The cleansing of the leper in this chapter portrays the rich, complete, and extensive salvation God has prepared and accomplished for us in Christ. In this salvation Christ is the all-inclusive One who has passed through a number of processes and is everything we need for our cleansing.

The leper being brought to the priest signifies an unclean person, a sinner, being brought to the Lord.

The priest going forth outside the camp to examine the leper signifies the Lord Jesus leaving His original place in the heavens and humbling Himself to come to the earth in order to be near to the sinner (cf. Matt. 8:1-4 and notes).

The healing of sin (leprosy) is the issue of our repentance and the working of the divine life within us (see note John 8:32^1a).

The two living clean birds are types of Christ, who is clean, without any defilement, and full of the life that is able to fly above the earth. The birds here signify that Christ came from the heavens and that He belongs to the heavens and transcends the earth. The bird that was killed (v. 5) signifies the crucified Christ, who died for us that our filthiness might be taken away (1 Pet. 2:24). The second bird, which was let go into the open field (vv. 6-7), signifies the resurrected Christ, who rose from the dead for us that we might be delivered from our weakness by the power, strength, and energy of His resurrection life — the divine, eternal, uncreated life of God (Rom. 8:2).

Cedar wood (cf. 1 Kings 4:33) signifies the honorable and uplifted humanity of Jesus, which enables Him to be our Savior. Hyssop, being one of the smallest of the plants, signifies here that the Lord Jesus was willing to become lowly in His “becoming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7) that He might be near to man and become man’s Savior (cf. Matt. 8:2-3). Scarlet, a dark red color, signifies the shedding of blood (Josh. 2:18 and note) and also implies kingship (Matt. 27:28-29). All of this signifies that in order to cleanse us from our leprosy, the Lord lowered Himself to become a man of high standard but of low status that He might do the will of God and shed His blood on the cross for our redemption, thereby being glorified in His resurrection and becoming the honorable and high King (Phil. 2:5-11).

The one who had been healed from leprosy (v. 3) still needed to seek to be cleansed before God, signifying that the one who is sick of the sin of leprosy, although he has been healed by the divine life within, still needs to have his shortcomings and defilement dealt with before God that he might be cleansed. Our seeking to be cleansed is our cooperation with God’s grace and love.

Lit., living. So throughout the book. The earthen vessel signifies the humanity of Jesus (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7), and the living water signifies the living and eternal Spirit of God (John 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1). The bird being killed in an earthen vessel over living water signifies that through His death in His humanity the Lord Jesus offered Himself to God through the eternal and living Spirit who was within Him (Heb. 9:14).

The things recorded in vv. 6-7 signify 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 (Eph. 2:5-6; Phil. 3:10, 21; Col. 3:1-4). These things are all implied in the significances of the two birds, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet strands (see note Lev. 14:4¹, note Lev. 14:4^2a, note Lev. 14:7¹, and note Lev. 14:7^2b).

The sprinkling of the blood of the slain bird on the leper who was to be cleansed signifies that the blood shed by Christ was sprinkled on us, the sinners (1 Pet. 1:2), and this sprinkling connects us to Christ, the Redeemer (cf. note Exo. 12:22²). The sprinkling of the blood seven times signifies the completeness of the cleansing of the Lord’s blood (1 John 1:7, 9).

Christ’s ascension is signified by the living bird’s soaring in the air. Letting the living bird go into the open field signifies that the living Christ causes the cleansed sinner to experience not only Christ’s death and resurrection but also His ascension (2 Cor. 5:14-15; Eph. 2:5-6; Col. 3:1-3). See note Lev. 14:4¹.

The leper’s washing his clothes, shaving off all his hair, and bathing himself in water signifies that in addition to experiencing Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension in his union with Christ through His redemption (vv. 5-7), a sinner who is to be cleansed needs to bear the responsibility himself to deal with and cut off all that is of his old living and natural life.

For the significance of washing one’s clothes, shaving off one’s hair, and bathing oneself in water, see note Lev. 13:34¹, note Lev. 14:9¹, and note Lev. 15:5^1a, respectively.

The clean leper coming into the camp but dwelling outside his tent for seven days signifies that a sinner who is to be cleansed is still unable to recover the fellowship with the brothers; he needs to be watchful, to wait, and to be dealt with further. This indicates that dealing with our sin, our leprosy, our rebellion, which comes from Satan, is a serious matter with God.

The hair of the head signifies man’s glory in self-display; the beard, man’s self-assumed honor; the eyebrows, man’s excellencies, merits, and virtues issuing from his natural birth; and all the hair of the body, man’s natural strength and ability. The shaving off of all the hair and the bathing in water equal getting rid of the self with all its glory, honor, excellencies, merits, virtues, strength, and ability through the “razor” of the cross. When we have nothing and are nothing, we shall be clean (cf. Phil. 3:7-11).

The leper’s shaving of his entire body, washing his clothes, and bathing his flesh a second time after waiting and watching seven days signifies that a sinner who is to be cleansed needs to bear the responsibility for dealing with every part of his natural life and daily walk. This shows that if we deal with our sin and our sinful self seriously, in a definite, thorough, and absolute way, we shall be clean.

