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The preceding lesson covers different kinds of uncleanness, of which the worst is the leprosy in man. This lesson covers the way for a leper, a leprous garment, and a leprous house to be cleansed before God. This cleansing shows the all-inclusive salvation God has prepared and accomplished for us.
The cleansing of the leper typifies that a person invaded by sin is cleansed entirely through the redemption accomplished through Christ’s death and the salvation carried out by His resurrection. The cleansing of the leper also typifies a person’s thorough dealing with what he does and what he is according to the redemption through Christ’s death and the salvation by His resurrection.
“This shall be the law of the leper on the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest” (Lev. 14:2). This signifies an unclean person being brought to the Lord. Preaching the gospel is actually bringing unclean persons, sinners, to the Lord.
The priest going outside the camp to examine the leper (v. 3) signifies the Lord Jesus leaving His original place and humbling Himself to be near to the sinner. The Lord came from the heavens to the earth in order to be near to us, the sinners. This is portrayed in Matthew 8:1-4. The leper should have been isolated, excluded, from the people of God. Nevertheless, having sympathy in love for the leper, the Lord Jesus came near to him and touched him in order that he might be cleansed.
In Leviticus 14:4-9 we see that the leper who was to be cleansed needed to seek cleansing before God. This signifies that we, who are sick of the sin of leprosy, still need to have our shortcomings and defilement dealt with before God, even though we have been healed by life, so that we might be cleansed. Cleansing from leprosy requires not only action on God’s side but also coordination on our side. This means that we need to seek for cleansing. Our seeking is our cooperation with God’s grace and love. Let us consider the items included in the process of cleansing.
“The priest shall command that two living clean birds and cedar wood and scarlet strands and hyssop be taken for the one who is to be cleansed” (v. 4). These two living clean birds signify that Christ is clean and without any defilement, that He came from the heavens, belongs to the heavens, and transcends the earth, and that He is living and full of life. The two birds signify that Christ died for us so that our filthiness might be taken away and rose for us so that we might be delivered from our weakness by the power and strength of life. Hence, these two birds signify Christ in crucifixion and Christ in resurrection. We need the crucified and resurrected Christ in order to be cleansed.
Cedar wood in verse 4 signifies the honorable and uplifted humanity of the Lord (cf. 1 Kings 4:33), which enables Him to be our Savior. Hyssop in verse 4, which is among the smallest of plants, signifies that the Lord was willing to be lowly, becoming in the likeness of men, so that He might be near to man and become man’s Savior. On the one hand, the Lord has the highest standard of humanity, as typified by cedar wood; on the other hand, He was willing to become lowly so that He might be available to us, as typified by hyssop.
Scarlet strands in Leviticus 14:4 signifies that the Lord lowered Himself to become a man that He might do the will of God and shed His blood on the cross for our redemption, thus becoming the honorable and high King. The color scarlet signifies the shedding of blood, and it also implies kingship. Christ was slain, crucified, for redemption, and He became the King through the accomplishment of redemption.
Verse 5 says, “The priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered in an earthen vessel over running water.” The Hebrew expression for running water literally means “living water,” signifying the eternal, living Spirit of God. The earthen vessel signifies the Lord’s humanity. The slaughter of a bird over running water in an earthen vessel signifies that through death in the flesh the Lord offered Himself to God through the eternal and living Spirit. Hebrews 9:14 is the fulfillment of this type. This verse says that through the eternal Spirit Christ offered Himself without blemish to God. When He was dying on the cross, He offered Himself to God through the living water—the eternal, living Spirit of God—that filled Him. Christ was not alone when He was on the cross; the eternal Spirit was in Him and with Him.
