“He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:46 ESV).
The Lord gave many types of laws to the Jewish people. These laws might be put in three categories: 1) Moral, 2) Ceremonial and 3) Civil. Moral laws are perpetual, revealing the character of God and showing us how to treat both God and man. Ceremonial laws have to do with the temple worship, holy days, and sacrificial system. Civil laws have the effect of setting the Jews apart as God’s peculiar people.
The laws concerning diseases of the skin seem to fall into the last two categories: ceremonial and civil. The “unclean” condition of one with a skin disease makes them ceremonially unacceptable to take part in corporate worship. And it also makes them a danger to the civil community, as their skin condition may be communicable.
The specificity of these “cleanliness” laws is astounding considering that medical science didn’t understand the invisible agents called germs until the late 19th century discoveries of Louis Pasteur. The cleaning of items that came into contact with the individual, the burning of clothes and bedding, the quarantine of the individual until the course of the disease is determined, these are all huge advancements for that day.
Leprosy in the Old Testament is often seen as a picture of sin. Like leprosy, sin starts small but spreads, defiling every part of a person’s life. The isolation of the leper symbolizes how sin separates us from God and from others (Isaiah 59:2).
When Jesus healed the leper (Luke 5:12-14), He demonstrated His power to cleanse not only physical disease but also the deeper problem of sin. His touch, which should have made Him unclean, instead made the leper clean—just as His sacrifice makes us righteous before God.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Jesus! His sacrifice and His touch has made us clean before You, so that we can be right with You and know You. We are no longer far off from You, but we have been brought near by faith in Your Son. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, amen.