Schoolmaster to Christ
LEVITICUS CHAPTERS 13-14
Schoolmaster to Christ
LEVITICUS CHAPTERS 13-14
Scripture Reading: Leviticus 13-14 (KJV)
Of all functions the priest had to discharge according to the Mosaic ritual, none demanded more patient attention or stricter adherence to God's guidebook, than the discernment and proper treatment of leprosy. This fact must be obvious to anyone who seriously studies these chapters.
Two things claimed the priest's vigilant care: purity of the assembly, and the grace that could not exclude any member, save on clearly-established grounds. Holiness could not permit anyone to remain in who should be out; while, on the other hand, grace would not permit anyone out who should be in. Therefore, on the part of the priest there was urgent need for watchfulness, calmness, wisdom, patience, tenderness, and enlarged experience. Something might seem trifling which, in reality, was serious; and something might look like leprosy which was not. The greatest care and coolness was needed. Judgment rashly formed, a conclusion hastily arrived at, might involve serious consequences, either regarding the assembly or some individual member.
This will account for the frequent occurrence of such expressions as: "The priest shall look;" "The, priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days;" "And the priest shall look on him the seventh day;" "Then the priest shall shut him up seven days more;" "And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day;" "And the priest shall see him;" "Then the priest shall consider." No case was to be hastily judged or rashly decided. No opinion was to be formed from mere hearsay. Personal observation, priestly discernment, calm reflection, strict adherence to the written word – the holy, infallible guidebook – all these things were demanded of the priest if his judgment of each case was to be sound. He was not to be guided in anything by his own thoughts, feelings, or wisdom. He had ample guidance in the Word. Every point, every feature, every movement, every variation, every shade and character, every peculiar symptom and affection – all was provided for with divine fullness and forethought; so in order to be preserved from mistakes, the priest needed only to be acquainted with and subject to the Word in all things.
This concludes our brief look at the priest and his holy responsibilities. We now consider the disease of leprosy, as developed in a person, in a garment, or in a house.
Looking at this disease from a physical point of view, nothing can be more loathsome; and it is incurable, furnishing a vivid and appalling picture of sin – in one's natures; circumstances, and in the assembly. What a lesson for the soul – a vile and humiliating disease used as a type of moral evil, whether in a member of God's assembly, in the circumstances of a member, or in the assembly itself.
Leprosy in a person
In other words, the working of moral evil or what might seem to be evil, in any member of the assembly. This is a grave and solemn matter demanding the utmost vigilance and care on the part of those who are concerned about the good of souls and the glory of God; who are involved in the well-being and purity of His assembly as a whole, or of each individual member.
Notice that while the broad principles of leprosy and its cleansing apply in a secondary sense to any sinner, yet, in the Scripture now before us the matter is presented in connection with those who were God's recognized people. The person, here seen as the subject of priestly examination, is a member of God's assembly. It is important to understand this. God's assembly must be kept pure, because it is His dwelling-place. No leper can be allowed to remain within the hallowed precincts of Jehovah's habitation.
Notice also the care, vigilance, and perfect patience inculcated on the priest, so that leprosy would always be treated as such; so that real leprosy would always be allowed to escape. Many things might appear "in the skin" – "the place of manifestation" – that was like "the plague of leprosy," which, on patient, priestly investigation would be found to be superficial. This required carefully attention. Some blemish might appear on the surface that was not defiling. And yet, that which seemed but a superficial blemish might prove to be something deeper than the skin, something below the surface, something affecting the hidden springs of one's constitution. All this required intense care on the part of the priest (vv. 2-11). A slight neglect or trifling oversight might lead to disastrous consequences. It might lead to the defilement of the assembly by the presence of a confirmed leper, or, for some superficial blemish, to the expulsion of a genuine member of the Israel of God.