In Leviticus 14:6 four things—the other bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet strands, and the hyssop—were dipped in the blood of the killed bird. The Lord’s redemption, His honorable, uplifted, and yet lowly humanity, and His resurrection, ascension, and glorification are all implied in this type. The cedar wood typifies Christ’s honorable and uplifted humanity, and the hyssop, His lowly humanity. The slain bird signifies His redemption, and the other bird, His resurrection. Letting the living bird go into the open field to fly and soar in the air signifies Christ’s ascension. The Lord’s glorification is signified by the scarlet strands, which imply kingship. Christ is glorified in His kingship. Christ was humbled in His incarnation, shamed in His crucifixion, and glorified in His kingship. Therefore, in this one type we see that the Lord’s perfect redemption not only causes man to be cleansed objectively in his position, but also causes man to experience subjectively, in the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s suffering in the shedding of His blood in His honorable, uplifted, and yet lowly humanity and to experience His death, resurrection, ascension, and glorification.
These items have all been accomplished for us by Christ, and we need to experience and enjoy them in order to be cleansed. We have died in the crucified Christ, the killed bird. We are soaring in ascension in the resurrected Christ, the living bird, and we have been completely freed in Christ to overcome and transcend everything.
“The one who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe in water, and he shall be clean” (v. 8a). This signifies that, on the one hand, a sinner who is to be cleansed needs to experience Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, and on the other hand, he needs to bear the responsibility to deal with and cut off all that is of his old living and natural life.
The hair of the head signifies man’s glory, an area in which one boasts, glorifies himself, and makes a display before others. The beard signifies man’s self-assumed honor, which causes people to have a feeling that they are superior to others. The eyebrows, the beauty of the human face, signify man’s excellencies, merits, and virtues. All the hair of the body signifies man’s strength and ability. Bathing oneself in water, which is to have our entire being buried in water, signifies dealing with one’s entire being. These five items together equal ridding the self of all its glory, honor, excellencies, merits, virtues, strength, and ability, having our entire being washed, buried, and terminated in deep water.
“After that he may come into the camp, but he shall dwell outside his tent seven days” (v. 8b). This signifies that a sinner who is to be cleansed cannot easily recover the fellowship with the brothers; he needs to be watchful, to wait, and to be dealt with further. This shows that dealing with our sin, our leprosy, our rebellion, which comes from Satan, is a serious matter with God. Because sin is so serious, we should not deal with it in a loose, light, or careless way.
Verse 9 shows that after watching and waiting for seven days, the leper who was to be cleansed had to shave his entire body once more, wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh. This signifies that a sinner who is to be cleansed needs to bear responsibility for dealing with every part of his natural life and daily walk, indicating that God wants us to deal with our sin and our sinful self in a serious way. If we deal with ourselves definitely, thoroughly, and absolutely, we shall be cleansed.
In the matter of the cleansing of the leper, Christ is revealed not only as the two birds, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet strands but also as four kinds of offerings: the sin offering, the trespass offering, the burnt offering, and the meal offering (vv. 10-32). The offerings were presented before God on the eighth day (vv. 10-11), signifying that man is freed in Christ in resurrection from the flesh of the old creation.
“The priest shall take one of the male lambs and present it as a trespass offering and the log of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before Jehovah” (v. 12). Here the Hebrew term for log denotes a certain quantity (a pint) of oil, which signifies the Holy Spirit. A wave offering is an offering of resurrection and in resurrection. Therefore, this signifies that the death of the Lord Jesus as the trespass offering deals with our sins, and His resurrection in the Holy Spirit frees us from our trespasses so that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).
“He shall slaughter the male lamb in the place where they slaughter the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary” (Lev. 14:13a). This indicates that Christ’s being the sin offering and the burnt offering is the base for Him to be the trespass offering.
“The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot” (v. 14). This signifies that man has trespasses because his ears are wrong in not listening to God, his hands are wrong in not doing the things of God, and his feet are wrong in not taking the ways of God. Therefore, he needs to be cleansed with the blood of the Lord Jesus as his trespass offering.
“The priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of the priest’s left hand, and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in the palm of his left hand and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah” (vv. 15-16). This signifies that the Spirit of the Lord’s resurrection has laid a perfect foundation before God.
“From the rest of the oil that is in the palm of his hand the priest shall put some on the lobe of the right ear of the one who is to be cleansed and some on the thumb of his right hand and some on the big toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering” (v. 17). This signifies that man can solve the problem of his trespasses only by listening to the word of God, doing the things of God, and taking the ways of God in the Spirit of resurrection, based on the redemption by the blood of the Lord Jesus as our trespass offering.
