Message 39
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Scripture Reading: Lev. 13:2-28
In Leviticus 11 we see that we need discernment in diet, discernment in eating; that is, we must be careful in what we contact and receive. In chapter twelve we see that human birth involves uncleanness, for we were born uncleanness. Now in chapter thirteen we come to the matter of leprosy.
Discernment in diet concerns what we should contact outwardly and what we should receive from the outside. Our birth in uncleanness, on the contrary, concerns not what we contact outwardly but what we are inwardly. We are uncleanness by birth. This uncleanness is something within us. We were born sinners. We did not become sinners by doing something sinful or by receiving something from outside of us that caused us to be changed in our disposition or in our constitution. No, we are sinners by birth. Whether we contact something clean or unclean, we are still sinners. Being a sinner has nothing to do with what we contact outwardly; rather, being a sinner is a matter of our birth.
It is difficult to analyze leprosy. We may say that leprosy originates from outside a person, that it is caused by the entering into a person of the germs of leprosy. We may also say that leprosy comes from within, since a person cannot develop leprosy unless the element of leprosy enters into his being to give rise to this disease. Leprosy, therefore, comprises both an outside factor and an inward effect. The cause is from the outside, but the effect is inward.
We need to consider three things: discernment in diet, human birth with its uncleanness, and leprosy. These three matters cover all our problems, and our living of a holy life has much to do with them. We need to ask ourselves about what we contact, about our birth, and about leprosy with its outward factor and inward effect. If we cannot solve the problems we have related to these things, it will be impossible for us to live a holy life. How can we live a holy life if we contact the wrong things, if we are persons born uncleanness, and if we are subject to an outward factor and an inward effect that make us leprous? It would be impossible. Can a leper live a holy life? Certainly not! In order to live a holy life, we must deal with our contact with things, with our birth, and with our leprous condition.
Leprosy (v. 2b) signifies the serious sin issuing from within man, such as willful sin, presumptuous sin, and opposing God with determination (cf. Miriam — Num. 12:1-10 Gehazi — 2 Kings 5:20-27 and Uzziah — 2 Chron. 26:16-21).
Leprosy does not actually begin from within a person; it begins from without, with some kind of germs or bacteria that get into a person’s being. Then the leprosy issues from within one’s being, as illustrated by three Old Testament cases — the cases of Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah.
Leprosy always comes from rebellion. Miriam rebelled against Moses, who was God’s deputy authority. Her rebellion had a cause, and the cause was Moses’ marrying a Cushite woman (Num. 12:1). As the result of her rebellion, Miriam became leprous (v. 10). Her leprosy came from her rebellion.
In 2 Kings 5:20-27 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, rebelled against Elisha’s practices. Elisha would not receive anything as a reward from Naaman, a Gentile who was healed of leprosy. After Gehazi received gifts from the cleansed leper, Naaman’s leprosy was transferred to him. Gehazi also became leprous because of rebellion.
In 2 Chronicles 26:16-21 King Uzziah rebelled against God’s regulation concerning the priesthood. According to this regulation, the king could not participate in the priesthood. But Uzziah rebelled against this regulation, and as a result of his rebellion he became leprous. In each of these three cases, the leprosy first entered into the rebellious one and then issued from within that one.
According to the Old Testament, leprosy is the outcome of a certain cause, and that cause is rebellion against God’s authority, against God’s deputy authority, against God’s regulation, and against God’s economy. We all must admit that we have rebelled against God’s authority and against His deputy authority. Furthermore, we have often rebelled against God’s regulation. Finally, we have also rebelled against God’s entire economy. Therefore, in God’s eyes we all became leprous. Leprosy entered into us and then issued forth from within us.
Leprosy is sin. In the Bible the first case of sin was Satan’s rebellion. Satan rebelled against God, and that rebellion became the sin that is now in the universe. Before Satan’s rebellion there was not such a thing as sin. Sin was invented, not created, by the rebellious archangel Lucifer.
