Leviticus 12:1–14:57

Here the point is uncleanness before God as the universal effect of the dark inheritance of sin. One could not speak of sinning in babies, male or female, but there was uncleanness in all. And Jehovah took care that Israel should learn of this from Himself, in the case of their own children. Here He is not speaking about the nations but about the chosen people, so that no flesh should boast.

Leviticus 11 dealt with the natures of creatures. The chapters that follow bring man before us. In chapter 12 we find him to be of such a nature that his birth itself called for a sin offering — "brought forth in iniquity … in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). He had not yet done a single thing, good or bad.

To bear children was woman's lot, yet that made her unclean, and she had to feel it and own it. She felt it: during those days she could not eat the holy things or come near the sanctuary. She owned it when she came with the appointed sacrifices. Those sacrifices declared her need of atonement, and her need of a substitute to die for her.

Leviticus 12 is short. Its theme shows that sin has entered the world, and its defiling power reaches the very beginnings of human life. Both child and mother were unclean, and both needed cleansing. For a boy, circumcision on the eighth day completed that cleansing. In the New Testament that rite means "putting off the body of the flesh" (Colossians 2:11) — the refusal of the flesh, which stands condemned in the cross of Christ. When a daughter was born, the mother stayed defiled twice as long as for a son — a reminder that sin came in through Eve.

Here the death of Christ comes before our thoughts in its two great aspects. Only that death could meet the defilement connected with man's natural birth and remove it completely. The burnt offering presents the death of Christ as God values it. The sin offering presents that same death as it bears on the sinner's need.

God's tender care comforted the poor: He accepted a pigeon or a turtledove for the burnt offering. Even the richest could bring no more than a pigeon or a turtledove for the sin offering. The atoning clearance of the evil demanded the same from everyone. Rich and poor stood on the same level. For the joy of acceptance the poor woman's pigeon was as valid as the rich woman's sheep. What a rebuke to every form of favouritism!

The offerings she brought — two birds — showed her poverty on the one hand, and her condition as a sinful creature on the other. Her burnt offering and sin offering spoke plainly of her condition as a child of Adam, but also of God's grace, which could meet it by sacrifice. The occasion for those offerings was the birth of Him by whom that atonement would be fully and finally accomplished. He was perfectly holy, and this law said nothing about the child. Mary was unclean as a mother, and nothing but the shedding of blood could atone for her.

The woman is made unclean because she is a sinful creature. And because she is a sinful creature and unclean, her child is sinful and unclean too, for "who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?" What David confessed later is already seen in these childbirth laws: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5).

This is uncleanness before God — the universal effect of the dark inheritance of sin. You could not speak of babies as sinning, boy or girl, but there was uncleanness in all of them. And Jehovah made sure that Israel heard it from Him, about their own children. Here He is not speaking about the nations, but about the chosen people, so that no flesh should boast.

When a girl was born, the days of uncleanness were double: fourteen and sixty-six. But why? The key to the spiritual meaning of this chapter lies in that very fact. "Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor" (1 Timothy 2:14). It was through the woman that the fall came about by the serpent. This short chapter makes three things known: that sin is in the world, how it came into the world, and that each generation passes sin on to the next.

Once these seven days are over, the child is circumcised. The eighth day shows us that cleansing can only come through new creation — so deep-rooted is the evil he has inherited. In its spiritual sense, circumcision is also the "putting off the body of the flesh" (Colossians 2:11), condemned in the cross of Christ: "our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing" (Romans 6:6).

In each case, when the time was completed, whether for a male or a female, the mother was to bring the priest a year-old lamb as a burnt offering. She also brought a young pigeon or turtledove as a sin offering (v. 6). Notice that there was no trespass offering. It was not a matter of her having done anything wrong. But the sin offering deals with the sinful nature we inherit at birth. So this offering speaks of God condemning sin in the flesh by the cross of Christ (Romans 8:3). The burnt offering tells us that God's glory is the first consideration here. When God is glorified and sin condemned, He makes the unclean clean (v. 7).

Such was the tender care of God, that poverty was comforted by His accepting a pigeon or a turtledove for a burnt offering, while the richest could not offer more than a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. What was required for the atoning clearance of the evil was the same. Rich and poor stood on the same level. For the joy of acceptance the poor woman's pigeon was as valid as the rich woman's sheep. What a rebuke to every kind of favouritism!

The law counted her unclean for seven days after the birth of her son. At the end of the appointed forty days she came with two birds, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest offered them to make atonement for her. The two birds she brought showed her poverty on the one hand, and her condition as a sinful creature on the other. He was perfectly holy, and this law said nothing about the child. She was unclean as a mother, and nothing but the shedding of blood could atone for her.

Here the point is uncleanness before God, the universal effect of the dark inheritance of sin. One could not speak of sinning in babes, male or female, but there was uncleanness in all. And Jehovah took care that Israel should learn of it from Himself as to their own offspring. Here He is not speaking about the nations but about the chosen people, so that no flesh should boast.

Leviticus 12 was about purifying the woman, not the child. Circumcision purified the child, at least if he was a boy, and it came before the woman's purifying.

Its sign was not to be in the clouds for every eye to see, but in the flesh. With the flesh it declared open war, proclaiming death on it as unclean. It did not merely demand purity; it demanded death — a figure of Christ's death for His own, who are by nature as unclean and ungodly as others. It was not of Moses but of the fathers, as the Lord told the Jews (John 7:22), who were proud of a law that none of them really kept. As a shadow, of which Christ was the substance, it taught much. It was the confession that the flesh is cut off without sparing, so that they might be God's people, instead of the useless attempt to improve it by ceremony, morality, or philosophy.

Eight shows that something is complete by pointing to a new beginning. The eighth day is the first day of a new week. So it speaks of what is new in contrast with the old, and so of the new covenant and new creation. This is why circumcision took place on the eighth day: "the putting off the body of the flesh" (Col. 2:11) is connected with the new creation in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:10).

EIGHT. A new departure outside of, but connected with, creation-order — hence resurrection. Circumcision was on the eighth day, when a new fellowship began. Eight people were saved in the ark, to begin a new world.

The words in Colossians 2:11 in no way refer to the circumcision of the Lord Jesus at eight days old (Luke 2:21). The expression "circumcision of Christ" can also be read as "cutting off of Christ." Those words remind us of familiar verses in Old Testament prophecy. "For He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people" (Isa. 53:8). "And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing" (Dan. 9:26; older translations read "Messiah shall be cut off"). These two Scriptures make it clear that Paul's words, "circumcision of Christ," point to the Lord's death on the cross — the place of judgment, where He was cut off.

The refusal of the flesh is not to be merely an outward neglect of the body, which the world can see. It is the refusal of the flesh in all its inward workings in the heart — its self-confidence, self-righteousness, vanity and lusts — as that which has been condemned in the cross (Col. 2:11).

We now see the Lord Jesus under the law of Moses, as in the earlier verses, born of woman. For "at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb." This name refers both to His being Jehovah and a Saviour.

This chapter teaches us that the conception and birth of a male child made the mother ceremonially unclean for seven days, and kept her from the sanctuary for thirty-three days more. For a female child both periods lasted twice as long. Has this no voice? Can we not read a humbling lesson here? Does it not tell us, in words that cannot be mistaken, that man is an unclean thing, and that he needs the blood of atonement to cleanse him?

To bear children was woman's lot, yet that made her unclean, and she had to feel it and own it. She felt it, because during those days she could not share in the holy things or come near the sanctuary. She owned it, as she came with the appointed sacrifices. Those sacrifices proclaimed her need of atonement and of a substitute to die for her. She had brought a living creature into the world, and for that she needed the death of the sacrifice on her own behalf.

Notice here that there was no trespass offering, for it was not a matter of her having done anything wrong. But the sin offering deals with the sinful nature we inherit at birth. So this offering speaks of God condemning sin in the flesh through the cross of Christ. The burnt offering tells us that God's glory comes first in this matter. When God is glorified and sin condemned, the unclean becomes clean.

God's care was so tender that He comforted the poor by accepting a pigeon or a turtledove for a burnt offering. Yet the richest could not boast of more than a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. The offering that made atonement for the evil was the same for both. Rich and poor stood on the same level. For the joy of acceptance the pigeon of the poor was as valid as the rich woman's sheep. What a rebuke to every form of favouring people by their position!

The law counted her unclean for seven days after the birth of her son. At the end of the appointed forty days she came with two birds, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. The priest, whoever he was, offered them to make atonement for her. The two birds showed her poverty on the one hand, and her condition as a sinful creature on the other. … She confessed her need of atonement by blood as she stood before that altar and watched the birds die. But what called it out was the birth of Him by whom that atonement was to be truly, fully, and finally accomplished.

When we turn to Luke 2 and the birth of our Lord, we note that Mary brought this smallest of offerings, a witness to the poverty of Joseph and herself. We also note that our Lord was circumcised on the eighth day, according to the law, though there was no sinful flesh in Him to be "put off." This fits with His baptism at the hands of John, where He fulfilled all righteousness, though He had no sins to confess, as the people had.

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). "How can he who is born of woman be pure?" (Job 25:4). In this chapter we are taught that the conception and birth of a son brought the mother seven days of ceremonial defilement, along with thirty-three days of separation from the sanctuary. For a daughter, both periods were doubled. Does it not declare, in words that cannot be misunderstood, that man is an unclean thing who needs the blood of atonement to cleanse him?

Here the point is uncleanness before God, the universal effect of the dark inheritance of sin. One could not speak of sinning in babes, male or female, but there was uncleanness in all. And the LORD took care that Israel should learn it from Himself about their own offspring. Here He is not speaking about the nations but about the chosen people, so that no flesh should boast.

In the case of the birth of a maid-child the days of uncleanness were just double, fourteen and sixty-six. But why was this? The key to the spiritual meaning of this chapter is found in this very fact. "Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor" (1 Timothy 2:14). It was by the woman that the fall was brought about through the serpent. This brief chapter makes known that sin is in the world, how it came into the world, and that sin is inherited, passed on from generation to generation.

The Lord never forgets how sin came into the world. His righteousness takes account of the first temptation to the end. So it is remarkable how the Apostle Paul uses this fact. He even turns it into practical guidance on the question whether a woman ought to teach in the church. The word of God ought to form our thoughts. It is a question of government on earth, not of heaven nor of eternity in all this.

To bear children was woman's lot, yet that made her unclean, and she had to feel it and own it. She felt it during those days, when she could not share in the holy things or approach the sanctuary. She owned it when she came with the appointed sacrifices. Those sacrifices declared her need of atonement and of a substitute to die for her. She had brought a living creature into the world, and for that she herself needed the death of the sacrifice.

Notice here that there was no trespass offering, for it was not a matter of her having done anything wrong. But the sin offering deals with the sinful nature we inherit at birth. So this offering speaks of God condemning sin in the flesh by the cross of Christ (Romans 8:3). The burnt offering tells us that God's glory is the first consideration in this matter. When God is glorified and sin condemned, the unclean one is made clean.

God's care was so tender that He comforted the poor by accepting a pigeon or a turtledove for a burnt offering. Meanwhile the richest could boast of nothing more than a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. What was required for the atoning clearance of the evil was the same. Rich and poor stood on the same level. What grace that the Lord of glory was born of a virgin mother, whose poverty was shown in the offering suited to it!

In this chapter we are taught that the conception and birth of a male child brought seven days of ceremonial defilement to the mother, along with thirty-three days of separation from the sanctuary. These periods were doubled for a female child. Has this no voice? Can we not read in it a humbling lesson? Does it not declare to us, in language not to be misunderstood, that man is "an unclean thing," and that he needs the blood of atonement to cleanse him?

To bear children was woman's lot, yet that made her unclean, and she had to feel it and own it. She felt it during those days, when she could not share in the holy things or approach the sanctuary. She owned it, as she drew near with the appointed sacrifices, which declared her need of atonement and of a substitute to die for her.

Notice here that there was no trespass offering, for it was not a matter of her having done anything wrong. But the sin offering deals with the sinful nature we inherit at birth. This offering speaks of God condemning sin in the flesh by the cross of Christ (Rom. 8:3). The burnt offering tells us that God's glory is the first consideration in this matter. When God is glorified and sin condemned, the unclean one is made clean (v. 7).

Here the death of Christ is set before our thoughts in its two grand aspects. It is the only thing that could meet, and perfectly remove, the defilement connected with man's natural birth. The burnt offering presents the death of Christ according to God's estimate of it. The sin offering, on the other hand, presents the death of Christ as it meets the sinner's need.

For the female child all these numbers are doubled — the witness, no doubt, to the entrance of sin by the woman. In either case, purification is completed by a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. The usual order in which these are mentioned is reversed, and the difference in size between the offerings underlines it. God puts first that perfect obedience of Christ which has glorified Him in view of Adam's disobedience.

God's care was so tender that He comforted the poor by accepting a pigeon or a turtledove for the burnt offering. Yet the richest could not boast of more than a pigeon or a turtledove for the sin offering. What was required to clear the evil away by atonement was the same. Rich and poor stood on the same level. For the joy of acceptance the pigeon of the poor was as valid as the rich woman's sheep.

Blessed she is, but the Virgin Mary was never without sin. The rule appointed in this chapter proves it, and Luke tells us she kept it. At the end of the appointed forty days she came with two birds, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest offered them to make atonement for her. She confessed her need of atonement by blood as she stood at that altar and watched the birds die. Yet what brought her there was the birth of the very One who would accomplish that atonement, really, fully, and finally. He was perfectly holy, and this law said nothing about the child.

Grace meets the needy one just where he is, and as he is. The atoning blood is brought within the reach of the very lowest, the very poorest, the very feeblest. All who need it can have it. "If he be poor" — what then? Let him be cast aside? No; Israel's God could never deal that way with the poor and needy. Most exquisite grace! "To the poor the Gospel is preached." None can say, "the blood of Jesus was beyond me."

Divine grace delights in making provision for those who are "not able" to make provision for themselves.

God's care was so tender that He comforted poverty by accepting a pigeon or a turtledove for a burnt offering. Meanwhile the richest could not boast of more than a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. What atonement required to clear the evil away was the same. Rich and poor stood on the same level. For the joy of acceptance the pigeon of the poor was as valid as the rich woman's sheep. What a rebuke to every form of favouritism!

The grasp may be feeble. The faith may be wavering. The experience may be shallow. But let the reader remember, for his soul's joy and comfort, that what counts is not the depth of his experience, the stability of his faith, or the strength of his grasp. It is the divine value, the unchanging power of the blood of Jesus. Our ever gracious God shows His tender care here: the blood of a turtledove was as effective for the poor as the blood of a bull for the rich.

This chapter brings the death of Christ before our thoughts in its two great aspects. Nothing else could meet the defilement connected with man's natural birth and perfectly remove it. The burnt offering presents the death of Christ according to God's estimate of it. The sin offering presents that death as it bears on the sinner's need.

These two are named in reverse of the usual order, and the unequal size of the offerings underlines it. God puts first that perfect obedience of Christ which has glorified Him in view of Adam's disobedience.

To bear children was woman's lot, yet that made her unclean, and she had to feel it and own it. She felt it during those days, when she could not eat the holy things or come near the sanctuary. She owned it when she came with the appointed sacrifices, which declared her need of atonement and of a substitute to die for her. She had brought a living creature into the world, and for that she herself needed the death of the sacrifice.

Here we read of the grace of God to the poor. Compare this closing verse with Luke 2:24, and we learn the amazing depth to which God stooped to show that grace... So the supposed parents of our blessed Lord Jesus were so poor that they had to use the gracious provision made for those who could not afford "a lamb for a burnt offering." What a thought! The Lord of glory, the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth, owned "the cattle upon a thousand hills." He appeared in the world His own hands had made, in the narrow circumstances of humble life.

Her offering showed her poverty. The purpose for which she brought them showed her need as a sinful creature... She was sinful. Her child was holy. He would in time give Himself as the ransom for His mother's soul.

Even in the type it was a holy rather than a medical question. Leprosy was not so much an illness as a stroke or plague. The priest looked at the suspected person under careful direction from Jehovah, not as a doctor making a diagnosis. The consequence was most serious for an Israelite, so the priest had to take the most scrupulous care. Uncleanness from birth was an obvious fact. There Jehovah spoke to Moses about what concerned every mother and child. For leprosy He spoke to Moses and to Aaron.

This chapter gives its instructions to Aaron as well as Moses, because spotting and treating leprosy was the priest's own job. Note that leprosy, as a type, stresses not so much the guilt of sin as its corrupting and defiling power.

Leprosy is the most stubborn and loathsome of diseases. It starts so slightly, holds on so surely, and spreads so readily both inside and around the unhappy person who has it. Its end is terrible. It serves as the fitting type of the corruption of sin. God Himself therefore takes it into His own hand. He alone is competent to deal with it, and with Him alone its cure was found.

It was not what the leper did that made him unclean, but what he was... It is what we are, as well as what we do, that makes us unclean. That is why the leper had to go to the priest — not to the doctor — to be made clean. Notice, it was not only a question of being healed, but of being cleansed.

Other illnesses might look like leprosy and be only suspicious symptoms. So there was this important provision: a man is not made the judge of his own sin. The law laid down that the Israelite should submit his condition to another man's inspection. That other man is the type of a spiritual man, for that is what a priest means. He is one who is called to have the right of access to God. So he should have his senses trained to tell good from evil by the standard of the sanctuary.

Suspicion would not be enough to brand a person a leper. Nor was the priest left to his own devices to decide what counted as leprosy. The Lord revealed all of that in His word; to it the priest was to be subject, and by it alone he was to be guided. God placed the power of exclusion from the camp in the hands of a priest — a failing, sinful creature. So it was of the utmost importance that this power should not be abused. Jehovah made known in His Word, within everyone's reach, the marks by which the priest could tell whether the person, the garment, or the house really was struck with this plague.

His sphere is limited to Israel, those among whom God dwelt. He had no instructions for cases among Gentiles. So we are to judge those who are inside, while God judges those outside.

The priest was not to pronounce judgment hastily in any case. The most patient care was needed, so that no one should be put out as a leper who really was not one, and so that no real case of leprosy should escape. There was to be no haste and no indifference.

Suppose Jehovah cared only about maintaining this holiness. Then the leper would have stayed outside the camp for good, cut off from the Tabernacle and from fellowship with God's people. But He cared for the leper, and provided for his reinstatement into all his privileges in the camp, if only he was first healed... Money, pleading, promises, efforts — none of it would help. Jehovah Himself must heal the man, or he could never be cleansed. So grace had room to display itself, once the claims of divine holiness had been acknowledged.

Leprosy is the picture of indwelling sin and its awful corruption. The Lord chose this horrible disease to picture sin because of how vile it is. Like sin, it keeps spreading until it affects the whole person. It is passed down from parent to child, and it cannot be cured. As the disease goes on, the victim grows less and less aware of his dreadful condition, and is even content with it.

Leprosy may affect almost any part of the body. It was not what the leper did that made him unclean, but what he was… It is what we are, as well as what we do, that makes us unclean. So the leper had to go to the priest (not to the doctor) to be made clean. Notice, it was not only a question of being healed, but cleansed.

There might appear in the skin of the flesh a swelling, or a scab, or a bright spot. The outbreaks of leprosy looked different from one another, just as sin works in different ways. But each of them points to what is hateful to God. And Aaron or one of his sons must examine the man.

"A bright spot." We read in Hebrews 11:25 of "the fleeting pleasures of sin." Sin does have its pleasures, and often it looks very bright. We read in Hebrews 3:13 of "the deceitfulness of sin," and that is always true. Satan would turn our eyes away from the danger of sin, and would tell us how very profitable, how very bright it is.

Perhaps he was not willing to go to the priest. Perhaps he thought he could decide for himself about the rising, the scab or the bright spot. Perhaps he thought the small spot on his body would soon get better. But the Word of God stands sure: "He shall be brought to the priest." It does not even say that he himself shall go to the priest. It says, "He shall be brought to the priest."

There was this important provision: a man is not made the judge of his own sin. The law laid down that the Israelite must let another person examine his condition. That other person pictures a spiritual man, for that is what a priest means. A priest is really someone called to have the right of access to God. So his senses should be trained to tell good from evil by the standard of the sanctuary.

The priest was not to judge any case in haste, or decide it without care. He was not to form an opinion from mere hearsay. He had to see for himself, to use priestly discernment, to think calmly, and to hold strictly to the written word — the holy, faultless guide book. He needed all of this to form a sound judgement of each case.

Two things claimed the priest's careful attention. One was the purity of the assembly. The other was the grace that could not shut out any member, except on the clearest grounds. Holiness could not let anyone stay in who ought to be out. Grace, on the other hand, would not have anyone out who ought to be in. Things might seem small which were in fact serious, and things might look like leprosy which were not leprosy at all.

God Himself takes this disease into His own hand. He is the only One able to deal with it, and the only One with whom its cure was found… So if no natural remedy is given, or even hinted at, for this disease, we shall surely find the cure for the spiritual illness in the means God appointed for cleansing the leper.

Leviticus 13 is lengthy in contrast with chapter 12. That is easy to understand. Chapter 12 deals with the defilement that marks the very start of man's life. This chapter deals with how that defilement works and grows all through his life, and that takes a great deal of detail. There is no doubt that leprosy is as striking a picture of sin as the Bible gives. God gave the instructions of this chapter to Aaron as well as to Moses, because finding and treating leprosy was the priest's own work. Note that leprosy, as a picture, stresses not the guilt of sin so much as its corrupting and defiling power.

If both signs showed up — the hair in the sore turned white, and the sore deeper than the skin — then no question remained. It was leprosy, and the priest was to pronounce the patient unclean. The white hair speaks of spiritual strength decaying. The sore deeper than the skin shows that the sin is not just a light slip. Seeing this needs true spiritual perception, and it takes great care to keep any judgment under God's guidance. But when the case is clear, God's word is clear: the priest must pronounce the man unclean.

Friend, the plague is deeper than the skin. It is not only a surface trouble with you. No, the real trouble is far deeper. It is in our heart. The Priest pronounces the heart "deceitful above all things, and desperately sick." And He adds, "Who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart." He knows well that you do not know your own heart. Only the Lord knows how bad you really are.

Even in the picture it was a holy question, not a medical one. Leprosy was not so much an illness as a plague or a blow. The priest looked at the man under suspicion with detailed direction from the Lord. This was not a doctor making a diagnosis. The result was so serious for an Israelite that the priest owed the case the most careful attention… Sin works and shows itself. But rushing to pronounce on evil, even when it is out in the open and active, is as far from God as ignoring it. Both are the opposite of grace. The priest — the spiritual man who is at home in God's presence — judges by the written word.

Notice the care, the watchfulness, the perfect patience urged on the priest. He must not treat something as leprosy when it is not. He must not let real leprosy slip past him either. Many things might appear on the skin — the place where trouble shows — looking like a case of leprous disease, and patient examination by the priest would find them to be only skin-deep… And yet what seemed a surface mark might turn out to be something deeper than the skin, something below the surface, something affecting the man's whole body from within… Some slight neglect, some small oversight, might lead to disastrous results.

You can stick a needle into the part affected by leprosy, and the man does not feel it. In the same way, a man who keeps going on in sin no longer feels his conscience prick him, and does not know he is a sinner… The leper might reply, "But I feel in excellent health; I never felt better in my life." "I am sorry," the priest replies, "but it is my sad duty to pronounce you unclean." The man's feelings and opinions had nothing to do with the case; everything rested on the word of the priest. "When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean." That ended the matter. The man knew he was unclean because the priest said so, not because he felt unclean.