Here we have two layers: the layer of the blood and the layer of the oil. The blood signifies Christ’s redeeming blood, and the oil signifies the Spirit of resurrection. First, the blood is applied to the lobe of the right ear, to the thumb of the right hand, and to the big toe of the right foot. This is for the washing away of our trespasses and wrongdoings. Following this, the oil is applied to the places where the blood is applied. This indicates that, based upon the redemption of Christ, the Spirit comes to help us to listen to God’s word, to do the things of God, and to take the ways of God. This will keep us from any kind of trespass.
“The rest of the oil that is in the palm of the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of the one who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make expiation for him before Jehovah” (v. 18). Putting oil on the head signifies that the authority of the headship, the thoughts of the mind, and the control of the entire being of the sinner who is to be cleansed are dealt with in the cleansing Spirit of resurrection.
“The priest shall offer the sin offering and make expiation for the one who is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness” (v. 19a). This signifies that the Lord Jesus was offered as our sin offering to deal with our uncleanness at the root (the sinful nature) of our sins, which are dealt with by the Lord Jesus as the trespass offering.
“Afterward he shall slaughter the burnt offering. And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make expiation for him, and he shall be clean” (vv. 19b-20). This signifies that the sinner who is to be cleansed, after being cleansed from the uncleanness of sin and sins through Christ as his sin offering and trespass offering, offers himself in Christ as the burnt offering to God and lives and walks absolutely for God by the life of Christ as the meal offering. Thus the sinner who is to be cleansed is fully cleansed from his uncleanness. The leper has now been healed, cleansed, and expiated.
Garments are for covering the human body. In the Bible our garments signify our outward conduct, our daily living. Leprosy in a garment (13:47-59) signifies the sins expressed in one’s outward living and conduct.
Leviticus 13:49-52 shows that if the greenish or reddish infection was spreading in the garment and became a malignant leprosy, the garment had to be burned in fire. Becoming a malignant leprosy signifies that the sin which is spreading within a person by eating up his flesh is becoming worse and worse. Burning the garment in fire signifies eliminating the sinful and filthy living and conduct. When we discover that something sinful in us is becoming worse and worse, we should eliminate it by “burning,” that is, by dealing with it strongly by applying the cross of Christ.
If the infection had not spread in the garment, then the garment had to be washed (vv. 53-54). This signifies dealing with the suspected weakness in one’s living and conduct. It may not be clear whether a certain thing is a real sin or a suspected sin. In such a case it is sufficient to wash the garment. This is to deal with a matter by applying the washing Spirit of God, who is likened to water for washing.
“After the article with the infection has been washed, the priest shall look at it; and if the infection has not changed its appearance, even though the infection has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire; it is a leprous decay, whether the bareness is on the inside or on the outside” (v. 55). A leprous decay signifies the corroding sin that is becoming worse and deeper, indicating that a person has no change in appearance through repentance and confession. This is the kind of sin that can take over a person, devouring and swallowing him up. Hence, this kind of sin should be “burned” by fire, as in the previous case of the garment with malignant leprosy.
“If the priest looks, and if the infection has faded after it was washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment or out of the skin, whether from the warp or from the woof” (v. 56). This signifies the eliminating of a suspected weakness in one’s living and conduct. The fading of an infected spot in a garment after washing is a sign of healing, of recovery. Nevertheless, the faded spot should be torn out of the garment. This indicates that we need to cut off, to have a thorough dealing with, our suspected weakness.
Verse 57 speaks of the infection reappearing in the garment after the infected spot has been torn out of the garment. This signifies that one’s weakness, after being dealt with and eliminated, comes out again. Then it has to be burned in the fire. This means that it has to be dealt with and eliminated completely by applying the cross of Christ.
“The garment...which you shall wash, if the infection has departed from them, shall be washed a second time and shall be clean” (v. 58). Washing the garment a second time after the infection has departed through washing signifies that one’s weakness, having been dealt with, should be dealt with further, a second time.
