Read Leviticus 14
As we read yesterday, another area of uncleanness under the care of the priests was skin diseases like leprosy. Anyone suspected of having such a condition was to be brought to the priest for evaluation, and, if necessary, separation from the community to prevent its spread. There was, however, always the hope, end even expectation, that the person would recover, be pronounced clean, and be restored to the worship of and fellowship with God.
Key verses: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field. 8 And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 9 And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean. 10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil. 11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
Thoughts: God goes on to explain the carrying out of the offerings in accordance with things discussed in chapters 1 through 7, as well as instructions for cleansing a house wherein leprosy had been present. Again, the big picture is keeping God's house and His worship pure. Though there was always hope and even an anticipation that the leper would be healed and cleansed, we find that some lived as lepers on an ongoing basis. This is not what God desired, just as one's living in sin and never coming to repentance and cleansing was never His desire. Some just chose to accept it as a way of life.
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