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Daily Devotions

The Law Concerning Leprosy

By February 6, 2015No Comments

Read Leviticus 13 – 14

And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. Leviticus 13:45-46 KJV

Leviticus 13-14 is concerned with the law of leprosy. This was a broad term describing a scaly condition usually associated with human skin, but also applied to intimate objects like the walls of a house. In some cases this was a contagious disease caused by a germ, and in some cases it was the result of divine judgment. Regardless of the cause, the disease was devastating to the person who had it. They were to shave their head, tear their clothes, cover their face, be separated from the camp of Israel, and warn approaching people they were unclean. Leprosy is often associated with sin for obvious reasons: sin makes us unclean or defiled, it humbles us by taking everything of value from us, and sin separates us from God’s people. Just as cleansing from leprosy restored all those things, cleansing from sin does the same; it restores our relationship with God and His people.

Lord, I really can’t imagine what it was like to live as a leper in Old Testament days. To be told you had leprosy must have been the words none would want to hear. On the other hand there must have been no better words than those which declared a leper clean. That I can imagine, having been declared clean of sin by You. Thank You for removing the curse of sin in my life that I might be accepted into Your family.