Spiritual decay (the "hair turned white") is always present when evil is active in a person. But it can also come from other causes. So it must not be the only ground for judging a case to be leprosy. But if this is found together with the energy of inward evil (a "spot deeper than the skin"), then it is a clear case. Spiritual discernment will tell the difference between surface signs — what is only casual and unintended — and signs of deep-seated evil.

But notice the care, the watchfulness, and the perfect patience required of the priest. He must not treat anything as leprosy that was not leprosy. He must not let anything escape that really was leprosy. Many things might appear "in the skin" — the place where things show — "like the plague of leprosy." Patient examination by the priest would show they were only on the surface… Some slight neglect, some small oversight, might lead to disastrous consequences. It might leave a confirmed leper in place and so defile the assembly. Or it might expel a genuine member of the Israel of God over a surface blemish.

If there was still room for doubt, he was to be shut up for a while — not shut out, but shut up. Israel must not be defiled by a possible leper, while on the other hand the man must not be treated as what he may not be. God's people must not act in the dark, but in the light.

You will not find the Priest impatient or cruel. You will find One who is filled with love and sympathy. He will look on those risings or swellings — that scab which marks some old trouble, maybe some old quarrel or bad feeling. He will look on those bright spots which you rather like, but which tell of something wrong within, perhaps some self-indulgence which you love. He will not look hurriedly. His eye will never make a mistake. If there is any question, He will shut up the one with these complaints for seven days — or even another seven days if need be.

Sometimes the evil is serious, yet not fully developed or made plain. Then those who care for the assembly may ask the person to hold back willingly, for the time being, from taking the Lord's Supper, where fellowship is expressed, until the matter is cleared up… This would be a sort of "shutting one up" as in Leviticus 13. This is not a grade of discipline. It is only a temporary measure while waiting for investigation or further examination… No person should be asked to refrain from breaking bread on a mere suspicion of evil.

But there is also provision against a gloomy judgment and despair, which Satan knows how to use for injury and ruin. It guards against that as well as against the more common danger of too light and self-sparing an examination. A man or a woman might have "bright spots, white bright spots" in the skin of their flesh. Here again the priest's discernment is required. If the spots were pale or dull in colour, this was not leprosy but a different rash that had broken out in the skin. The person was clean. It is holy, but neither hard nor careless or compromising. God is light, and God is love.

It is the most stubborn and loathsome of diseases. It is so slight in its beginnings, so sure in its grip and in its power to spread both within and around the unhappy person who has it, so terrible in its end. That is why it is used as the fitting picture of the corruption of sin. God Himself therefore takes it into His own hand, as indeed the only One competent to deal with it, and with whom alone its cure was found.

This explains why the same expressions keep coming back: "The priest shall look"; "And the priest shall look on him the seventh day"; "Then the priest shall shut him up seven days more"... The priest was not to judge any case in haste, or decide it rashly. He was not to form an opinion from mere hearsay. The priest had to have all of this to judge each case soundly: seeing for himself, the discernment of a priest, calm reflection, and strict obedience to the written word — the holy, infallible guide book.

And of these the priest was to be the interpreter — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. The priest could never leave the judgment to the man whose own case was in question. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it — an opinion about a matter in which he was too closely involved to be impartial.

Sometimes the unmistakable signs were missing, yet there was still real cause for concern — some visible spot, for God would not allow acting on mere suspicion. Then the priest was neither to dismiss the man free, nor shut him out of the camp, but to shut him up seven days. He was neither denied his place altogether, nor allowed to enjoy it. Indifference was impossible: tenderness and watchfulness each had their place. If the disease then seemed to be at a standstill, that was still not enough, for it was not yet recovery.

This does not picture someone being put out of fellowship. It pictures only the loss of certain privileges of practical fellowship for a time, until the matter is cleared up.

The priest had to make sure that no real leper stayed among the people of Israel. He had to be just as careful not to put out anyone who was not a leper. "Holiness could not allow anyone to stay in who ought to be out; and grace would not have anyone out who ought to be in."

There might be "the bright spot," but no deep purpose underneath, and no active evil in result. On the seventh day he looks again, and if there is no spreading in the skin but the sore has stopped, he shuts the man up seven days more. Then he looks, and if the sore is pale and dim, with no spread of it in the skin, the priest pronounces the man clean. It is only a scab; and he is to wash his clothes, and be clean.

There was no haste, and no indifference. God always enters the place of judgment with a slow and measured step. But once He enters, He must act according to the claims of His nature. He can patiently investigate. He can wait for "seven days." If the symptoms change even slightly, He can wait for "seven days more." But the moment the disease proves to be leprosy truly at work, there can be no toleration.

But notice the care, the watchfulness, the perfect patience urged on the priest. He must not treat anything as leprosy that was not leprosy. He must not let anything slip through that really was leprosy... Some slight neglect, some small oversight, might lead to disastrous consequences. A confirmed leper might stay and defile the assembly, or the priest might put out a genuine member of the Israel of God over a surface blemish.

You will not find the Priest impatient or cruel. You will find One who is filled with love and sympathy. He will look at those risings or swellings — that scab which marks some old trouble, maybe some old quarrel, or bad feeling; those bright spots that you quite like, but that tell of something wrong inside, perhaps some self-indulgence which you love. He will not look in a hurry. His eye will never make a mistake.

There might be "the bright spot," but no deep purpose underneath, and no active evil in result. In this case the priest shut the case up for seven days, though he could not dismiss it as clear, for there was plainly an appearance of evil; but as there was no more, he waits patiently. ... Then he looks, and if the mark is pale and dim, and has not spread in the skin, the man is pronounced clean. It is only a scab; and he is to wash his clothes, and be clean.

In verse 6 it is clear that if the sore suspected of being leprosy had not spread, but faded, the patient was pronounced clean... So for us today, if evil is at work, it will spread; if not, it will fade. How do we discern this? The surest sign that evil is not active is seen in an attitude of self-judgment. In a case like this, an attitude of self-defence almost always shows that the evil is spreading.

There is a difference between personal infirmity and the positive energy of evil — between mere defects and blemishes in the outward character, and the activity of sin in the members. No doubt it is important to watch against our infirmities; for if they are not watched, judged, and guarded against, they may become the source of positive evil.

The person was to be isolated for seven days. This would not speak of one being put out of fellowship, but only of his being deprived of certain privileges of practical fellowship for the time being, until the matter was cleared. If no change had taken place after seven days, then another seven days of probation were added.

The clothes tell us of what touches us — our associations, what we have to do with, what the world around sees as connected with us. Perhaps people have been used to seeing us in the gambling halls, or in other evil places. All these associations and ways must be "washed." How do we wash our ways and associations? We get that question answered for us in Psalm 119:9 — "How can a young man keep his way pure?" Here is God's own answer: "By guarding it according to your word."

The Lord asks for personal inspection by the priest, not a report. If there is proof that evil is at work now — and still more, that it is no passing outbreak but persistent, deliberate, deeply penetrating evil — then doubt is over. The priest must pronounce the man unclean... But if the scab spreads after he has shown himself to the priest for cleansing, he must show himself to the priest again. The priest sees the spreading, and the truth must be spoken, for the evil is at work. It is leprosy. It must not be hid.

Leprosy spreads. Even "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." Some may say it does not spread, because they cannot see its damage. But leaven works quietly and unnoticed, and it works surely. God's word assures us that leaven, even a little, leavens. So the priest watched to see whether the plague spread. If it did, that was sometimes enough evidence to decide the case.

Here we have the most characteristic type of sin under the sign of that foul and hopeless disease. Other diseases might wear its evil look, yet in fact be only suspicious symptoms. So the law made this important provision: a man is not the judge of his own sin. The Israelite had to submit his condition to another man's inspection. That other man pictures a spiritual man, for that is what a priest means... As such he must not be carried away by conventional opinions, traditional thoughts, or what men call public opinion. Such opinion is one of the most damaging things that corrupt the holy moral judgment of God's children.

But notice the care, the watchfulness, the perfect patience urged on the priest. He must not treat anything as leprosy that was not leprosy, and he must not let real leprosy escape... Some slight neglect, some small oversight, might lead to disastrous results. It might leave a confirmed leper inside the assembly and defile it. Or it might expel a genuine member of the Israel of God over some surface blemish.

It may take a little time to discern whether self-judgment is genuine. So verse 7 shows that self-judgment could appear to be there when it was not. If the same thing surfaced again, even after the priest had pronounced the man clean, the priest was to examine him again. If he found it had spread, he was to pronounce him unclean. If a believer falls into the same type of sin after forgiveness, this shows that he has not judged the root of the matter.

A brother in fellowship may fall and then sincerely acknowledge his fault as an evil. He may even be restored to his place. But he is always in danger of falling again if he has not judged the root of it. It is there that he got to a distance from God. Communion with God is not fully restored, and self and its will are not fully broken, until the Christian finds the point where his heart began to lose its spiritual sensitivity.

You will not find the Priest impatient or cruel. You will find One who is filled with love and sympathy. He will look on those risings or swellings. He will look at that scab which marks some old trouble — maybe an old quarrel or bad feeling. He will look at those bright spots which you rather like, but which tell of something wrong within, perhaps some self-indulgence which you love. He will not look hurriedly. His eye will never mistake.

Leprosy is the most stubborn and loathsome of diseases. It is so slight in its beginnings. It holds on so surely, and it spreads both inside and around the unhappy person who has it. Its end is so terrible. So it stands as the fitting picture of the corruption of sin. God Himself therefore takes it into His own hand. He is the only One able to deal with it, and the only One with whom its cure is found.

Leprosy spreads. Even "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." Some may say it does not spread, because they cannot see its damage. But leaven works quietly and unnoticed, and it works most surely. So the priest watched closely to see if the plague spread. If it did, that would sometimes be enough evidence to decide the case. This would be a true sign of leprosy, whether in a man, a garment, or a house… But when a person is pronounced to be a leprous man, he must be put outside the camp. Then his cry will be, "Unclean, unclean!"

A possible leper must not defile Israel. On the other hand, no one must treat the man as what he may not be. God's people must not act in the dark, but in the light. The great deciding point would now be whether or not the disease would spread or was stopped. If it did not spread, the priest was to tell him to wash his clothes, and he would be clean. There had been minor uncleanness, or there would have been no need of this pause in judgment. But if the disease spread even after this, the earlier decision had to be recalled: the man was unclean.

So for us today, if evil is at work, it will spread; if not, it will fade. How do we discern this? The surest sign that evil is not active is an attitude of self-judgment. In a case like this, self-defence almost always shows that the evil is spreading… If a believer falls into the same type of sin after being forgiven, this shows that he has not really judged the root of the matter.

There was no haste, and no indifference. God always enters the place of judgment with a slow and measured step. But when He does enter, He must act according to the claims of His nature. He can investigate with patience. He can wait for "seven days." Should there be the slightest change in the symptoms, He can wait for "seven days more." But the moment it proves to be the positive working of leprosy, there can be no toleration.

Here we have the most characteristic picture of sin under the sign of that foul and hopeless disease. Other illnesses might wear its evil appearance, but they were in fact only suspicious symptoms. So there was this important provision: a man is not made the judge of his own sin. The law laid down that the Israelite must show his condition to another man for inspection. That other man is a picture of a spiritual man, for that is what a priest means. He is really someone called to have the right of access to God. So he should train his senses to discern both good and evil by the standard of the sanctuary.

Leprosy is the most stubborn and loathsome of diseases. It is so slight in its beginnings, so sure in its grip and in its power to spread both within and around the unhappy person who has it, so awful in its end. So it is used as the fitting type of the corruption of sin. God Himself therefore takes it into His own hand. He is the only One able to deal with it, and He alone has its cure.

Perhaps he was not willing to go to the priest. Perhaps he thought he could decide for himself about the rising, the scab or the bright spot. Perhaps he thought the small spot on his body would soon get better. But the Word of God stands sure: "he shall be brought to the priest." It does not even say that he himself shall go to the priest. It says, "he shall be brought to the priest."

When something questionable appeared on a person's skin, he was to be brought to a priest to examine it, because he might not come on his own. The whole congregation could not examine him. One fit representative of the congregation was to do it.

There was this important provision: a man is not made the judge of his own sin. The law laid it down that the Israelite should submit his condition to the inspection of another. This other man is the type of a spiritual man, for that is what a priest means. He is one who is called to have the right of access to God. So he should have his senses exercised to discern both good and evil by the standard of the sanctuary.

The priest here speaks of spiritual discernment. That discernment is the fruit of nearness to God, and of the enjoyment of God's word in communion with Him. Now this makes the Scriptures the judge of what leprosy is... What a sad sight it is when a man deals with leprosy without fellowship with God, and without the ability that the word of God alone gives!

Here the proofs of leprosy came together and put the priest's sentence beyond doubt. There was a white swelling in the skin, the hair had turned white, and a trace of raw or living flesh was in the swelling. All of it pointed to the fatal evil in the man, and to evil at work. Waiting is needless in such circumstances... To shut him up would mislead: he is unclean, and the priest says so. To wait, when evil is plain, is trifling with God and man.

Nothing could be done for the healing of the leper; it was the work of God... When sin is hidden, and the leprosy is inside, the evil is greater. Showing and confessing sin leads to peace, and the heart is set at ease. This is the upright and honest heart... The priest could only find out the disease and perform the acts for purification. Leprosy shut its victim out of the camp; sin hinders fellowship with God and His people.

Yet, strange to say, the priest on looking at a sight so terrible was told to pronounce him clean, as indeed he was. Where sin abounded, grace over-exceeded. It is the denial of sin, and the claim of one's own righteousness, which cut off hope. Where there is no hiding, but the sin is out and the sins laid bare all over, God delights in saving.

Verses 9 to 11 speak of one who has a leprous sore, and the priest finds that the swelling is white, the hair is white and raw flesh appears in the sore. There is no question in this case: the person is pronounced unclean.

If a man had a white swelling in his skin with raw flesh under it, it was clearly leprosy, and the priest pronounced him unclean. It was something deeper than the skin. It was not just a sudden outburst of nature, but the deep-seated disease of leprosy. That disease shuts a person out of God's presence.

In this case the proofs of leprosy combined, and the priest's sentence was beyond doubt. Everything pointed to the fatal evil in the man, and to evil actually at work. Waiting is needless in such circumstances. It is too plainly a long-standing and energetic plague in the man. To shut him up would mislead: he is unclean, and the priest says so. To wait, when evil is obvious, is trifling with God and man.

Even in the picture it gives, it was a holy question, not a medical one. Leprosy was not so much an illness as a stroke or plague. The priest looked at the suspected man with detailed direction from Jehovah. It was not a doctor's diagnosis… The leper does not stand for a Christian. He stands for man in the flesh, Israel under the first covenant. Sin works and shows itself. But rushing to pronounce on evil when it is obvious or at work is as far from God as being indifferent to it. Both are the opposite of grace. The priest, the spiritual man who knows the presence of God, judges by the written word.

There can be no doubt that leprosy is as striking a type of sin as the Bible offers. The instructions of this chapter are given to Aaron as well as Moses, because detecting and handling leprosy was the priest's particular responsibility. Note that leprosy, as a type, puts the stress not so much on the guilt of sin as on its corrupting and defiling power.

But then notice the care, the watchfulness, the complete patience urged on the priest. He must not treat anything as leprosy that was not leprosy. And he must not let true leprosy slip past him. Many things might appear "in the skin" — the place where things show — "like the plague of leprosy." Under patient examination by the priest, they would turn out to be only on the surface… A slight neglect, a small oversight, might lead to disastrous results. It might let a confirmed leper stay and defile the assembly. Or it might shut out a genuine member of the Israel of God for a surface blemish.

Sin dwells within the believer. If one is not watchful and walking in self-judgment, it will show itself — in a sudden outburst of temper, in rash hasty speech, or in being caught in some fault… These sad showings of the flesh are not leprosy or wickedness, though leprosy or wickedness might grow out of them. But we must judge and watch such outbursts of our evil nature, in case they spread and become like a sore deeper than the skin.

In this first case, the combined proofs of leprosy put the priest's sentence beyond doubt. There was a white swelling in the skin, the hair had turned white, and a trace of raw or living flesh was in the swelling. All pointed to the fatal evil in the man, and an actual activity of evil. Waiting is needless in such circumstances. It is too plainly a deep-rooted and active plague in the man. To shut him up would mislead: he is unclean, and the priest pronounces so. To wait, when the evil is plain to see, is to trifle with God and man.

Leprosy signalled the working of the flesh. In the case of the man it might be an old sore breaking out afresh (Lev. 13:11), or a new one showing itself for the first time. But this was evil working inside the man, showing itself this way. While it kept working, the man was unclean.

If one had a white swelling in his skin and there was raw living flesh under it, it was clear that it was leprosy and the man was pronounced unclean. It was something deeper than the skin and not just a sudden outburst of nature, but the deep-seated disease of leprosy which shuts one out from God's presence.

This tells us of the man who is willing to go on in sin, even though he owns himself to be a sinner. He is all covered with leprosy, but there is raw flesh, sin, actively working in him. This is very remarkable. Many men in Scripture take the place of saying, "I have sinned." Yet not all of them receive cleansing… There was no hatred of the sin. There was no desire to turn from it and give it up. There was no true repentance. But the active evil was still working in their flesh.

But it must not be on mere suspicion that anyone is dealt with this way. The evil must be manifest, or acknowledged by the person, or established "in the mouth of two or three witnesses" (2 Cor. 13:1). If these are missing, then there must be waiting on God and asking Him to bring everything to light. But the suspected person could not go on as if all were well… Certain clear and unmistakable signs marked out the disease. When these appeared, the case called for the most immediate action: the leper was put out of the camp. So there are clear cases of wickedness that need only to be seen to be known for what they are. Then prompt putting away is the only thing to be done.

There should be no hesitation in declaring a person to be what the word of God says he is. No considerations of any kind, whether personal or social, should keep us from accepting the plain judgment of Scripture. We need always to remember that the judgment of a case is not ours. The word of God judges it for us… It is not our judgment that makes a leper unclean. We declare him to be unclean because the word of God tells us he is so.

Have you ever been brought to the Lord Jesus Christ, the great High Priest? Have you ever submitted your life to the gaze of His eyes, which are "as a flame of fire"? Revelation 1:14. There may be things in your life which you know are not quite right: what about them? Has the Priest "looked" at them?… Perhaps you say, "Oh, those things are of no consequence. It is only a rising, a swelling." But is it a swelling of pride? Is sin at the root of the trouble? The priest alone can decide this.

Here the leprosy has broken out widely in the skin. It has covered the man from his head to his foot, so that before the priest's eye it has spread over his whole outside, and all is turned white. Yet, strange to say, the priest looked at this dreadful sight and had to pronounce him clean — and clean he was. Where sin abounded, grace went far beyond it. It is the denial of sin, and the claim of one's own righteousness, that cut off hope. Where there is no hiding, but the sin is out and the sins laid bare all over, God delights in saving. So it was that the cross displayed all the wickedness of man, and God's love to the uttermost. See in the criminal crucified beside Jesus a living picture of this principle: he hid nothing of his sins, and that day he went to be in Paradise with the Saviour.

I believe the great truth taught here is this: where everything is ruined, and plainly admitted to be ruined, the grace of God can and loves to bless… In the picture it is not leprosy at work, for if raw flesh appeared the person was to be unclean. It is the miserable effect the disease has left behind — all turned white. In the reality, this is the man who knows it is all over with him. He stops trying to establish his own righteousness and submits to the righteousness of God.

Sin defiles as long as it works beneath the surface. But when honest, thorough confession brings it fully out into the open, it stops defiling. In confession the sinner has judged himself, and that breaks the spreading, defiling power of his sin.

There was no haste, and no indifference. God always enters the place of judgment with a slow and measured step. But when He does enter, He must act according to the claims of His nature… once He finds leprosy truly at work, He can tolerate it no longer. "His dwelling shall be outside the camp." How long? Until the disease comes fully to the surface… The very smallest speck of leprosy was intolerable to God. Yet when the whole man was covered, from head to foot, the priest pronounced him clean — that is, he was a fit subject for the grace of God and the blood of atonement.

The moment a sinner is in his true place before God, the whole question is settled. Once his real character is fully out in the open, there is no further difficulty. He may have to pass through much painful exercise before he reaches this point. The pain comes from his refusal to take his true place and to bring out "all the truth" about what he is. But the moment God brings him to say, from his heart, "just as I am," the free grace of God flows down to him.

Such a person was healed, though not yet cleansed. He was not brought under the benefit of the sacrifices, or restored to relationship with God inside the camp. In the picture, he is a sinner in the place of self-judgment before God. He is defiled by sin and knows it, but the activity of sin has stopped, because he is in the place of repentance… He is still a sinner, for though repentant, he is not yet under the benefit of the death and resurrection of Christ.

One spot with certain characteristics would decide the leprosy of the individual. One spot reveals an inward diseased condition, just as one sin comes from a sinful nature. How good God is in giving us such a vivid presentation of what sin is in His presence.

The very smallest speck of leprosy was intolerable to God. Yet when the whole man was covered, from head to foot, the priest pronounced him clean. That is, he was a proper subject for the grace of God and the blood of atonement.

In general, leprosy is sin acting in the flesh. So when the "raw flesh appears" (v. 14), it is a sign that sin is active, and the man was to be pronounced unclean. The flesh in this case has been at work, and the proof of its past activity is still there. But that activity has stopped. So, though a leper, he is to be counted as clean. Such a man was healed, though not yet cleansed. He was not brought under the benefit of the sacrifices, nor restored to relationship with God inside the camp. In type, it is a sinner in the place of self-judgment before God.

In the next chapter you find the various rites for cleansing the leper, to fit him for fellowship with God. The first thing, the foundation of everything, is the death and resurrection of Christ — for the leper outside the camp pictures the sinner.

When a sinner has got to his worst and felt it, he is forgiven. Instead of going about to set up his own righteousness, he submits to the righteousness of God and is justified by faith. When you see a man filled with a thorough sense of sin yet bowing to God, we may be sure of a blessing, and in full measure too. A man may try to excuse, cover, and correct himself instead of confessing his sins in all their seriousness. That only blocks his view of God's grace and keeps up uncertainty. Such striving only keeps empty hopes alive. It denies how far man's ruin goes, and shuts out the full delivering mercy of God.

It tells us of a poor sinner who has not one word of good to say about himself. We may see many lepers in the Bible who were all covered with leprosy, and all were cleansed. Look at Peter in Luke 5. He finds out for the first time that he is covered with leprosy. Hear him: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man" — that is, a man full of sin. If you have a cup full of water, you have no room for anything else in it. If you have a man full of sin, you have no room for any good in him.

According to Leviticus 13:13, this complete whiteness was exactly the condition for being pronounced clean again! So God's judgment struck Miriam, and yet right away a proof of His grace could be seen — grace that had her restoration in mind. She had to go outside the camp as an unclean person, and she had to cry out that she was unclean. But it was not forever. God wanted to receive her again after she had been shut out of the camp for seven days.

It is quite different when "raw flesh" appears in the man (v. 14). The evil is active then, and it points to a deep-seated source. Sin is still reigning within — a surer sign of ruin than anything on the surface. "He shall be unclean," says the word; and the priest, when he sees the living flesh, can only pronounce him unclean, for that is what it is: leprosy beyond mistake.

