class 06 the law concerning leprosy

The study of Leviticus

Class 6

The uncleaness of leprosy

Leviticus - Chapters 13-15Leprosy

Leprosy was a generic term used to describe a variety of sicknesses, mold on the walls and on clothing (13:47-49 and 14:34-53). Leprosy was also used to describe different types of skin fungi.


The Word of God provides us with several examples of people who became leprous: Miriam the sister of Moses, became leprous because of

her rebelliousness (Numbers 12); Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, became leprous because of his

greedy ambition (2 Kings 5:27) King Uzziah became leprous because of his pride (2

Chronicles 26:16). We see typical expressions of sin in these cases:

rebellion, ambition and pride.


Leprosy is a figure of sin. We can clearly perceive at least four aspects that reveal this correlation: First, leprosy primary exists in the blood, in the nature of

the person. Second, it manifests itself in different ways. Third, it is incurable through human means, and finally, It eats a person’s flesh away without him feeling it. It

causes a man to become insensitive; just as sin makes a person insensitive to God.


Leprosy lodges itself in the human body, and can remain latent for many years without manifesting itself.

Leprosy is like sin, it is within us, but it may or may not be visible, in any case however, it is still there. Sometimes sin manifests itself as pride, or as independence, or rebellion against God, because of jealousy and ambition, etc.


The instructions in how to deal with leprosy were given to the priests who have the responsibility to evaluate the symptoms. Today, leaders in the church need to know how to identify and treat leprosy which symbolizes sin.

In order to do this we must have discernment. Some Christians judge the sins of adultery and immorality as the gravest of sins, but consider rebellion against authority as a very trivial sin. The truth is that these Christians don’t understand the nature of leprosy.


Leprosy manifest itself in seven ways and each one of them is a symbol of a diferent way that sin attacks us. Leprosy in the skin - 13:1-8 Leprosy in the flesh - 13:9-11 Leprosy in a boil - 13:18-23 Leprosy in a burn - 13:24-28 Leprosy on the head and beard - 13:29-46 Leprosy in garments - 13:47-59 Leprosy in a house - 14:33-57


1. Leprosy in the skin - 13:1-8First let’s read about the symptoms of this leprosy.

Swelling Swelling represents pride and arrogance. Leprosy elevates itself

above the skin indicating a feeling of superiority to others. However the apostle Paul exhorts us to consider our brothers as superior to ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

Sore This refers to a type of sore or wound that produces puss and

represents all types of impurity that lead to sensuality.


Bright spotThis represents the shine of false religiosity and hypocrisy.

White hairThe three symptoms of swelling, the sore and the bright spot should be observed in order to verify if white hair appears.


White hair represents a loss of strength. Normally hair is black, but as we grow older they become white. Here white hairs do not symbolize maturity, but weakness.

We must mature, but we never grow old in spiritual terms. Those who grow old spiritually lose their strength to serve the Lord, they can become blind and resist change for being overly attached to their own opinions.


A sore deeper than the skin This indicates wrong behavior, hidden and unconfessed

sin. The person tries to conceal his sin and in this case should be observed for seven days. Seven is a symbolic number that represents a complete time.


When we see the symptoms of sin in the life of a brother we need to warn him and give him time to repent. This time of observation by the priest symbolizes time to wait for repentance.

The priest had to take care to not rush to declare someone as a leper. The same should occur among us.


2. Leprosy in the flesh - 13:9-11 When leprosy appears below the skin, it causes the hair to

turn white and become a swelling raw sore, it then becomes leprosy in the flesh.

The swelling represents pride. The person already had leprosy in the skin, but now the leprosy has spread to his flesh, becoming chronic.

When something becomes chronic there is indication that it that has been strengthened over time. Chronic sin is sin that has become habitual.


3. Leprosy from a boil 13:18-23 Boils are sores. Emotional wounds and hurts can become

places for the leprosy of sin. Some people allow themselves to become hurt. On the outside they seem fine, but inside a wound has become leprous.

The symptom in this case is a bright spot which is a type of religious appearance. An embittered person seems to be pious because he demonstrate the sorrow that appears to be brokenness, but the truth is that it is the swelling of pride.


4. Leprosy from a burn - 13:24-28 The burn symbolizes someone who is been reprimanded

or corrected for sin, but did not properly react and has become resentful on the inside. It also demonstrates non-genuine repentance.

Perhaps the person has prayed simply because they were counseled to do so, and not from a sincere heart. There was an apparent change but inside they did not completely submit to the Lord.


5. Leprosy on the head and beard - 13:29-46 In the Word of God the head and the beard represent our

glory. 1 Corinthians 11 shows us that the hair is related to the matter of submission to authority.

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)


To have leprosy on the head means to have problems with subjection to authority and resistance to having the same attitude as the rest of the church.

A spontaneous order of authority exists in the church and those who are in the spirit easily perceive this authority and place themselves under it. If we have a hard time perceiving authority it is because there is rebellion in our lives.


