Leviticus 13:4-134If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: 5And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: 6And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 7But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again: 8And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy. 9When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; 10And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising; 11It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean. 12And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; 13Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. (Leviticus 13:4‑13)
LEPROSY was not only incurable, but was also very contagious, so that one who touched a leper was almost sure to contract the disease himself. Surely this is like sin, for when it is allowed it spreads rapidly.
If there was any suspicion whatever of a man having leprosy, he was to be brought to the priest who would carefully examine the suspected plague in the man. If the hair were turned white and if the appearance of the plague was deer than the skin, it indicated leprosy. The man was to be pronounced unclean.
How solemnly this speaks of the workings of sin, not just on the surface but deeper — in the heart. The Lord tells us “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jer. l7:9); again, “we are all as an unclean thing” (Isa. 64:66But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)).
If, however, the plague was not deeper than the skin, then the priest would shut him up seven days, after which he would examine him again. If there were no further spreading in the skin, he_ would shut the man up seven days more. Then he would look and if the plague were pale and dim and had not spread, he pronounced the man clean.
We can see from this that the priest was to be neither hasty nor indifferent about leprosy. He must be very sure the man had the disease before he could pronounce him unclean.
If the scab spread, after the man had shown himself to the priest for cleansing, he was to show himself to the priest again. When the priest saw that it was spreading, the truth must be spoken, for evil was at work; the priest was to pronounce him unclean, and it must not be hid.
What a picture this is of the sinner still in his sins. The Lord Jesus, the Priest, must pronounce him unclean. He may not realize how bad he really is, that he is defiled, ruined, and on his way to hell, yet such is his case if the Priest has not already cleansed him by His precious blood.
“And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from head to foot,... then the priest shall consider:... he shall pronounce him clean... it is all turned white: he is clean.”
Now here is a most strange and remarkable thing, impossible to understand, if we did not know something of the grace of God? Perhaps only a short time before when the man presented himself to the priest and there was only a rising or a bright spot or a scab, he was pronounced unclean and had to go outside the camp and live alone. Now, however, when the leprosy has cored him from head to foot, when he presents the saddest of appearances, the priest is instructed to announce him “clean!”
The truth is that the leprosy, instead of striking inwards, has worked itself out, and this tells us of a poor sinner truly confessing his sin. Only the effect of the defilement remains. Instead of thinking there was some good in him, now he has nothing good to say about himself. He takes his true place bore God, acknowledging that he is a guilty sinner, without even one clean spot, and he is in the place where God can bless him. When there is no hiding, but the sin is out and the sins laid bare all over, God delights in saving grace.
In the thief on the cross we have a wonderful example of this, for he said, “we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.” Yet the man who concealed nothing of his sins went that day to be in paradise with His Saviour, the Son of God.
ML-02/06/1972