Leprosy was sin acting in the flesh. The spiritual man — the priest — discerns about it. If the raw flesh appears, he is unclean; the strength of the flesh is at work. If the man was white all over, it was only the effect, like sin fully confessed but no longer active; he was clean. The first step for the unclean man is to confess, with full spiritual discernment, under the judgment of God who has brought to light what was at work in his nature. He makes up his mind as one judged and found out. He has no part in the assembly of God, though in one sense he belongs to it. He is put outside the camp.

Here the leprosy has broken out in the skin and covered it all, from the man's head to his foot. Before the priest's eye it has spread over his whole outside, and all is turned white. Yet, strange to say, God told the priest, looking at a sight so dreadful, to pronounce him clean — as indeed he was. Where sin abounded, grace far exceeded it. It is the denial of sin, and the claim to one's own righteousness, that cut off hope. Where there is no hiding, but the sin is out and the sins laid bare all over, God delights in saving. So the cross displayed all the wickedness of man, and God's love to the uttermost.

This tells us of the man who is willing to go on in sin, even though he admits he is a sinner. He is all covered with leprosy, but there is raw flesh — sin — actively working in him. It is very remarkable that many men in Scripture take the place of saying, "I have sinned." Yet not all of them get cleansing. David, Nehemiah, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Micah, the prodigal son, and the thief on the cross all took the place of sinners and all received cleansing or blessing. But look at Pharaoh, Balaam, Achan, Saul, Shimei, and Judas: these all confess they have sinned, yet they perish. They all admit the leprosy, but the raw flesh is showing. There was no hatred of the sin, no desire to turn from it and give it up, no true repentance.

The leper shut out is not the helpless, ruined, guilty, convicted sinner whose guilt and misery have fully come out. Such a person is a fit subject for the love of God and the blood of Christ. No; in the excluded leper we see someone in whom sin is actually working — someone in whom there is the positive energy of evil. This is what defiles and shuts a person out from the enjoyment of the divine presence and the fellowship of the saints... It does not matter what kind or amount the evil is. Even the weight of a feather, even some foolish thought, must hinder fellowship as long as it keeps working.

This is encouraging enough for the man to "come" to the priest. The priest looks at him, sees the sore truly turned white, and pronounces him clean. The sore is no longer working with energy inside; it is turned white outside. The man comes himself, sure that he is clean, so that the priest may certify it according to God's will. Divine healing produces liberty of spirit.

So there was need of patient discernment, giving full attention to every sign present, and allowing time for new developments. The priest was to be the interpreter of these signs — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. The judgment could never be left to the man himself. His opinion was not asked for and could not be accepted; he was far too involved in the matter to judge it calmly.

Leprosy was sin acting in the flesh. The spiritual man — the priest — discerns as to it. If the raw flesh appears, he is unclean; the strength of the flesh is at work. If the man was white all over, it was only the effect, as sin entirely confessed but no longer active; he was clean. The first step is for him to confess — and to confess under full spiritual discernment, and under the judgment of God, who has brought to light what was at work in his nature. He makes up his mind as one who has been judged and found out.

These all confess they have sinned, yet they perish. These all admit the leprosy, but they have the raw flesh appearing. There was no hatred of the sin. There was no desire to turn from it and give it up. There was no true repentance. But the active evil was still working in their flesh.

Strange to say, when the priest looked at such a dreadful sight, God told him to pronounce the man clean — and clean he really was. Where sin abounded, grace over-exceeded. It is the denial of sin, and the claim to one's own righteousness, that cut off hope. Where there is no hiding, but the sin is out and every sin laid bare, God delights in saving. So the cross displayed all the wickedness of man, and God's love to the very end. See in the robber crucified beside Jesus a living example of this great principle: "We indeed justly" sentenced to a death of torture; yet the man who hid nothing of his sins went that day to be in Paradise with the Saviour, the Son of God.

Instead of working with energy inside, the sore has turned white outside. The man comes himself, knowing he is clean, so that it can be certified according to God's will. Divine healing produces liberty of spirit.

So recovery and restoration are still possible. The priest's discernment should be able to recognize a good change in the attitude of someone who has been in a bad condition before.

Now, in the eyes of God, the poor leper is clean and spotless. The priest has pronounced him clean, and that pronouncement comes with all the authority and certainty of God Himself.

In the first case named, the boil is healed; but in its place there may be a white swelling, or a reddish-white bright spot. This is too serious to pass over. The man must bring it to the priest. The boil was not proof of leprosy, but it may give leprosy, hidden until now, the occasion to show itself. That is reason enough to call for the priest's inspection: in God's eyes, indifference is as intolerable as meddling with what He has not authorised.

Sin lives inside the believer. If you are not watchful and judging yourself, it will show itself in a sudden outburst of temper, in rash hasty words, or in being caught out in some fault. This is like a swelling in the skin or a burning boil... These sad displays of the flesh are not leprosy or wickedness, though leprosy or wickedness might grow out of them. But we must judge and watch such outbursts of our evil nature, or they will spread and become like a sore deeper than the skin.

Next we see how leprosy may develop out of an abscess or out of a burn. An infirmity left unwatched may in this way become the occasion of the most serious defilement. But however it arises, the signs of leprosy are essentially the same, and the treatment of the leper is always the same.

The priest was to be the one who read these signs — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. In no case could the judgment rest with the man whose case it was. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it, for he was too closely involved to judge calmly.

Purely human considerations are out of the question. Even being an Israelite cannot block the action that is due; if anything, it calls for it. The word and will of Jehovah must rule in His appointed way. And the priest must obey God's directions as strictly as the Israelite. Does the trouble look deeper than the skin? Has the hair turned white? If so, the energy of evil is there and at work; and the priest shall pronounce the man unclean. It is the sore of leprosy broken out in the boil. On the other hand, if the priest finds no white hairs, and nothing but a surface mark, there is no instant clearance; the man waits seven days and is examined again. If it has spread much in the skin, the sore is plain, and the priest must not hesitate to say so; but if it has not spread and the bright spot stays as it was, it is only the scar of the boil, and the priest shall declare him clean.

There are real differences here, as the New Testament also teaches us. Someone "caught in any transgression" (Gal. 6:1) is not the serious case of a person who has settled into being an adulterer, greedy, an idolater, a reviler, a drunkard or a swindler (1 Cor. 5:11). In the first case, the man needs the restoring help of believers. In the second case he must be put out of the fellowship of saints, though with his eventual recovery in view.

We have next to consider how leprosy might show itself, and the care needed not to confuse other symptoms with that repulsive sore. Zeal for God is not to put out tenderness toward man: Jehovah Himself upholds and calls for both.

There can be no doubt that leprosy is as striking a picture of sin as the Bible offers. This chapter gives its instructions to Aaron as well as Moses. Detecting and treating leprosy was the priest's own responsibility. Note that leprosy, as a picture, puts the stress not so much on the guilt of sin as on its corrupting and defiling power.

A flare-up of temper or some other extreme excitement may pass, yet still leave its effects in evil ways and words. Quite a few people would judge harshly. But here the standard is the sanctuary of the Lord, and the judge is the one who is familiar with His presence. In the first case named, the boil is healed. But in its place there may be a white swelling, or a reddish-white spot. This is too serious to pass over. It must go to the priest. The boil was not to prove leprosy, but it may give occasion for leprosy, until now hidden, to show itself. And there is enough ground to call for the priest's inspection. In God's eyes, indifference is as intolerable as meddling that has no divine warrant.

There is a difference between personal weakness and the positive energy of evil. Mere defects and blemishes in the outward character are one thing; the activity of sin in the body is another... Take, for example, the matter of an irritable temper. I should judge it in myself; I should make allowance for it in another. Like the boil in an Israelite's case (vv. 19, 20), it may prove the source of real defilement — the ground of exclusion from the assembly. We must watch every form of weakness, in case it becomes an occasion of sin.

Other illnesses might wear the look of leprosy, but in fact be only suspicious symptoms. So there was this important provision: a man is not made the judge of his own sin. The law laid down that the Israelite should submit his condition to another man's inspection. That other man pictures a spiritual man, because that is what a priest means. He is one who is called to have the right of access to God. So he should have his senses trained to discern both good and evil by the standard of the sanctuary. He must not be carried away by conventional opinions, traditional thoughts, or what men call public opinion.

Merely human considerations are out of the question. Even being an Israelite cannot block the proper intervention — the opposite is true. The word and will of the Lord must rule in His appointed way. And the priest must submit to the divine directions as carefully as the Israelite. Does the trouble look deeper than the skin? Is the hair turned white? If so, the energy of evil lies there and is at work; and the priest shall pronounce the man unclean. It is the sore of leprosy broken out in the boil. On the other hand, the priest may find no white hairs, and nothing but a surface mark. Then there is no quick clearance, but a delay of seven days.

There are definitely things that differ, as the New Testament also teaches us. Anyone "caught in any transgression" (Gal. 6:1) is not the serious case of someone settled in a habit of sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, reviling, drunkenness or swindling (1 Cor. 5:11). In the first case, the person needs the restoring help of believers. In the second, he must be put away from the fellowship of saints, though with the aim of eventual recovery. Some cases are perfectly clear. Others are so difficult that they need special discernment. That is why the priest had time to be sure about the case.

In the first case the boil is healed, but in its place there may be a white swelling or a reddish-white bright spot. This is too serious to pass over. It must be brought to the priest. The boil did not prove leprosy, but it could give leprosy, hidden until now, the chance to show itself. And that is reason enough to call the priest to look: in God's eyes, indifference is as intolerable as meddling with what He has not authorised.

If two symptoms showed up — the hair in the sore turned white, and the sore deeper than the skin — then no question remained. It was leprosy, and the priest was to declare the person unclean. The white hair speaks of the decay of spiritual strength. The sore deeper than the skin shows that the sin is not just a small lapse... But when the case is clear, then God's word is clear: the person must be pronounced unclean.

First, the hair turned white is the sign of strength leaving... Freshness and vigour are gone. There may seem to be as much activity as before, but it takes more effort. There may even be more life on the outside, while inside it is weakened and fading.

Then the spot looks "deeper than the skin." This needs much closer attention than the white hair... It is simple enough to say that it means what is not on the surface. But how do we know that in the case of the sin we have to judge? No doubt this is designed to put us to work and to make us feel our need of God... "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." (James 1:5)

So there was this important provision: a man is not made the judge of his own sin. The law required the Israelite to bring his condition to someone else for inspection, and that someone else pictures a spiritual man, because that is what a priest means. He is one who has the right of access to God. So he should have his senses trained to tell good from evil by the standard of the sanctuary. He must not be swept along by conventional opinions, or by traditional thoughts, or by what people call public opinion.

There is a difference between personal weakness and the active energy of evil — between simple faults and blemishes in the outward character, and sin at work in us... Take an irritable temper as an example. I should judge it in myself; I should make allowance for it in another. Like "the burning boil" in the case of an Israelite, it may become the source of real defilement — the ground for being shut out of the assembly. Every form of weakness must be watched, in case it becomes an occasion of sin.

There are real differences here, as the New Testament also teaches us. "Anyone caught in any transgression" (Gal. 6:1) is not the same as the serious case of someone who has made a habit of being sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a reviler, a drunkard or a swindler (1 Cor. 5:11). In the first case the person needs other believers to restore him. In the second case he must be put out from the fellowship of the saints — though the goal is his recovery in the end.

Does the trouble look like it sits deeper than the skin? Has the hair turned white? If so, the energy of evil is inside it and at work, and the priest shall pronounce the man unclean. It is the sore of leprosy broken out in the boil. On the other hand, the priest may find no white hairs and nothing but a surface mark. Then there is no instant clearance. The man is held for seven days, and the priest examines him again. Suppose the priest sees no sign of activity, and no evil rooted under the skin, but instead a fading away. Then he may wait and hope. It may be only a passing evil and not a lasting habit.

Here the standard is the sanctuary of the LORD, and the judge is the one who is familiar with His presence. In the first case the boil has healed. But in its place there may be a white swelling, or a bright reddish-white spot. This is too serious to pass over. It must go to the priest. The boil itself was no proof of leprosy. But it may give hidden leprosy the occasion to show itself. That is ground enough to call for the priest's inspection. To God, indifference is as intolerable as meddling that He has not authorised.

Sin dwells within the believer. It will show itself if one is not watchful and walking in self-judgment. It comes out in a sudden outburst of temper, in rash hasty speech, or in being caught in some fault. This is like a rising in one's skin or like a burning boil... These sad displays of our evil nature are not leprosy or wickedness. Yet leprosy or wickedness might grow out of them. So we must judge and watch such outbursts, in case they spread and become like a sore deeper than the skin.

No one must be dealt with on mere suspicion... Certain clear and unmistakable signs marked out the disease. When these were present, the most immediate action was demanded: the leper was put out of the camp. So there are clear cases of wickedness. Anyone can see them for what they are, and prompt putting away is the only thing to do. But some symptoms looked like leprosy — a boil, a burn, baldness — and were still too unclear to treat as leprosy. To put such a suspected person out of the camp would be plain injustice. To leave him at large would be just as unsafe. He was shut up seven days, until the disease should show itself.

The priest had to make sure that no real leper stayed in the congregation of Israel. He had to be just as careful that no one was put out of the congregation who was not a leper. "Holiness could not permit anyone to remain in who ought to be out; and on the other hand, grace would not have anyone out who ought to be in."... Note how God commanded that the suspected one should not be treated in a hasty manner.

So for us today, if evil is at work, it will spread; if not, it will fade. How do we discern this? The surest sign that evil is not active is an attitude of self-judgment. In a case like this, an attitude of self-defence almost always shows that the evil is spreading.

Chapter 12 deals with the defilement that marks the very start of a person's life. Chapter 13 deals with that same defilement at work and growing all through his life, which takes so much detail. There can be no doubt that leprosy is as striking a picture of sin as the Bible gives. This chapter's instructions go to Aaron as well as Moses, because spotting and treating leprosy was the priest's own special work. Note that leprosy, as a picture, stresses not the guilt of sin so much as its corrupting and defiling power.

There is a difference between personal weakness and evil that is active — between mere faults and flaws in the outward character, and sin at work in us. Of course we must watch against our weaknesses. If we do not watch them, judge them and guard against them, they may become the source of real evil… Take an irritable temper as an example. I should judge it in myself; I should make allowance for it in another. Like "the burning boil" in an Israelite, it may become the source of real defilement — the ground for shutting a person out of the assembly. We must watch every form of weakness, or it becomes an occasion of sin.

So for us today, if evil is at work, it will spread: if not, it will fade. How do we tell? The surest sign that evil is not active is self-judgment. Here, self-defence almost always shows that the evil is spreading… If a believer falls into the same kind of sin after being forgiven, this shows that the root of the matter was never really judged.

Leprosy spreads. Even "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." Some may say that because they cannot see the damage, it does not spread. But leaven works quietly and unnoticed, and it never fails to work… So the priest kept close watch to see if the disease spread. If it did, that was sometimes enough evidence to decide the case.

But notice the care, the watchfulness, the complete patience required of the priest. He was not to treat anything as leprosy that was not leprosy, and he was not to let real leprosy slip past… One small neglect, one slight oversight, could lead to disaster. It could defile the assembly by leaving a confirmed leper inside it, or drive out a true member of God's people over a surface blemish.

Merely human considerations do not come into it. Even being an Israelite cannot stop the proper action; if anything, it makes action more necessary. The word and will of Jehovah must rule in His appointed way… Does the trouble look deeper than the skin? Has the hair turned white? If so, the energy of evil is there and at work, and the priest shall pronounce the man unclean. It is the sore of leprosy broken out in the boil. On the other hand, if the priest finds no white hairs and nothing but a surface mark, he does not clear the man at once. He waits seven days and examines him again. Then if it has spread much in the skin, the sore is plain, and the priest must not hesitate to say so; but if there is no spread, and the bright spot stays just as before, it is only the scar of the boil, and the priest shall declare him clean.

There really are things that differ, as the New Testament also teaches us. Someone "caught in any transgression" (Galatians 6:1) is not the serious case of a person who has made a habit of adultery, greed, idolatry, abusive speech, drunkenness or cheating others (1 Corinthians 5:11). The first man needs believers to restore him. The second must be put out of the fellowship of the saints, though the aim is still his recovery.

Does the trouble look deeper than the skin? Is the hair turned white? If so, the energy of evil is there and at work, and the priest shall pronounce the man unclean. But if the priest's inspection finds no white hairs, and nothing but a surface appearance, he does not clear the man on the spot. Instead the man waits seven days, and then the priest examines him again. Then if it has spread much in the skin, the sore is plain, and the priest must not hesitate to say so. But suppose there is no spread, and the bright spot stays just as it was. Then it is only the scar of the boil, and the priest shall declare him clean.

So for us today, if evil is at work, it will spread; if not, it will fade. How do we discern this? The surest sign that evil is not active is an attitude of self-judgment. In a case like this, an attitude of self-defense almost always shows that the evil is spreading. It may take a little time to be able to discern whether there is genuine self-judgment.

There is a difference between personal infirmity and the positive energy of evil. The one is mere defects and blemishes in the outward character; the other is the activity of sin in the members... We must not make any allowance for personal infirmity in ourselves. But we should make ample allowance for it in others. Take, for example, the matter of an irritable temper. I should judge it in myself; I should make allowance for it in another. It may, like "the burning boil" in the case of an Israelite, prove the source of real defilement.

In the case named first, the boil is healed. But in its place there may be a white swelling, or a bright spot that is reddish-white. This is too serious to pass over. It must be brought to the priest. The boil was not there to prove leprosy, but it may give hidden leprosy the occasion to show itself. There is enough ground to call for the priest's inspection. In God's eyes, indifference is as intolerable as meddling that He has not authorized.

But the priest was not to take this solemn step on suspicion, however strong the grounds for it might be. The case must first be made clear... This principle runs right through Scripture: do not act until enough unquestionable evidence has come to light. On another matter we read: "then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain" (Deuteronomy 13:14)... Nothing can excuse haste in acting before the evil is most certainly made clear.

Two things claimed the priest's careful attention. One was the purity of the assembly. The other was the grace that would not exclude any member except on the most clearly established grounds. Holiness could not let anyone stay in who ought to be out. Grace, on the other hand, would not have anyone out who ought to be in. So the priest had the most urgent need of watchfulness, calmness, wisdom, patience, tenderness, and wide experience.

There was need of patient discernment. The priest had to give full attention to every sign present, and to allow time for new ones to appear. He was the interpreter of these signs — for us the spiritual man, who can draw near to God and has the mind of God. The judgment could never be left to the man whose case it was. His opinion was not sought and could not be accepted. He was too closely involved to be impartial.

We are next shown how leprosy may develop out of an abscess or out of a burn. An infirmity left unwatched may become an occasion of the most serious defilement. But however it may arise, the signs of leprosy are the same in substance, and the treatment of the leper is always the same.

The next case is not that of an ulcer said to be healed. There is a burning inflammation. The raw flesh that burns has a bright spot, white-reddish or white, since symptoms may differ a little. Here again the inflammation is no more leprosy than the boil or ulcer; the suspicion of worse is in the bright spot. Here too the priest must look, as the LORD commanded. Is something at work turning the hair white? Does it seem deeper than the skin? These signs tell the fatal tale. If so, leprosy has broken out in the inflammation.

Sin dwells within the believer. If one is not watchful and walking in self-judgment, it will show itself in a sudden outburst of temper, in rash hasty speech, or in being overtaken in some fault. This is like a rising in one's skin or like a burning boil. … These sad displays of the flesh are not leprosy or wickedness, though leprosy or wickedness might develop out of them. But we must judge and watch such outbursts of our evil nature, in case they spread and become like a sore deeper than the skin.

This called for patient discernment. The priest had to weigh every sign already there, and to give time for new signs to appear. He was the interpreter of these signs — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. In no case could the judgment rest with the man in question. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it. He was too closely involved in the matter to be impartial.

The priest had to watch that no real leper stayed in the congregation of Israel. He had to be just as careful not to put out anyone who was not a leper. "Holiness could not permit anyone to remain in who ought to be out; and on the other hand, grace would not have anyone out who ought to be in." … And notice: God commanded that no one should rush the case of the man under suspicion.

You will not find the Priest impatient or cruel. You will find One who is filled with love and sympathy. He will look at those risings or swellings — that scab which marks some old trouble, perhaps an old quarrel, or bad feeling. He will look at those bright spots which you quite like, but which tell of something wrong inside, perhaps some self-indulgence which you love. He will not look in a hurry. His eye will never mistake. If there is any question, He will keep the one with these complaints shut away for seven days — or even for another seven days if need be.

There is a burning inflammation, and the raw flesh that burns has a bright spot, white-reddish or white, for symptoms may differ a little. Here again the inflammation is no more leprosy than the boil or ulcer; the suspicion of worse is in the bright spot. Here too the priest must look on according to the command of the Lord. Is there an active energy at work turning the hair white? Does it seem deeper than the skin? These indications tell the fatal tale. If so, it is a leprosy that has broken out in the inflammation. The priest cannot rightly shirk his painful but binding duty. Generosity in such a case is entirely misplaced, and a giving way to the devil. It is the sore of leprosy, and the man must be pronounced unclean.

Leprosy is the most stubborn and loathsome of diseases. It is so slight in its beginnings. Yet it holds on surely, and it spreads both within and around the unhappy person who has it. Its end is terrible. That is why it stands as the fitting type of the corruption of sin. So God Himself takes it into His own hand. He is the only One able to deal with it, and the cure lies with Him alone.

Sin dwells within the believer. If one is not watchful and walking in self-judgment, it will show itself in a sudden outburst of temper, in rash hasty speech, or in being overtaken in some fault... These sad displays of the flesh are not leprosy or wickedness, though leprosy or wickedness might develop out of them. But we need to judge and watch such outbursts of our evil nature, in case they spread and become like a sore deeper than the skin.

First, the hair turned white is the sign of departing strength. Decay of spiritual strength shows itself very plainly in such cases. Freshness and vigour are gone. There may seem to be as much activity as before, but it takes more effort. There may even be more outward life, while inside it is weakened and fading.

Not everything that looked like leprosy really was leprosy. And something that did not look like it might turn out to be it in the end. So there was need of patient discernment: full attention to all the signs already there, and room for new developments. And of these the priest was to be the interpreter — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. In no case did the judgment belong to the man in question. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it, because he was too involved in the matter to be fair.

We are next shown how leprosy may develop out of an abscess or out of a burn. An infirmity left unwatched may become the occasion of the most serious defilement. But however it starts, the signs of leprosy are much the same, and the treatment of the leper is always the same... He was to dwell alone, outside the camp. Separated from the assembly, and in his true place, he might still hope in God. Help and healing in so great a trouble could come from Him alone.

The next case is not that of an ulcer said to be healed. There is a burning inflammation, and the raw flesh that burns has a bright spot, white-reddish or white, for symptoms may differ a little. Here again the inflammation is no more leprosy than the boil or ulcer. The suspicion of something worse lies in the bright spot… But suppose the priest looks and sees no sign of activity, and nothing evil seated under the surface, but rather a fading away. Then he may wait and hope that this is only a passing evil, and not something settled and lasting.

We are next shown how leprosy may develop out of an abscess or out of a burn. An infirmity unwatched may thus become an occasion of the most serious defilement.

