Free As A Bird
Leviticus 14
Cleansing From Infectious Skin Diseases
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, [1] 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields. (New International Version)
This passage describes cleansing that one healed of leprosy would have to undergo to be declared clean.
I. The cleansing ceremony for those cleansed of leprosy
A. Two birds—one sacrificed, one set free
B. The sacrificed bird was killed over running water. The running water represented cleansing.
C. The bird and a bundle of cedar and hyssop tied
with scarlet and dipped in the blood of the sacrificed bird.
D. Elements involved in the cleansing of lepers
1. Cedar wood
What is the significance of cedar? According to most commentators, cedar is presented in Scripture as a symbol of imperishable existence. When cedar burns it produces a sweet aroma bringing to mind the sweet aroma of the sacrifice Christ would make on the cross. Cedar is a common wood used throughout Palestine and the Middle East. It is quite possible that Christ was even crucified on a cross made of cedar. In Ezekiel 17, Christ is portrayed as a cedar tree.
Ezekiel 17
22"And the Sovereign LORD says: I will take a tender shoot from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel’s highest mountain. 23It will become a noble cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter beneath its branches. 24And all the trees will know that it is I, the LORD, who cuts down the tall tree and helps the short tree to grow tall. It is I who makes the green tree wither and gives new life to the dead tree. I, the LORD, have spoken! I will do what I have said." (New Living Translation)
Cedar thus seems to signify that which is eternal.
2. Hyssop
Hyssop in Scripture is associated with cleansing. In Psalm 51:7, David wrote:
“Purge me with hyssop, and shall be clean…”
Hyssop is a small bushy plant that grows in the Middle East. Oil from hyssop in fact is said to be quite an effective antiseptic and antibacterial agent. Hyssop oil contains 50 percent carvacrol which is an antifungal and antibacterial agent that still used in medicine.
Hyssop thus seems to signify cleansing.
3. Scarlet
Many commentators see this color as symbolizing life. Scarlet is the color of blood. Blood is the source of life. It was the blood of Jesus shed on the cross that would offer cleansing and eternal life.
E. The Leper is sprinkled seven times with the blood from the slain bird.
F. The other bird is set free. This signifies that the leper is set free from quarantine.
II. Christological Significance of this ceremony
A. All sacrifices in the Old Testament point to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
B. We can identify with lepers in that we have a decaying sickness in our lives called sin.
C. Our ailment keeps us quarantined from God
D. Christ is the bird who sacrificed His life so that we could be set free.
E. The elements involved in the sacrifice can remind us of the quality of the sacrifice Christ made for us.
1. The cedar reminds us of the eternal security we have in Christ
2. The scarlet thread reminds us of the blood of Christ shed for our sins
3. The hyssop reminds of the healing we have through the sacrifice of Christ
F. The leper sprinkled seven times reminds us of the completeness of Christ’s atonement for us on the cross. Seven is the number of completion.
G. The bird set free reminds of how we have been set free from the law of sin and death.
Some Lessons from the Bird Set Free
I. We who have accepted Christ are the birds set free
Psalm 124
7 We have escaped like a bird
out of the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
John 8
36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Romans 8
Life Through the Spirit
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
If we have accepted Christ then we have been set free from condemnation. Satan, however, at times would like to make us feel condemned. In Genesis 3:15 there is the promise to Eve that one of her off spring would crush the head of the serpent. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The next time the devil speaks lies to you and makes you feel hopeless, ask him to bend his neck over. On the back of his head is a nail scarred footprint.
II. We have to see ourselves as new creations—birds that can fly!
2 Corinthians 5
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (New International Version)
Some believers live as though they are not free. They live in fear and in bondage. Consider the following story:
I heard the story once of an eagle whose egg was found and hatched among chickens. For a long time, the eagle walked about pecking the ground like chicken, then one day he saw another eagle soaring in the sky high above.
He began to flap his wings to get off the ground to no avail, much to the amusement of the other chickens who told him he could not fly. One day, however, he sprang from the top of the chicken coup, flapping his wings, and managed to lift himself into the sky. God does not desire that you would stay in the chicken coup, but rather that you would soar in the destiny that He has set aside for you!
III. We as New Creations Need to Stay Out of the Fowler’s Snare
Galatians 5
Freedom in Christ
1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
1 Peter 2
16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
IV. If we are to be birds, then we need to be migratory birds! We must seek to move on to perfection! He doesn’t want us to stay in the chicken coup! He doesn’t want us to be circling the field! He wants us to move on to perfection!
Few animals in the world are as filled with purpose as migrating birds. Of all the migrating birds it is the artic tern that gets the prize for flying the farthest. This bird that breeds in the Arctic tundra flies all the way to the edge of the Antarctic ice pack during winter. This bird flies over 21,750 miles each year, almost equivalent to the circumference of the Earth. This little bird is always flying, spending its summers in the arctic and winters in the Antarctic.
Now the longest non stop flyer in the world is the Bar Tailed Godwit. This bird flies non stop from its nesting areas in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands all the way to New Zealand, a distance of almost 6500 miles! Unlike the Arctic Tern it cannot land en- route as it is not a swimmer, but a shore wader. Every year the Godwits land in New Zealand completely exhausted after their extensive journey. Think about it, these birds fly all the way from the furthest reaches of the Northern Hemisphere to those of the Southern Hemisphere across the wide sea of the Pacific. Since these birds do not soar, but continuously flap their wings, many die of exhaustion, but most will make it and will undertake a journey back to Alaska in the spring.
Amazing! It seems that birds have more purpose and drive than many people. Just as migrating birds are compelled to journey in a particular destination, so we must be compelled to journey in the direction of Christ!
Philippians 3
14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 9
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
John Wesley liked to ask his followers: Are you moving on toward perfection? Wesley asserted God called believers to seek to be perfect as He was perfect. John Wesley saw the spiritual journey as one that we need to take with other believers.
The heart of what Wesley saw as this sacred life journey was the understanding that we were not to attempt to journey alone. Do you have someone to help you grow in your faith? As birds set free it is essential that we be involved in a body of believers.
You know I think it is significant that birds migrate in groups. Consider now what happens when geese migrate.
As each goose flaps its wings it creates a boost for those following it. It has been determined that there is 71 percent flying range for geese flying in V formations than those flying alone. Geese flying in the rear honk to encourage those who are flying in the lead to keep up the pace.
As birds set free by the grace of God let us fly together in formation pressing on toward the prize. Let us keep in mind what was written in Hebrews 10:
Hebrews 10
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Many of you here this morning are birds set free by the grace of God. But maybe there is someone here this morning who hasn’t committed their life to Christ. If you have never made this decision, I want to encourage you that God has a wonderful purpose for your life. You can be set free from the leprosy of sin. You can know freedom and purpose in Christ! Maybe there are others here have been set free, but you are like birds circling in a field or maybe you are even like the eagle in the chicken coup. I want to challenge you to recommit your life to flying for God. I want to encourage you to move on to perfection.