As revealed in vv. 10-32, in addition to his cleansing (v. 9), the leper who was to be cleansed still needed to solve the problem of his sin and sins before God by offering the trespass offering, the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the meal offering to make expiation for himself before God (vv. 18-20). This signifies that a sinner who is to be cleansed, even though he has been cleansed, still needs to solve the problem of his sin and sins before God through Christ as the reality of the offerings to make propitiation for himself before God. Expiation (see note Lev. 16:1¹) was needed in addition to healing (v. 3) and cleansing (vv. 4-9) in order to appease God and bring the leper (the sinner) back into fellowship with God.

Presenting the offerings before God on the eighth day (vv. 10-11) signifies that man is freed in Christ in resurrection from the flesh of the old creation.

cf. Num. 15:4; Lev. 2:1-16

A liquid measure of approximately half a liter. Oil here typifies the Holy Spirit.

See note Exo. 29:24¹. The offering of the male lamb for a trespass offering, with the log of oil, both of which were waved before Jehovah, 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, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).

The slaughtering of the male lamb for the trespass offering in the place where the sin offering and the burnt offering were slaughtered signifies that the Lord Jesus’ being able to deal with our sins as our trespass offering is based on His bearing our sin as our sin offering and on His living absolutely for God as our burnt offering.

Cf. note Lev. 6:26¹.

This signifies that man has trespasses because, first, his ears are wrong in not listening to God; second, his hands are wrong in not doing the things of God; and third, 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 in all these aspects. Cf. note Exo. 29:20^1a.

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 the trespass offering (v. 14).

Putting the 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.

See note Lev. 16:1¹.

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.

The offering of the burnt offering and the meal offering here signifies that the sinner who is to be cleansed, after having been cleansed from the uncleanness of sin and sins through Christ as His sin offering and trespass offering, offers himself in Christ as a 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, having been healed, cleansed, and expiated, is fully cleansed from his uncleanness.

The regulations for the poor in vv. 21-32 signify that a sinner who is to be cleansed should partake of Christ at least at some minimum level, i.e., as much as he can. In principle he must take Christ as his sin offering, trespass offering, burnt offering, and meal offering, and he must take His mingling and cleansing Spirit.

The house typifies the church as our real home, and the leprosy in the house signifies sins and evils in the church. God’s putting a leprous infection in a house in the land of Israel’s possession signifies that when the condition of a church becomes abnormal, God causes the leprous sin to become manifest in the church, reminding and warning the believers that they no longer have a house to live in and are no longer able to enjoy all the blessings God promised in His salvation.

The owner’s coming and telling the priest signifies that the leading brothers or those who are concerned for the church approach the Lord or the apostle (1 Cor. 1:11), the Lord’s deputy, and tell the Lord or His deputy.

This signifies to do one’s best to prevent and eliminate the contagion.

This signifies that the Lord or the apostle comes to examine. This kind of examination is not for condemnation but is a grace for healing.

This signifies that the problem of the church is not only on the surface but is deeper, beneath the surface. The communication and fellowship of such a church (the entrance of the house) should be kept under observation for a complete course of time (seven days — v. 38).

The removing of the infected stones after seven days signifies that after the observation of a complete period of time, if the problem of the church is still spreading, the believer or believers involved in the problem should be removed from the fellowship of the church and be considered unclean, like the outsiders (cf. 1 Cor. 5:13; Rom. 16:17; Titus 3:10; 2 Thes. 3:6, 14). This is done to stop the spread of the disease and to eliminate the disease.

This signifies that because of a few believers, the whole church should be dealt with, and whatever is dealt with should be put out of the church as unclean.

Putting other stones in the place of the removed stones signifies using other believers (1 Pet. 2:5) to fill in the gap.

The replastering of the house with other plaster signifies the renewing of the church with new experiences of the Lord’s gracious works. This is needed for a new start in the church life.

The breaking down of the house after the infection of leprosy returns signifies that if the situation of a church reaches the point where it cannot be cured, healed, that church should be terminated (cf. Rev. 2:5).

This signifies that with him who touches the defiled things, the old day should be ended and there should be a new beginning.

This signifies that those who are not involved positively in the service in the church (those who lie down in the house) in which there is a problem, as well as those who only enjoy the supply in that church (those who eat in the house), should also be cleansed in their living and behavior.

This signifies that if no sin is spreading after the renewing of the church with the new experiences of the Lord’s gracious works, the church is clean and has no problem.

Verses Lev. 14:49-51 reveal that the leprosy in a house is cleansed in the same way as the cleansing of the leprosy in a man (vv. 4-9 and notes). This signifies that the whole church experiences once again the suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and entering into glory with Christ.

This signifies that the whole church needs to be cleansed with the eternally efficacious blood of Christ and His eternal and living Spirit. See note Lev. 14:5¹.

Letting the living bird go, outside the city into the open field signifies that the healed and cleansed church enters with Christ into the realm and experience of His resurrection and ascension. See note Lev. 14:7^2b.

The house being clean signifies that the church is fully clean to be the mutual dwelling of God and man (John 14:2).