Lesson #15

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Leviticus

September 21, 2015

Introduction

May 13, 2010

Leviticus Lesson #02

May 13, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

LEVITICUS 14
Lesson #15
THE LEPER’S CLEANSING AND NEW LIFE

• Memory Verse: Gal 3:22
• Leprosy in the Old Testament was not a disease without a cure. Evidently some people were healed of it in the Bible days, but only by the miraculous grace of God. (Luk 4:27) Today with modern drugs people are cured of leprosy.
  • However, God chose the sickness of leprosy to model for us the awful nature of sin.
  • Just as leprosy had its miraculous cure, sin has its miraculous cure in Jesus Christ.
• After the leper was healed, he had to go through a spiritual cleansing ritual.
  • This ritual did not heal him of the disease.
  • This ritual only made him spiritually able to join society. His isolation came to an end.

 

• Read Lev 14:1-9 Ceremonial Cleansing Outside the Camp
• A person recovering from leprosy had to have the priest’s permission to reenter society.
• The priest went outside the city to inspect the leper.
  • Because the leper could not enter the city or the temple to seek the priest, the priest came to the leper.
  • Because sinful man could not enter heaven to seek God, God became flesh in Jesus Christ to declare believers clean through the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. (Luk 19:10)
    • Because of sin, the non-believer is shut out from approaching God.
    • Because of sin, the non-believer was without hope and lost.
• Because the person had been initially declared a leper by the priest, the priest must finally declare him healed and clean.
  • God declared man sinful after the sin of Adam and Eve and closed the Garden of Eden.
  • God must declare man holy after he is cleansed of his sin nature through the blood of Christ and opens the door to eternal life.
• The unusual ritual with two birds:
  • All of the other sacrifices had to be done at the bronze altar inside the courtyard door of the tabernacle and later the temple.
  • This ritual is done outside the camp where the leper was isolated from society.
  • The elements of the ritual:
    • Cedar wood = This item represents the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ.
      • This wood was hard and incorruptible, not penetrated by bugs. It was the highest tree in Israel.
      • The wood was formed into a handle. The hyssop was tied to the wood handle with scarlet wool to form a brush.
    • Scarlet wool = This item represents faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. (Heb 9:19) It is reminiscent of the scarlet cord that Rahab put into the window as a sign of her faith in the book of Joshua.
    • Hyssop = This is a plant that grows as a low bush among rocks in damp places. It was the lowest of herbs and did not retain bacteria.
      • Read Psa 51:7
      • This plant represents the application of the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ.
        • The Israelites applied the blood to the doorposts with hyssop in the first Passover when God redeemed them by the blood of the lamb.
        • The believer in Jesus Christ must apply the blood to his own life by his identification personal with Jesus Christ. Salvation is not automatic even though Christ died for all man’s sin.
    • The earthen vessel = This item represents a fragile human life. (2Cor 4:7)
      • Jesus became flesh for us. He took on himself the weaknesses of our humanity.
      • He was tempted in his flesh in all areas that we are tempted. (Heb 4:15)
    • Running water = This element represents both the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
      • (Eph 5:26)
      • (Joh 7:38-39)
    • Two live birds (probably doves) =
      • One bird was killed to represent the death of Jesus Christ at crucifixion.
        • He was full of the Holy Spirit and His eternal name is THE WORD.
        • Read Heb 9:14
        • This bird was killed in the earthen vessel over which ran pure, clean water.
      • One bird was kept alive to represent the life of Jesus Christ after resurrection.
        • To identify the living bird with the dead bird, the living bird was dipped in the blood of the slain bird.
          • The wood was dipped in the blood of the dead bird.
          • The hyssop was dipped in the blood of the dead bird.
        • The living bird was set free to exemplify the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ through His shed blood. (Gal 5:1)
    • The application of blood and water was sprinkled on the healed leper seven times.
      • Remember that the number 7 represents God’s completion or perfection.
      • By the Spirit and the blood of Christ, the believer has a new life in Jesus Christ. (Heb 9:14)
      • Read 1Joh 5:6
• The new life of the healed leper
  • After the healed leper has gone through the purification ritual, he must wash his clothes and shave his whole body for seven days.
    • The old clothes represent = the old lifestyle of the non-believer.
    • The shaving represents = the radical change in starting his new life.
    • Read 2Cor 5:17
  • The new believer in Jesus Christ must exhibit a change in his life. He maintains this change by two paths.
    • The Word of God
      • Read Joh 15:3
      • The believer must maintain his freedom from sin through continual knowledge of the truth of the Word of God.
    • The Spirit of God
      • Read Joh 17:17
      • The believer must maintain his openness to God’s convicting Spirit by his openness to repentance and change.
  • The seven days represents God’s fulfillment of sanctification. God will be finished sanctifying the church when He RETURN s in the rapture of the church.