Leprosy can also appear in the beard. In God’s Word the beard symbolizes dignity. In 2 Samuel 10:4 David’s servants were shamed because half of their beards had been shaved.

And what is dignity? Dignity is the honor given by God for the exercise of the gift our ministry in the church.


Each member of the body possesses a measure of honor to develop his or her gift. The problem is when because of wrong motives we begin to claim honor and demand respect and exaltation. This is leprosy of the beard.

Leprosy of the beard means to consider oneself to be important and to seek to be recognized and exalted by others.


6. Leprous garments - 13:47-59 In God’s Word, garments point to our behavior. The

priestly garments were for glory and beauty (Exodus 28:2). And our wedding garments are made up of our acts of righteousness (Revelation 19:8).


We can also interpret garments in a literal manner, since leprosy in garments was of a different type of leprosy than that of the body. We know that leprosy is a symbol of sin, so we see that clothing can be contaminated by sin.

Some garments could be repaired, perhaps with some changes, but other garments had to be completely destroyed because they were irreparable.


Jude says that garments can be contaminated by sin.

... but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. (Jude 1:23)

This contamination can have two meanings: either the garment was used for sinful purposes (clothing used in prostitution, transvestites, ocultic rituals); or the clothing was used during an act of sin, even though it may be normal clothing.


7. Leprosy in a house - 14:33-57 As in the case of leprosy in a garment, this type of leprosy

does not deal with the same kind of sickness that attacks people, but here it is taken with the same meaning of the type that represents the power of sin to contaminate innatomate objects.

In the New Testament the church was compared to a house (Ephesians 2:19-22). Church members are the stones that make up the house (1 Peter 2:5). Leprosy that invades a house can symbolize sin attempting to take over a local church.


When leprosy invades a house the first thing to do is to remove the furniture. Furniture symbolizes habits, customs and traditions that have no basis in God’s Word (14:36).

After searching for signs of rottenness and corruption (14:37), represented by the wrong practice of doctrine outside God’s Word which rapidly produces contamination (14:39).


Next the contaminated stones had to be removed (14:40). This corresponds to discipline or removing the offending brother from fellowship for refusing to repent (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).

If after this there is no change for lack of genuine repentance, then the entire house had to be destroyed.


We should not think that entire churches cannot be removed since the Lord seriously warned the church in Ephesus of the possibility of having its candlestick removed. The church in Laodicea was about to be vomited out of the Lord’s mouth (Revelation 2:5-3:16).


In the case of leprosy in a house the process of purification is described beginning in Leviticus 14:48. We can apply the case of leprosy in a house to a church invaded by sin and this passage describes the cure.

The blood of the bird points to the blood of the Lord Jesus. Through the blood we are forgiven and purified. Without this doctrine the church is reduced to a mere synagogue of Satan.


The cedarwood points to the cross of Christ where our flesh is eliminated.

In this case running water was not necessary. Running water is the same as living water and points to the action of the Holy Spirit. A church can only be restored if there are rivers of the Spirit flowing in and through it.


The hyssop is that which applies the blood and points to our strength and faith by the action of the living waters of the blood.

Next, a living bird was released to symbolize the freed sinner who can freely fly away after being set free.


Uncleanliness of body discharges - Leviticus 15 God’s will is that his people live in holiness. In order for us

to have a holy life, we must keep ourselves far from the impure things and draw near to things that are clean.

The first way of keeping ourselves pure is by restricting our contact with the wrong people represented by eating with them. Whatever we eat and with whom we eat influences us and determines what we are. Therefore Leviticus exhorts us to walk with those who are pure.


Next the Lord shows us that we must recognize that uncleanliness is within us from birth and therefore we are sinners. We need a new beginning and a new nature.

Next we saw the need to deal with all types of leprosy. Leprosy symbolizes the known sins that surround us.

Now we see the need to deal with all kinds of discharges. Bodily discharges represent everything that flows from our flesh. Rivers of living water flow from our spirit, but unclean discharges proceed from our flesh.


Bodily discharges are natural, however they are impure in the eyes of God because they proceed from the fallen flesh. Therefore, bodily discharges represent natural things that flow from our lives. Even though they may seem good in our own eyes, the Lord consideres them impure.


The first example of a bodily discharge was Cain’s offering. He made an offering based on his own strength, understanding and self-righteousness.

Bodily discharges also represent Abraham’s attempt to beget a son through his own devices.

The bodily discharge can also be seen in Nadab and Abihu who offered strange fire. God rejects the fire that proceeds from man’s natural strength. Everything that proceeds from our natural strength without depending on faith corresponds to a bodily discharge.


Chapter 15 is highly repetitive and can be summed up with the warning: “be careful with bodily discharges, so that you don’t contaminate yourself and others.”

After we become converted we concern ourselves excessively with the leprosy of the flesh, but we forget the natural life of the flesh which is bodily discharges. Those who walk according to their natural life end up contaminating everything that they touch in God’s house.


The medicine for bodily discharges is the living water of the Word of God.

that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word. (Ephesians 5:26)

class 06 the law concerning leprosy

Spiritual