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Leviticus 13 Notes
In this chapter we see the regulations regarding leprosy. Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that causes the body to basically rot. I will quote B.H. Carroll to introduce the topic:
“Now we come to the case of leprosy. Why was leprosy and no other form of sickness selected? The commentaries discuss much whether the leprosy of Leviticus is the leprosy of modern times as we understand it. I say to you that it is. I have not time to prove it, but you may just take my assurance that when Leviticus says leprosy it means leprosy in its most loathsome form. Why, now, was leprosy put along beside the bodies of dead men? Simply because one declared to be leprous was as one dead. It was a living death. As it progressed and disfigured the body, it would eat away the nose and the different parts of the body. In other words, -the soul was confined in the charnel house of corruption. He must be segregated, he must hide himself, must not allow other people to come near him. The law commanded him to cover his upper lip, and when he saw any one coming toward him he must cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean, unclean!’ Therefore we find leprosy selected both in the Old and the New Testaments as expressive of sin, and the healing of leprosy as the exercise of the power of God. Medicine cannot cure leprosy when it gets to a certain stage.”
I will caution that the technical aspects are difficult to discern in light of modern medicine. We understand so much more today about such things as viruses and bacteria. Focus instead on the religious and symbolic picture of sin.
vs. 1-2 – Step one in the diagnosis is that a suspected case of leprosy is brought to the priests to examine.
vs. 3 – This is the sign they are to look for that the infection is leprosy. It affects the color of the hair and goes deeper than the skin. This diagnosis may be made over time watching the development of the infection.
vs. 4-8 – Suspected cases of leprosy are quarantined and watched for 2 one-week periods. The development of the infection is monitored to see if it spreads and worsens.
vs. 9-11 – In this case we find someone with an obvious infection of leprosy. They are not quarantined but immediately pronounced unclean.
vs. 12-17 – In this case we see someone how has had leprosy and is scarred by it. Flesh that is raw and reddened indicated active infection. Whitened flesh meant that the infection had already run its course. Thus, someone could survive the rampage of leprosy in their body and be restored to normal life and pronounced clean. This was extremely rare.
vs. 18-23 – Here is the diagnosis of leprosy from a sore or boil. Such a wound might allow the bacteria to enter the body and cause leprosy. It could show leprosy immediately or be re-evaluated after a seven-day quarantine. Depending on its development it may be diagnosed as leprosy or a plague, or if it did not spread it could be diagnosed as just a sore and the person declared to be clean.
vs. 24-28 – Here is the diagnosis of leprosy from a burn wound, another way the bacteria could perhaps enter the body. It could show leprosy immediately or be re-evaluated after a seven-day quarantine. Depending on its development it may be diagnosed as leprosy, or if it did not spread it could be diagnosed as just a sore and the person declared to be clean.
vs. 29-37 – Here is the diagnosis of leprosy that is hidden under the thick hair on a person’s head. The priest watched for discolored hair and spread of the scab. Again, we see 2 one-week quarantines used. After the first the person’s head was shaved except for the infected area. At the end of the second the scab was judged to see it had spread or caused hair to be discolored.
vs. 38-39 – These verses show that natural features such as freckles or birthmarks are not to be confused with leprosy.
vs. 40-44 – Even bald men are not immune!
vs. 45-46 – Lepers were expected to clearly display their state. Their clothes are to be torn as if in mourning. They were to keep their head uncovered so as not to hide their condition. They were to cover their mouth when around healthy people to prevent the spread of leprosy. They had to cry out and identify themselves as unclean to prevent others from contacting them. They were forced to live outside of normal civilization, often settling with others in leper colonies. It is a lonely and miserable condition to be in, a living death.
vs. 47-59 – The final section deals with handling the clothes worn by someone that may have leprosy. If it was leprosy, the garments had to be burned to prevent spread. If it was a lesser infection, it may be washed out or cut out of the garment. It did not matter what the material was or where the contact was made.
Closing Thoughts
I borrowed the reading schedule we have been using from The Sword of the Lord. It varies somewhat from the standard “three chapters a day” model that will get you through the Bible in one year. Some days there are more chapters assigned and some less, which I think is based on the number of verses in the chapters. Today, it has only given us one chapter, but it is 59 verses that are not the easiest reading. I think we all appreciate the attempt to ease our reading today!
Leprosy is a picture of sin. Those that caught it were walking dead men in the eyes of society. There was no more feared diagnosis in ancient times than this. If we want to see how repulsive, putrid, and repugnant sin is to God, look at the picture here. Sin is a serious business. It carries a death penalty (Romans 6:23). It starts small but spreads and grows. It spreads from person to person, infecting all of humanity. Thank God that we have hope in Christ who can thoroughly cleanse us from sin!
Hymn for Today
Our hymn today, published under the heading of “A Leaper Healed”, was written by John Newton and based on the story of the healed leper in Matthew 8:1-4. It beautifully links the pictures of leprosy as sin and healing as salvation, making it a personal story.
Oft as the leper’s case I read,
My own described I feel;
Sin is a leprosy indeed,
Which none but Christ can heal.
Awhile I would have passed for well,
And strove my spots to hide;
Till it broke out incurable,
Too plain to be denied.
Then from the saints I sought to flee,
And dreaded to be seen;
I thought they all would point at me,
And cry, "Unclean, unclean!"
What anguish did my soul endure,
Till hope and patience ceased?
The more I strove myself to cure,
The more the plague increased.
While thus I lay distressed, I saw
The Savior passing by;
To Him, though filled with shame and awe,
I raised my mournful cry.
"Lord, Thou canst heal me if Thou wilt,
For Thou canst all things do;
O cleanse my leprous soul from guilt,
My filthy heart renew!"
He heard, and with a gracious look,
Pronounced the healing word,
"I will, be clean." And while He spoke
I felt my health restored.
Come lepers, seize the present hour,
The Savior’s grace to prove;
He can relieve, for He is power,
He will, for He is love.