divine Man, Christ Jesus.

It is He who is the hook or transition between the two realms – the finite and the infinite. Just as the vav is the connector of words and members within a sentence, Christ is the connector between the divine and the earthly. It is a reference to His incarnation. He is the God/Man.

Without stretching this too far, the vav of this word gakhon, appears to be enlarged to once again point us to Christ. Gakhon signifies the belly, as the source of the fetus. It then comes from the word giakh, meaning to burst forth. And sure enough, He is the one who burst forth from the belly of woman, being a Man, but who did not inherit the sin caused by the serpent, and who has destroyed that same serpent who moves along on his belly.

If this truly is the center of the Torah, then it is even more remarkable. It would then be one more confirmation that Christ Jesus is the very heart and embodiment of the Torah of God, He being the incarnate Word; the link between the earthly and the heavenly.

⁴³ You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them.

By eating the detestable things, they would in turn render themselves unclean. They were to be a holy people, and they were not to participate in any activity, including eating, which could then defile them. Here the word “yourselves” is literally “your souls.” The very being of who they were would be defiled by such actions. But once again, it is an action of the conscience. Nothing external can go in and defile a man. The life of Israel was to be one of proper conscience towards the Lord.

⁴⁴ For I am the Lord your God.

ki ani Yehovah elohekem. The last time the Lord declared his name was in Exodus 31:13 when He said, ki ani Yehovah meqadishkem, “For I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” Now He proclaims His name again, instructing them to sanctify themselves because He has sanctified them. This is seen in His next words…

^{44 (con’t)} You shall therefore consecrate yourselves,

v’hitqadishtem. Using the same word which He used in Exodus 31:13 – “I am the Lord who sanctifies you,” He tells them to sanctify themselves. There is amazing symmetry in the Bible everywhere you turn. The Lord has sanctified his people in order that they may sanctify themselves, as is seen next…

^{44 (con’t)} and you shall be holy; for I am holy.

These words are repeated by Peter in his first epistle, and they form what is truly the main theme of the entire book of Leviticus. But, instead of focusing on externals as in the Law of Moses, Peter’s words implore the reader to focus on the internals. The Lord is holy, and therefore His people are to emulate Him and be holy. As always, it is the conscience which dictates this. A person could pick up a bug and nobody would ever know it except the person and the Lord.

Israel missed this important precept though. The rote observance of externals may lead to a holier than thou attitude, but it cannot lead to a holier person, unless it is accompanied by an internal desire to impel the actions forward because of a desire to emulate the Lord.

^{44 (con’t)} Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

What is implied here, and which can be drawn out from the surrounding context, but which took Jesus to explicitly explain to Israel, is that the defilement which occurred here was a defilement of an agreement between the people and the Lord, and in their conscience. This has been explained in several ways, and it is exactingly stated in Matthew 15 –

“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” Matthew 15:16-20

⁴⁵ For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God.

This is the first time this expression is used in the book of Leviticus and it will be used eight more times in this book alone. He is tying the dietary laws into sanctification and holiness, and he is tying those things into His redemptive act of bringing them out of Egypt.

Egypt was a land defiled by animal worship – from the scarab beetle to the cobra, from the cat to the jackal, and from the ibis to the falcon – even to countless more. And so the Lord had set parameters around animal life in order to demonstrate His holiness. He had brought them out from that, and His intent with these rules was to show that He is above them all, and that He determined what would defile them and what would keep them holy.

In essence, this statement is intended to show them the obligations that He set forth for them, and it was to expose their ingratitude of His goodness when they rebelled and went against His word. He then succinctly sums up His overall requirements once again…

^{45 (con’t)} You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Their need for holiness is tied directly to His inherit holiness. Not possessing it on their part meant that they had no part in Him. This is a precept which seems entirely missed by them, even to this day. When they pray their feast blessings, Sabbath blessings, etc., they repeat the words “who has sanctified us with His commandments.” But one of His commandments is that they too are to be sanctified; they are to be holy. A partial, or selective observance of the Law is to make the law void and to nullify the sanctification needed on their part.

⁴⁶ ‘This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,

This is an overall summary of the law which has been given. However, it is interesting that in the chapter, they are listed as 1) the land animals, 2) the water animals, 3) the birds of the air, and 4) the swarming animals. But the order of this summary is different. It is 1) the land animals, 2) the birds of the air, 3) the water animals, and 4) the swarming animals. This is the same thing that happened with the summary of the sacrificial law in chapters 1-7. The second two in the category are reversed.