There is a rich fund of instruction in all this for the people of God. There is a difference between personal infirmity and the energy of evil – between mere defects and blemishes in the outward character, and the activity of sin in the members. No doubt, it is important to watch against our infirmities; for, if not watched, judged, and guarded against, they may become the source of evil (vv. 14-25). Our nature must be judged and kept down. We must not make allowances for personal infirmity in ourselves, though we should make allowance for it in others. For example, take the matter of an irritable temper. We should judge it in ourselves; but we should make allowance for it in others. Like "the burning boil" in the case of an Israelite (vv. 19, 20), it may prove a source of defilement – the ground of exclusion from the assembly. Every form of weakness must be watched for and guarded against, lest it become an occasion of sin. "A bald forehead" was not leprosy, but it might be, so it had to be watched. There may be a hundred things that are not sinful, but which may become sin if not diligently watched. This needs careful attention because it is not merely a question of what we might consider blots, blemishes, and personal infirmities, but also that of which we might boast. Wit, humor, vivacity of spirit and temper; all these may become the source and center of defilement. Each one has something to guard against – something to keep us always on the watch-tower. How blessed we are regarding all such things – we can come to and count on our Father's heart. At all times, we have the precious privilege of coming into the presence of unrebuking and unupbraiding love – there to tell all, obtain grace to help in all, and to find victory over all. As long as we see this motto inscribed on the door of our Father's treasury, "He giveth more grace," we need not be discouraged. What a bottomless and boundless motto – it has no limit.
Consider now what was done when the plague of leprosy was unquestionably and unmistakably defined. The God of Israel could bear with infirmity, blemish, and failure; but the moment it became a case of defilement, whether in the head, the beard, the forehead, or any other part, it could not be tolerated in the holy assembly. "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" (vv. 45, 46).
Here was the leper's condition; the leper's occupation; the leper's place. With rent garments, bare head, and covered lip; crying, "Unclean, unclean;" and dwelling outside in the dreary solitude of the dismal desert waste. What could be more humiliating, or more depressing than this? "He shall dwell alone." He was unfit for communion or companionship. He was excluded from the only spot in the entire world where Jehovah's presence was known or enjoyed.
We behold in the solitary leper a vivid type of one in whom sin is working. This is really what it means. It is not, as we will soon see, a helpless, ruined, guilty, convicted sinner, whose guilt and misery has come out, and who is therefore a fit subject for the love of God and the blood of Christ. No; we see in the excluded leper one in whom sin is actually working – one in whom there is the energy of evil. This is what defiles and shuts one out from the enjoyment of God's presence and the communion of saints. As long as sin is working, there can be no fellowship with God or His people. "He shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be." How long? "All the days wherein the plague shall be in him." This is a great practical truth. The energy of evil is the death-blow to communion. There may be outward appearance, mere form, and hollow profession; but there can be no communion as long as the energy of evil is present. It does not matter what the character or amount of the evil may be, if it is only the weight of a feather or simply a foolish thought, as long as it continues to work it will certainly hinder communion, causing a suspension of fellowship. When it rises to a head, when it comes to the surface, when it is thoroughly brought out, it can then be met and put away by the grace of God and the blood of the Lamb.
This brings us to a deeply interesting point in connection with the leper – a point that will no doubt prove a complete paradox to those who do not understand God's mode of dealing with sinners. "And if a leprosy break; out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague, from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; then the priest shall consider; and, behold, if the leprosy be covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean" (Lev. 13:12, 13).
The moment a sinner is in a true place before God, the whole question is settled. Directly his real character is fully brought out and there is no further difficulty. As a result of not taking our true place, of not bringing out "all the truth," we may have to pass through much painful exercise before reaching this point; but the moment we are brought to say, from the heart, "just as I am," the free grace of God flows down to us. "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer" (Ps. 32:3, 4). How long did this painful exercise continue? Until the whole truth was brought out – until all that which was working inwardly came to the surface. "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (v. 5).
It is interesting to note the progress of the Lord's dealing with the leprous man, from the moment suspicion is raised, until the disease covers the whole man "from the crown of the head unto the sole of the foot." There was no haste, and no indifference. God always enters the place of judgment with a slow and measured pace; but when He does enter, He must act according to the claims of His nature. He can patiently investigate. He can wait for "seven days;" and should there be the slightest variation in the symptoms, He can wait for "seven days more;" but, the moment it is positively found to be the working of leprosy, there can be no toleration. "Without the camp shall his habitation be." How long? Until the disease comes fully to the surface. "If the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean." This is a most precious and interesting point. The smallest speck of leprosy was intolerable to God; and yet, when the whole man was covered from head to foot he was pronounced clean – a proper subject for the grace of God and the blood of atonement.
