This week in our Crystallization-Study of Leviticus (2) we come to the matter of the cleansing of leprosy, and today we want to see that leprosy signifies the serious sin issuing from man, being the issue of man’s rebellion.
There’s a great relevance in the Lord’s word concerning leprosy, especially in this age that we live in. Leprosy has been an infectious disease, a chronic disease, that has been plaguing humankind for thousands of years.
This disease had no cure for a long time, and only in the last mid-century there was a drop-therapy that could take care of it. It is a horrible disease both in itself and in its result, in what it does to man.
Through some bad bacteria that comes into man’s body, there are some spots, some whiteness, some nodules, that cause a slow decrease of sensation in the peripheral nerves, taking away the feeling. Because of this, people who are leprous have no sense; they can even cut their fingers or put their hands in the fire and have no feeling, thus resulting in losing limbs.
There’s even a withdrawal of the body tissue which results in a great disfiguration and deformity.
This leprosy, which comes out from within man, is a disease that we all are stricken by; in the eyes of God leprosy signifies sin as a result of man’s rebellion. We were born sinners in Adam, so we all inherited this disease.
Today all humankind is leprous, but the good news is that we can see the type where, through certain procedure that God has ordained, this disease can be healed. We can not only be healed and cured from this disease, but we can even be cleansed from it!
There are three categories of leprosy: leprosy in the flesh, leprosy in the garments, and leprosy of the house. Our flesh can be leprous, our behavior or conduct can be leprous, and even the church we are in can be leprous. And there are specific prescriptions from the Lord on how to cleanse each of these kinds of leprosy.
In Lev. 13 the priests’ job was to examine in detail by observation the color of the skin, the color of the garments, and the stones and plaster in the house; by examining these conditions or symptoms, there’s an interpretation and a cure.
We may read these in the Bible, however, and we may not have any idea what these speak about; but praise the Lord for the life-study of Leviticus where we clearly see how these apply to our spiritual experience and pursuit.
We all are sick of leprosy, for we all are rebellious against God and we sin. Whether in our behavior or being, personally or in the church, there’s the danger of recurring leprosy, and the Lord wants this disease to be cleansed and removed from us.
When the Lord Jesus was on earth He dealt with leprous people; right after He decreed the law of the kingdom of the heavens in Matt. 5-7, He came down from the mountain and was met by a leper, whom He cleansed. This is very significant.
Leprosy signifies the whole condition of the mankind that the Savior came to save.
Then in Mark 1 the Lord had compassion and was willing, and He touched the leper who came to Him; by that touch, the leper was healed. In Luke 17 ten lepers came to the Lord, and the Lord cleansed them; only one of them returned to thank Him.
Principles of Healing from Spiritual Leprosy: Faith, Obedience, Confession, and Life
It is very interesting to realize when reading Lev. 13-14 that, even though there’s a thorough examination of the leprous person, garment, or house, there’s no cure per-say; there’s the cleansing, but not the cure.
If we read the Bible and have spiritual insight on this matter, however, we see that there are some spiritual principles for us to be cured from leprosy – there are at least four things. Leprosy is not cured once for all; it could come back, so the person had to be quarantined.
There are four things as principles of healing from this terrible spiritual disease:
1. Faith. “Your faith has healed you…” We have to believe into the Lord and believe in His way of salvation. Only faith can heal us; only our faith in the Savior Himself can heal us.
No one can heal us from spiritual leprosy – only the Lord can heal, and we need to believe in Him. When we tell Him, Lord, if You are willing, You can heal me! He replies, Your faith has cleansed you, healed you, and saved you.
2. Obedience. The source of leprosy is rebellion, and its manifestation is sin. By one man’s disobedience we all are constituted sinners. Disobedience is first and sin comes after.
When we obey the Lord and His word, just as Naaman obeyed Elisha to go and dip himself in the river of Jordan and was healed, so we will be healed. Sin is rebellion, so the cure comes out of obedience.
3. Confession. There are spots, infections on the body, that are deeper than the skin; spiritual leprosy is manifested, not hidden somewhere, and we need to confess and repent. We can never graduate from this.
For us to be healed from this sin, we need a deep confession. Rebellion is the source, sin is what is seen, and we need to ask for cleansing and washing, after we confess our sins to the Lord. As we confess, He cleanses us from all our unrighteousness. The deeper and stronger the sin, the more confession there needs to be.
4. Life. This is nothing from us, not something that we can do, but if we exercise before the Lord to believe into Him, obey His word, and confess in a detailed way, the Lord’s life will come in to heal us.
We cannot heal ourselves; we need the Lord’s divine life, His resurrection life, to operate in us and do something from within us to heal us and cure us. And this takes place: leprosy can be healed and cured!
However, we need to be warned: whenever we leave these things, leprosy can return. Whenever we leave the way of faith, obedience, submission, and confession, spiritual leprosy can return, spread, infect, and eventually even devour us. How much we need to tell the Lord,
Lord Jesus, we admit that we are sick of spiritual leprosy, but if You are willing, You can cleanse us! We come to You, Lord, and we believe into You and in Your way of salvation. We want to be obedient to You and to Your word, and do even as You tell us to do in Your word. We admit, Lord, rebellion and sin are in us; we are full of rebellion and full of sin. Cleanse us, Lord, wash us, and cure us. Heal us of our leprosy. Cure us of our rebellion, and remove the stain of sin from us.