There is a difference between personal weakness and the active energy of evil — between mere defects and blemishes in the outward character, and the working of sin in us. Of course, it is important to watch against our weaknesses. If we do not watch them, judge them, and guard against them, they may become the source of actual evil. (See vv. 14–28)… Take, for example, the matter of an irritable temper. I should judge it in myself; I should make allowance for it in another.

First, the hair turned white is the sign of strength departing. In such cases the decay of spiritual strength is easy to see. Freshness and vigour are gone. There may seem to be as much activity as before, but it takes more effort. There may even be more outward life, while inside the person is weakened and fading.

The person was to be isolated for seven days. This does not speak of someone being put out of fellowship. It speaks only of his losing certain privileges of practical fellowship for the time being, until the matter was cleared up. If no change had taken place after seven days, then another seven days of probation were added. In that time, if the sore had faded and had not spread, the priest was to pronounce the person clean, and he needed only to wash his clothes.

Two things called for the priest's watchful care. One was the purity of the assembly. The other was grace, which could not allow any member to be shut out except on the clearest grounds. Holiness could not let anyone stay in who ought to be out. Grace would not have anyone out who ought to be in… A judgement formed in haste, a conclusion reached too quickly, might bring the most serious consequences, either for the assembly or for one of its members.

The priest was to be the interpreter — for us the spiritual person, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. The judgement could never be left to the man under question. No one asked for his opinion, and no one could accept it, because he was too closely involved to judge calmly.

You will not find the Priest impatient or cruel. You will find One who is filled with love and sympathy… He will not look in a hurry. His eye will never make a mistake. If there is any question, He will shut up the one with these complaints for seven days — or even for another seven days if need be.

There is a burning inflammation, and the raw flesh that burns has a bright spot, white-reddish or white, for symptoms may differ a little. Here again the inflammation is no more leprosy than the boil or ulcer; the suspicion of worse is in the bright spot… But suppose the priest looks and sees no sign of activity, and no evil seated under the surface, but a fading away instead. Then he may wait and hope that it is only a passing evil and not a settled habit… But if it has not spread, and the bright spot remains in its place, the priest must pronounce him clean.

We are next shown how leprosy may develop out of an abscess or out of a burn. A weakness left unwatched can become an occasion of the most serious defilement.

Sin dwells within the believer. If one is not watchful and walking in self-judgment, it will show itself in a sudden outburst of temper, in rash hasty speech, or in being caught out in some fault… These sad displays of our sinful nature are not leprosy or wickedness, though leprosy or wickedness might grow out of them. But we must judge and watch such outbursts of our evil nature, or they may spread and become like a sore deeper than the skin.

So for us today, if evil is at work, it will spread: if not, it will fade. How do we discern this? The surest sign that evil is not active is an attitude of self-judgment. In a case like this, an attitude of self-defense almost always shows that the evil is spreading.

An outburst of temper or other extreme excitement, once it has passed, may leave its effects in evil ways and words. Quite a few people would be inclined to judge harshly. But here the standard is the sanctuary of Jehovah, and the judge is the man who is at home in His presence… And there is enough ground to call for the priest's inspection. In God's eyes, indifference is as intolerable as meddling that has no authority from God.

The priest was to be the interpreter of these signs — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. The judgment could never be left to the man whose own case was in question. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it: he was too closely involved to be impartial.

If the signs were not clear, and there was still room for doubt, he was to be shut up for a while — not shut out, but shut up. A possible leper must not defile Israel, and on the other hand no one must treat the man as what he may not be. God's people must not act in the dark, but in the light.

A scaly sore in the head or beard would need careful inspection to tell it apart from leprosy (vv. 29-34). The display of our attractiveness might hide it from view. In the same way, some people have attractive features and behaviour, likeable and winning ways. These sometimes hide completely the leaven they carry with them. It is good to be aware of this. We must never forget that leaven can hide itself under the most pleasing exterior.

Verses 29 to 37 take up suspected leprosy in the head or beard. The priest had to examine it in the same way. If he confirmed leprosy, the patient was unclean; if not, he declared him clean. Leprosy in the head would speak of the mind wrongly affected by doctrine that twists the truth. If a man is only mistaken, that can be put right. But if he holds on to a gravely false doctrine, and others work with him to correct him, and he is determined not to change, that makes him unfit for the fellowship of believers.

Here the suspected evil attacked what partly marks out a woman, and what wholly marks out a man. The priest had to look and judge. Was it in appearance deeper than the skin? Still more, was there yellow hair in it? If so, a destructive energy was at work, against the body's normal state. Black hair was a sign of health. Yellow, thin hair showed the terrible disease at work, and the priest had only to pronounce him unclean. This was not just a scaly sore but leprosy of the head or of the beard.

The priest was to be the interpreter of these signs — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. The judgment could never be left to the man in question. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it. He was too closely involved in the matter to be impartial.

Still, suspicion was not to be acted on. There had to be positive proof before anyone could call it leprosy. And there were signs which, though patience might be needed, would not deceive.

Everything here plainly marks the holiness Jehovah demanded in His people. And this did not rest on a man's estimate of his own state, nor on the casual opinion of a fellow Israelite. What was offensive in His eyes and unfit for any part in His congregation had to be brought to the man who was at home in His sanctuary. He was bound to judge by His word, according to that standard; for there Jehovah dwelt. The same principle applies still, and more fully since Christ came and accomplished redemption. He too is the ever accessible and watchful priest who cannot fail to discern and act to God's glory.

The priest had to look and judge. Did it look deeper than the skin? Even more telling, was there yellow hair in it? If so, some destructive energy was at work, against the body's normal condition. Black hair was a sign of health, so yellow thin hair showed the disease was active, and the priest had only to declare the person unclean. It was not only a scall but leprosy of the head or the beard. But if the priest looked and saw the sore was only on the surface, even with no black hair in it, there was hope.

Here, in that foul and hopeless disease, we have the most typical picture of sin. Other illnesses might wear its evil look, but in fact they showed only suspicious symptoms. So the law made this important provision: a man is not the judge of his own sin. The Israelite had to bring his condition to someone else for inspection, and that someone pictures a spiritual man, for that is what a priest means. He is really a person with the right of access to God, and so he should have his senses trained to tell good from evil by the standard of the sanctuary. As such he must not be carried away by conventional opinions, or traditional thoughts, or what people call public opinion — one of the most harmful things that corrupt holy moral judgment in the children of God.

The hair shields the animal from the rain, and protects it from extremes of cold and heat. So it stands for separation. So the Nazarite let his hair grow long as a sign of his separation from everything that would defile (Num. 6:5). If defilement came in, he had to shave off his hair as a sign that he had lost his separation. One of the signs of leprosy was the hair turning its colour, or sometimes its falling out was the forerunner of this disease (Lev. 13:30, 42). When the strength of separation was not kept up, defilement and sin followed.

"A scall" in the head, or beard, would need careful inspection to tell it apart from leprosy. (vv. 29-34.) Our own good looks might hide it from view. In the same way, the attractive face and manner of some people, their pleasant and winning ways, can at times hide the leaven they carry with them. It is good to be aware of this. We must never forget that leaven can hide under the most attractive exterior.

Leprosy in the head would speak of the mind being twisted by doctrine that perverts the truth. If someone is simply mistaken, that can be put right. But suppose a person holds firmly to a gravely false teaching, and others work with him to correct him, and he is determined not to change. Then he becomes unfit for the fellowship of believers.

There can be no doubt that leprosy is as striking a picture of sin as the Bible gives. God gives the instructions of this chapter to Aaron as well as Moses, because finding and treating leprosy was the priest's own work. Note that leprosy, as a picture, lays stress not on the guilt of sin so much as on its corrupting and defiling power.

"A scall" in the head, or beard, would need careful inspection to tell it apart from leprosy (vv. 29-34). The display of our attractiveness might hide it from view. In the same way, some people have pleasant, attractive features and behaviour. Their likeable and winning ways at times completely hide the leaven they carry with them. It is well to be aware of this. We must never forget that leaven may hide itself under the most attractive exterior.

Was it in appearance deeper than the skin? Still more, was there yellow hair in it? If so, an energy of mischief was at work, contrary to the body in its normal state. The presence of black hair was a sign of health. Yellow thin hair showed the terrible disease in an active form, and the priest had only to pronounce him unclean. It was not only a scall but leprosy of the head or of the beard. If, however, the priest on looking saw the sore to be on the surface, though no black hair was in it, there was hope.

If there was still room for doubt, he was to be shut up for a while — not shut out, but shut up. Israel must not be defiled by a possible leper, while on the other hand the man must not be treated as what he may not be. God's people must not act in the dark, but in the light. The great decisive point would now be whether the disease would spread or was stopped.

On the one hand the priest had to watch that no real leper stayed in the congregation of Israel. On the other hand he had to take just as much care not to put out anyone who was not a leper. "Holiness could not permit anyone to remain in who ought to be out; and on the other hand, grace would not have anyone out who ought to be in."

This is why the same expressions keep coming back: "The priest shall look"; "The priest shall shut up the person who has the disease for seven days"; "And the priest shall look on him the seventh day"; "Then the priest shall shut him up seven days more." … The priest was not to judge any case hastily, or decide it rashly. He was not to form an opinion from mere hearsay. Personal observation, priestly discernment, calm reflection, strict adherence to the written word — the holy, infallible guide book. The priest needed all of these to form a sound judgement of each case.

Leprosy in the head would speak of doctrine that twists the truth and warps the mind. If someone is simply mistaken, that can be put right. But suppose a person holds firmly to a seriously false doctrine. Others work hard to correct him, and still he refuses to change. He is then unfit for the fellowship of believers.

This solemn action was not to be based on suspicion, however strong the grounds for it might be. The case must first be clearly shown. If there were the least question about it, the priest was to shut the man up for seven days. Then he was to look at him again on the seventh day. If he was not satisfied then, he might shut him up for seven days more, and look at him again on the seventh day. By then he could expect the case to be clear enough to pronounce him clean or unclean. This principle runs all through Scripture: do not act before enough unquestionable evidence has come to light. On another matter we read: "then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain..." (Deut. 13:14.)

Was it deeper than the skin in appearance? Still more, was there yellow hair in it? If so, there was an energy of mischief at work, contrary to the normal constitution. Black hair was a sign of health. But yellow thin hair showed the fierce disease in an active form, and the priest had only to pronounce him unclean. It was not only a scall but leprosy of the head or of the beard. If, however, the priest on looking saw the sore to be on the surface, though no black hair was in it, there was hope. But the man was to be shut up for a full term of waiting. If on the seventh day there was no spreading, no yellow hair, and the sore was only skin deep, he must shave himself (not the sore), and be shut up again in the same way.

If there was still room for doubt, he was to be shut up for a while — not shut out, but shut up. Israel must not be defiled by a possible leper, while on the other hand the man must not be treated as what he may not be. God's people must not act in the dark, but in the light. The great decisive point now was whether the disease spread or stopped.

From verse 29 to 37 the matter of suspected leprosy in the head or beard is considered. The priest had to examine these cases in the same way. If leprosy was confirmed, the patient was unclean. If not, the priest pronounced him clean. Leprosy in the head would speak of the intellect being wrongly affected by doctrine that is a perversion of the truth. If someone is simply mistaken, that can be corrected. But suppose he holds a seriously false doctrine. If others work with him to correct him and he is determined not to change, then he becomes unfit for the fellowship of believers.

You will not find the Priest impatient or cruel. You will find One who is filled with love and sympathy... He will not look hurriedly. His eye will never mistake. If there is any question, He will shut up the one with these complaints for seven days — or even for another seven days if need be.

Everything here plainly marks the holiness Jehovah demanded in His people. And this did not rest on a man's estimate of his own state, nor on the casual opinion of a fellow Israelite. Whatever was offensive in His eyes and unfit for any part in His congregation had to be brought before the one who was used to His sanctuary. He was bound to judge by His word, according to that standard; for there Jehovah dwelt. The same principle applies still, and more fully since Christ came and accomplished redemption. He too is the ever accessible and watchful priest who cannot fail to discern and act to God's glory.

Black hair was a sign of health, while thin yellow hair showed the disease was active, and then the priest had only to declare the man unclean. But if the priest looked and saw the sore was only on the surface, even though no black hair was in it, there was hope. He had to be shut away for a full term of waiting. Then, if on the seventh day the priest inspected him and found no spreading, no yellow hair, and the sore only skin deep, he had to shave himself — but not the sore — and be shut away again in the same way.

An "itch" in the head or beard would need careful inspection to tell it apart from leprosy. (vv. 29-34.) The good looks we put on display might hide it from view. So the attractive features and behaviour of some people, their pleasant and winning ways, at times completely hide the leaven they carry with them. It is well to be aware of this. We must never forget that leaven may hide itself under the most attractive exterior.

Hair is something on the surface, but its roots go deep within. So the leper's hair becomes a symbol of the actions that spring from that corrupt nature inside. Shaving the hair pictures cutting off those actions, by applying the sharp razor of self-judgment to oneself.

If the unmistakable signs were missing, but there was still real cause for concern — some visible spot, for God would not allow acting on mere suspicion — then the man was neither let go free nor shut out of the camp. He was shut away for seven days. He was not denied his place altogether, and he was not allowed to enjoy it. There could be no indifference: tenderness and watchfulness each had their place.

The priest was not to judge any case in haste, or decide it rashly. He was not to form an opinion from mere hearsay. Seeing for himself, discernment as a priest, calm reflection, strict adherence to the written word — the holy guide book that is never wrong — the priest needed every one of these if he was to form a sound judgement of each case.

The priest was to be the one who read the signs — for us, the spiritual person, able to draw near to God and having the mind of God. The judgment could never be left to the man whose case it was. His opinion was not asked for, and it could not be accepted, since he was too closely involved to be impartial.

So for us today, if evil is at work, it will spread; if not, it will fade. How do we tell? The surest sign that evil is not active is an attitude of self-judgment. In a case like this, an attitude of self-defence almost always shows that the evil is spreading. It may take a little time to tell whether the self-judgment is genuine: there can seem to be self-judgment when it is not really there.

The priest had to look and judge. Did it appear deeper than the skin? More than that, was there yellow hair in it? If so, a destructive force was at work, against the body in its normal state... But if the priest looked and saw that the sore was only on the surface, even though no black hair was in it, there was hope. Even so, the man was shut away for a full term of waiting. If on the seventh day the priest inspected him and found no spreading, no yellow hair, and the sore only skin deep, the man had to shave himself (not the sore), and be shut away again in the same way. If the priest then looked after this fresh time apart and found the sore had neither spread nor gone deeper, the man had the right to be pronounced clean, and he was then told to wash his clothes and be clean.

This serious step was never to be taken on suspicion, however strong the grounds might be. The case had to be made plain first. If there was the least question about it, the priest shut the man away for seven days and looked at him again on the seventh day. If he was still not satisfied, he could shut him away for seven more days and look at him again on the seventh day. By then he could expect the case to be clear enough to pronounce the man clean or unclean... Careful investigation is good, and so is prayer to God to bring the truth to light. But nothing can excuse haste in acting before the evil has been made certain.

An itch on the head or chin needed careful inspection to tell it apart from leprosy. (vv. 29-34.) The way we display our good looks might hide it from view. In the same way the pleasant looks and behaviour of some people, their friendly and winning manner, can at times completely hide the leaven they carry with them. It is good to be aware of this. We must never forget that leaven can hide itself under the most attractive exterior.

Leprosy in the head would picture the mind being wrongly affected by teaching that twists the truth. If a person is simply mistaken, that can be put right. But suppose someone holds to a seriously false doctrine. Others work with him to try to correct him, and he is still determined not to change. Then he is unfit for the fellowship of believers.

Plainly, everything here marks the holiness the LORD demanded in His people. It was not left to a man's own estimate of his state, nor to the casual opinion of a fellow Israelite. Whatever was offensive in His eyes and had no place in His congregation had to be brought to the man who served in His sanctuary and was bound to judge by His word, by that standard; for that is where the LORD lived among them. The same principle applies still, and more fully since Christ came and accomplished redemption. He too is the priest who is always available and always watchful, who cannot fail to discern and act for God's glory.

Notice that the cleansed man washes his clothes. What is that? He changes his ways altogether, and gets rid of the thing that was the hindrance. In practice, he is washed by the Word.

"A scall" in the head or beard would need careful inspection to tell it apart from leprosy (vv. 29-34). The display of our attractiveness might hide it from view. The same is true of people. Their attractive features and behaviour, their likeable and winning ways, sometimes do hide the leaven they carry with them. It is well to be aware of this. We must never forget that leaven may hide itself under the most attractive exterior.

Leprosy in the head would speak of the mind being corrupted by teaching that perverts the truth. If someone is only mistaken, that can be corrected. But suppose a person is committed to a seriously false doctrine. Others work with him to correct him, and still he refuses to change. Then he is unfit for the fellowship of believers.

If there was still room for doubt, he was to be shut up for a while — not shut out, but shut up. Israel must not be defiled by a possible leper, while on the other hand the man must not be treated as what he may not be. God's people must not act in the dark, but in the light. The great decisive point would now be whether the disease would spread or was stopped. If it did not spread, he was to be told to wash his clothes, and he would be clean... But if the disease spread even after this, the earlier decision must be recalled: the man was unclean.

If evil is at work, it will spread; if not, it will fade. How do we discern this? The surest sign that evil is not active is an attitude of self-judgment... Suppose the same thing surfaced again, even after the priest had pronounced someone clean. The priest was to examine the person again. If he found it had spread, he was to pronounce him unclean. If a believer falls into the same kind of sin after being forgiven, this shows the root of the matter was never really judged.

Not everything that looked like leprosy really was leprosy. And something that did not look like it might turn out to be. So there was need of patient discernment, giving full attention to all the signs present, and time for new developments. The priest was to be the interpreter of these signs — for us the spiritual person, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God.

There is also provision against an unhealthy judgment and despair, which Satan knows how to use for injury and ruin. It also provides against the more common danger of a scrutiny that is too light and too easy on ourselves... Grace is as opposed to severity as it is to laxness. It is holy, but it is neither hard nor careless nor compromising. God is light, and God is love.

Another case appears, with signs of evil on the head or on the beard. This at once arrests attention. For it turned what was attractive into its opposite. Deadly evil darkened what should display beauty of its kind.

Was it deeper than the skin in appearance? Still more, was there yellow hair in it? If so, there was an energy of mischief at work, contrary to the body in its normal state. Black hair was a sign of health. Thin yellow hair showed the dreadful disease in an active form, and the priest had only to pronounce him unclean.

Leprosy is marked by three things: it destroys, it defiles, and it spreads. Even "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." Some may be quick to say that it does not spread, because they cannot see its damage. But leaven works quietly and unnoticed, and it works most surely. God's Word assures us that leaven, even a little, leavens. The priest therefore watched carefully to see if the plague spread. If it did, that would sometimes be enough evidence to decide the case.

The great decisive point would now be whether the disease would spread or was stopped. If it did not spread, he was to wash his clothes, and he would be clean. There had been minor uncleanness, or there would have been no need to suspend judgment like this. But if the disease spread even after this, the earlier decision must be withdrawn: the man was unclean.

And of these the priest was to be the interpreter — for us the spiritual man, able to draw near to God, and having the mind of God. In no case did the judgment rest with the man in question. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it. He was too closely involved in the matter to be impartial.

Verses 29 to 37 deal with suspected leprosy in the head or beard. The priest had to examine it in the same way. If he confirmed leprosy, the patient was unclean; if not, he pronounced him clean. Leprosy in the head would speak of doctrine that perverts the truth and wrongly affects the mind. If someone is simply mistaken, that can be corrected. But someone may hold a seriously false doctrine and stay determined not to change, even after others work with him to correct him. Then he is unfit for the fellowship of believers.

Everything, it is plain, marks the holiness Jehovah demanded in His people. A man's estimate of his own state did not settle it, and neither did the casual opinion of a fellow Israelite. Whatever was offensive in His eyes and unfit for any part in His congregation had to come before the one who was used to His sanctuary. He was bound to judge by His word, according to that standard, for Jehovah dwelt there. The same principle applies still. It applies even more fully now that Christ has come and accomplished redemption. He too is the ever accessible and watchful priest who cannot fail to discern and act for God's glory.

Was it deeper than the skin in appearance? Still more, was there yellow hair in it? If so, an energy of mischief was at work, contrary to the body in its normal state. Black hair was a sign of health. Thin yellow hair showed the dreadful disease at work, and the priest had only to pronounce him unclean. If the priest saw the sore was only on the surface, and no black hair was in it, there was still hope. He had to shut the man away for a full term of waiting. If on the seventh day he saw no spreading and no yellow hair, and the sore was only skin deep, the man had to shave himself — not the sore — and be shut away again. If the priest then found the sore neither spreading nor deeper, the man was entitled to be pronounced clean.

A sore in the head or beard would need careful inspection to tell it apart from leprosy. What sets off our good looks might hide it from view. In the same way, some people have attractive features and behaviour, with pleasant and winning ways. At times these hide the leaven they carry with them. It is worth being aware of this. We must never forget that leaven may hide itself under the most attractive exterior.

From verse 29 to 37 the matter of suspected leprosy in the head or beard is considered. Similar examination was necessary. If it confirmed leprosy, the patient was unclean. If not, the priest pronounced him clean. Leprosy in the head would speak of a mind wrongly affected by doctrine that perverts the truth. If someone is simply mistaken, that can be corrected. But someone may be committed to a seriously false doctrine. If others work with him to correct him and he is determined not to change, then he is unfit for the fellowship of believers.

Recovery and restoration are still possible. A priest's discernment should be able to recognise a favourable change in the attitude of someone who has been in a bad condition before.

Everything here marks the holiness Jehovah demanded in His people. This did not rest on a man's own view of his state, nor on the casual opinion of a fellow Israelite. Whatever offended His eyes and was unfit for any part in His congregation had to be brought to one man. He knew His sanctuary and was bound to judge by His word, by that standard. For there Jehovah dwelt. The same principle applies still, and more fully since Christ came and accomplished redemption. He too is the ever-accessible and watchful priest who cannot fail to discern and act for God's glory.

The man who had a swelling, a scab or a bright spot might say, "I do not consider these things of any importance. In my opinion, and in the opinion of all the great scientists, these things do not matter." Friend, the first thing this man must learn is that his own opinion and the opinion of every other living man, except the priest, has no value or importance at all. It is not even of any interest. The whole question is, "What does the priest say?"

The law told the Israelite to bring his condition to another man for inspection, and that other man pictures a spiritual man, for that is what a priest means. A priest is one who has the right to come to God. So he should train his senses to tell good from evil by the standard of the sanctuary. He must not be carried along by conventional opinions, traditional thoughts, or what men call public opinion. That is one of the most harmful things for corrupting holy moral judgment in the children of God.

But there is also provision against a gloomy judgment and despair, which Satan knows how to use for injury and ruin. It guards too against the more common danger of a check that is too light and too easy on oneself... Here again the law calls for the priest to use discernment. If the spots were pale or dull in colour, it was not leprosy, but a different rash that had broken out in the skin. The person was clean. Grace stands against harshness as much as against looseness. It is holy, but neither hard nor careless or compromising. God is light, and God is love.

There must be the utmost deliberation and care in judging. To pin so horrible a label on someone, in body or in spirit, without being completely sure, is either malice or wicked carelessness... Here was the main test of leprosy. The other ailments tended to get better and more contained under watching and care. Leprosy always tended to get worse and to spread.