It is this way in every case regarding the sinner. God is "Of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look upon iniquity" (Hab. 1:13); and yet, the moment a sinner takes his true place as one thoroughly lost – guilty and undone; as one in whom there is not a single point on which the eye of Infinite Holiness can rest with complacency; as one who is so bad that he cannot possibly be worse, there is an immediate, perfect, and divine settlement of the entire matter. The grace of God deals with sinners; and when one knows he is a sinner, he knows he is one whom Christ came to save. The more clearly one can prove us to be sinners, the more clearly is established our title to the love of God, and the work of Christ. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). In other words, since we are "unjust," we are one of those very people for whom Christ died, and are entitled to all the benefits of His death. "There is not a just man upon earth;" and, because we are "upon earth," it is plain that we are "unjust;" and it is equally plain that Christ died for us – that He suffered for our sins. Therefore, since Christ died for us, it is our happy privilege to enjoy the fruits of His sacrifice. This is as plain as plainness itself, demanding no effort whatsoever to understand. We are not called to be anything but just what we are. We are not called to feel, experience, or realize anything. The Word of God assures us that Christ died for us just as we are; and if He died for us then we are as safe as He is Himself. There is nothing against us. Christ met all. He not only suffered for our "sins," but He "made an end of sin." He abolished the entire system, in which we stood as children of the first Adam, and He has introduced us into a new position, in association with Himself, and there before God we stand, free from the charge of sin and fear of judgment.
Just as I am – without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!
How do we know that His blood was shed for us? By the Holy Scriptures – blessed, solid, eternal ground of knowledge. Christ suffered for sins. We have sins. Christ died "the just for the unjust." We are unjust. Therefore, the death of Christ appropriates itself to us as fully, as immediately, and as divinely, as if we were the only sinners on earth. It is not a question of one's appropriation, realization, or experience. Many souls harass themselves around this. Often one hears such language as this: "I believe that Christ died for sinners, but I find it difficult to realize that my sins are forgiven. I cannot apply, I cannot appropriate, I do not experience the benefit of Christ's death." All this is based on self and not Christ. It is feeling and not Scripture. If we search God's Word from cover to cover, we will not find a syllable about being saved by realization, experience, or appropriation. The Gospel applies to all who are on the ground of being lost. Christ died for sinners. That is just what we are. Therefore, He died for us. How do we know this? Is it because we feel it? No; then how? By the Word of God. "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; he was buried and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3, 4). Thus it is all "according to the Scriptures.” If it were according to our feelings, we should be in a deplorable way, because our feelings are hardly the same from one day to the next; but the Scriptures are always the same. "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." "Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."
No doubt, it is a happy thing to realize, feel, and experience; but, if we put these things in the place of Christ, we will neither have them nor the Christ that yields them. If we are occupied with Christ, we will realize; but if we put our realization in place of Christ, we will have neither one. This is the sad condition of many in our age. Instead of resting on the stable authority of "the Scriptures," they are always looking into their own hearts, and so they are usually uncertain and, as a consequence, unhappy. Doubt is a condition of torture. But how can we get rid of doubt? Simply by relying on the authority of "the Scriptures," and they testify of Christ (John 5). They declare that Christ died for our sins, and that He was raised for our justification (Rom. 4) – this settles everything. The self-same authority that tells us we are unjust, also tells us that Christ died for us. Nothing can be plainer. If we were anything other than unjust, the death of Christ could not be for us, but being unjust, it is divinely fitted, divinely intended, and divinely applied to us. If we are occupied with anything in, of, or about self, then we have not entered into the spiritual application of Leviticus 13:12, 13. We have not come to the Lamb of God, just as we are. It is when the leper is covered from head to foot that he is on true ground. It is there and there alone that grace can meet him. "Then the priest shall consider; and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean." What a precious truth. "Where sin abounded grace did much more abound." So long as we think there is a single spot that is not covered with the direful disease, we have not come to the end of self. It is only when our true condition fully comes to view that we can truly understand the meaning of salvation by grace.
Leprosy in a garment
The force of all this will be more fully apprehended when we consider the ordinances connected with the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus 14. We now briefly consider the question of leprosy in a garment as presented in Leviticus 13:47-59.
