LEVITICUS 37


     We will begin this lesson in Leviticus 14:33  "And the LORD spake
unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying," Leviticus 14:34 "When ye be come
into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I
put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;"

     This particular plague would not immediately apply to the
children of Israel out here in the wilderness, because they did not
live in houses. They lived in tents, while on their way to the
promised land.  This is a principle that God is teaching them, as well
as being literal. We see from this that the promised land was a gift
to them by God. Notice, that God put this plague of leprosy in the
house. We must look deeper and see the spiritual lesson here. This
house could be a dwelling, it could be the temple, or it could be
their country, or it could be the people themselves.

     Leviticus 14:35 "And he that owneth the house shall come and tell
the priest, saying, It seemeth to me [there is] as it were a plague in
the house:"

     The most important thing I see in this is that the owner of the
house is to report the suspicion of leprosy. If this is the temple or
our modern church, the person in authority, such as the pastor or
elder would be responsible to report the first sight of sin. In the
case of the country, the prophet should warn the head of the country.

     Leviticus 14:36 "Then the priest shall command that they empty
the house, before the priest go [into it] to see the plague, that all
that [is] in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest
shall go in to see the house:"

     This examination should not be done with an audience. The best
way to split a church wide open, is to bring the appearance of evil up
before the whole congregation. This type of problem, should be handled
by the board of the church and the pastor.  These Israelites can be
thought of as God's house. We believers, also, are part of God's
house.  I would tend to believe that this is possibly speaking of the
congregation, more than one person. In the following Scriptures you
will see how believers, and prophets make up the wall of the house
with Jesus Christ as the Cornerstone. Ephesians 2:19 "Now therefore ye
are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the
saints, and of the household of God;" Ephesians 2:20 "And are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner [stone];" Ephesians 2:21 "In whom all the
building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the
Lord:" Ephesians 2:22 "In whom ye also are builded together for an
habitation of God through the Spirit."

     Leviticus 14:37 "And he shall look on the plague, and, behold,
[if] the plague [be] in the walls of the house with hollow strakes,
greenish or reddish, which in sight [are] lower than the wall;"
Leviticus 14:38 "Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door
of the house, and shut up the house seven days:"

     This 7 day period of waiting is to see if the suspicion was
ungrounded, or to allow a short time for this problem to right itself.
Plague is like an infection. I believe this is just giving a time to
the one who is examining this, to determine if there is any need for
doing anything.

     Leviticus 14:39 "And the priest shall come again the seventh day,
and shall look: and, behold, [if] the plague be spread in the walls of
the house;" Leviticus 14:40 "Then the priest shall command that they
take away the stones in which the plague [is], and they shall cast
them into an unclean place without the city:"

     I Peter 2:5 "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." I believe the stones spoken of
here are the believers, who make up the temple. You can  easily see
why it would be necessary to remove a stone that might infect all the
stones. This would be removing one member who was causing all to
doubt. A false doctrine being brought to the church, or someone
encouraging immorality in others, would be another reason you would
have to remove them.

     Leviticus 14:41 "And he shall cause the house to be scraped
within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape
off without the city into an unclean place:"

     To me this looks as if there would need to be some cleansing to
the ones who were left. In the case there had been a false doctrine
taught, there would need to be strong teaching to cleanse the thoughts
of those who had heard the false message. Here are a few Scriptures
that explain it better than I can. Psalms 51:7 "Purge me with hyssop,
and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
Psalms 79:9 "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy
name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake."
In the next Scripture, we see that it is sometimes necessary to remove
the person causing the problem. Ezekiel 20:38 "And I will purge out
from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will
bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall
not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I [am] the
LORD."  The filth that is removed from each one must never be allowed
to stay and start the trouble again. These last 2 Scriptures say it
all. II Timothy 2:21 "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he
shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's
use, [and] prepared unto every good work." Hebrews 9:14 "How much more
shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God?"

     Leviticus 14:42 And they shall take other stones, and put [them]
in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and
shall plaster the house.

