“Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.” (Leviticus 13:13)
At first glance this Scripture seems to make no sense. If the leprosy covers part of the flesh, it’s unclean, but if it covers all the flesh, it’s clean. Evidently, it’s talking about two different characteristics of the disease according to sources about leprosy. While it’s growing and showing raw skin it’s contagious and declared unclean. But if it has advanced so that that it’s scabbing and dry, it’s not contagious and declared clean. This makes the following verse make sense. “But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.” (Leviticus 13:14) And such are the laws about leprosy. It was a very dreaded disease in olden times because it was so contagious. The leper was isolated from society. They were not allowed to enter the town and had to yell and warn healthy people that they were near. They were not allowed to work, so they wore rags and begged for food.
To be declared unclean for the Israelite meant that they were defiled, impure, polluted, unhealthy or unfit either physically, morally or spiritually. The law was very specific about things that were clean and unclean. Even physical and moral uncleanliness has spiritual implications. The word unclean used in Leviticus 13:14 comes from the Hebrew word “tame” (pronounced taw-may) the adjective of the Hebrew noun “tuma” meaning unclean and spiritually separated from God. We remind ourselves and keep in mind that many of the things in the Old Testament were a foreshadow of things to come in the New Covenant. Now after one was declared clean, whether it was from leprosy, defilement because of something else or childbirth (another topic which takes much time-a rabbit trail), there had to be cleansing with water. This had nothing to do with hygiene. In the Old Testament, being unclean meant that you were separated from the life of God. When one was declared clean, there was a washing with water, symbolically representing life giving cleanness and union with God. This was not for hygienic reasons. One either bathed in water or was sprinkled with water and then they were restored and spiritually acceptable to society and to God.
In case you missed the connection, water in the Bible, Old and New Testament cleanses spiritually symbolically. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) We have understood these verses to be about husbands, but it’s more about how Jesus washes the church through the cleansing water of the Word. This is why reading the Bible daily is vital. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) That word “quick” means it’s alive and has power. This is all connected to the work of God in us.
Water is symbolically important in our relationship with God. We are reminded of baptism, that ritual that represents our sinful old man dying and being raised a new man in Christ. Death is unclean. That’s what we were before Christ, the walking dead. The water of baptism symbolically represents the washing of God’s living Word being accomplished, raising us up with Jesus a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), born of God, His child. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:” (John 1:12)
Let’s link it all together. Before Christ we were the walking dead, much like the lepers of the Old Testament. We were separated from God and unable to partake of essential living life that only comes from God. But God’s mercy and love sent Jesus Who by the washing of regeneration which was represented by water washing in the Old Testament and is represented by baptism in the New Testament, is ever working in us through the Word of God accomplished in our lives by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, making us children of God and changing us into the image of Christ. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7)
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