Weakness is not leprosy at all. A man might be bald on his head, or bald at the forehead. Either way it was no more than weakness. Weakness is not sin — and we should not call sin weakness either, as people so often do.

There is a difference between personal infirmity and the positive energy of evil — between mere defects and blemishes in the outward character, and the activity of sin in the members... We must not make any allowance for personal infirmity, in ourselves, though we should make ample allowance for it in others. Take, for example, the matter of an irritable temper. I should judge it in myself; I should make allowance for it in another.

But leprosy may spring up in any of them — a red spot or a scab, a swelling or a boil, a scaly patch or a bald spot. So if we drop our guard and start giving way to the indulgences and weaknesses of the flesh, or the desires of the mind, it can easily go on to wilful acts. Those call for the most serious dealing that God can use toward man on earth.

Leprosy is the most stubborn and loathsome of diseases. It is so slight in its beginnings, so sure in its grip and in its power to spread both inside and around the unhappy person who has it, so terrible in its end. So it is used as the fitting picture of the corruption of sin. God Himself therefore takes it into His own hand. He is the only One able to deal with it, and the only One with whom its cure is found.

God also makes provision against gloomy judgment and despair, which Satan knows how to use for injury and ruin. He makes provision too against the more common danger of a light, self-sparing examination. A man or a woman might have bright white spots on the skin. Here again the priest must discern. If the spots were pale or dull in colour, it was not leprosy, but a different rash that had broken out in the skin. The person was clean. Grace is as opposed to severity as it is to laxness. It is holy, but neither hard nor careless nor compromising. God is light, and God is love.

There is a difference between personal weakness and the positive energy of evil. Mere defects and blemishes in the outward character are one thing; the activity of sin in the members is another. It is important to watch against our weaknesses. If we do not watch them, judge them, and guard against them, they may become the source of positive evil... We must not make any allowance for personal weakness in ourselves. We should make ample allowance for it in others. Take an irritable temper, for example. I should judge it in myself; I should make allowance for it in another.

Leprosy is a matter for priestly discernment — the discernment that grows out of nearness to God and out of enjoying His word in fellowship with Him. This makes the Scriptures the judge of what leprosy is. In a plain, clear case there must be no flinching from judgment. On the other hand, there must be no undue haste to judge. If the case is not clear at the first examination, it must then be watched. Things that differ must be told apart. A mistake, an unintentional error, being suddenly caught out in a fault, anything in which the mind of the flesh is not really at work, must not be mistaken for leprosy. Leprosy is the mind of the flesh in active opposition to the will of God. What look like symptoms of leprosy may indeed be ground for suspicion, but they are not ground for judgment.

Again, there are various weaknesses and infirmities which belong to us all, but which priestly discernment will readily distinguish from leprosy. Still, these things may develop into leprosy, or be the occasion of its setting in. While they need careful attention, they must not be confused with the activity of inward evil.

The mark of leprosy is at first the bright white spot. It does not look bad at all in the beginning. There must be the greatest care and deliberation in judging. It is either malice or wicked thoughtlessness to attach such a horrible stigma, in a physical or a spiritual sense, without complete certainty. The main test of leprosy was this: the other ailments tended to get better and more limited as they were watched and cared for, but leprosy always tended to get worse and to spread.

Verses 38 and 39 deal with a case where there were no real symptoms of leprosy at all. Yet if a question was raised, the priest had to examine the person and pronounce him clean. Baldness, whether full or partial, was not to be treated as suspect (vv. 40-41). Yet a bald head might develop a sore. The priest had to examine that too, just as in other cases, with the same care, and reach a decision one way or the other.

But there is also provision against a morbid judgment and despair. Satan knows how to use that for injury and ruin. There is provision too against the more common danger: a scrutiny that is too light and too easy on itself... Grace is as opposed to severity as it is to laxness. It is holy, but neither hard nor careless nor compromising. God is light, and God is love.

Another case comes next, which there was still less reason to confuse with leprosy. Weakness is nothing of the sort. A man's hair might fall off his head in general, or from the parts of his head toward his face. He might be bald, or bald at the forehead. In either case it was no more than weakness. And weakness is not sin, any more than sin should be called weakness, as is too often done. The apostle gloried in his weaknesses, his trials and sufferings. No saint could make light of a single sin; still less could he glory in sins. Whoever does so proclaims himself a leper; and his claim to be a saint is utter delusion.

First I take the man whose hair fell off his head (Lev. 13:40). That hair in Old Testament Scripture is a figure of natural strength will not be disputed by anyone here... Samson lost his hair, and his power was gone: "he did not know that the LORD had departed from him." How far we may get from God without knowing it! His hair gone, his power gone, he was at once easy prey for his enemies, who put his eyes out.

"Go up, bald head!" they cry out to him, because in his person he shows signs of decline, of old age, and of reproach. Yet nonetheless the law declares such a man to be clean and not defiled (Lev. 13:40-41). God should have looked for simple faith from these people. Instead they reject the one who represents the Messiah and bears witness to Him.

There may also be a bald spot — a bald head, or bald forehead (vv. 40, 41). It is a lack of ordinary strength and of natural comeliness shown by someone in Israel, yet he is clean... But leprosy may spring up in any of them: a red spot or a scab, a swelling or a boil, an itch or a bald spot. So if we are unguarded, we begin to give way to the indulgences and weaknesses of the flesh, or the desires of the mind. That can grow into wilful action which calls for the most serious dealing that God can exercise toward man on earth.

It is a serious thing to have a bald head in spiritual things — weakness set in first, then the disease. Weakness in itself is no disease, but it makes a person open to any epidemic. How different the effect of a chill is on a strong man and a weak one! The first shakes it off easily, but it may kill the second.

There can be no doubt that leprosy is one of the most striking pictures of sin the Bible offers. The instructions of this chapter are given to Aaron as well as to Moses, because finding and treating leprosy was the priest's own special work. Note that leprosy, as a picture, stresses not so much the guilt of sin as its corrupting and defiling power.

A man's hair might fall out from his head in general, or from the part of his head toward his face. He might be bald, or bald at the forehead. In either case it was no more than weakness, and weakness is not sin — any more than sin should be called weakness, as people too often do. The apostle gloried in his weaknesses, his trials and sufferings. No saint could make light of a single sin. Still less could he glory in sins. Whoever does so declares himself a leper, and his claim to be a saint is a complete delusion.

There is provision here against a sick self-judgment and despair, which Satan knows how to use for harm and ruin. There is provision too against the more common danger: an examination that is too light and too easy on ourselves... Grace is as much against harshness as it is against looseness. It is holy, but it is neither hard nor careless nor compromising. God is light, and God is love.

In Old Testament Scripture, hair is a figure of natural strength. When Samson had his hair on, neither man nor beast could touch him. Samson lost his hair, and his power was gone. He was at once easy prey for his enemies... It is a serious thing to have a bald head in spiritual things — weakness set in first, then the disease. Weakness by itself is no disease, but it leaves you open to any epidemic. See how differently a chill affects a strong man and a weak one! The strong man shakes it off easily, but it may kill the weak one. With all the troubles around us today, I believe that in most cases the weakness was there first. So it matters very much that we should not lose a hair.

Whether it is a red spot or a scab, a swelling or a boil, a scaly patch or a bald spot, it is possible that leprosy may spring up in any of them. So if we are careless and begin to give way to the indulgences and weaknesses of the flesh, or the desires of the mind, it may easily go on to the kind of wilful acts that call for the most serious dealing God can use toward man on earth. Even in a bald spot leprosy may spring up.

The forehead is a common place for leprosy to show itself. Many people today have the plague of leprosy in their heads and have not the least idea that they are completely unclean. They have their own ideas. They reason things out with their own mind. They trust their own heads instead of the Word of God. Pride, and above all pride of intellect, is the root of the trouble when the leprosy is in the head. We may see a terrible example of this in Uzziah. His pride made him take the place that belonged to the priests alone, and the leprosy rose up in his forehead.

Elisha goes up to Bethel. Children, created to give praise, mock the man of God!... "Go up, bald head!" they cry out to him, because in himself he shows the marks of decay, of old age, and of reproach. Yet the law still declares such a man to be clean and not defiled (Lev. 13:40-41).

Another case comes next, which there was still less reason to confuse with leprosy. Weakness is nothing of the sort. He might be bald, or bald at the forehead. In either case it was no more than infirmity. Infirmity is not sin — and sin should not be called infirmity, as it too often is.

It is a serious thing to have a bald head in spiritual things — weakness set in first, then the disease. Weakness in itself is no disease, but it leaves you open to any epidemic. How different the effect of a chill is on a strong man and a weak one! The strong man shakes it off easily, but it may kill the weak one.

Suppose we are careless, and begin to give way to the indulgences and weaknesses of the flesh, or the desires of the mind. That may easily go on to wilful action of the kind that calls for the most serious dealing God can exercise toward man on earth. Even in a bald spot leprosy may spring up.

How many there are today who have the plague of leprosy in their heads, yet have not the least idea that they are "utterly unclean." They have their own ideas. They reason things out with their own minds. They trust their own heads instead of the Word of God. Pride, and especially pride of intellect, is the root of the trouble when the leprosy is in the head. We may see a terrible example of this in Uzziah, whose pride made him take the place that belonged to the priests alone. "But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense… leprosy broke out on his forehead, in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense."

Leprosy in the head would speak of the intellect being wrongly affected by doctrine that is a perversion of the truth. If it were only a matter of one being mistaken, this could be corrected. But someone may be committed to holding a seriously false doctrine. If others work with him to correct him and he is determined not to change, then he is unfit for the fellowship of believers.

But where there is weakness, as here in a bald head or forehead, there might be something worse — "a reddish-white diseased area." Then it is most serious. It is nothing other than leprosy breaking out there. The priest looks at him and sees it is really so. "He is a leprous man; he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his sore is in his head." It is a hopeless case. Delay was uncalled for; waiting was an idle form. Human mercy, or generosity, in such a case would be of Satan. "Holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore."

The evil must be clear, or admitted by the person, or established "by the evidence of two or three witnesses." If these are missing, we must wait on God and ask Him to bring everything to light. … There might be certain symptoms that looked like leprosy — a boil, a burn, baldness — which were still too unclear to treat as such. The priest shut such a man away for seven days, until the disease showed itself. If doubt remained, he shut him away again.

Identifying leprosy is of course the first thing, and the chapter gives the marks at length. Not everything that looked like leprosy really was, and what did not look like it might turn out to be. So the priest had to judge patiently. He had to weigh every sign present and allow time for new signs to appear. The priest was the one to read these signs — for us, the spiritual man, who can draw near to God and has the mind of God. The judgment could never be left to the man himself. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it. He was too closely involved to be impartial.

Another case comes next, which there was still less reason to confuse with leprosy. Weakness is nothing of the sort. A man's hair might fall off his head in general, or from the parts of his head toward his face. He might be bald, or bald at the forehead. In either case it was no more than weakness. And weakness is not sin — just as sin should never be called weakness, though people often do call it that.

It is a serious thing to have a bald head in spiritual things — weakness set in first, then the disease. Weakness in itself is no disease, but it leaves a person open to any epidemic. How very different the effect of a chill, for instance, on a strong man and a weak one! The strong man shakes it off easily, but it may kill the weak one.

But where there is weakness, as here in a bald head or forehead, there might be worse — a reddish-white sore. Then it is most serious. It is nothing other than leprosy breaking out there. The priest looks at him and sees that it really is so... There was no reason to delay. Waiting would be an empty formality. Human mercy, or generosity, in such a case would come from Satan. "Holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore."

Leprosy in the head speaks of the mind being wrongly affected by teaching that perverts the truth. If someone is simply mistaken, that can be put right. But a person may hold on to a seriously false teaching. If others work hard to correct him and he still refuses to change, he is no longer fit for the fellowship of believers.

How many people today have the plague of leprosy in their heads! They have not the least idea that they are "utterly unclean." They have their own ideas. They reason things out with their own minds. They trust their own heads instead of the Word of God. Pride, and especially pride of intellect, is the root of the trouble when the leprosy is in the head. We may see a terrible example of this in Uzziah, whose pride made him take the place that belonged to the priests alone.

However it may arise, the signs of leprosy are the same in substance, and the treatment of the leper is always the same. He was to live alone, outside the camp. Cut off from the people, and in his true place, he might still hope in God. Only from God could help and healing come in so great a trouble.

Everything here marks the holiness the LORD demanded in His people. It was not left to a man's own estimate of his state, nor to the careless opinion of a fellow Israelite. Whatever was offensive in His eyes and unfit for a place in His congregation had to be brought to the priest. He knew His sanctuary, and he was bound to judge by His word and by that standard, for there the LORD dwelt. The same principle applies still, and even more fully since Christ came and accomplished redemption. He too is the always available and watchful priest who cannot fail to see clearly and act for God's glory.

You say, "But I do not feel unclean." That has nothing to do with it… The leper might reply, "But I feel in excellent health. I never felt better in my life." The priest answers, "I am sorry, but it is my sad duty to pronounce you unclean." The man's feelings and opinions had nothing to do with the case. Everything rested on the word of the priest.

"The priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his sore is in his head." The case is hopeless. There was no reason to delay. Waiting would have been an empty form. Human mercy, or generosity, in such a case would be from Satan. "Holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore."

A man's hair might fall from his head, or from the parts toward his face. He might be bald, or bald at the forehead. In either case it was no more than weakness. Weakness is not sin, and sin should not be called weakness, as is too often done. The apostle gloried in his weaknesses, his trials and sufferings. No believer could make light of a single sin; still less could he glory in sins. Whoever does so shows himself a leper, and his claim to be a saint is a complete delusion.

How many people today have the plague of leprosy in their heads! They have not the least idea that they are "utterly unclean." They have their own ideas. They reason things out with their own mind. They trust their own heads instead of the Word of God. Pride, and above all pride of intellect, is the root of the trouble when the leprosy is in the head. We see a terrible example of this in Uzziah, whose pride made him take the place that belonged to the priests alone: "But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction… leprosy broke out on his forehead."

Leprosy in the head would speak of a mind wrongly affected by teaching that twists the truth. If someone is simply mistaken, that can be put right. But suppose a person holds firmly to a badly false doctrine. Others work with him to correct him, and he is still determined not to change. Then he is unfit for the fellowship of believers.

Reader, the Priest must pronounce you unclean, because you are unclean. You may have no suspicion that you are lost and ruined and unclean. But that is your real state — unless that same Priest has already cleansed you.

In these verses is set out the diseased condition of the convicted leper. It was, while he lived, death to all the privileges of the people of God; the standing type of a sinner, not only before Him, but under command to declare it to man.

The law excluded the leper not only from the tabernacle but from the camp, and even from his own family. He was driven out with torn clothes and bare head. His upper lip was covered — the sign of mourning and woe. From his own lips came the confession of his shame and the reason for his exclusion. He had to cry, Unclean, unclean.

So the leper's clothing was to declare his misery and his grief... Sorrow for others or at their evil it is not, but the deepest mourning for himself. The goodness of God leads the sinner to repentance.

For the converted soul it is the heart that is torn, not his clothes. He truly accepts the dishonour his sins have brought him, bitter as that is, instead of claiming honour for his "head". His "beard" is no longer a display of his strength as a man; in spirit it is covered with shame. He owns himself defiled beyond his own repair. He turns to solitary confession, instead of presuming to mingle with the faithful.

It is no use putting on the outward signs of grief... The gospel meets the sinner expressly as lost, powerless, ungodly, and His enemy; but all this is stark reality, and no mere figure of speech. If we feel nothing about our state, it is worse than mere form; it is hypocrisy.

The unsaved sinner is shut out from Jehovah's presence because of his defilement and has no place among the people of God... But notice it says, "all the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled." Here is the ray of hope. Only as long as it was in him was he excluded. Recovery from the evil thing that defiles and disturbs our fellowship is wonderfully revealed in the New Testament. It has to be brought into the light, confessed and put away (1 John 1). And above all, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

So long as sin is working, there can be no fellowship with God, or with His people. The energy of evil is the death-blow to communion... It does not matter what kind of evil it is, or how much. It may weigh no more than a feather. It may be only some foolish thought. As long as it keeps working, it must hinder communion.

He was to do this if anyone approached him. This compares with a New Testament case of one so seriously involved in sin that he must be put out of the assembly (1 Cor. 5:11-13).

The leper was first put outside the camp, and that is just where sin puts you and me... So he lifted up his hands and cried, "Unclean, unclean." This, in the language of the gospel, is called conviction. There he is left outside, and with whom? None in the whole creation but God. His friends and neighbours were put far off. So none can meet our necessity but Christ.

Here was the leper's condition — the leper's occupation — the leper's place. He had torn clothes, a bare head, and a covered lip. He cried, "Unclean, unclean." He lived outside, in dreary loneliness, in the bleak waste of the desert. What could be more humiliating, what more depressing than this? "He shall live alone." He was unfit for fellowship or companionship. He was excluded from the only spot in all the world where the Lord's presence was known or enjoyed.

God was dwelling among a people on earth. He had chosen them and redeemed them out of Egypt for Himself. So He wanted them to tell the difference between clean and unclean, and to be fit in practice for His own presence. Leprosy was the most serious state an Israelite could be in. He could never be fully restored until he was pronounced clean, had cleansed himself, and had offered certain offerings.

"He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp." How long? "As long as he has the disease." This is a great practical truth. The energy of evil is the death-blow to communion. There may be the outward appearance, the mere form, the hollow profession. But there can be no communion while the energy of evil is there. It does not matter what kind of evil it is, or how much. It may be only the weight of a feather. It may be only some foolish thought. As long as it keeps working, it must hinder communion.

The leper was first put outside the camp, and that is just where sin puts you and me... he was put outside the camp, and his business there was to learn what he was. Your first business as a sinner is to learn that exile from God is what fits you. So he lifted up his hands and cried, "Unclean, unclean." This, in the language of the gospel, is called conviction. There he is left outside, and with whom? None in the whole creation but God.

Not only was the leper separated as an individual, he was cut off from the congregation. Is this not a picture of sin cutting a soul off from communion with God? A believer's sin may be of such a kind that he has to be put away from the fellowship of the saints on earth. That was the case with the man in 1 Corinthians 5. There is a "within" and a "without" in relation to God's assembly. It is a place of holiness, where evil is to be judged and dealt with when it occurs. There was the same within and without in the camp of the Israelites.

When this was made sure, the children of Israel were to put every leper out of the camp (Num. 5:2-3). This was absolute and compulsory. No favour or affection was to be shown to anyone. The dearest friend or relative had to be put out, if he was affected.

No human help could reach him. And he himself could only pass defilement on to everyone and everything he touched... He could not make his way to God, but God could make His way to him. He was shut up to God. There was no help for him, either in himself or in his fellow man... He was to be a debtor to grace for everything.

When the poor leper said, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean," He put out His hand and touched him. He says: "I will not put you out of the camp; I will come to where all the defilement is." He touched him as man. His divine authority sent the leprosy away.

It refers to leprosy not so much in the nature as in the circumstances — in what was displayed (verses 47-59).

The plague of leprosy was sometimes found in a garment. The infected garment might be made of linen, wool, or skin. Our garments are not our persons, but they are our nearest associations and surroundings. A man might be clean himself, and yet have a garment stained with leprous spots. In the same way a Christian may be free himself from the deep and foul workings of fleshly lusts that break out in open uncleanness and dishonour God, and yet be tied to what is loathsome and forbidden by God.

The garment or skin suggests to the mind the idea of a man's circumstances or habits. This is a deeply practical point. We are to watch against the working of evil in our ways just as closely as against evil in ourselves… The same patient investigation applies to a garment as to a person. There is no haste, and no indifference… Evil can creep into our habits and circumstances in countless ways. So the moment we notice anything suspicious, it must go through a calm, patient process of priestly examination. It must be shut up for seven days, so that it has full time to show fully what it is.

The garment speaks, not of the person, but of habits… Thus we should have priestly discernment as to any habits we may adopt. They may seem at first rather innocent, yet alarming symptoms may appear. If the habit has sin plainly involved in it, we should judge it and totally refuse it.

Notice again how important it is that the first step is to bring the matter before the priest. In the same way we should go at once to our Lord Jesus with any question about the purity of what we have gathered around us. What trouble and sin we would be spared if we went to the Lord more often, and waited on Him to decide for us every question of clean and unclean that comes up in our path!

Its appearance was for the priest to discern. He was to look and pronounce according to the law of the LORD, which bound him as well as the suspected thing… In Israel the priest had to be consulted without fail or delay. But he had to look into it as before God, and speak in keeping with that law.

The wrong habit must be given up the moment I discover it. If I find myself in a completely wrong position, I must leave it. The burning of the garment stands for the act of judgement on evil, whether in a man's habits or in his circumstances. There must be no trifling with evil. In some cases the garment was to be "washed," which stands for the action of the Word of God on a man's habits… Then comes patient waiting, to find out the effect of the Word.

Such loathsome and unclean surroundings cannot be repaired or handed to someone else. They must be destroyed. How many a child of God, finding himself in unclean and unholy company, tries to reform it, to improve it, or to pass it to others — anything, so that he himself can be free before the Lord!

Care was to be taken that the trouble really was leprosy. It might be defilement of a different kind, which needed different treatment, so that the whole garment was not destroyed. The instructions in Jude 22 and 23 give us in New Testament terms the counterpart of this… Under the law of Moses the priests were to use care and discernment in their dealings, and grace demands no less. It would be much easier, no doubt, to have one rigid rule for every case, which would remove all exercise of mind about how things should be handled. But that is not God's way.

It may seem strange that leprosy could break out in a garment. There appears to be no actual case of this recorded in Scripture. So its spiritual meaning seems to be the important matter.

Leprosy is the most stubborn and loathsome of diseases. It is so slight in its beginnings, so sure in its grip and in its power to spread both inside and around the unhappy person who has it, so terrible in its end. Scripture uses it as the fitting picture of the corruption of sin. God Himself therefore takes it into His own hand. He alone is able to deal with it, and with Him alone its cure is found.

Our clothes are not us. They are what lies closest to us — our associations and surroundings. A man might be personally clean and yet have a garment defiled with leprous spots. In the same way, a Christian today may himself be free from the deep and foul workings of sinful desire that break out in open uncleanness and dishonour God. Yet he may still be tied to what is loathsome and forbidden by God.

So under the law of the LORD, leprosy could show itself in a man's outward circumstances, pictured by his clothing, whatever that might be, as well as in his person... A man's surroundings expose his leprosy. Our ways may show even more than our words. Habits reveal the deadly infection very plainly, but only the spiritual man can truly discern it.

We are to watch against the working of evil in our ways just as carefully as against evil in ourselves. The same patient investigation applies to a garment as to a person. There is no haste; neither is there any indifference... Evil may creep into our habits and circumstances in countless ways. So the moment we notice anything suspicious, we must bring it to a calm, patient process of priestly examination. It must be shut away for seven days, so that it has full time to show itself completely.

This might have been an old leprosy breaking out again (v. 11), and it meant exclusion from the camp until the person was healed. So we miss the teaching of these chapters if we view leprosy here as a picture of man's condition by birth. We are not to apply it to someone who has never been counted a Christian. How do you put out a person who never had a place in the camp? So for us this section deals with discipline towards a Christian, or someone reckoned as such. It is not about the salvation of a sinner.

