How concerned was God about the health of millions of nomadic Israelites camping in the wilderness? Are we spiritually clean through Christ? Let’s look at Leviticus 13.
In the Bible were the terms clean and unclean also applied to diseases?
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “If anyone has a swelling or a rash or discolored skin that might develop into a serious skin disease, that person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons. The priest will examine the affected area of the skin. If the hair in the affected area has turned white and the problem appears to be more than skin-deep, it is a serious skin disease, and the priest who examines it must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean.” (Leviticus 13:1-3 NLT)
How long was quarantine to be? What if after quarantine, the rash has not spread?
If the bright spot is white in the skin of his body, and its appearance isn’t deeper than the skin, and its hair hasn’t turned white, then the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. The priest shall examine him on the seventh day. Behold, if in his eyes the plague is arrested and the plague hasn’t spread in the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days. The priest shall examine him again on the seventh day. Behold, if the plague has faded and the plague hasn’t spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. It is a scab. He shall wash his clothes, and be clean. (Leviticus 13:4-6 WEB)
What if after quarantine, the rash has continued to spread?
But if the rash continues to spread over the skin after they appeared before the priest for purification, they must again show themselves to the priest. If the priest sees that the rash has spread over the skin, the priest will declare the person unclean; it is a case of skin disease. (Leviticus 13:7-8 CEB)
How was the priest to examine any such skin disease, broadly termed leprosy?
Any of you with a skin disease must be brought to a priest. If he discovers that the sore spot is white with pus and that the hair around it has also turned white, he will say, “This is leprosy [skin disease]. You are unclean and must stay away from everyone else.” But if the disease has run its course and only the scars remain, he will say, “You are clean.” If the sores come back and turn white again, he will say, “This is leprosy [skin disease]—you are unclean.” However, if the sores heal and only white spots remain, the priest will say, “You are now clean.” (Leviticus 13:9-18 CEV)
What details was the priest to look for to pronounce the person unclean?
If there is in the skin of one's body a boil and it heals, and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a reddish-white spot, then it shall be shown to the priest. And the priest shall look, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a case of leprous [skin] disease that has broken out in the boil. (Leviticus 13:18-20 ESV)
What details was the priest to look for to pronounce the person clean?
But when the priest examines it, if there is no white hair in it, and it is not beneath the skin but is faded, the priest must quarantine him seven days. If it spreads further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is an infection. But if the spot remains where it is and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil. The priest is to pronounce him clean. (Leviticus 13:21-23 HCSB)
What about burn scars? Could they become infected?
When a person has a burn scar in the skin that turns bright, white-reddish, or white, if the priest examines it and indeed the hair has turned white with a white spot appearing more extensive than skin deep, it’s an infectious skin disease with a burn scar that has spread. The priest is to declare him unclean. It’s an infectious skin disease. But if the priest examines it and discovers that there’s no bright area or white hair, or if he discovers that it’s not more extensive than skin deep and it’s dull, then the priest is to isolate him for seven days. (Leviticus 13:24-26 ISV)
What were the guidelines if the burn scar was to spread?
And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy [a skin disease]. And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning. (Leviticus 13:27-28 KJV)
What were the guidelines if there was an infection on the head?
Now if a man or woman has an infection on the head or on the beard, then the priest shall look at the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin, and there is thin yellowish hair in it, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a scale; it is leprosy [a skin disease] of the head or of the beard. But if the priest looks at the infection of the scale, and behold, it appears to be no deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the person with the scaly infection for seven days. (Leviticus 13:29-31 LSB)
After a week’s quarantine period, how was the priest to judge the infection anywhere on the head?
And on the seventh day the priest shall look at the infection, and if the scale has not spread and no yellowish hair has grown in it, and the appearance of the scale is no deeper than the skin, then he shall shave himself, but he shall not shave the scale; and the priest shall isolate the person with the scale for seven more days. Then on the seventh day the priest shall look at the scale, and if the scale has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. (Leviticus 13:32-34 NASB)
What if the sore on the head spreads after it was pronounced clean?
But if the sore does spread in the skin after they are pronounced clean, the priest is to examine them, and if he finds that the sore has spread in the skin, he does not need to look for yellow hair; they are unclean. If, however, the sore is unchanged so far as the priest can see, and if black hair has grown in it, the affected person is healed. They are clean, and the priest shall pronounce them clean. When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; they are clean. (Leviticus 13:35-39 NIV)
What was the priest to do about examining head sores?
As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean. He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean. And if there is on the bald head or bald forehead a reddish-white sore, it is leprosy [skin disease] breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy [skin disease] on the skin of the body, he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head. (Leviticus 13:40-44 NKJV)
Was there to be a quarantine for those with a serious skin disease?
Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp. (Leviticus 13:45-46 NLT)
What was the priest to do about any article of clothing worn by a person with a skin disease?
The garment also that the plague of leprosy [skin disease] is in, whether it is a woolen garment, or a linen garment; whether it is in warp or woof; of linen or of wool; whether in a leather, or in anything made of leather; if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the leather, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything made of leather; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be shown to the priest. The priest shall examine the plague, and isolate the plague seven days. (Leviticus 13:47-50 WEB)
What was the priest to do with such an item of clothing after examination?
On the seventh day he will examine the infection again. If the infection has spread in the clothing, the weaving, or the skin, whatever it is used for, the infection is a case of infectious skin disease; the item is unclean. The priest will burn the clothing, the weaving of the wool or linen, or whatever skin item in which the infection was found, because it is an infectious skin disease; it must be burned with fire. (Leviticus 13:51-52 CEB)
What must the priest do after a week if the mildew has spread?
If the priest discovers that the mildew hasn't spread, he will tell you to wash the clothing or leather and put it aside for another seven days, after which he will examine it again. If the spot hasn't spread, but is still greenish or reddish, the clothing or leather is unclean and must be burned. But if the spot has faded after being washed, he will tear away the spot. (Leviticus 13:53-56 CEV)
When was such clothing to be washed rather than burned?
“Then if it appears again in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire whatever has the disease. But the garment, or the warp or the woof, or any article made of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, shall then be washed a second time, and be clean.” This is the law for a case of leprous disease [a skin disease] in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, to determine whether it is clean or unclean. (Leviticus 13:57-59 ESV)
Was Jesus concerned with spiritual uncleanness?
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. (Matthew 23:27 KJV)
Are fornication and fraud kinds of spiritual uncleanness? Have we been called to live holy lives?
… abstain from fornication … no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 KJV)
How concerned was God about the health of millions of nomadic Israelites camping in the wilderness? Are we spiritually clean through Christ? You decide!
