What an unutterable joy to the Lord to have presented to Him, with the poor leper, that lamb of the trespass offering. It told of that Lamb, of God's own providing, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29).) It told of God's only begotten Son. And with it was the log of oil, speaking of the Holy Spirit. The three Persons of the Trinity we find all engaged in welcoming the ransomed sinner to His home above.
“And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy" (vs. 13).
We see that not only was leprosy accounted unclean, but it was also counted an actual trespass against the Lord, calling for the trespass offering. So we need to realize, not only are we defiled by sin, but we have each one individually "sinned against the Lord." It is well when we are brought to cry, "Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned." Psa. 51:44Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. (Psalm 51:4). The poor prodigal had to learn that lesson, as we see when he cried, "I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight." Luke 15:2121And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. (Luke 15:21).
If you will recall the different cases of leprosy mentioned in the Old Testament amongst the people of Israel (Miriam, Num. 12; Gehazi, 2 Kings 5; Uzziah, 2 Chron. 26), you will note that in every case this terrible disease was sent as a punishment for a great sin each committed. In the case of Gehazi the leprosy was to cleave unto his seed forever. There is no suggestion of sin in the case of Naaman (2 Kings 5); but he was not of the people of Israel. If, as it would seem, God used leprosy as a punishment for His people, it may be that the trespass offering atoned for the sin that had caused the disease. But I have no doubt that in the type, the trespass offering tells us of the death of Christ that atones for the acts of sin that we commit.
But the trespass offering, like the sin offering, was the priest's, When the priest eats the trespass offering he makes the trespass of the man who offers it his own.
What unspeakable grace! And this is just what our great High Priest has done for us.
“And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot" (vs. 14).
The blood of the trespass offering that has blotted out all our trespasses, now marks the ear and thumb and toe of the cleansed leper. It is the badge, or insignia, that marks every one who enters those courts of glory. There is not one but must own that his head, with all his intellect and ability, has had need to be cleansed by that precious blood. His hands have many times been used to sin against the Lord, but now the blood on the right thumb is the mark, the sign, that all has been forgiven. How often have our feet carried us astray, to go our own way (Isa. 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)), but now the blood on the right toe tells to all that the Lord has laid on Him all their iniquity.
How wonderful that the One who down here stooped to wash His people's feet, again stoops to mark those feet with His own precious blood.
His holy head was once crowned with thorns, and His visage was so marred more than any man's (Isa. 52:1414As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: (Isaiah 52:14)), His precious blood once stained His head and brow, and now it marks my head as His, and His alone, forever. His hands and feet were pierced for me, and to all eternity He will bear the marks of those cruel nails: and now my hand and foot bear the mark of the blood that bought them.
A girl who called herself a Christian asked an old Christian friend if he thought it would be wrong for her to go to a dance. The old man replied, "It all depends whether there is blood on your toe or not." The girl was puzzled, but the old man then told her about the leper who was cleansed, and had his ear, his hand and his foot marked with blood, as a sign that all had been bought by his Savior. When the girl realized that her toe was marked with her Savior's own precious blood, she knew at once she could not use it for dancing with the world. The day is coming when we will have "music and dancing" (Luke 15:2525Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. (Luke 15:25)), but it is not down here.
As we look around that countless throng in those courts above, we find every one bears the same marking; every one will delight to join in that new song: "Thou hast been slain, and hast redeemed to God, by Thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation." Rev. 5:99And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9) J.N.D. Trans.