Sin is actually leprosy. The denotation of sin in the biblical sense is rebellion. Sin, therefore, is rebellion against God, against God’s representative, or deputy, authority, and against God’s plan, arrangement, government, and administration. As a whole, sin is rebellion against God’s economy. This rebellion was invented, inaugurated, by Satan himself. Eventually, sin came into mankind. “Through one man sin entered into the world” (Rom. 5:12a). Having entered into man, this sin, this leprosy, now issues from within man. As a result, we are leprous. Whenever we do something against God, that thing is leprous. From this we can see that sin is a matter of leprosy. Leprosy signifies sin.
When the Lord Jesus came down from the mountain where He decreed the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens, the first thing He did was cleanse a leper (Matt. 8:1-4). This leper represents the fallen descendants of Adam, all of whom are lepers. The sin that was invented by Satan entered into mankind through Adam and made us all lepers. Leprosy now issues in many different kinds of sins, that is, in many expressions, manifestations, of rebellion.
A swelling (rising), an eruption, or a bright spot on the skin of one’s flesh (Lev. 13:2a) signifies man’s outward expressions in unruliness, in friction with others, and in pride and self-exaltation. Swellings, eruptions, and bright spots on the skin of one’s flesh are signs of leprosy. Spiritually speaking, these indicate unruliness, lawlessness. Unruliness is a kind of eruption. An unruly person is one who is not under any ruling.
Friction with others also indicates leprosy. We should not think that friction between brothers is insignificant. Friction is an eruption which indicates that leprosy is issuing from within a person. The same is true of pride and self-exaltation. All these are symptoms, signs, that one is leprous.
Being brought to the priest, being examined by him, and being shut up (isolated) for seven days (vv. 2c-28) signify being brought, on the one hand, to the Lord and, on the other hand, to one who serves God, being examined by them, and being kept from contact with others for a complete course of time. The Lord Jesus and those who serve God, the serving priests, are qualified to examine one to determine whether or not he has leprosy.
Let us now consider the appearance of leprosy. The appearance of leprosy is the substance of leprosy. What we have in this chapter concerning the appearance of leprosy is the divine diagnosis, the divine medicine.
The hair turning white (v. 3a) signifies that the strength for behavior, the strength to live a normal life, is deteriorating. The Israelites had dark hair. For the dark hair of an Israelite to turn white was a sign that one was weakening. It indicated the presence of disease.
Verse 3b speaks of the disease being deeper than the skin. First, there is an eruption and then the disease sinks deeper than the skin of the flesh. This signifies that one’s wrong behavior is covered and is not confessed.
Verse 4a speaks of the bright spot in the skin of one’s flesh being white and not appearing to be deeper than the skin, and of the hair in it not having turned white. These are good signs, good symptoms, not signs of leprosy, for they signify that one’s wrong behavior is confessed, not covered, and that his strength for behavior has not deteriorated.
Leviticus 13:6 says, “On the seventh day the priest shall examine him again; and if the diseased spot has faded, and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is a harmless eruption.” The diseased spot having faded and the disease having not spread in the skin signify that one’s weakness has been swallowed up by life through Christ’s recovery work in him with grace. Such a person has been healed, recovered.
“The priest shall examine him, and if there is a white swelling in the skin and it has turned the hair white, and there is an emergence of raw flesh in the swelling, it is a chronic leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not isolate him, for he is unclean” (vv. 10-11). This signifies that the old sin has come back again through the weakness of the strength for behavior.
“If the leprosy breaks out farther in the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of him who has the disease from head to foot, as far as the priest can see, then the priest shall examine him, and if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him who has the disease clean; it has all turned white; he is clean” (vv. 12-13). This signifies that one who is full of sin and who is willing to confess all his sin before God is cleansed. This is the opposite of what our opinion would be. According to the type here, if one is full of sin, absolutely sinful, yet does not cover his sin but instead makes a thorough confession before God, he will be forgiven and cleansed. However, one who is not willing to be exposed, one who hides himself, will remain leprous. Hiding ourselves and covering our sin are signs of leprosy.