The garment or skin suggests the ides of a man's circumstances or habits. This is a deeply practical point. We are to guard against the working of evil in our ways, just as carefully as against evil in ourselves. The same patient investigation is observable with respect to a garment as in the case of a person. There is no haste; neither is there any indifference. "The priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days." There must be no indifference, no indolence, and no carelessness. Evil may creep into our habits and circumstances in numberless ways; and so the moment we perceive anything of a suspicious nature, it must be submitted to a calm, patient process of priestly investigation. It must be "shut up seven days," in order that it may have time to develop itself. "And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin, the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. He shall therefore burn that garment."
The wrong habit must be given up the moment we discover it. If we find ourselves in a wrong position, we must abandon it. The burning of the garment expresses the act of judgment on evil, whether in a man's habits or circumstances. There must be no trifling with evil. In certain cases the garment was to be "washed," expressing the action of the Word of God on a man's habits. "Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more." There is to be patient waiting in order to ascertain the effect of the Word. "And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed; and, behold, if the plague have not changed . . . thou shalt burn it in the fire." When there is anything radically and irremediably bad in one's position or habits, the whole thing is to be given up. "And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark: after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment." The Word may produce an effect regarding the wrong features in a man's character or the wrong points in his position should be given up; but if the evil continues, then the whole thing must be condemned and set aside.
There is a rich mine of practical instruction in all this. We must look closely at the position we occupy, the circumstances in which we stand, the habits we adopt, the character we wear. There is special need to be watchful. Every suspicious symptom and trait must be sedulously guarded, lest it prove to be "a fretting" or "spreading leprosy," whereby we ourselves, along with many others, may be defiled. We may find ourselves in a position to which there are certain wrong things attached that can be given up without entirely abandoning the position; while, on the other hand, we may find ourselves in a situation in which it is impossible to "abide with God." Where the eye is single, the path will be plain. In other words, where the one desire of the heart is to enjoy the presence of God, we will easily discover those things that tend to deprive us of that unspeakable blessing.
May our hearts be tender and sensitive; may we cultivate a deeper, closer walk with God; and may we carefully guard against every form of defilement, whether in person, habit, or association.
Let us consider the ordinances connected with the cleansing of the leper, in which we shall find some of the most precious truths of the Gospel.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest: and the priest shall go forth out of the camp" (Lev. 14:1-3). We have already seen the place occupied by the leper. He was outside the camp, distance from God – from His sanctuary and assembly. Further, he dwelt in dreary solitude, in a condition of uncleanness. He was beyond the reach of human aid – communicating only defilement to everyone and everything he touched. Therefore, it was obviously impossible that he could do anything to cleanse himself. Since his touch could only defile, then how could he possibly cleanse himself? How could he contribute toward, or co-operate in, his cleansing? As an unclean leper, he could not do anything for himself; all had to be done for him. He could not make his way to God, but God could make His way to him. He was shut up to God. There was no help, either in himself or in his fellow-man. It is clear that one leper could not cleanse another; and it is equally clear that if a leper touched a clean person, he rendered him unclean. His only resource was in God. He was a debtor to grace for everything.
Thus we read, "The priest shall go forth out of the camp." It does not say, "the leper shall go." This was out of the question. It was no use talking to the leper about going or doing. He was consigned to dreary solitude; where could he go? He was involved in helpless defilement; what could he do? He might long for fellowship and long to be clean; but his longings were those of a lonely, helpless leper. He might make efforts toward cleansing; but his efforts only proved him unclean, and tended to spread defilement. Before he could be pronounced "clean," a work had to be done for him; a work he could neither do nor help to do; a work that had to be completely and totally accomplished by another. The leper was called to "stand still," and behold the priest doing a work in virtue of which the leprosy could be perfectly cleansed. The priest accomplished all. The leper did nothing.
"Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed, two birds, alive and clean, and cedarwood, and scarlet, and hyssop. and the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water." In the priest going forth from the camp – forth from God's dwelling place – we behold the blessed Lord Jesus coming down from the bosom of the Father, His eternal dwelling-place, into this polluted world where He beheld us sunk in the polluting leprosy of sin. Like the good Samaritan, He "came where we were." He did not come halfway. He did not come nine-tenths of the way. He came all the way. This was indispensable. Consistently with the holy claims of the throne of God, He could not have cleansed us from our leprosy had He remained with the Father. He could call worlds into existence by the Word of His mouth; but when leprous sinners had to be cleansed, something more was needed. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." When worlds needed framing, God had to speak; when sinners needed saving, He had to give His Son.
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:9, 10).
But there was far more to be accomplished than the mission and incarnation of the Son. It would have done little for the leper had the priest merely gone out of the camp and simply looked on his condition. Blood shedding was necessary before leprosy could be removed. The death of a spotless victim was needed. "Without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). It should be observed that shedding of blood was the real basis of the leper's cleansing. It was not a mere circumstance that, in conjunction with others, contributed to the leper's cleansing. No, the giving up of life was all-important. When this was accomplished the way was open; every barrier was removed; God could deal in with the leper. We must grasp this point if we are to fully understand the glorious teaching of the blood.
"And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water." Here we have the type of Christ's death, "who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God." "He was crucified in weakness" The greatest, the mightiest, the most glorious, the most momentous work ever accomplished throughout the wide universe of God, was done "in weakness." How terrible sin must be in the judgment of God, when His beloved Son had to come down from heaven and hang on a cursed tree – a spectacle to men, to angels, and to devils, in order that we might be forgiven. What a type of sin we have in leprosy. That little "bright spot" appearing on some member of the congregation was a matter of grave consequence – nothing less than the energy of evil, i.e., an index of the working of sin. Before we can be fitted for a place in the assembly or for the enjoyment of communion with a holy God, the Son of God had to leave heaven and descend into the lowest parts of the earth in order to make a full atonement for that which exhibited itself in the form of a little "bright spot." We must never forget that in the estimation of God sin is a dreadful thing. He cannot tolerate a single sinful thought. Before one such thought could be forgiven, Christ had to die on the cross. The most trifling sin (if any sin can be called trifling) demanded nothing less than the death of God's Eternal and Co-equal Son. But, eternal praise be to God, what sin demanded, redeeming love freely gave. In the forgiveness of sins, God is infinitely more glorified than He could ever have been had Adam maintained his original innocence. God is more glorified in the salvation, pardon, justification, preservation, and final glorification of guilty man, than He could have been in maintaining an innocent man in the enjoyment of creation blessings. Such is the precious mystery of redemption. We pray the power of the Holy Spirit will help our hearts enter into the living and profound depths of this wondrous mystery.
"As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field."
The blood being shed, the priest begins his work. Up to this we read, "the priest shall command;" but now his work begins. The death of Christ is the basis of His priestly ministration. Having entered into the holy place with His own blood, He acts as our Great High Priest, applying to our souls the results of His atoning work, and maintaining us in divine integrity. "For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth he should not be a priest" (Heb. 8:3, 4).
We could not have a more perfect type of the resurrection of Christ than "the living bird let loose into the open field." It was not let go until after the death of its companion. The two birds typify one Christ in two stages of His work: death and resurrection. A million birds let loose would not have availed for the leper. It was that living bird, mounting upward into the open heavens, bearing on his wing that significant token of accomplished atonement – it was that which told out the great fact that the work was done – the ground cleared, the foundation laid. Thus it is regarding our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection declares the glorious triumph of redemption. "He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." "He was raised again for our justification." This sets free the burdened heart, and liberates the struggling conscience. The Scripture assures us that Jesus was nailed to the cross under the weight of our sins; but the same Scriptures assure that He rose from the grave without one of those sins on Him; and this is not all. The same Scriptures assure us that all who put their trust in Jesus are as free from guilt as He is; that there is no more wrath or condemnation for them than for Him; that they are in Him, one with Him, accepted in Him; co-quickened, co-raised, and co-seated with Him. Such is the peace giving testimony of the Scriptures of truth – the record of God who cannot lie (See Rom. 6:6-11; 8:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:5, 6; Col. 2:10-15, 1 John 4:17).
