LEVITICUS 31


     The lesson we are about to begin has to do with leprosy. I will
tell you right from the beginning, there are 2 kinds of leprosy. One
leprosy {the physical} you can see with your eyes, but there is also a
leprosy of the spirit. Even though you can not see the leprosy of the
spirit, it does not make it any less deadly.

     We will begin now in Leviticus 13:1 "And the LORD spake unto
Moses and Aaron, saying," Leviticus 13:2 "When a man shall have in the
skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the
skin of his flesh [like] the plague of leprosy; then he shall be
brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:"

     This has great spiritual thoughts in it. If this illness is just
physical, why do they not take the person with it to a physician? It
is very unusual to take a person to the high priest, before you take
the patient to a doctor for a physical problem. The sons of Aaron, as
well as Aaron, were to judge the matter of whether the person had
leprosy. It seemed that any raw sore, such as a boil, must be examined
to determine whether or not it was leprosy.

     Leviticus 13:3 "And the priest shall look on the plague in the
skin of the flesh: and [when] the hair in the plague is turned white,
and the plague in sight [be] deeper than the skin of his flesh, it
[is] a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and
pronounce him unclean."

Notice, that leprosy, as well as sin, is a disease of the flesh. When
this sin or disease has gone into the person, the priest declares them
unclean. One of the requests we all make to Jesus, is wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow, or {take my spiritual leprosy.

     Leviticus 13:4 "If the bright spot [be] white in the skin of his
flesh, and in sight [be] not deeper than the skin, and the hair
thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up [him that
hath] the plague seven days:"

     We know that 7 means spiritually complete. It is easy to
understand, just as Aaron and his son's had to wait at the door 7
days to be ceremonially clean for work in the sanctuary, these people
wait 7 days to be declared physically clean. This seven days, this
person is neither declared to have leprosy nor to be clean. When Aaron
waited at the door 7 days, he was neither high priest, nor released to
go into the world. In both cases, this is a period of waiting to be
accepted.

     Leviticus 13:5 "And the priest shall look on him the seventh day:
and, behold, [if] the plague in his sight be at a stay, [and] the
plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven
days more:" Leviticus 13:6 "And the priest shall look on him again the
seventh day: and, behold, [if] the plague [be] somewhat dark, [and]
the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him
clean: it [is but] a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be
clean."

     In some very unusual way, this first 7 days of waiting, here,
symbolizes the time of the law. The 14 days; the two periods of 7
days, symbolize the waiting for grace to come. Notice, at the end of
this 14 days, he is washed and made whole. When we are washed in the
blood of the Lamb, we are made every whit whole. Our sin {leprosy} is
gone.

     Leviticus 13:7 "But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin,
after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall
be seen of the priest again:" Leviticus 13:8 "And [if] the priest see
that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall
pronounce him unclean: it [is] a leprosy."

     We see in this a hopeless situation. The priest tried, but there
was no change.

     Leviticus 13:9  "When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he
shall be brought unto the priest;" Leviticus 13:10 "And the priest
shall see [him]: and, behold, [if] the rising [be] white in the skin,
and it have turned the hair white, and [there be] quick raw flesh in
the rising;" Leviticus 13:11 "It [is] an old leprosy in the skin of
his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not
shut him up: for he [is] unclean."

     In diseases, you would call this a chronic disease, which is past
the contagious stage. In the spiritual realm, this would be a habitual
sinner. By this time, the person is so hideous from the disease {sin},
that no one will come near them anyway. There is no need to lock them
up. I am not saying in this that leprosy is caused by sin. I do not
know. I am saying that leprosy in the flesh is symbolic of leprosy of
sin in the inner man, in his spirit.

     Leviticus 13:12 "And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin,
and the leprosy cover all the skin of [him that hath] the plague from
his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;" Leviticus
13:13 "Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, [if] the leprosy
have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce [him] clean [that hath]
the plague: it is all turned white: he [is] clean."

     The only way to explain this, is with a statement from the New
Testament. Luke 5:12  "And it came to pass, when he was in a certain
city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on [his]
face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me
clean." Luke 5:13 "And he put forth [his] hand, and touched him,
saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed
from him."  I believe the statement {full of leprosy} is the
connection between the two. The only help for someone full of sin, or
leprosy, is for Jesus to wash them and make them whole.

     Leviticus 13:14 "But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be
unclean."
     Leprosy is not a very contagious disease, but is contagious when
the sore is open and running.

     Leviticus 13:15 "And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and
pronounce him to be unclean: [for] the raw flesh [is] unclean: it [is]
a leprosy."

     It is a horrible task, but it is the duty of the leader of the
church to point out sin to their members. Just as the leprosy here,
sin must be dealt with.

     Leviticus 13:16 "Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed
unto white, he shall come unto the priest;" Leviticus 13:17 "And the
priest shall see him: and, behold, [if] the plague be turned into
white; then the priest shall pronounce [him] clean [that hath] the
plague: he [is] clean."

     This reminds me so much of what Paul did in the books of
Corinthians. There was a terrible sin in the church, and Paul told
them to remove the person who had sinned so badly. In 2 Corinthians,
after the person repented, Paul told the church to take him back into
the fold.

     Leviticus 13:18  "The flesh also, in which, [even] in the skin
thereof, was a boil, and is healed," Leviticus 13:19 "And in the place
of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and
somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest;"  Leviticus 13:20
"And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it [be] in sight lower than
the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall
pronounce him unclean: it [is] a plague of leprosy broken out of the
boil."

     This is the sinner who has not repented. This desire to sin has
gone deeper than the flesh and is rooted. The leader of the church
must remove this sore. One rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel if
it is not separated from the other apples.

     In this lesson we see how God says to deal with sin in the camp.
















                             Questions 31

1.  What 2 kinds of leprosy does this lesson deal with?
2.  Explain the difference in the 2.
3.  Who did the Lord give these instructions to?
4.  What do the Scriptures describe as being like leprosy?
5.  Who should a person suspected of leprosy be brought to?
6.  If this is just speaking of physical leprosy, why do they not take
    the patient to a ______?
7.  For what reason was the new raw sore examined?
8.  Who pronounced the person clean or unclean?
9.  Leprosy is a disease of the ______.
10. How many days was the person to be shut up, before determining
    whether he is clean or not?
11. What does the number 7 mean?
12. Why did Aaron and his sons have to wait 7 days at the door of the
    sanctuary?
13. Explain the similarity of the time Aaron waited, and the time the
    person suspected of leprosy waited.
14. In what way does the 14 day wait resemble Christianity?
15. What makes the person whole?
16. Leviticus chapter 13 verse 7 describes what?
17. How can you compare chronic disease to sin?
18. What does chronic leprosy, or habitual sin, do to the face?
19. How does Jesus deal with leprosy?
20. The only help for someone full of sin, or leprosy, is what?
21. When is leprosy contagious?
22. What is a task of the leader of the church, that none of them
    enjoy?
23. Who, in the New Testament, dealt with the same sin 2 different
    ways?
24. How did this happen?
25. Leviticus chapter 13 verses 18 and 19 describe whom?