“But on the day raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. The priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean; it is leprosy” (vv. 14-15). Here we see that when raw flesh appears on the skin, it is leprosy. This signifies that the old sin has come back again.
“But if the raw flesh turns again to white, then he shall come to the priest; and the priest shall examine him, and if the diseased spot has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him who had the disease clean; he is clean” (vv. 16-17). This signifies that if the repeated sin is confessed, it will be cleansed.
“When there is in the skin of the flesh a boil, and it has healed, and in the place where the boil was there is a white swelling, or a reddish-white bright spot, then it shall be shown to the priest. And when the priest examines it, if it appears lower than the skin, and the hair in it is turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease; it has broken out in the boil” (vv. 18-20). This signifies that one becomes weak in his outward living after being saved and has new weak points manifested in his conduct.
“When the flesh has in its skin a burn by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white, then the priest shall examine it. If the hair in the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper than the skin, it is leprosy; it has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease” (vv. 24-25). This signifies that a saved person’s acting by the flesh, for example his losing his temper, his justifying himself, and his not being willing to forgive others, is like a sign of sickness. Losing our temper is a sin; it is thus a sign of spiritual leprosy. The same is true of self-justification. Justifying ourselves, that is, excusing ourselves and not confessing our failures, mistakes, and wrongdoings, is a symptom of spiritual leprosy. Likewise, being unwilling to forgive others is also a symptom of spiritual leprosy. It is difficult for us fallen human beings to forgive others, but it is easy for us to remember those who have offended us. Sometimes we may seem to forgive our brothers and sisters in the Lord, but we forgive without forgetting the offense. We remember the offense and may even talk to others about it, all the while claiming that we have forgiven the offending party. This is forgiveness without forgetting, and it is a sign of spiritual sickness.
In the church life we all are tested concerning how pure we are in our motive, purpose, and activities. The church life will prove where we are, what we are, and who we are. Our person, our heart, our mind, our emotion, our intention, our motive, our purpose — all these will be tested by the church life. Perhaps our motive is pure to a degree, but it may not be absolutely pure. Who among us can say that he is absolutely pure in motive, intention, will, and purpose? None of us can say this. Remember, we were born uncleanness, and we are a totality of uncleanness. It is impossible for one who is a totality of uncleanness to be absolutely pure in motive.
If we see that we are a totality of uncleanness and that it is impossible for us to be absolutely pure in our motive, intention, and purpose, we shall realize how much we need God’s full salvation. We need Christ with His death and resurrection. We need Christ to be our burnt offering and our sin offering. As our burnt offering, Christ is our living. As our sin offering, Christ takes care of our sin, not the sin before we were saved but the sin that we still have after our salvation. We have Christ with His death and resurrection, and we have Christ as the burnt offering and the sin offering. This is God’s full salvation.
Before we go to sleep at night, we should have a time of confession before the Lord, asking Him to forgive our sins and impurities. In particular, we need to ask the Lord to forgive any impurity in our motives. We should take Him once again as our sin offering and trespass offering and apply His precious, cleansing blood to our situation. Then with a purged conscience, a conscience cleansed by the blood and by the Spirit, we shall be able to sleep in peace.
The second section of Leviticus, a section that deals with our holy living, begins with the three matters of discernment in diet, the uncleanness of our birth, and our leprous condition. Leprosy is the sin invented by Satan. Sin came into us through the fall of our father Adam. When Adam fell, the very leprosy invented by Satan entered into us. This leprosy still remains in us. This was the reason Paul could say, “If what I do not will, this I do, it is no longer I that do it but sin that dwells in me” (Rom. 7:20). Paul realized that the germ of leprosy is within us. Having entered into us, leprosy now issues forth from within us as sins, offenses, and transgressions. For these we need Christ to be our sin offering and trespass offering.