     These new stones are new believers who take the place of those
who were removed. After they are brought in, the church is replastered
to make them part of the building.

     Leviticus 14:43 "And if the plague come again, and break out in
the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath
scraped the house, and after it is plastered;" Leviticus 14:44 "Then
the priest shall come and look, and, behold, [if] the plague be spread
in the house, it [is] a fretting leprosy in the house: it [is]
unclean." Leviticus 14:45 "And he shall break down the house, the
stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house;
and he shall carry [them] forth out of the city into an unclean
place."

     This has to do with a body of believers who continue with the
false doctrine after the people who started it are removed. This body
of believers should be disbanded, because as long as the church stays
together, they will spread this false doctrine. I fully believe this
is why God allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed. The people
would not stop sacrificing, even though Jesus had fulfilled the
sacrifice forever when He was crucified.

     Leviticus 14:46 "Moreover he that goeth into the house all the
while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even." Leviticus
14:47 "And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he
that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes."

     Anyone who had taken part in these services where these false
doctrines had been brought, must seek God all over again and wash in
the blood of the Lamb, as if he or she had never been saved.

     Leviticus 14:48 "And if the priest shall come in, and look [upon
it], and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the
house was plastered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean,
because the plague is healed."

     We see in this church, that the removing of the troublesome
stones worked. This church is clean, their doctrine is sound. The new
members {stones} are helping.

     Leviticus 14:49 "And he shall take to cleanse the house two
birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:" Leviticus 14:50 "And
he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running
water:" Leviticus 14:51 "And he shall take the cedar wood, and the
hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the
blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the
house seven times:" Leviticus 14:52 "And he shall cleanse the house
with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the
living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with
the scarlet:"  Leviticus 14:53 "But he shall let go the living bird
out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the
house: and it shall be clean."

     To sum this up; we see a church that had problems, purging out
the evil. In the last few verses, they have rededicated the church to
God. They are, again, in good standing with God.

     Leviticus 14:54 "This [is] the law for all manner of plague of
leprosy, and scall,"  Leviticus 14:55 "And for the leprosy of a
garment, and of a house," Leviticus 14:56 "And for a rising, and for a
scab, and for a bright spot:" Leviticus 14:57 "To teach when [it is]
unclean, and when [it is] clean: this [is] the law of leprosy."

     We can see in the last few lessons, that it must first be
determined if it was leprosy. The disease could have been some minor
skin disease. We see that whether the leprosy was of the person, his
garments, or his house, it all symbolized sin. We have, also, been
looking into the ways to rid the leprosy, so that a person could get
back into good standing with God.







































                             Questions 37

1.  When was the law of the leprosy of the house to be in effect?
2.  Why was it not in effect immediately?
3.  What kind of message is God bringing here besides the literal we
    can see?
4.  The promised land was a _____ to them from God.
5.  What are some of the things this house could be?
6.  Who must report the leprosy of the house?
7.  Who would be this person who reports it in our church today?
8.  In verse 36, what is the first thing they are to do, before the
    priest goes in?
9.  This examination should not be done in front of an ________.
10. In a church, who should handle this type of problem?
11. Who make up the wall of God's house?
12. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 19 calls believers what?
13. Who is the chief Cornerstone?
14. We are a habitation of God through ___ ______.
15. How long shall the priest shut up the house?
16. What is this 7 days for?
17. What is this plague like?
18. What does the priest do, if the plague is spreading?
19. What kind of stones are the believers called?
20. We are an ____ priesthood.
21. What are 2 of the things that could be thought of as leprosy in
    the church?
22. Where should they put the scrapings that came off the stones?
23. Why would there need to be strong teaching in a church that had
    had this problem?
24. Chapter 79 of Psalms says to purge what away?
25. What must we do to be a vessel of honor?
26. How does God purge away our sins?
27. What should be put in the place of the removed stones?
28. Who are these new stones?
29. What shall be done, if the plague spreads after the cleansing?
30. Why did God allow the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed?
31. What shall be done after the house is declared clean?