We have another important truth in verse 6. Not only do we see our full deliverance from guilt and condemnation beautifully exhibited in the living bird let loose, but we also see our deliverance from all attractions of earth and all influences of our nature. "The scarlet" expresses attractions of the earth; "the cedar wood and hyssop" expresses influences of our nature. The cross is the end of all this world's glory. God presents it as such, and the true believer recognizes it as such. "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).
The "cedar wood and hyssop" present to us the two extremes of nature's wide range. Solomon "spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall" (1 Kings 4:33). From the lofty cedar that crowns the sides of Lebanon, down to the lowly hyssop – the wide extremes and all that lies between – nature is brought under the power of the cross. In other words, in the death of Christ the true believer sees the end of all guilt, the end of all earth's glory, and the end of the whole system of nature – the entire old creation. Then we are occupied with Jesus Christ – the Antitype of that living bird, with blood-stained feathers ascending into the open heavens. What a precious, glorious, soul-satisfying object. A risen, ascended, triumphant, glorified Christ, Who has passed into the heavens, bearing in His sacred Person the marks of an accomplished atonement. It is with Him we have to do. We are shut up in Him. He is God's exclusive object. He is the center of heaven's joy, the theme of angels' song. We want none of earth's glory, none of nature's attractions. Along with our sin and guilt, we can behold them forever set aside by the death of Christ. We can afford to dispense with earth and nature because we received "the unsearchable riches of Christ."
"And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy, seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the bird loose into the open field." The deeper we ponder the contents of Leviticus 13 the more clearly we see how utterly impossible it was for the leper to do anything toward his own cleansing. All he could do was "put a covering upon his upper lip;" and all he could say was "unclean, unclean." It belonged to God alone to devise and accomplish a work whereby leprosy could be cleansed; and, further, it belonged to God alone to pronounce the leper "clean." Hence it is written: "the priest shall sprinkle;" and "he shall pronounce him clean." It does not say "the leper shall sprinkle and pronounce himself clean." This would never do. God was the Judge; God was the Healer; God was the Cleanser. He alone knew what leprosy was, how it could be put away, and when to pronounce the leper clean. The leper might have gone on all his days covered with leprosy, and yet be ignorant of what was wrong. It was the Word of God; the Scriptures of truth; the divine Record that declared the full truth regarding leprosy. Nothing short of that authority could pronounce the leper clean; and only on the solid and indisputable ground of death and resurrection. There is a precious connection between the three things in verse 7: the sprinkled blood, the leper pronounced clean, and the living bird let loose. There is not a single syllable about what the leper was to do, say, think, or feel. It was enough that he was a leper; a fully revealed, a thoroughly judged leper – covered from head to foot. This was enough for him; all the rest pertained to God.
For the anxious inquirer after peace, it is important to enter into the truth unfolded in this part of our subject. So many in our age are troubled by the question of feeling, realizing, and appropriating, instead of seeing that the sprinkling of blood, as in the case of the leper, is as independent and Divine as the shedding of blood. Holy Scripture does not say, "The leper shall apply, appropriate, or realize; then he shall be clean." No; the plan of deliverance was of God; the provision of the sacrifice was of God; the shedding of the blood was of God; the sprinkling of the blood was of God; the record regarding the result was of God: in short, it was all of God.
We do not seek to undervalue realization, and will soon see its place in God's economy. However, we are no more saved by realization, than the leper was cleansed by it. The Gospel by which we are saved is this: "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures." We are saved by the "faith of Jesus Christ." There is nothing about realization here. No doubt, it is happy to realize. It is a happy thing for one at the point of drowning, to realize himself in a life-boat; but, clearly, he is saved by the boat and not by his realization. So it is with the sinner who truly believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is saved by death and resurrection (See Rom. 6). Is he saved because he realizes it? No; he is saved because God says it. It is "according to the Scriptures." Christ died and rose again; and on that ground God pronounces cleanness. When those on the Day of Pentecost head the apostle Peter say, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts 2:36; NKJV), they were cut to the heart, i.e., they both believed in Jesus and regretted their rejection, and realized only one thing: they did not know what to do – they were lost because of sin and they had no idea how to change their situation. They knew they could not do it themselves; so they cried out "Brethren, what shall we do?" It was then that Peter said, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Holy Scripture provides us with the results of that glorious day: "So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls" (v. 41).