The garment spotted in this way was not to be mended, but burned. Such loathsome and unclean surroundings cannot be repaired or passed on. They must be destroyed. How many a child of God, finding himself in unclean and unholy associations, tries to reform them, improve them, or hand them on to others — anything, so long as he himself can be free before the Lord!... Some spots in garments may be removed by washing (v. 58), but a leprous garment must be burned with fire (v. 57). When we bring God's word to bear on our surroundings, the unclean spots may disappear, and the association may then continue.

We have the authority of the inspired Jude (verse 23) for giving this type a present bearing. What else is the reference in "hating even the garment stained by the flesh"? Of course the language in the letter is figurative. But Scripture uses figures, as all communication does, not to weaken the sense but to make it vivid and striking.

The case of the leprous garment does not call for lengthy comment. It refers to leprosy not so much in the nature as in the circumstances — in what was displayed (verses 47-59).

Our clothes are not our persons, but they are the things closest to us — our associations and surroundings. A man might be clean himself, and yet have a garment stained with leprous spots. In the same way a Christian may be free himself from the deep and foul workings of sinful desires that break out in open uncleanness and dishonour God, and yet still be tied to something loathsome that God forbids.

In the New Testament, clothes stand as a picture of our associations and surroundings. See, for instance, Revelation 3:4; Revelation 7:14; Revelation 16:15. This helps us see how these instructions apply to us.

We have the authority of the inspired Jude (verse 23) for giving this type a present bearing. For what else is the allusion in "hating even the garment stained by the flesh"? Of course the language in the letter is a picture. But Scripture uses pictures as all speech does — not to weaken the meaning, but to make it vivid and striking.

How important to notice here again that the first step is to bring the matter before the priest! In the same way, we should go at once to our Lord Jesus with any question about the purity of what we have surrounded ourselves with. What trouble and sin we would be spared if we went to the Lord more often, and waited on Him to decide for us every question of clean and unclean that comes up in our path!

The priest was the one to read these signs — for us the spiritual man, who can draw near to God and has the mind of God. The judgment could never be left to the man in question. No one asked his opinion, and no one could accept it, because he was too closely involved in the matter to judge fairly.

Note that the priest was given time to make the diagnosis. The garment was shut up for seven days. If there was still no clear sign, it was to be washed and shut up for seven more days. Then the true nature of the trouble would show. If the trouble was something other than leprosy, only the affected part was to be torn out. If it was leprosy, all of it was to be burned in the fire.

The garment so spotted was not to be mended, but burnt. Such loathsome and unclean surroundings cannot be repaired, or transferred, but must be destroyed. How many a child of God, having found himself in unclean and unholy associations, is trying to reform, to improve, or to hand over to others — anything, so long as he could be free himself before the Lord!

The leprosy in a garment may remind us of the circumstances, the surroundings, of a Christian, in which there is something clearly wrong. If what is wrong can be cut off, well and good. If, on the other hand, what is inconsistent with Christianity cannot be got rid of that way, the person must get out of the circumstances to rid himself of what is wrong, as the Israelite had to lose his whole garment by fire.

The plague of leprosy was sometimes found in a garment. The garment so infected might be made of linen, or wool, or skin. Our garments are not our persons, but they are our nearest associations and surroundings. A man might be clean himself, and yet have a garment defiled with leprous spots. In the same way a Christian may be free himself from the deep and foul workings of fleshly lusts that break out in open uncleanness and dishonour God, and yet keep company with what is loathsome and forbidden by God.

Leprosy in the garment, which follows, speaks of a defilement which has not yet taken direct hold of the person, but rather of the details of how he lives. It suggests those questionable jobs and habits a child of God may take up, perhaps before his conscience wakes up to them.

We are to watch against the working of evil in our ways just as carefully as against evil in ourselves. A garment gets the same patient investigation as a person. There is no haste; neither is there any indifference… There must be no laziness and no carelessness. Evil may creep into our habits and circumstances in countless ways. So the moment we notice anything suspicious, we must submit it to a calm, patient process of priestly investigation. It must be "shut up seven days," so that it has full time to develop itself completely.

In the garment, we have what is related to man, but separable from him. Leprosy may show itself here, as in our occupations, and so on. Here again spreading and incurability are the fatal signs. The judgment must still be that of the spiritual man. Where there is any cause for doubt, there must be patient examination. The Word of God must be brought to bear on it, as in the washing. Or the part where the evil was might be taken out, and the rest remain. If it still showed itself unchanged, even though not spreading, the garment must be burned.

So apt to spread is the taint of sin, that the concluding paragraph of our chapter is devoted to leprosy in clothing made of any material, or a skin serving the same purpose.

The wrong habit must be given up the moment I discover it. If I find myself in a thoroughly wrong position, I must abandon it. The burning of the garment expresses the act of judgement upon evil, whether in a man's habits or circumstances. There must be no trifling with evil.

The garment so spotted was not to be mended, but burnt. No one can repair such loathsome and unclean surroundings or hand them on; they must be destroyed. Many a child of God, finding himself in unclean and unholy associations, tries to reform them, or improve them, or pass them to others — anything, so long as he himself could be free before the Lord!

Again care was to be taken that the trouble really was leprosy. It might be a different kind of defilement, needing different treatment, so that the whole garment was not destroyed. The instructions in Jude 22 and 23 give us in New Testament terms what matches this… Under the law of Moses the priests were to use care and discernment in their dealings, and grace demands no less. It would be much easier, no doubt, to have one rigid rule for every case. Such a rule would remove all exercise of mind as to how things should be dealt with. But that is not God's way.

In the garment, we have what is related to man, but separable from him. Leprosy may show itself here, as in our occupations, and so on. Here again spreading and incurability are the fatal signs.

Leprosy in the garment, which follows, speaks of a defilement that has not yet laid hold of the person directly. It touches the details of the walk instead. It suggests those questionable jobs and habits which the child of God may take up. This may happen before his conscience is involved.

We are sure that this subject is of the greatest importance. Few things are more damaging to true children of God right now than the unsound and corrupting teaching that, as long as they are personally sound and moral, they need not be concerned about the things they have surrounded themselves with.

We see the same patient investigation with a garment as with a person. There is no haste, and no indifference either... Evil may creep into our habits and circumstances in countless ways. So the moment we notice anything suspicious, we must bring it under a calm, patient, priestly examination.

How important to notice here again that the first step is to bring the matter before the priest! We should do the same, and go at once to our Lord Jesus with any question about the purity of what we have surrounded ourselves with. What trouble and sin we would be spared if we went to the Lord more often, and waited on Him to decide for us every question of clean and unclean that arises in our path!

The Word of God must be brought to bear on it, as in the washing. Or the part in which the evil was might be taken out, and the rest remain. If it still showed itself unchanged, even though not spreading, the garment must be burned.

The washing with water pictures how we bring our circumstances, or the conditions we live in, under the word of God. If the evil remains after this, the garment must be destroyed. However fair the outside may look, the evil sits in what lies underneath, in what is basic. So the whole condition is unholy and must be given up.

The garment so spotted was not to be mended, but burnt. Such disgusting, unclean surroundings cannot be repaired or handed to someone else. They must be destroyed. How many a child of God has found himself in unclean and unholy associations! He tries to reform them, improve them, or pass them to others — anything, so long as he himself could be free before the Lord.

The instructions we have in Jude 22 and 23 give us in New Testament terms what matches this. It is even possible that the last clause of verse 23 is an allusion to the verses we are considering. Under the law of Moses the priests were to use care and discernment in their dealings. Grace calls for no less. No doubt a rigid rule for every case would be much easier. It would remove the need to think about how things should be handled. But that is not God's way.

Our garments are not our persons, but they are our nearest associations and surroundings. A man might be clean himself and yet have a garment stained with leprous spots. In the same way a Christian may be free himself from the deep and foul workings of fleshly lusts that break out in open uncleanness and dishonour God. Yet he may still live in connection with something loathsome that God forbids.

In the garment, we have what is related to man, but separable from him. Leprosy may manifest itself here, as in our occupations, and so on. Here again extension and incurability are the fatal signs. If the garment still showed the evil unchanged, even though it was not spreading, it had to be burned.

We are to watch against the working of evil in our ways just as carefully as against evil in ourselves. The garment gets the same patient investigation as the person. There is no haste; neither is there any indifference... Evil may creep into our habits and circumstances in countless ways. So the moment we notice anything suspicious, we must bring it to a calm, patient priestly examination.

Under the law of Jehovah, leprosy might show itself in a man's outward circumstances — pictured by his clothing, whatever it was made of — as well as in his person. It called for action everywhere, but not on the moral grounds an Israelite might apply. Its appearance was for the priest to discern. It was for him to see and pronounce according to the law of Jehovah which bound him as well as the suspected thing... In Israel they must consult the priest without fail or delay. But he must look into it as before God, and speak accordingly.

In certain cases the garment was to be "washed," which expresses the action of the Word of God upon a man's habits. "Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which the disease is, and he shall shut it up for another seven days." They must wait patiently to find out what the Word has done.

Washing may remove some spots in garments (v. 58), but a leprous garment must be burnt with fire (v. 57). Tearing the defiled piece out of the garment may remove some spots too; but if it spreads after that, the part with the disease must be burnt with fire... When we bring the action of the Word to bear upon our surroundings, the unclean spots may disappear, and the connection may then continue.

We have the authority of the inspired Jude (23) for giving this type a present bearing. For what else is the allusion in "hating even the garment stained by the flesh"? The language in the letter is of course figurative. But Scripture uses figures, as all other speech does, not to weaken the sense but to make it vivid and striking.

Our clothes are not the person wearing them; they are our nearest associations and surroundings. A man might be clean himself and still have a garment stained with leprous spots. In the same way, a Christian may be free from the deep and foul workings of sinful desires that break out in open uncleanness and dishonour God. Yet he may still be joined to what is loathsome and forbidden by God.

In certain cases the garment was to be "washed." This stands for the action of the Word of God on a man's habits. "Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he shall shut it up for another seven days." There must be patient waiting, to find out what the Word has done.

As to leprosy in a garment, there were two different procedures. In one case the whole garment was burned in the fire; in the other, the part where the leprosy was found was torn out of the garment. In the case where only a part of the garment was affected, it was first washed and then watched. Washing with water pictures bringing our circumstances, the conditions in which we live, under the word of God. If the evil remains after this, the garment must be destroyed. However fair it looks on the outside, the evil sits underneath, in what is basic. So the whole condition is unholy, and must be abandoned. But if testing our circumstances by God's word shows that the evil is not in the foundations our daily lives rest on, then it is the outward things holding the evil that must be given up.

Habits show the deadly taint very plainly, but only the spiritual man can discern it. Such people have the mind of Christ, who is Himself "the priest" and gives the final verdict. But even with Him, though He never fails, there is no haste… If the circumstances stay bad, they must be judged completely. Nothing less than "burning" will do, and the priest orders it on God's behalf. If "washing" is enough to correct them, it must be applied again; and if the change shows more clearly, the priest declares it clean.

The garment so spotted was not to be mended, but burnt. How many a child of God, finding himself in unclean and unholy associations, tries to reform them, to improve them, or to hand them to others — anything, so that he himself could be free before the Lord! … By bringing the action of the Word to bear on our surroundings, the unclean spots may disappear, and the association may then be continued. Other spots are so clearly leprous that the longer they are brought before the Lord and washed with His searching word, the more evil and stubborn the uncleanness appears. In such cases a faithful man has only one option: the surrounding must no longer be recognised; it must be completely set aside, according to the judgement of God.

We will miss the teaching of these chapters if we treat leprosy here as a picture of man's condition by birth. We are not to apply it to someone who has never been accepted as a Christian. How can you put out a person who never had a place in the camp? So for us this passage deals with discipline towards a Christian, or someone counted as one. It is not about the salvation of a sinner.

If the trouble was anything other than leprosy, only the affected part needed to be torn out. If it was leprosy, the whole thing had to go into the fire. In the New Testament garments stand for our associations and surroundings — see, for instance, Revelation 3:4; Revelation 7:14; Revelation 16:15. This helps us apply these instructions to ourselves.

The leprosy might have been an old case breaking out again (v. 11), and it meant exclusion from the camp until the person was healed. So we will miss the instruction of these chapters if we view leprosy here as a picture of man's condition by birth. We are not to apply it to someone who was never recognised as a Christian. How can you put out a person who never had a place in the camp? For us, then, this passage deals with discipline towards a Christian, or towards someone counted as one. It does not deal with the salvation of a sinner.

The burning of the garment expresses the act of judgement upon evil, whether in a man's habits or his circumstances. There must be no trifling with evil. In certain cases the garment was to be washed, and this expresses the action of the Word of God on a man's habits… There is to be patient waiting, to find out the effect of the Word… When there is something radically and incurably bad in one's position or habits, the whole thing is to be given up.

If the evil remains after this, the garment must be destroyed. However fair the outside may look, the evil is seated in what lies underneath, in what is basic. So the whole condition is unholy, and must be abandoned. But suppose we bring our circumstances to the test of God's word, and it shows the evil is not in the foundations our practical lives rest on. Then the outward things that hold the evil must be given up.

A man's habits show the deadly taint very plainly. But only the spiritual man can truly discern it. Such have the mind of Christ, who is "the priest" to give the final verdict. Even with Him, though He never fails, there is no haste… If the circumstances stay bad, they must be judged without reserve. Nothing less than burning will do, as the priest orders it on God's part.

Such loathsome and unclean surroundings cannot be repaired, nor transferred, but must be destroyed. How many a child of God has found himself in unclean and unholy associations, and tries to reform them, to improve them, or to hand them on to others! He will do anything, so long as he can be free himself before the Lord. But what if it is leprosy? What if it is the outward showing of the deep, inward workings of the desires of the flesh? Suppose it is washed by the word of God, brought before the discerning eye of the Lord (our Priest) for His inspection, and He calls it a leprosy eating inward. Then there is only one way of deliverance: giving it up, breaking it up, consuming it. It must be burnt with fire… for it is written, "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." (Ephesians 5:11)

Note that the priest was given time to make the diagnosis. The garment was shut away for seven days. If there was still no clear sign, it was to be washed and shut away another seven days, and then the real nature of the trouble would show. If the trouble was something other than leprosy, only the affected part was to be torn out. If it was leprosy, the whole thing was to be burned. In the New Testament, garments picture our associations and surroundings — see, for instance, Revelation 3:4; Revelation 7:14; Revelation 16:15. That helps us apply these instructions to ourselves.

In certain cases the garment was to be washed, which expresses the action of the Word of God upon a man's habits… There must be patient waiting to find out the effect of the Word… The Word may work so that the wrong features in a man's character, or the wrong points in his position, are given up and the evil is removed. But if the evil continues after all, the whole thing must be condemned.

Washing with water pictures bringing our circumstances, or the conditions we live in, to the word of God. If the evil remains after that, the garment must be destroyed. However fair the outside may look, the evil is seated in what lies underneath, in what is basic. So the whole condition is unholy, and must be abandoned. But if we put our circumstances to the test of God's word, and it proves the evil is not in the foundations our practical lives rest on, then the outward things the evil is in must be given up. How all this shows God's concern about our ways! Holiness suits those who are in relationship with a holy God.

Leprosy in a garment may remind us of the circumstances and surroundings of a Christian, where something is plainly wrong. If the wrong thing can be cut off, well and good. But if what does not fit with Christianity cannot be removed that way, the person must get out of the circumstances to be rid of what is wrong. The Israelite had to lose his whole garment in the fire when nothing else would stop the plague spreading.

Again, care was to be taken that the trouble really was leprosy. It might be a defilement of a different kind, needing different treatment, so that the whole garment was not destroyed. Jude 22 and 23 give us, in New Testament terms, the counterpart of this… Under the law of Moses the priests were to use care and discernment in their dealings, and grace demands no less. It would be much easier, no doubt, to have one rigid rule for every case. That would remove all need to think about how things should be handled, but that is not God's way.

In some cases only one element in the habit may be questionable. Just as a piece of a garment might be torn out (v. 56), so the questionable element in any habit should be cut out. But after this the plague might appear in the garment again, and then the garment was to be burned. So if sin breaks out a second time in a habit, the habit is to be fully judged and refused.

Leprosy in the garment, which follows, speaks of a defilement that has not yet directly taken hold of the person, but rather of the details of the walk. It suggests the questionable jobs and habits a child of God may take up, perhaps before his conscience is involved. The word of God must test these. If it finds anything that is a spreading leprosy, that part must be torn out of the garment. If this does not correct the trouble, the whole must be burnt with fire.

Few things are more damaging to true children of God than the unsound and corrupting doctrine that, as long as they are personally sound and moral, they need not be troubled in conscience about the things they have surrounded themselves with. Nothing can be more contrary to the revealed will of God.

How important to notice here again that the first step is to bring the matter before the priest! We should do the same, and go at once to our Lord Jesus with any question about the purity of what we have surrounded ourselves with. What trouble and sin we would be spared if we were more in the habit of going to the Lord! We would wait on Him to decide every question of clean and unclean that arises in our path.

The wrong habit must be given up the moment I discover it. If I find myself in a thoroughly wrong position, I must abandon it. The burning of the garment expresses the act of judgement on evil, whether in a man's habits or his circumstances. There must be no trifling with evil… In certain cases the garment was to be "washed." That expresses the action of the Word of God on a man's habits… There is to be patient waiting, to find out the effect of the Word… When there is anything radically and incurably bad in one's position or habits, the whole thing is to be given up.

If after doing this the evil remains, then the garment is to be destroyed. Whatever the outward appearance, however fair it may seem, the evil is seated in what underlies, in what is basic. So the whole condition is unholy, and must be abandoned.

But after this, the plague might appear again in the garment, and if so, the garment was to be burned. So, if in a certain habit sin breaks out a second time, the habit is to be fully judged and refused.

The garment spotted in this way was not to be mended, but burnt. No one can repair such unclean surroundings or hand them on to someone else; they must be destroyed. How many a child of God has found himself in unclean and unholy associations! He tries to reform them, to improve them, or to transfer them to others — anything, so long as he himself could be free before the Lord!

We have the authority of the inspired Jude (23) for giving this type a present bearing. For what else is the reference in "hating even the garment spotted by the flesh"? Of course the language in the letter is figurative. But Scripture uses figures as all other communication does — not to weaken the sense, but to make it vivid and striking.

We may be placed in a position that has certain wrong things attached to it. Those things can be given up without abandoning the position entirely. On the other hand, we may find ourselves in a situation where it is impossible to "abide with God." Where the eye is single, the path will be plain.

The infected garment might be made of linen, wool, or leather. Our garments are not our persons, but they are our nearest associations and surroundings. A man might be clean himself, and yet have a garment stained with leprous spots. In the same way, a Christian may be free in himself from the deep and foul working of sinful desires — the kind that breaks out in open uncleanness and dishonours God. He may still be tied to what is disgusting and what God forbids.

This speaks of sin in a person's surroundings, even when the person himself was free from the plague. It is not enough to be clean from sin ourselves. We must not carry on with the sinful things around us, whether they are business affairs, religious associations, or anything else we are connected with.

All these associations and ways must be "washed." How do we wash our ways and associations? Psalm 119:9 answers that question for us — "How can a young man keep his way pure?" That is the question. Here is God's own answer: "By guarding it according to Your word."

The specified waiting time has passed, and priestly discernment finds no evidence of leprosy being present in the garment. The instruction is simple — the garment "shall then be washed a second time, and be clean." When we bring our ways and habits a second time under the light of God's word, it will confirm us in ways that suit God — clean ways. May we welcome God's eye searching our ways. The Scriptures show us how that holy eye sees them, for they tell us exactly what His will for us is.

Washing can remove some spots in garments (v. 58), but a leprous garment must be burned with fire (v. 57). You can also remove some spots by tearing the spoiled piece out of the garment. But if the spot spreads after that, "it is a spreading plague: you shall burn that in which the plague is with fire." All these details are most suggestive. When we bring the action of the Word to bear on our surroundings, the unclean spots may disappear, and the association can then continue.

The same patient investigation applies to a garment as to a person. There is no haste; neither is there any indifference... Evil may creep into our habits and circumstances in numberless ways; so the moment we notice anything suspicious, we must bring it to a calm, patient priestly examination. It must be "shut up seven days," so that it has full time to show itself fully.

We may be in a position that has certain wrong things attached to it. Those things can be given up without leaving the position altogether. On the other hand, we may find ourselves in a situation where it is impossible to "abide with God." Where the eye is single, the path will be plain. Where the one desire of the heart is to enjoy the divine presence, we shall easily discover those things which tend to deprive us of that unspeakable blessing.

Our garments are not our persons, but they are our nearest associations and surroundings. A man might be clean himself, and yet have a garment defiled with leprous spots. In the same way a Christian may be free from the deep and foul workings of sinful desires that break out in open uncleanness and dishonour God. Yet he may still be tied to what is loathsome and forbidden by God.

It is not enough that we ourselves have been cleansed from sin. We may not go on with the sinful things around us, whether business affairs, religious associations, or anything else we are connected with.

So under the law of the Lord, leprosy might show itself in a man's person and also in his outward circumstances, pictured by his clothing. Everywhere it had to be dealt with, but not on the kind of moral grounds an Israelite might apply. Its appearance was for the priest to discern. It was for him to see and pronounce according to the law of the Lord, which bound him as well as the suspected thing.

The garment or skin suggests a man's circumstances or habits. This is a deeply practical point. We are to watch against the working of evil in our ways just as carefully as against evil in ourselves. The same patient investigation appears with a garment as in the case of a person. There is no haste, and no indifference either… the moment we notice anything suspicious, we must bring it to the priest for calm, patient examination. It must be "shut up seven days," so that it has full time to develop itself completely.

Leprosy (sin) showed itself in circumstances, in what surrounds us, as well as in personal conduct. If it was only a spot, the garment was washed and it was clean. If the spot spread, the whole garment was burned. If the disease did not spread, but stayed unchanged after washing, the whole was burned too. If it changed and spread no more, the spot was torn out.

Care was to be taken that the trouble really was leprosy. It might be defilement of a different kind, needing different treatment, so that the whole garment was not destroyed… Under the law of Moses the priests were to use care and discernment in their dealings. Grace calls for no less discernment. A rigid rule for all cases would no doubt be much easier. It would remove all exercise of mind about how to deal with things. But that is not God's way.

The garment so spotted was not to be mended, but burnt. Such loathsome and unclean surroundings cannot be repaired or passed on. They must be destroyed. Many a child of God finds himself in unclean associations and then tries to reform them, improve them, or pass them to someone else — anything, so that he himself could be free before the Lord!

Some spots in garments may be removed by washing, but a leprous garment must be burnt with fire… By bringing the action of the Word to bear upon our surroundings, the unclean spots may disappear, and the association may then be continued.

The inspired Jude gives us authority to apply this picture today. What else does he mean by "hating even the garment stained by the flesh"?… Habits reveal the deadly infection very plainly; but only the spiritual person can truly discern it. They have the mind of Christ, who is Himself "the priest" to pronounce with full authority.

God opens the way of cleansing with almost the same words He used before. Those earlier words told a man how to know he had leprosy. "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying." Leviticus 14:1. These words that tell of the way of cleansing are the very words of the living God, and are true and faithful. Let us listen to them with all our hearts.

Shutting the leper out of the camp had cared for God's holiness. Now the Lord Jehovah speaks again, but this time only to Moses. If keeping that holiness had been Jehovah's only concern, the leper would have stayed outside the camp forever, away from the Tabernacle and from life with God's people. But He cared for the leper. He made a way to bring him back to all his privileges in the camp, if only he was healed first... Money, pleading, promises, efforts, all would be of no use. Jehovah Himself must heal the man, or he never could be cleansed. So grace had room to display itself, once the claims of divine holiness had been acknowledged.