Spiritual Leprosy issues from Rebellion against God and His Economy, and Leprosy is Sin
What does leprosy signify in the spiritual realm? Leprosy signifies the serious sin issuing from man, such as willful sin, presumptuous sin, and opposing God with determination (see Lev. 13).
Leprosy is willful sin, not accidental sin or sin in the unawares, but the sin where the will is involved – we do it deliberately, with some level of deliberation.
Leprosy is when we go and do something before we’re told, we act without an order, and we presume something according to our concept, mentality, ways, and philosophies.
We need to be fearful of being presumptuous and of opposing God. The whole world is opposing God, and the created man dares to be fearless to oppose God in an open and unruly way – this is happening right before our eyes! Society today is so rebellious that it is openly opposing God.
As seen in the cases of Miriam (Num. 12:1-10), Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27), and Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:16-21), leprosy issues from rebellion against God’s authority, against God’s deputy authority, against God’s regulation, and against God’s economy.
We need to beware of participating in the sin of rebellion, the sin of being against God, His deputy authority (both secular and spiritual), and against God’s regulation and law, His economy.
Miriam spoke against Moses (God’s deputy authority) who married a Cushite woman; she said, Does God only speak through you, or also through us? It seems to be a reasonable argument, and Moses did not say a word, but suddenly God’s anger was kindled against Miriam and Aaron because of speaking against Moses, and when He departed, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow.
Similarly, Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha, went after Naaman to ask him for some gifts – even though Elisha wanted to have none of it; when he returned to Elisha, he lied concerning where he went, and Naaman’s leprosy clinged to him.
Uzziah the king became strong and presumptuous, and he wanted to burn incense on the altar; this was not his job, but it was a holy service for the priest to do. The priests tried to withstand him but couldn’t, and when he was burning incense, leprosy broke out on his forehead, and he was a leper until the day of his death.
In the biblical sense, sin is rebellion; leprosy signifies sin (1 John 3:4). Sin is not just a weakness or failure or a mere transgression; sin is law-less-ness, no law. If we look around us, everyone is unrestrained, uncontrollable, unruly, ungovernable, undisciplined, defiant, and even anarchic.
To practice sin is to live in it, to live in the principle of not being under God’s ruling over man. Sin is not just about moral failure; it has its roots in rebellion, and it is lawlessness. To practice sin is to practice lawlessness.
The lawlessness surrounding us makes this society perverse, filthy, and morally bankrupt.
The first case of sin in the Bible was Satan’s rebellion against God; hence, sin as rebellion was invented and inaugurated by the rebellious archangel Lucifer who rebelled against God and wanted to be like God (see Ezek. 28:13-18; Isa. 14:12-15).
The origin of sin is Satan. This sin, this leprosy, entered into mankind through Adam; having entered into man, it issues from within man as many kinds of sins, many manifestations of rebellion (see Rom. 5:12, 19; 7:20).
Through one person’s disobedience and rebellion, the whole humanity became sinful; that bacteria, that contagion called sin, dwells in our flesh.
A leper represents the fallen descendants of Adam, all of whom are lepers; as signs of leprosy, a swelling, eruption, or a bright spot on the skin of one’s flesh signifies man’s outward expressions in unruliness, in friction with others, and in pride and self-exaltation (Lev. 13:2).
We all have to admit that we have all these things in us, and we can trace every time that, when these things come out, unruliness, friction, pride, and self-exaltation, there’s a sense within us that something is very unclean, dirty, and ugly.
The condition in Leviticus 13:24-25 signifies that a saved person’s acting by the flesh, that is, his losing his temper, his justifying himself, and his not being willing to forgive others, is a sign of spiritual leprosy.
Dear Lord Jesus, we love You! Thank You for Your faithful word and Your light that exposes us for being sinful, full of sin, and rebellious. Oh Lord, sin is in our nature, rebellion is in our very being, and we are leprous to the core. Save us, Lord, and heal us from our disease of leprosy. Save us from opposing You or being rebellious against Your authority. Save us from the sin of presumptuousness. Oh Lord Jesus, we believe into You, we come to You, and we give ourselves to You for Your purpose!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Leviticus, msg. 39 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Leviticus (2), week 5, The Cleansing of Leprosy.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Oh, from myself deliver, / From all its misery; / I’d henceforth be forever / Completely filled with Thee. (Hymns #280)
# Thank You Lord, You opened my blind eyes to see / I was lame, but now I can walk; You healed me! / My leprosy, Lord, You cleansed all away; / My ears were opened to hear Your voice, / And now I follow You ’cause… (Song on, Lord, You are Beloved)
# I’m willing, / Defeat me. / Put the world and sins beneath my feet. / Within me is rebellion. / Defeat it, conquer and subdue it. / Carry me away as Your captive. (Song on, To live a life in the Holy of Holies)
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