 

• Read Lev 14:10 Ceremonial Cleansing Inside the Camp
• The elements:
  • Two male lambs
  • One ewe lamb
  • Three measures of fine flour
  • Oil (a log of oil = about ½ pint)
• Now that the leper has taken his place in society, he must subject himself to all the regular offerings that every Israelite had to bring. These are the elements that we have discussed in all the offerings of the first 6 chapters of Leviticus.
  • The eighth day represents the meaning of the number 8 which is a new beginning.
  • The new believer in Jesus Christ has a new beginning. He has a new life in Christ. All things are become new. (2Cor 5:17)
    • The leper now has full acceptance in society and full ability to worship in the tabernacle or temple.
    • The believer in Jesus Christ now has full acceptance in heaven before God for eternity.
  • Verses 11-20 are one continuous sentence completed in one continuous ceremony.
    • The two male animals were for the trespass offering and the sin offering to remind him that he is still a sinner with a sin nature.
    • The ewe lamb was for the burnt offering to remind him that God sees him as perfect through Jesus Christ.
    • The fine flour with oil was for the meal offering that reminded him that through the mercy of Christ he has fellowship with God and other believers.
  • Verses 21-32 tell us about the offering he could bring if he were poor.
    • A person that spent years isolated from society would certainly be poor materially.
    • And yet God gives him a way to come for acceptance before God.
• General observations:
  • Lev 14:14
    • Blood on the right ear = The new believer can how hear from God.
    • Blood on the right thumb = The new believer can now serve God with works that are now subject to the guidance of Christ and are under the blood of Christ.
    • Blood on the right big toe = The new believer can now walk in the way of Christ.
  • Lev 14:28
    • The oil on the right ear = The new believer can now serve God having his spiritual hearing anointed by the Holy Spirit so that he can not only hear, but also understand the Word of God.
    • The oil on the right thumb = The new believer’s works can now be anointed by the Holy Spirit to do miraculous things for God.
    • The oil on the right big toe = The new believer’s walk can now be guided by the Holy Spirit.
  • Lev 14:29
    • The oil on the head = The new believer’s life in service to God is anointed by the Holy Spirit.
  • Remember that these practices of putting blood and oil on the ear, the hand, the foot, and the head were the practices done for the priest. Remember that the believer in Jesus Christ is the priest of the New Testament. (1Pet 2:9)

 

• Read Lev 14:33-36 The House With Leprosy
• Why do you think so much detail is given about a house with the plague of leprosy?
  • Considering this passage literally, there is no illness of leprosy that attacks a building. Leprosy is a human disease. The condition most like what is described is a house infested with mold or fungus.
  • Because there is no leprosy that attacks a building, we must consider what is meant spiritually speaking.
• What is meant by leprosy of a house?
  • Because leprosy is a symbol of sin, we must keep the significance consistent to be true to the rules of Biblical interpretation.
  • There are three spiritual meanings for the word “house” in scripture:
    • =1= The world that God created for man to live his life.
    • =2= The household or home represents the family. (1Tim 3:4-5)
      • Some sins are passed down in families from generation to generation.
      • For example, the sin of drunkenness or the sin of witchcraft.
    • =3= The house represents the physical body in which a person lives his life. (Mat 7:24 2Cor 5:1)
• The practical ceremony:
  • The house was emptied of its furniture and inhabitants.
  • The priest inspected the house and closed it up for seven days.
  • After the seven days the priest made another inspection of the house.
  • If he found any of the plague, he removed the infected material.
  • In Lev 14:37-47 there is a continual inspection and removal of infected material by replacing the infected material with new material. If the plague keeps reoccurring, the house must be demolished and taken outside of the city.
• The spiritual significance:
  • The believer in Jesus Christ must guard his family and his life from the plague of sin. This is accomplished by:
    • =1= A continual inspection and awareness when practices of sin have corrupted the believer’s life or the believer’s family.
    • =2= A constant replacement of sinful practices with the things of God.
  • At the rapture of the church, the believer will receive a new glorified body.
    • The new body will not be corruptible.
    • The new body will not be susceptible to the plague of sin.
  • After the millennial kingdom of Christ on earth, God will create a new heaven and a new earth where believers will live for eternity with Christ.
    • Because of sin God scraped the earth to rid it of sin in the flood of Noah in the same way that the house with leprosy must be emptied and scraped.
    • Then God began again with Noah and his family.
• The cleansing ceremony for a house healed of leprosy:
  • The same ceremony that was done for the healed leper was done for the house cleansed of leprosy (or mold).
  • Blood was sprinkled over the house to make it clean.
    • From God’s perspective, blood made things clean.
    • From man’s perspective, blood is a stain difficult to remove. Man never cleans anything by applying blood to it. This is why the application of blood for cleansing is so foreign to man’s thinking.
• Application:
• Read Lev 14:54-57

• Notice that the primary purpose for all this ritual was to teach man what was clean and what was unclean, what was holy and what was unholy, what was pleasing to God and what was not pleasing to God.
• In this respect, all humans have spiritual leprosy.
  • We are all unclean from God’s perspective.
  • We all need cleansing from our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ.
• This whole world is plagued by spiritual leprosy.
  • Read Rom 8:22-23
  • Read 2Cor 5:1-4

HOMEWORK
Leviticus 15
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Lev 14
  • What sins plague you and your family that need cleansing by the blood of Christ?
  • Pray and ask God to forgive you of sin. Then thank Him for His forgiveness.
  • Pray and ask God to give you the strength of Christ to resist temptation.

 

• Preparation for Lev 15
• Read Lev 15:1-33
  • What is the meaning of the word, copulation? (16)

 

• What does the phrase mean, “times of a woman’s separation”? (25)

 

• What does “sick of her flowers” mean? (33)

 

• Find in a dictionary the meaning of the word, “depravity”.

 

• Memory Verse: Gen 6:5