LEVITICUS 35


     We will begin this lesson in Leviticus 14:1 "And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying,"

     We see here a chain of command in this message being transferred
from God, to Moses, to Aaron, to Aaron's sons, and then to the people.

     Leviticus 14:2 "This shall be the law of the leper in the day of
his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:"

     As we said in a previous lesson, just being accused of leprosy,
did not mean you had leprosy. Someone accused of sin is not always
sinning either. This has to be judged by the priest, just as someone
accused of sin, must be examined by the church. Notice, this was the
law and not just a request. If this has nothing to do with sin, tell
me why he must come to the church? A person, who is sick, does not
have to sacrifice, because they are sick, unless that sickness is
spiritual.

     Leviticus 14:3 "And the priest shall go forth out of the camp;
and the priest shall look, and, behold, [if] the plague of leprosy be
healed in the leper;"

     This inspection is not to be made publicly before the
congregation. We could take a lesson from this. Someone, who is
accused of sin, which should remove them from the body of believers,
should not be questioned before all of the congregation. We will see
from the following two Scriptures how important it was for any
accusation to be backed up by two or three witnesses. I Timothy 5:19
"Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three
witnesses." Hebrews 10:28 "He that despised Moses' law died without
mercy under two or three witnesses:"  These eyewitnesses must bring
the matter before the proper authorities, and they would decide the
outcome. In verse 3 above, they are found to be clean {innocent}. In
the case above, they might have been declared unclean at first, but
now they are clean. This could be someone innocent, or it could be
someone forgiven, which is in essence the same thing.

     Leviticus 14:4 "Then shall the priest command to take for him
that is to be cleansed two birds alive [and] clean, and cedar wood,
and scarlet, and hyssop:"

     It is very interesting that there is no definition of the word
that was translated hyssop in the Strong"s concordance. We can safely
assume that this was a plant with some sort of foliage at the top. It
was probably somewhat more like a vine than a tree. The following 2
Scriptures will bear this out. John 19:29 "Now there was set a vessel
full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put [it]
upon hyssop, and put [it] to his mouth."  Hebrews 9:19 "For when Moses
had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he
took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool,
and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,"  There
are ten more times the hyssop is mentioned and all of them mentioned
that the top would have held enough liquid to use it as a spreader.
Cedarwood has a very aromatic smell, it also is like an antiseptic.
Scarlet is red and symbolizes blood. This piece of scarlet was used to
bind the cedarwood and the hyssop together. This is an offering of
purification. The two birds will have different fates. One will be
killed, and one released.

     Leviticus 14:5 "And the priest shall command that one of the
birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:" Leviticus
14:6 "As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood,
and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living
bird in the blood of the bird [that was] killed over the running
water:" Leviticus 14:7 "And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be
cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean,
and shall let the living bird loose into the open field."

     One bird is killed, and the blood allowed to drain into the
water. Then the living bird, and the mop made with the scarlet thread
wrapping around the hyssop and the cedarwood, shall be dipped in the
blood and water and sprinkled on the person being cleansed. This is
done 7 times to make it spiritually complete. Then the bird which
remains alive is released {set free} like the scapegoat in a previous
lesson. Not water alone, but by water and blood, he is set free. I
John 5:6 "This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus
Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the
Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth."  I John 5:8
"And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the
water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."  The fact that
the water is running water in the verses above, lets us know that this
is the living water. When Jesus was crucified on the cross for you and
me, He shed His blood and they pierced his side that the water might
flow from His body. We are set free by the water and the blood. We had
been dead to sin, before the Lord Jesus restored us to the living.
These two birds symbolize death and life. This leper was as good as
dead, before he was set free.

     Leviticus 14:8 "And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his
clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that
he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall
tarry abroad out of his tent seven days."

     This seven day waiting period is very similar to the 7 days the
priest and his sons waited at the tabernacle door. Sinners cry out to
Jesus, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Our garments must be
washed in the blood of the Lamb {Jesus Christ}. His washing in water
symbolizes water baptism. Hair symbolizes power. This could possibly
be the fact that we have no power to save ourselves. It is only by the
grace of God that we are saved.

     Leviticus 14:9 "But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall
shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even
all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also
he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean."

     This has to be total, surrender to God.

     Leviticus 14:10 "And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs
without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish,
and three tenth deals of fine flour [for] a meat offering, mingled
with oil, and one log of oil."

     Eight, of course, means new beginnings. This man is beginning his
life again. It appears the man had to bring the same offerings he
would have brought for a sin. This makes me believe that leprosy
symbolized sin. This is not just an illness, but is sin of some sort.

     Leviticus 14:11 "And the priest that maketh [him] clean shall
present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the
LORD, [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:"

     We discussed the symbolisms of this offering in a previous
lesson, so we will not get into it here. We will just say that the
leper had been unable to come close to God. Now he will be restored.
You remember, in the other offerings, that this type of offering was
always made at the door of the tabernacle, at the bronze altar. The
priest made the offering for the person, after the person had placed
his hands on the animal's head for the animal to become the substitute
for his sin. Remember, one more time, that the meat offering was made
up of elements that make bread. Jesus is the Bread of life.

     Leviticus 14:12 "And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer
him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them [for] a
wave offering before the LORD:" Leviticus 14:13 "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:"

     Remember that the waving of the offering was offering first to
God. The meat of these animals were properly prepared for the priest.
We remember the blood, fat, and inward parts belonged to the LORD. The
priest would be worthy to do this, because he had offered for himself
earlier. Read the earlier lessons on this book to get the details on
these offerings. One more thing we must never forget; Jesus is the
Lamb.

     Leviticus 14:14 "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:"

     I will just say, again, here, that the blood on the right ear
symbolizes the cleansing of his hearing. The blood on the thumb of his
right hand symbolizes that all of his work must be clean. The blood on
his big toe of his right foot symbolizes that his walk must be clean.

     In the next lesson, we will see why we need the Holy Spirit so
much in our lives.
                             Questions 35

1.  What was the chain of command shown in verse 1 of chapter 14?
2.  In verse 2, we read this is what law?
3.  Who must the leper be brought to for inspection?
4.  Someone, accused of sin today, must be brought before whom?
5.  When must sickness be sacrificed for?
6.  Should the examination be public or private?
7.  An accusation must be by how many witnesses?
8.  Where do we find the Scripture that covers accusing an elder?
9.  What happened to those who despised Moses' law under three
    witnesses?
10. The person to be cleansed had to bring two _____ alive, and _____
    wood, and _______, and _______.
11. What was hyssop?
12. Name 2 other Scriptures where hyssop is mentioned?
13. What are two interesting things about cedarwood?
14. What does the scarlet symbolize?
15. What type of an offering is this?
16. Where will the bird be killed?
17. How many times shall he sprinkle upon him?
18. What shall be done with the live bird?
19. How was the mop made?
20. What does this bird being released remind us of>
21. Quote 1 John chapter 5 verse 6.
22. We are set free by the ______ and the _____.
23. What do these two birds symbolize?
24. What does verse 8 tell us that the one being cleansed must do?
25. How long must he tarry outside his tent?
26. What time is this 7 days similar to in the temple?
27. What does his washing in water symbolize?
28. What does hair symbolize in the Bible?
29. What does all this shaving and washing show?
30. On the eighth day, what is he to offer?
31. Leprosy symbolizes ___.
32. Why did the person making the offering put his hands on the
    animal's head?
33. Who does the meat and bread of these offerings belong to?
34. Where, on the person offering, does the priest put the blood?
35. What do these symbolize?