These scriptures are enough to show two things. God inflicted leprosy as the expression of His righteous judgment of sin. It also showed His rejection of religious man — of his pride in the flesh, of his assumed ability to draw near to God, and of his refusal of the truth about his real condition. Leprosy shows sin: its inward workings as God knows them, brought out into the open in all their repulsive, revolting character. Chapter 14 now sets before us "the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing."

Leviticus 14 gives a richly instructive account of the cleansing of the leper. There is no such thing as the cure of leprosy named here. This belonged to God alone. No ceremony, no rite, could heal — nothing but divine power, direct or through another. Suppose the leprosy stopped: the man must still be cleansed. The ceremony for that stands at the beginning of the chapter.

The healing and the purification are different things. Being healed does not by itself make a man clean for God. No work in the soul, however necessary, can truly restore him. For this, God's grace in Christ must come in.

So we read, "The priest shall go forth out of the camp." Scripture does not say, "the leper shall go." That was out of the question... He might make efforts after cleansing; but his efforts could only prove him unclean, and tend to spread defilement. Before he could be called "clean," a work had to be done for him. He could not do it, and he could not help with it. Another had to do the whole of it... The priest accomplished all. The leper did nothing.

Seen as a type, the priest is the Mediator, the Saviour. As the leper could not come where He was, the priest must go out of the camp to the leper. Indeed "the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

A cleansed leper at the altar, with his two birds in his hands, gave his testimony. God had come into the land. He was meeting men's need quite apart from priests' work and religious ceremonies. This is a principle of the greatest possible importance for our souls today. Cleansing for the soul is found, not in human doing of any kind, but in the fountain of the Saviour's blood.

Healing and purification are two different things. A man who is healed is not by that fact cleansed for God. No work in the soul, however necessary, can truly restore him. For that, God's grace in Christ must come in.

It was the priest's job to pronounce a leprous man unclean, and it was also his job to pronounce a man clean when he was cured. The law had no power to heal. It only took notice of whether a man had been healed or not. The work of ceremonial restoration started only after something else had already cured the disease.

So others seek out the person who is to be restored. He is not told to go and find the means of restoration himself. Hands are ready to serve him.

The friend who brought the leper to the priest mattered greatly. May we be more like him — unnamed, almost unmentioned, and yet the link in the chain without which the leper could not have been cleansed.

Seen as a picture, the priest stands for the Mediator, the Saviour. As the leper could not come where He was, the priest must go out of the camp to the leper. Indeed "the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

It is not said, "the leper shall go." That was completely out of the question. It was no use talking to the leper about going or doing... He might make efforts to get clean, but his efforts could only prove him unclean and spread the defilement further. Before he could be pronounced "clean," a work had to be done for him. It was a work he could neither do nor help to do. Another had to carry it out entirely. The priest did it all. The leper did nothing.

There the leper stood, looking at God's work for him, then receiving God's remedy, and hearing God's sentence. He did nothing to earn any good thing, but received everything from the God of Israel... Whatever he felt, and whatever others said to him, he knew he was under the power of the blood. Through that alone, God's Priest had "pronounced him clean."

From verse 1 to the end of verse 7, as we have seen, the leper does nothing. All he brings to the priest is his leprosy and uncleanness. Everything is done for him. But the moment the priest has pronounced him clean and has let the bird go free, the leper begins to work. He does not work to be cleansed before God — he is clean before God already. He works to bring his outward life into line with his standing before God.

So we read, "the priest shall go out of the camp." It is not said, "the leper shall go." That was out of the question. It was no use talking to the leper about going or doing. Shut up in dreary loneliness, where could he go? Held in helpless defilement, what could he do? … He might make efforts to get clean; but his efforts could only prove him unclean, and spread the defilement further. Before he could be pronounced "clean," a work had to be done for him. It was a work he could neither do nor help to do, a work that another had to carry out entirely… The priest accomplished all. The leper did nothing.

But the Priest Himself has made a way. So we read in verse 3, "the priest shall go out of the camp." The great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, came out of His glory more than 1900 years ago. He came down to this sad, wicked world. Even down here, "He went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull." John 19:17. Yes, the Priest has already gone outside the gate. (Hebrews 13:12.) He sees you, poor defiled sinner, and He has already gone where you are.

Note this carefully: the ceremonies did not cleanse the leper. They began only when it was clear that he was already cleansed. The healing that is in view is an act of God, which took place while the leper was still outside the camp. The priest had to go outside the camp and inspect him. If the man was cleansed, the priest had the responsibility of pronouncing him clean. He then carried out the set ceremony, which pictured the ground and basis of that cleansing.

In general, leprosy is sin acting in the flesh… Here its activity has been stopped, and so, though he is a leper, he is to be counted clean… Such a man was healed, but not yet cleansed. The sacrifices had not yet taken effect for him, and he was not yet back in relationship with God inside the camp. In the picture, he is a sinner judging himself before God. He is defiled by sin and knows it, and the activity of sin has stopped, because he is in the place of repentance… He is still a sinner. Though he has repented, the death and resurrection of Christ have not yet taken effect for him. But while he is still a sinner, the working of the flesh has now stopped, and so he may be said to be "healed."

Those eyes of flame search you once again. Before they searched you to find if there was one spot of leprosy, and the priest had to pronounce you unclean. Now they search you to see if there is one spot without leprosy. If you truly are "all covered," the priest may pronounce you clean… In the same way, our Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, searches the sinner who comes to Him. Is he truly coming as a poor, lost, ruined, guilty sinner? Has he no good word to say for himself? Is he full of sin?

Leprous Israel will certainly be cleansed. Prophecy declares it in sure, abundant, and glowing testimony… But here the picture is so general that we have no right to narrow how it applies. We should see instead how grace fits it to the need of every and any ruined sinner.

We must carefully note that the ceremonies did not cleanse the leper. They only began when it was quite clear that he was cleansed. The healing in view is an act of God, which took place while the leper was still outside the camp. The priest had to go outside the camp and inspect him. If he was cleansed, the priest had to pronounce him clean. Then the priest carried out the prescribed ceremony, which pictured the ground and basis of his cleansing.

On the face of it, others did the work for the leper first of all; he did none of it himself. The priest gave the command: take two clean living birds for the man to be cleansed, and cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. Then he commanded further that one bird be killed in an earthen vessel over living water.

So the leper stood by while the bird was killed for him, and he was sprinkled with its blood. But after this service he could act. First he washed his clothes, shaved off all his hair, and washed himself in water, so that he might be clean. After that he could enter the camp.

When the leper was to be cleansed, God prescribed a very lowly offering — two sparrows. But they had to be clean. This is how God teaches us in pictures about His Holy One: "He committed no sin" (1 Peter 2:22); "who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21); "in him there is no sin" (1 John 3:5).

The two clean birds set forth Christ dead and risen — the one killed, the other let loose into the open field. But there is far more here, for the bird that was to die was killed in an earthen vessel over living water. How plainly this points to Him! Through the Eternal Spirit He offered Himself spotless to God, willing to be crucified in weakness. Again, see the pains taken to identify the living bird with the slain one. The priest dipped it in the blood of the bird killed over the living water. What could be clearer?

In the slain bird He is delivered up for our trespasses; in the freed bird He is raised for our justification. It is liberty out of condemnation... Yet how few consider what the resurrection of Christ means. "If Christ has not been raised ... you are still in your sins." Without it there is no justification. There is no assurance that the sacrifice is enough and acceptable. There is no certainty that there will ever be any resurrection at all.

Notice too that the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop were to be dipped into the blood of the slain bird. The cedar is the most majestic of trees, hyssop is the humblest of herbs, and scarlet speaks of the glory of men. The death of Christ has stained the pride of all human glory. It has stained all that is natural to this first creation, from the greatest things to the least.

He was to see all that belonged to nature, and the glory of the world, dipped in the blood of the slain bird. In the same way now, whatever matches those emblems should be seen through the cross. The cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet were not destroyed. Dipped in the blood, they appeared in a new light — and so should it be with us.

We have seen that in the first place all was done for the leper, not by him. Another was active, not himself. He was to be brought to the priest; and the priest had to go out of the camp. The all-important thing was that the priest, not the leper, should look and find the sore of leprosy stopped — or rather healed. The priest had to direct the means then to be used.

There was far more to be done than the Son being sent and becoming man. It would have helped the leper very little if the priest had merely gone out from the camp and looked on his low and miserable condition. Blood-shedding was absolutely necessary before leprosy could be removed. The death of a spotless victim was needed. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (Hebrews 9:22).

Who would have thought that that little "bright spot" appearing on some member of the congregation was a matter of such grave consequence? But that little "bright spot" was nothing less than the energy of evil, showing itself openly. It was the sign of the dreadful working of sin in the nature. Before that person could be fit for a place in the assembly, or enjoy communion with a holy God, the Son of God had to leave those bright heavens and come down to the lowest parts of the earth, to make full atonement for what showed itself as only a little "bright spot."

An earthen vessel; inside that earthen vessel, a pure spotless bird. The heavens are the home of the bird — the heavens are its native air — but it comes down and enters a vessel of earth. And in that earthen vessel it is killed. What a picture of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He leaves His home in the heavens, He leaves His throne above, He comes down to this sad world and takes a body of earth.

The bird represents the Lord as a heavenly Being, gaining the capacity to suffer and die in the manhood He had taken; the earthen vessel pictures that manhood. The living water here, as ever, is a type of the Eternal Spirit through whom He offered Himself without blemish to God. It is striking that the figure does not show the vessel broken while the bird escapes unhurt. It shows the death of the bird itself, and Scripture is always divinely perfect: such apparent slips are not blemishes, nor even the unavoidable shortfall of all figures, but things that call for the deepest and most reverent attention.

The bird was killed over "running water." Water is a type of the word of God as applied by the Holy Spirit, and running water speaks of the Holy Spirit in activity. "Christ … through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God" (Hebrews 9:14).

Running water has life and power in it. Water in the Bible very often speaks of the Word of God. And the running, or living, water tells us of the living Word of God, applied by the Spirit of God to our hearts. It takes the death of Christ, and tells me in the living power of the Spirit that the Lord Jesus Christ died for me. It was for my sins that He suffered. You have often seen that bird killed in the earthen vessel. But, dear reader, have you ever seen Him killed over the running water?

The object of the birds was the cleansing of the leper; it was application to the defiled man, not the ransom presented to God. It could only happen on the ground of the blood-shedding and satisfaction. But the immediate action was the purifying, so there was water as well as blood. The Spirit, in the power of the word, makes the death of Christ available in the power of His resurrection.

The two clean birds set forth Christ dead and risen — the one killed, the other let loose into the open field. But there is far more here, for the bird that was to die was killed in an earthen vessel over living water. How plainly this points to Him! Through the Eternal Spirit He offered Himself spotless to God, willing to be crucified in weakness. So Christ was given up for our offences and raised for our justification, as the apostle says (Rom. 4:25).

One bird was killed in a clay pot over running water. That is of course the death of Christ come in the flesh — the clay pot — and it cannot be separated from the living water of the word. Birds belong to the sky, so a case like this one calls for the highest thought of His being and His person.

The priest takes the second bird, the living bird, along with the cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. He plunges them all under the blood of the dead victim. He then sprinkles the leper seven times from it. This identifies the man in the most solemn way with everything that has happened. He then lets the living bird loose in the open field, and the leper is pronounced clean. The meaning of all this is very plain. It is the death and resurrection of Christ. In the slain bird He is delivered for our offences; in the freed bird He is raised again for our justification. It is liberty out of condemnation... the bird being dipped in the blood of the slain one is identified with it. It is in a sense the same bird.

The bird that was released was first dipped in the blood of the slain bird, and so was identified with it. Two birds were needed in the type to set forth Christ in death and in resurrection. As the released bird soared into the heavens it carried the blood not into the sanctuary but into the heavens. This was the basis of all that followed.

Notice too that the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop were to be dipped into the blood of the slain bird. The cedar is the most majestic of trees, hyssop is the humblest of herbs, and scarlet speaks of the glory of men. The death of Christ has stained the pride of all human glory. It has stained all that is natural to this first creation, from the greatest things to the least.

He was to see all that was of nature, and the glory of the world, dipped in the blood of the slain bird. In the same way now, whatever answers to those emblems should be viewed through the cross. The cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet were not destroyed. When dipped in the blood they appeared in a new light, and so should it be with us.

On the face of it, the work was first of all done for the leper, not in the least degree by himself.

So the leper stood by while the bird was killed for him, and he was sprinkled with its blood. But once this service was done, he was able to act. The first thing he did was wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, so that he might be clean. After that he could enter the camp.

The leprosy might be great or small, many spots or few, long-standing or recent. Still the leper was unclean. He was utterly unclean, unfit for the camp of Israel, until the priest sprinkled him with the blood of the sacrifice. Every other washing was useless, every other remedy pointless. He could go here or there, do this or that, cover his spots and hide his sores — he was still utterly unclean. But the moment the priest sprinkled him with the blood, he pronounced him clean. It was the blood that made the difference.

The priest then sprinkled the blood seven times on the leper, and when this was done he pronounced him "clean." Seven tells of the perfect application of the blood, for "the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7)... sprinkling the blood seven times was enough for the priest to pronounce him clean.

It belonged to God, and to Him alone, to plan and carry out a work that could cleanse the leprosy perfectly. And it belonged to God, and to Him alone, to pronounce the leper "clean." So Scripture says that the priest shall sprinkle, and "he shall pronounce him clean." It does not say, "the leper shall sprinkle, and pronounce, or imagine, himself clean." That would never do. God was the Judge — God was the Healer — God was the Cleanser... There is the most precious connection between the three things in verse 7: the blood is sprinkled, the leper pronounced clean, and the living bird let loose. Not a single syllable tells us what the leper was to do, to say, to think, or to feel.

So many are troubled by the question of feeling it, realising it, and making it their own. They fail to see what the leper's case shows: the sprinkling of the blood was as independent and as divine as the shedding of it... The plan of deliverance was divine; the provision of the sacrifice was divine; the shedding of the blood was divine; the sprinkling of the blood was divine. The record of the result was divine. In short, it was all divine.

We could hardly have a more perfect picture of the resurrection of Christ than the living bird let loose into the open field. It was not let go until its companion had died. The two birds stand for one Christ in two stages of His blessed work — death and resurrection. Ten thousand birds let loose would not have availed for the leper. It was that living bird, rising into the open heavens, carrying on its wing the sign that atonement was finished. That is what announced the great fact: the work was done.

The priest first dipped the living bird in the blood of the slain bird, marking it as one with it... As the released bird soared upward, it carried the blood into the heavens, not into the sanctuary. This was the basis of all that followed.

The cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop were also dipped in the blood of the bird that was slain, and this has a worthy meaning. The death of Christ has pronounced, for the one who is cleansed, death on everything man deals with here. The chosen emblems of the highest in nature and of the lowest, along with that which pictures the conventional glory of the world, were dipped in the blood... every evil is counteracted for the believer in Christ's atoning death.

It may seem strange that the priest pronounced the leper clean in verse 7. Yet this is the sure and cheering ground on which he begins the practical work of cleansing himself in verses 8 and 9. God's own verdict gives the highest assurance. It does not cancel the moral cleansing the LORD calls for in every respect. On the contrary, it gives priceless encouragement to start on every detail and work it through.

If you have followed the first seven verses of this chapter, you will have noticed something. The man does not have to do one single thing. Everything was done for him... But now all is changed. Now the leper starts to work.

It may seem strange that the priest pronounced the leper clean back in verse 7. But that verdict is the sure and cheering ground for starting the practical work of cleansing himself in verses 8 and 9. Being pronounced clean by divine authority gives the highest assurance. It does not replace the moral cleansing the Lord calls for in every respect. On the contrary, it gives priceless encouragement to go into every detail and work through it, as here.

The blood shed and sprinkled, precious and effective as it is judicially for the unclean, is not all. There is and must be a moral cleansing also by the water of the word applied to the sinner. Out of the pierced side of Jesus flowed not blood only but water... The sinner needs for blessing not only expiation, but purification.

The bird was slain only once. The blood was sprinkled only once, but the water may be applied many times... This showed the constant need for cleansing from the defilements of this world. Not by blood — that was done once, and once only — but by water, the water of the Word.

The clothes tell us of that which touches us — our associations — that with which we have to do, that which the world around sees as connected with us. Perhaps people have been used to seeing us in the gambling halls, or in other evil places. All these associations and ways must be "washed." How do we wash our ways and associations? We get that question answered for us in Psalm 119:9 — "How can a young man keep his way pure?" That is the question. Here is God's own answer: "By guarding it according to your word."

The blood has been applied in its expiating power. Then comes the washing of water. This expresses the action of the word on the character, the habits, the ways. It makes the person fit for a place in the public assembly, morally and practically — and not only in God's view, but in the view of the congregation too.

It was a mark of shame and reproach... But now all this hair must come off. All his own natural beauty and glory must go. Everything that might shelter any uncleanness must be cut off, at any cost.

In that land every man had a fine head of hair and a big bushy beard. So the cleansed leper, without hair or beard, would indeed be a spectacle. As he walked down the street, many a finger would point at him, many a joke would be cracked at his expense. But was it not worth while? Was it not infinitely better to be cleansed and among the Lord's people without a beard, than to wander outside the camp with a beard, crying "Unclean! Unclean!"

He had been sprinkled with blood and washed with water. That entitled him to a place in the public assembly. Even so, he could not enter his own tent. He could not yet enjoy the private, personal privileges that belonged to his own particular place in the camp. In other words, he knew redemption through the shed and sprinkled blood, and he took the word as the rule for his person and all his habits. But he had still to be brought, in the power of the Spirit, into full and intelligent communion with his own place, portion, and privileges in Christ.

First, the restoration to a place among the people of God, from whom he had been separated; and this is done upon the first day, when he returns to the camp; secondly, on the eighth day, there is a new and only now complete cleansing, by which he is brought fully to God, and restored to his tent also.

"The eighth day" in Scripture seems to have a special significance. Seven days completed the week, ending with the Sabbath on the seventh day. The following day was "the morrow after the Sabbath," or the first day of a new week. But here it is not called the first day, or "the morrow after the Sabbath," but "the eighth day." … In these verses we have, in picture, an entirely new beginning. Christ has reigned on this earth for a thousand years. All sin is put down. The devil is banished forever. And an eternity of joy and peace begins. It is truly a new beginning for all: as the Lord says, "Behold, I am making all things new." Revelation 21:5.

Though at the end of verse 9 the leper is now said to be clean, yet on this same eighth day he must bring two male lambs, one ewe lamb of the first year, all without blemish … and one log of oil.

Now the man who was so recently an outcast leper comes to be presented before the Lord. In his hand is every offering but the peace offering. They tell out all the various aspects and excellencies of the mighty sacrifice of Christ Himself. The trespass offering, meal offering, sin offering and burnt offering are all included. So is the log of oil, which tells of the Holy Spirit, through whom Christ offered Himself. (Hebrews 9:14.) Because of these offerings the man once so far off comes near, so very near to God.

The entire range of offerings is brought in here. But the trespass offering is killed first, because the leper is seen as an actual trespasser. This is true in every case. As those who have trespassed against God, we need Christ as the one who atoned, on the cross, for those trespasses. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree." The first view the sinner gets of Christ is as the reality that the trespass offering pictured.

The ritual of the eighth day points forward to the work of Christ in the light of His resurrection. It points to how richly the Christian takes hold of that work, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit that follows. … Here the conscience is cleansed from dead works, so that the man may serve or worship a living God. He is at home, as it were, coming not just into the camp but into his tent. In its measure this is a consecration like the priests'. Only here it rests not on a sin offering (Lev. 8:14; Lev. 9:2) but on a trespass offering (Lev. 14:12-13), because a holy relationship had been violated and that had to be met.

The meal offering showed something more: all the perfectness of the grace of Christ in His life. Here is humanity, pure without doubt, but kneaded with oil. It is humanity with all the strength, the taste, and savour of the Holy Spirit in its nature. That is the aspect presented here: not humanity anointed with oil — that is, power — but humanity kneaded with oil in its substance.

It is lovely to see the way that oil never fails. It is sprinkled before the Lord seven times. It is put on the ear, thumb and toe of the leper. And there is still more left. It reminds us of the word, "he gives the Spirit without measure." John 3:34. Whatever need we have for His power and energy, we may be sure that the Spirit of God is more than enough for our every need.

The allowance of grace here is only for falling short on the eighth day, and it is here that poverty is found now and has long been found. Few rise up to the riches of God's grace in its Christian form and fulness. But the principle must be maintained if the right measure is lacking. … The priest began with the lamb slain for a trespass offering, and not a sin offering simply, still less a ram of consecration of sweet savour. … The defilement must be felt and met adequately.

Seven days completed the week, ending with the Sabbath on the seventh day. The following day was "the morrow after the Sabbath," or the first day of a new week. But here it is not called the first day, or "the morrow after the Sabbath," but "the eighth day." In Leviticus 23 we can notice the difference. In verses 11, 15 and 16 we read of "the morrow after the Sabbath." These verses tell in type of the resurrection of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. But in verses 36 and 39 we do not get "the morrow after the Sabbath," but "the eighth day." In these verses we have, in figure, an entirely new beginning. As the Lord says, "Behold, I am making all things new."

On the first day the priest went out to the leper; on the eighth day the former leper took his place at the door of the tent of meeting, but only with the appointed sacrifices. Without them he could have had no business there. Only on the ground of sacrifice could he again stand at the place where the people gathered to meet with God. Unless he had washed and shaved, it would have been presumption to draw near. But without the sacrifices as well, he had no right to approach. And even with these, he needed the priest to present him before the Lord.

Now that man who so recently was an outcast leper comes to be presented before the Lord. In his hand is every offering except the peace offering. They tell out all the various aspects and excellencies of the mighty sacrifice of Christ Himself. The trespass offering, grain offering, sin offering and burnt offering are all included. So is the log of oil, which tells of the Holy Spirit, through whom Christ offered Himself (Hebrews 9:14). By virtue of these offerings the man once so far off approaches so near, so very near to God. I do not recall any other Israelite, apart from the priests and Levites, who came so near the Lord. No one else had this wonderful privilege of being presented before the Lord in this way.

The whole range of offerings is introduced here. But the trespass offering is killed first, because the leper is viewed as an actual trespasser. As those who have trespassed against God, we need Christ as the one who atoned on the cross for those trespasses. The first view the sinner gets of Christ is as the fulfilment of the trespass offering.

Here we have the conscience cleansed from dead works to serve or worship a living God, and to be at home, as it were, coming not merely into the camp but into his tent. In its measure it is a consecration like the priests'. Only here it is founded not on a sin offering but on a trespass offering. A holy relationship had been violated, and that had to be met. And the priest applied its blood to the right ear, right thumb, and right big toe. The whole man is brought under the most holy blood — what he hears and does, and his walk. He belongs wholly to God in thought, work, and way.

That man only eight days before had been a vile leper, outside the camp, crying, "Unclean! Unclean!" Now he is brought, not only inside the camp, but to the house of God, and there presented before the Lord. Happy, wonderful, blessed place! Yet that place is ours. "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" (Colossians 1:21-22). "Alienated and hostile in mind" exactly describes the leper outside the camp.