*⁴⁷ to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’”

The parameters for Israel are set, and they were given for a specific purpose and for a set time frame. The people were to use the guidelines in order for them to actively distinguish what could be eaten and what could not be eaten, and between what was clean and what was to be considered unclean.

Now, in Christ, those things which were once deemed unclean are no longer so reckoned. There is a marvelous freedom in Christ which these types and shadows only looked forward to. If you are struggling with the many laws found in the law, and if you are attempting to be obedient to some or all of them in order to “make God happy,” knock it off. If you want to make Him happy, put your trust in Christ and put away deeds of the law. Rest in Christ, trust in Christ, and be freed from the bondage of the law through Christ.

Closing Verse: “I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” Romans 14:14

Next Week: Leviticus 12:1-8 We will milk these verses for all they’re worth… (Purification After Childbirth) (18^th Leviticus Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if you have a lifetime of sin heaped up behind you, He can wash it away and purify you completely and wholly. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Dive In – Nothing is Unclean of Itself

‘By these you shall become unclean
Whoever touches the carcass of any of them, you see
Shall be unclean until evening
So shall it be 

Whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them, a gruesome scene
Shall wash his clothes and until evening shall be unclean

The carcass of any animal which divides the foot
But is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud
Is unclean to you
Everyone who touches it shall be unclean, whether sis or bud 

And whatever goes on its paws
Among all kinds of animals that on all fours go
Those are unclean to you
Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening
—— It shall be so

Whoever carries any such carcass
Shall wash his clothes and until evening be unclean
It is unclean to you
It is not to be considered proper hygiene

‘These also shall be unclean to you
Among the creeping things that creep on the earth, yes every one
The mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; the gecko too
The monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon 

These are unclean to you among all that creep
Whoever touches them when they are dead
Shall be unclean until evening
Pay heed to this word, just as I have said 

Anything on which any of them falls
When they are dead shall be unclean
Whether it is any item of wood or clothing, or skin or sack
Whatever item it is, in which any work is done, it must be put in water
——-for proper hygiene

And it shall be unclean until evening; you see
Then it shall be clean, so shall it be

Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break
And whatever is in it shall be unclean, this distinction you shall make 

In such a vessel, any edible food
Upon which water falls becomes unclean
And any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean
Even if it has something nummy like caffeine

And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls
Shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove
It shall be broken down; for they are unclean
And shall be unclean to you, not a part of your treasure trove 

Nevertheless a spring or a cistern
In which there is plenty of water, shall be clean
But whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean
Pay heed to what my instructions mean 

And if a part of any such carcass falls
On any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean
But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it
It becomes unclean to you; yes, unclean is what I mean

‘And if any animal which you may eat dies
He who touches its carcass shall unclean until evening be
He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes
And be unclean until evening; this is My decree

He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes
And be unclean until evening, as to you I disclose

‘And every creeping thing that creeps
On the earth shall be an abomination
It shall not be eaten
This law is given to the whole Israelite nation

Whatever crawls on its belly
Whatever goes on all fours, even from its birth
Or whatever has many feet
Among all creeping things that creep on the earth

These you shall not eat, my holy nation
For they are an abomination 

You shall not make yourselves abominable
With any creeping thing that creeps, you see
Nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them
Lest you be defiled by them, as you certainly will be 

For I am the Lord your God
You shall therefore consecrate yourselves to Me
And you shall be holy
For I am holy

Neither shall you defile yourselves, diminishing your worth
With any creeping thing that creeps on the earth

For I am the Lord
Who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God
You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy
Be circumspect in the path that you trod

‘This is the law of the animals and the birds
And every living creature that moves in the waters too
And of every creature that creeps on the earth
To distinguish between the unclean and the clean, as I so instruct you

And between the animal that may be eaten, nummy and good
And the animal that may not be eaten, be sure you have understood

Lord God, thank you for having done what we could not do
You fulfilled the law, and now it is done for us
It is over, annulled and through
Thank You O God, for the work of our Lord Jesus

And so through Him to You we give all of our praise
And we thank You for our freedoms in Christ, our matchless King
We shall rest in Him and His finished work for all of our days
And to You O God, we shall lift our voices and sing

Hallelujah and Amen…