The six points concerning the cleansing of the leprous garment show that we need to repent, confess, deal with certain matters, and eliminate certain matters. If we would live a normal, proper, holy Christian life, we daily need to repent, confess, deal with our actual and even suspected weaknesses, and eliminate these weaknesses from our conduct.
Man is always living in three layers of coverings: first, his body; second, his clothing; and third, his house. All three have the possibility of becoming leprous. For believers, our house is our home, signifying the church. Leprosy in the body typifies sin that invades our flesh, leprosy in a garment typifies the sins that invade our outward conduct, and leprosy in a house typifies the sins that invade the church life as the main part of our spiritual life. Hence, leprosy in a house is leprosy that invades the church life, that is, the sins and evils that occur in the church life.
Leviticus 14:49-53 covers the cleansing of the leprous house, the cleansing of the church.
Leviticus 14:49-51 reveals that the leprosy in a house is cleansed in the same way as the cleansing of the leprosy in a man. This signifies that the whole church experiences once again the suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and entering into glory with Christ. In order for a church to be cleansed, the church needs to experience the processes through which the Lord Jesus passed.
After the infected house has been rid of its infection, it has to be purged with the blood of the bird and the living water and then with the living bird, cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet strands (v. 52). This signifies that the whole church needs to be cleansed with the eternally efficacious blood of Christ and His eternal and living Spirit. In typology, the blood of the bird signifies the blood of Christ, water signifies the cleansing Spirit, and oil signifies the anointing Spirit. When a church becomes sick, it needs two elements in order to be recovered—the blood of Christ and the Spirit.
“He shall let the living bird go, outside the city into the open field” (v. 53a). This signifies that the church enters with Christ into the realm and experience of His resurrection and ascension. When an infected church is healed, surely this church will not remain on an earthly level but will rise to the heavens and soar in the heavens. Nothing will be able to hinder, restrict, restrain, or bind such a church. When the church enjoys Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the church is above the earth, enjoying freedom in the heavens.
“He shall make expiation for the house, and it shall be clean” (v. 53b). The house being clean signifies that the church is fully clean to be the mutual dwelling of God and man (John 14:2).
Chapters 13 and 14 of Leviticus cover the matter of sin in more detail than any other chapters in the Bible. These chapters show a threefold dealing with sin, not only sin in our being and in our conduct but also sin in our dwelling. A person may be unclean in his body, clothing, and house. We need to be cleansed from sin, from leprosy, in a threefold way. If we want to deal with these three kinds of leprosy, we need to repent again and again. We were born in uncleanness, and our very being is unclean. For us, it is impossible to be pure. Therefore, day by day we need to repent of our failures, confess our sins, and deal with our failures and sins, seeking even to eliminate them. In our living we need to deal with and eliminate all our sins by the cross of Christ. Then we can live a holy life.
The cleansing of the leper typifies that a person invaded by sin is cleansed entirely through the redemption accomplished through Christ’s death and the salvation carried out by His resurrection. The cleansing of the leper also typifies a person’s thorough dealing with what he does and what he is according to the redemption through Christ’s death and the salvation by His resurrection.
Leprosy in a garment signifies the sins expressed in one’s outward living and conduct. To deal with the sins signified by leprosy, we daily need to repent, confess, and deal with any sinful thing in us that is becoming worse and worse, eliminating it by applying the cross of Christ. Furthermore, we should deal with the suspected weaknesses in our living and conduct by the cleansing Spirit of God and eliminate these weaknesses from our conduct.
Leprosy in a house typifies the sins that invade the church life as the main part of our spiritual life. In order for a church to be cleansed, the church needs to experience the suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and entering into glory with Christ, that is, to experience the processes through which the Lord Jesus passed. Therefore, when an infected church is healed, the church enjoys Christ’s resurrection and ascension, being above the earth and enjoying freedom in the heavens. When the church is fully clean, she becomes the mutual dwelling of God and man.
This lesson shows a threefold dealing with sin, not only sin in our being and in our conduct but also sin in our dwelling. Hence, we need to be cleansed from sin in a threefold way. We were born in uncleanness, and our very being is unclean. Therefore, day by day we need to repent of our failures, confess our sins, and deal with and eliminate our failures and sins by the cross of Christ. Then we can live a holy life.
