March 9, 2022 - Leviticus 14-15
One of the many things that have been exposed through the pandemic is the negative impact of isolation. For many, the painful truth of being in a hospital separated from family, filled both the healthy and sick with dread and anxiety. A ray of hope was delivered when the period of quarantine concluded, and they could be reunited again.
The word "unclean" is used fifty-four times in Leviticus 13-15. It described the defilement of a person, making them unfit for community life or worship in the presence of God. In these chapters, it was often associated with a skin disease referred to as leprosy. Today this is called Hansen's disease and it affects skin and nerve endings. As it spreads, it ulcerates and eventually deadens that area of the body. The Hebrew word translated leprosy in Leviticus 14-15 included various skin diseases, even mildew, not just leprosy.
When an apparent disease was discovered, the person, clothing, and home was quarantined until the illness was identified. Since there was no cure for this leprosy, fear was rampant. The contents of chapter 14 provided a glimmer of hope that lepers could be cleansed and restored to their friends and family. This procedure of identification and ceremonial cleansing were important to both the individual and the community. The priest had to pronounce the object as clean (14:7), a ritual of cleansing was to be accomplished and sacrifices were to be made for restoration to be completed before returning to normal living.
Those who had previously been an outcast and avoided, were welcomed back into their tribe. Forgiveness and restoration were announced, and the community accepted the decision of the priest and the ordinances of God's word.
The story of salvation and the restoration of a soul blends well with these chapters. As the horrors of sin and the ravaging effects of iniquity separate people and homes from one another, it is only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that our sin is forgiven, and reconciliation is made possible between God and man. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that homes can be restored, and families reunited! Have you trusted Him or are you still outside, looking in as unclean and unforgiven?