This chapter brings in the whole range of offerings. But the trespass offering is killed first, because the leper counts as an actual trespasser. This is true in every case. We have trespassed against God, so we need Christ as the One who atoned on the cross for those trespasses. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree." The sinner's first sight of Christ is as the One that trespass offering pictured.

The ritual of the eighth day pictures the work of Christ in the light of His resurrection, the rich share the Christian has in it, and the gift of the Holy Spirit that follows. In its measure this is a consecration like the priests'. But here it rests on a trespass offering, not a sin offering, because a holy relationship had been broken and that had to be met.

The priest brought the lamb to the altar, waved it, and then killed it. This order appeared only on this occasion. Note that the lamb was waved before death. That was the token that the man here on earth should be for God, as the One whom that lamb pictured was for God in His life. And here, when we read his history as a picture, is exactly where the man had failed.

The waving speaks of Christ ascended back to glory, though in the picture the waving came before the killing of the sacrifice.

What joy beyond words for the Lord to receive that lamb of the trespass offering, along with the poor leper! It told of that Lamb of God's own providing, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It told of God's only Son. And with it was the log of oil, speaking of the Holy Spirit. The three Persons of the Trinity are all engaged in welcoming the ransomed sinner to His home above.

Without the atonement we could not receive the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit we have no power to serve God. The priest's action here reminds us of these things. But we must not take that action to teach that the Spirit is received a second time. That can no more happen than the Lord can die again.

But the trespass offering, like the sin offering, was the priest's. When the priest eats the trespass offering he makes the trespass of the man who offers it his own. What unspeakable grace! And this is just what our great High Priest has done for us.

If a man could not obtain everything the law prescribed, God would accept smaller offerings for the grain, sin, and burnt offerings. No one was to be left outside for lack of the means of full restoration. Yet all had to bring the sacrifice appointed for the first day, and the lamb for the trespass offering. No one could set these aside. Everyone alike had to own, in this picture, the ground he stands on and his need of a sacrifice to restore him. The words of the woman of Tekoa are true here, and this rule for the leper reminds us of them: God "devises means so that the banished one will not be an outcast."

The whole range of offerings comes in here. But the trespass offering is killed first, because the leper is viewed as an actual trespasser. This is true in every case. As those who have trespassed against God, we need Christ as the One who atoned, on the cross, for those trespasses. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree." The first view a sinner gets of Christ is as the fulfilment of the trespass offering.

Leprosy was counted not only unclean, but an actual trespass against the Lord, calling for the trespass offering. So we need to realise that sin does more than defile us. Each one of us has "sinned against the Lord." It is good when we are brought to cry, "Against you, you only, have I sinned." Psalm 51:4. The poor prodigal had to learn that lesson, as we see when he cried, "I have sinned against heaven, and before you." Luke 15:21.

One male lamb is offered for him as a trespass offering. So his sin is confessed and judged. The lamb is even killed in the place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are killed. He knows it is for him, and it shows him that his sin is forgiven by it, so that in this way he can approach the sanctuary of God.

Suppose he had dared to come there just because he had washed his body and shaved off all his hair. Would he have been received? Certainly not. Unless he had washed and shaved, it would have been presumption to draw near. But without the sacrifices too, he had no right to approach. And even with these, he needed the priest to present him before the Lord. Now, presented in the right way, he stood where he might often have stood before without needing a sacrifice or any priest to present him. He learned that there was a way back into God's presence, but death alone could open it.

But the trespass offering, like the sin offering, was the priest's. When the priest eats the trespass offering he makes the trespass of the man who offers it his own. What indescribable grace! And this is just what our great High Priest has done for us.

Granted, the offering was to meet a specific failure, against God or against man. It dealt not with moral wrong only, but with failure in their relationship before Jehovah. All the more necessary, then, that the trespass offering should be most holy. Even in human matters, the wrong was "against Jehovah," and it demanded full satisfaction in both directions. It is found perfectly and only in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And it produces results even now toward people as well as toward God. See Saul the persecutor become Paul the sufferer. See the proud, abusive man become a lowly servant of God and of man for Jesus' sake. Never did the holiness of God stand out so clearly. Never did it receive such immeasurable evidence as when God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us — yes, a curse for those under the curse — so that those who believe on Him should be cleared for ever.

It is, in its own measure, a consecration like the priests'. Only here it is founded not on a sin offering (Lev. 8:14; Lev. 9:2) but on a trespass offering (Lev. 14:12-13); for a holy relationship had been violated, and that had to be met.

The ritual of the eighth day points forward to the work of Christ, seen in the light of His resurrection. It points to all the Christian gains from it, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit that follows... Here the conscience is cleansed from dead works, to serve or worship a living God, and to be at home — coming not merely into the camp, but into his tent. It is in its measure a consecration like the priests'. Only here it rests on a trespass offering, not on a sin offering. A holy relationship had been violated, and that had to be met. And the priest applied its blood to the right ear, right thumb, and right great toe. The most holy blood covers the whole man — what he hears, what he does, and how he walks. He belongs wholly to God in thought, work, and way.

The blood put on the leper's ear, thumb and great toe came from a trespass offering, because what is pictured there is the cleansing of a sinner. But the blood that consecrated priests for God's service came from a communion offering.

In cleansing the leper, and in consecrating the priest, the blood goes on three parts of the man: the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot. Together these three show what he is. By the ear he is to receive the word of God; with the hand, to do the enjoined work; with the foot, to walk in His blessed ways. This is clearly the man in his whole responsibility.

Then the blood goes on the ear. If I am to do the will of God, I must know it. The ear is cleansed first; then come the hands to do and the feet to walk. The blessed Lord had His ear opened, but no blood was needed there. He was sinless.

This symbolized two things. First, there is no approach to God except on the ground of the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. Second, the amazing love of that Sacrifice claims nothing less from us than the consecration of our lives to Him, who loved us and gave Himself for us... Not only should there be a response on our side, but the glad acknowledgment of the claim that God makes on His side.

No thought is to go into our mind, we are to do nothing with our hand, and there is to be nothing in our walk, unfit for the blood of Christ.

At the consecration of the priests, and at the restoration of the leper, the blood of sacrifice went on ear and hand and foot. It marked the whole man as redeemed. After the blood came the oil, a picture of the Spirit. With the leper in particular, we are told that the oil went on ear and hand and foot, on top of the blood. So the Spirit of God seals us because of the blood, the work of Christ. It is not a matter of personal worthiness or of personal faithfulness, but of the value of the work of Christ.

As when the leper was cleansed and purified under the law, he was first washed with water, then sprinkled with blood, then anointed with oil (Lev. 14:8-9, and 14-18). This is a clear picture of our purification by the word of God when we are converted and born again. Then comes the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, and last the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which seals us for the day of final redemption.

Now the priest turns away from the leper. For the moment the leper is forgotten, and the oil is "sprinkled before the Lord."... I think this tells us of the perfect delight that God has in His Holy Spirit. Sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is not merely an "influence," but the true and living God.

Seven speaks of perfection. Look around this world, with all its sorrow and sin and suffering. How wonderful to remember that, in spite of it all, One dwells down here now who is altogether well pleasing to God in heaven... Although He dwells in every believer, and is their strength and power for all things of God, yet we need to remember that first of all He is down here for God, and for His glory.

Then follows the anointing from the Holy One (15-18). The waving of everything too was before Jehovah, and so was the application, as with the priestly consecration. The oil was put where the blood had been. How clearly this pictured the full blessing first enjoyed at Pentecost. Christ's death did more than remove evil. In the Holy Spirit's power we enter into all its fullness before God, so that we know and enjoy it for ourselves: we have redemption in Christ through His blood, and priestly access to the sanctuary as well... how much we owe to the Spirit, sent in Person to live in us and with us!

So not only are our members cleansed by the blood of Christ, but also consecrated to God, in the power of the Spirit. God's work is not only negative, but positive. The ear is no longer to be the channel for passing on defilement, but to be "swift to hear" the voice of the Good Shepherd. The hand is no longer to serve unrighteousness, but to reach out in acts of righteousness, grace, and true holiness. The foot is no longer to walk in foolish paths, but to run in the way of God's holy commandments. And finally, the whole man is to be dedicated to God in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the consecration of Aaron and his sons the oil was put on the blood. The oil pictures the Holy Spirit; the blood pictures the atoning sacrifice of Christ, applied in all its blessed power. This is why the Spirit is never taken away. He is given to live in us on the righteous ground of the finished atoning work of our Lord on the cross.

Then the priest was to sprinkle the oil seven times before the Lord — perhaps at the altar of burnt offering, or possibly at the door of the tabernacle.

We have seen that the oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. Now the priest turns away from the leper. For the moment the man is forgotten, and the oil is "sprinkled before the Lord." As we have seen, the leper himself was presented before the Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit and on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ. But now the oil is sprinkled before the Lord. I think this tells us of the perfect delight that God has in His Holy Spirit. Sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is not merely an "influence." He is the true and living God.

Seven speaks of perfection. How wonderful it is to remember, when we look around this world with all its sorrow and sin and suffering, that despite all of it there is One who lives down here now who is altogether well-pleasing to God in heaven. You remember how God the Father delighted to look down from the open heavens when His Son lived on this earth, and to say of Him, and of Him alone, "You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased." In the same way God can look down now upon the Holy Spirit, and to all eternity He will be His delight in heaven. He dwells in every believer, and He is their strength and power for all the things of God. Yet we need to remember that first of all He is down here for God, and for His glory.

Then the anointing takes place, and the power and action of the Spirit of God is at work in the man's consecration. But note first that this action happens before the Lord, in His presence. It is not, so to speak, a prophetic action, coming out from Him with a partial revelation, a light shining in a dark place. It is the full, present anointing and action of the Spirit of God before God Himself. The oil was sprinkled seven times before the Lord, not merely a person set apart in holiness for a task, but the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) present, and present in His fullness, and acting towards the Lord. We are no more to grieve the Spirit of God than we are to allow or do anything inconsistent with Christ's blood. His holy understanding of God is to govern our thoughts and acts and ways.

Then follows the anointing from the Holy One (15-18). The waving of it all was done before the Lord, and so was the application, just as at the consecration of the priests. The oil was put where the blood had been. How clearly this pictured in advance the full blessing first enjoyed at Pentecost. Christ's death was not only for the removal of evil. It was entered into in all its fullness before God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that a believer personally knows and enjoys it all — having redemption in Christ through His blood, and priestly access to the sanctuary as well.

You must get blood before you get oil, and the oil may come immediately after the blood, as in the case of the leper. When I am cleansed by the blood of Christ, then the Holy Spirit can come and dwell in me.

The blood put on the leper's ear, thumb and big toe was the blood of a trespass offering, because what is pictured there is the cleansing of a sinner. But it was the blood of a communion offering that consecrated priests for the service of God.

Not only are our members cleansed by the blood of Christ, but also consecrated to God, in the power of the Spirit. God's work is not only negative, but positive. The ear is no longer to be the way defilement gets in, but to be "swift to hear" the voice of the Good Shepherd. The hand is no longer to serve as the instrument of unrighteousness. It is now to be stretched out in acts of righteousness, grace, and true holiness. The foot is no longer to walk in folly's paths, but to run in the way of God's holy commandments. And, finally, the whole person is to be dedicated to God in the energy of the Holy Spirit.

Those who are saved by grace and sealed by the Spirit are warned again and again about what they allow into their ears. … The precious blood claims the ear. The Spirit pictured by the oil is the power God gives, so that the ear may be used in a way that pleases Him.

Note well that the blood was first placed on the leper's ear and hand and foot, and afterwards the oil (Lev. 14:17). The Spirit's power is not something added to what I am as a mere natural man. The work of Christ must be grasped, its results formed in the soul.

It is lovely to see the way that oil never fails. The priest sprinkles it before the Lord seven times, and puts it on the ear, thumb and toe of the leper, and there is still more left. It reminds us of the word, "God gives the Spirit without measure" (John 3:34). Whatever need we have for His power and energy, we may be sure that the Spirit of God is more than enough for our every need. … Those in Israel who were anointed were the priests, the kings, and, in one case at least, a prophet — and the cleansed lepers! What a wonderful company he is brought into.

It is lovely to see the way the oil never fails. Although it was sprinkled before the Lord seven times, and put on the ear, thumb and toe of the leper, there is still more left. It reminds us of the word, "God gives the Spirit without measure" (John 3:34). Whatever need we have for His power and energy, we may be sure that the Spirit of God is more than enough for our every need. … Those in Israel who were anointed were the priests, the kings, and, in one case at least, a prophet — and the cleansed lepers!

The oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit. He is the power by which the ear takes in the truth. He is the power that puts a person's actions right and corrects the walk. Put on the head, it shows the mind coming under the power of the Spirit.

These parts of the body were already marked with blood. So the oil was put on the blood… The rest of the oil was poured on the head of the cleansed leper, a picture of the whole man being claimed for God.

No blood is put upon the head itself, but the remainder of the oil is poured on it. "The head of every man is Christ," and when Christ personally is pictured, He is anointed without blood, for He was personally sinless and needed no expiation. So when the high priest is consecrated on his own (Lev. 8:6-12), he is bathed and then the oil is put on him straight away. It is the same as when our Lord was baptised in the Jordan. He was "anointed by the Holy Spirit" when the divine Spirit came down on Him at once in the form of a dove. Had it been anyone else, atonement would have been required before the anointing could take place.

Here the high priest himself could say: "After Moses sprinkled the anointing oil seven times on the altar and its vessels, he poured it on my head" (Lev. 8). How remarkable the likeness here. The leper who had been shut out and the high priest both had oil poured on their heads at the door of the tent of meeting. Under the ceremonial law, only these two had the oil poured on the head… The astonishing ordeal the healed leper went through certainly pictured the amazing place the believer is now brought into, through and in Christ.

It was not, I think, the oil that made the atonement, but the blood of the trespass offering. In Leviticus 17:11 we read, "it is the blood that makes atonement by the life." Blood, not oil, makes atonement. Blood alone can cover sins. But this statement comes at the end of verse 18. It closes the section that includes both the trespass offering and the oil. So it shows us how closely the Spirit of God is connected with the offering of our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:14).

In the case of the leper, it is different from the consecration of the priests. This is not consecration to God first of all… The first thought is cleansing — consecration from defilement. Yet we do reach up to the anointing oil, and here it is poured on the head of the cleansed one. He is seen on his own as one who shares in the Holy Spirit before God.

The healing and the purification are different things. Healing does not by itself make a man cleansed for God. No work in the soul, however necessary, can truly restore him. For that, God's grace in Christ must come in.

"The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness." Here we have a picture of Christ. He is not only the bearer of our trespasses, but also the One who made an end of sin, root and branch... As the trespass offering, Christ put away all my trespasses. As the sin offering, He met the great root from which those trespasses came. He met all; but it is as the trespass offering that I first know Him, because that is how I first need Him.

Not only are all the trespasses blotted out by the blood of the trespass offering, but even that old incurable root of sin was judged. The sin offering told out that nothing but death could deliver us from this. That old nature is not forgiven, it is judged.

In the trespass offering, the offerer put his hand on the head of the offering. All his sins and trespasses passed over from him to it, and he was left clear and free from guilt. In the burnt offering, the offerer again put his hand on the head of the offering. But now all the power and worth of the offering passes over to the offerer. The burnt offering is especially God's part in that mighty offering at the cross. The man did not bring the burnt offering because he had sinned. He brought it as the highest mark of worship that man could offer to God.

Verse 18 gives a powerful picture, crowning the details before it. Yet the Spirit's power is set out there in full. See how carefully God marks, after it, in verse 19, the sin offering offered, as well as the burnt offering and the meal offering that went with it. Each one was needed to make atonement for the man who was to be cleansed from his uncleanness. All were offered so that he should be clean, and know it with the utmost assurance. For atoning virtue Christ is everything; yet the Spirit has His own blessed function.

Suppose he had come there on the strength of having washed his body and shaved off all his hair. Would God have received him? Certainly not. Unless he had washed and shaved, drawing near would have been presumption. But without the sacrifices as well, he had no right to approach. And even with these, he needed the priest to present him before the Lord... He learned that there was a way back into God's presence, but death alone could open it.

The grain offering pictures "the man Christ Jesus" in His perfect human life. In the case of the cleansed leper it stands closely joined with the burnt offering. So it is in the experience of every saved sinner. We first know that our trespasses are forgiven, and the root or principle of sin judged. Only then can we enjoy communion with God about that blessed One, in our measure and by the power of the Spirit. He lived a perfect human life down here, and then offered Himself without spot to God on the cross. So the four classes of offerings are set before us in their divine order in the cleansing of the leper: the trespass offering, the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the grain offering. Each one shows its own aspect of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

The Spirit's power is set out here in full. Yet see how carefully God marks, right after this in v. 19, the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the grain offering that goes with it. Each one was needed to make atonement for the man who was to be cleansed from his uncleanness. All of them were offered so that he should be clean, and know it with the utmost assurance. For atoning power Christ is the all; yet the Spirit has His own blessed work.

Atonement means "covering." He is covered by the blood of the trespass offering, covered by the blood of the sin offering, and covered by the blood of the burnt offering. No fault or flaw or spot or stain can ever be found in that man, so recently an outcast leper, unfit for the company of even his fellow-men. More than that, God sees him in all the excellencies, beauty and righteousness of the One those lambs represented… It was not the washing and not the shaving that fitted him for that wonderful Presence, though those were right and needful, but the blood, and the blood alone.

In the burnt offering, the offerer again put his hand on the head of the offering. But now all the efficacy and virtue of the offering passes over to the offerer. The burnt offering is especially God's part in that mighty offering at the cross. The man did not bring the burnt offering because he had sinned. He brought it as the highest mark of worship that man could offer to God.

Priestly service goes on at the altar, and a pleasing aroma (the acceptability of the sacrifice of Christ) is delighting the heart of God. All the while the recovered and cleansed leper stands before God with heart and conscience fully purged. He is there to know the blessedness of his portion in communion with God. How much is implied in the words, "And he shall be clean!"

God visited the leper where he was; but He did not leave him there. He went out ready to do a work. On the strength of that work He could bring the leper into a higher place, and higher communion, than he had ever known before… If any case could fully test and settle the question of human effort, human merit, and human righteousness, the leper is, beyond question, that case.

When a man was to be cleansed and brought back to the privileges of the camp of Israel, God was so considerate of his circumstances that He made a special provision for one who was poor. This principle runs all through Scripture. God looks for, and accepts from us, only according to our ability: "it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have."

At his first appearance before the priest the leper has nothing to provide, whether he is poor or rich. The two birds picture the foundation truth: we are justified from all things by Him who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification. The leper does not provide them; he simply looks on. He stands still and sees the salvation of God. The priest orders the birds to be taken for him. Nor is there any change for the poorest in Israel as to washing himself, washing his clothes, or cutting off his hair... The difference begins only on the eighth day, the start of a new period. Even then every returning leper, however poor, must provide one lamb for a trespass offering. For rich and poor alike, this lamb was to be waved alive before the Lord. That was the only time in Israel an offering was waved alive. It showed that the man who had lost all his privileges by uncleanness confessed and acknowledged his trespass, and saw it all put away by the death and blood-shedding of the spotless lamb.

God met the person according to his ability, though he could not do without even one of the offerings. Nothing less than the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ can enable God righteously to restore a soul to communion with Himself, and put the person back in his place among God's saints. A trespass offering, a sin offering, a burnt offering, a grain offering — the poorest had to bring each one, just as the richest Israelite did. But the man's inability to afford the more costly ones was not to stand in the way of his coming with what he could get.

In the provision for poverty that follows, the trespass offering keeps its full character. Consecration to the Lord must not be lessened. The ear, the hand, and the foot must be as fully His whether we have little or much with which to serve Him.

The allowance of grace here is only for falling short on the eighth day; and this is where poverty is found now, and long has been. Few rise up to the riches of God's grace in its Christian form and fulness.

The sacrifices of "the eighth day" are connected with the soul's communion. So the measure of what the soul takes in affects them. But whatever that measure may be, the grace of God can meet it with those deeply touching words, "such as he is able to get." More than that, the two turtledoves gave the poor the same privileges the two lambs gave the rich. Both alike pointed to "the precious blood of Christ," which has infinite, unchanging, and eternal power in the judgement of God. All stand before God on the ground of death and resurrection. All come into the same place of nearness; but all do not enjoy the same measure of communion.

How often we are "poor"! Our grasp of Christ is often so poor! Yet if we do trust in His precious blood, we have pardon and cleansing. Thank God, it is not my estimate of His worth that matters, but God's. Instead of the lambs for the sin offering and burnt offering, I can perhaps only afford pigeons. But my acceptance and my cleansing are not affected by that... Keenly as we may feel our poverty, never let it keep us away from God.

In restoring the man to cleanness and to the privileges of the camp of Israel, God was so considerate of his circumstances that He made a special provision for one who was poor. This principle runs through all of Scripture. God looks for and accepts from us only according to our ability: "It is accepted according to what a man has, and not according to what he does not have."

Grace meets the needy one just where he is, and as he is. The atoning blood comes within reach of the very lowest, the very poorest, the very feeblest. All who need it can have it. "If he is poor" — what then? Let him be cast aside? Ah no; Israel's God could never deal that way with the poor and needy. There is ample provision for all such in the gracious words, "Such as he can get; even such as he is able to get." Most exquisite grace!

The ritual was the same as in the first case, but the birds took the place of lambs in the sin offering and the burnt offering. This pictures a poverty of understanding about the sin offering and the burnt offering. Many are too poor spiritually to see how sin is dealt with and condemned in the sacrifice of Christ. They have only a small understanding of that sacrifice being above all for the glory of God (the burnt offering). How good it is then to see God's gracious care for the weak.

Now, the grasp may be feeble, the faith may be wavering, the experience may be shallow. But let the reader remember, for his soul's joy and comfort, that what matters is not the depth of his experience, the stability of his faith, or the strength of his grasp. It is the divine value, the unchanging power of the blood of Jesus. This gives great rest to the heart. The tender thoughtfulness of our ever gracious God shows in this: the blood of a turtledove was as effective for the poor as the blood of a bullock for the rich.

One who was unable to bring a lamb would be allowed to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as a sacrifice. This pictures one who is poor in his grasp of the value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus as fully atoning for sin. At least he recognises that the Lord Jesus is from heaven (pictured by the birds), therefore above him, and though his understanding is weak, God receives his offering.

Then and not till then, for poor as for rich, comes the anointing from the Holy One. The oil follows the blood. The priest sprinkles this oil in full before Jehovah, then puts it on each part of the poor leper and pours the rest on his head. He did everything as carefully for him as for the richest. But two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he could get, were enough, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. His poverty must not hinder his full cleansing and acceptance.

Notice that there is no difference at all in the earlier part of the process of restoration. At his first appearance before the priest, the leper has nothing to provide, whether he is poor or rich... he simply looks on. He stands still and sees the salvation of God. The priest commands that the birds be taken for him... This difference only begins on the eighth day, and even then every returning leper, however poor, must provide one lamb for a trespass offering.

How often we are "poor"! Our grasp of Christ is often so poor! But still, if we do trust in His precious blood, we have pardon and cleansing. Thank God, it is not my estimate of His worth but God's estimate that matters... Our faith may be terribly small, our appreciation of His worth almost nothing. But if we come in that name, the One to whom we come knows His true worth and value, and we are accepted in Him. However keenly we feel our poverty, never let that keep us away from God.