This gives immense peace to the soul because it has to do with God's plain record, which nothing can ever shake – it is God's own work. It is He Himself, who has provided all that is needful, so that we may be pronounced clean in His sight. Our pardon no more depends on our realization than on any "works of righteousness" that we have done; and it no more depends on our works of righteousness than it does on our crimes. In other words, it depends entirely on the death and resurrection of Christ. How do we know it? God tells us – it is "according to the scriptures."
There are few things that disclose the deep-seated legality of the human heart more strikingly that his oft-raised question of realization, in which we have something of self which sadly mars our peace and liberty in Christ. It is mainly because of this that we have dwelled on the beautiful ordinance of the cleansing of the leper, and especially on the truth unfolded in Leviticus 14:7.
It was the priest that sprinkled the blood – it was the priest that pronounced the leper clean. Thus it is in the case of the sinner. The moment he is on true ground, the blood of Christ and the Word of God apply themselves without any further question or difficulty whatsoever. But the moment this harassing question of realization is raised, the peace is disturbed, the heart depressed, and the mind bewildered. The more thoroughly we are done with self and become occupied with Christ, as presented in "the Scriptures," the more settled our peace will be. If the leper had looked at himself, when the priest pronounced him clean, would he have found any basis for the declaration? No; the sprinkled blood was the basis of the divine record, and not anything in or connected with the leper. The leper was not asked how he felt, or what he thought. He was not questioned regarding whether he had a deep sense of the vileness of his disease. He was an acknowledged leper; that was enough. It was for such a one the blood was shed; and it was the blood made him clean. How did he know this? Was it because he felt it? No; he knew it because the priest, on God's behalf and by His authority, told him so.
The leper was pronounced clean on the same ground that the living bird was let loose. The same blood that stained the feathers of that living bird was sprinkled on the leper. This settled the whole affair in a manner entirely independent of the leper, the leper's thoughts, his feelings, and his realization. Such is the type. When we look from the type to the Antitype, we see that our blessed Lord Jesus Christ entered heaven and laid on the throne of God the eternal record of an accomplished work, in virtue of which the true believer also enters. This is a glorious truth, divinely calculated to dispel from the heart every doubt, every fear, every bewildering thought, and every harassing question. A risen Christ is God's exclusive object, and He sees every true believer in Him. We pray that every awakened soul finds abiding repose in this emancipating truth.
"And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days" (v. 8). Being pronounced clean, the leper can begin to do what he could not have attempted to do before: to cleanse himself, cleanse his habits, shave off all his hair. Having done so, he is privileged to take his place in the camp – the place of ostensible, recognized, public relationship with the God of Israel. After the blood had been applied in its expiating virtue, the washing of water followed, expressing the action of the Word on the character, habits, and ways, rendering the person morally and practically fit in God's view as well as in the view of the congregation, for a place in the public assembly.
Observe that the man, though sprinkled with blood, washed with water, and thus entitled to a position in the public assembly, was not permitted to enter his own tent. He was not permitted to enter on the full enjoyment of those private, personal privileges that belonged to his own peculiar place in the camp. In other words, though knowing redemption through the shed and sprinkled blood; accepting the Word as the rule to which his person and all his habits should be cleansed and regulated, he still had to be brought into full, intelligent communion with his own special place, portion, and privileges in Christ.
We speak according to the teaching of the type; it is important to understand the truth unfolded therein – a truth too often overlooked. There are many who accept that the blood of Christ is the sole ground of pardon and the Word of God alone can cleanse and order our habits, ways, and associations, who, nevertheless, are far from entering into communion with the preciousness and excellence of that One, Whose blood has put away their sins, and whose Word cleanses their habits. They are in the place of ostensible and actual relationship; but not in personal communion. All who follow the Apostle Peter's inspired answer to the question, "What must we do?" are in Christ, and entitled to communion with the highest truths. Further, they have the gift of the Holy Spirit – the power of communion. However, while this is divinely true, we must set aside our self-serving nature in order to have communion with Christ in all the aspects of His character and work. In point of fact, we will not fully know communion with Christ until "the eighth day" – the day of resurrection glory, when we will know even as we are known. Then, individually and together, each of us will enter into full, unhindered communion with Christ, in all the precious phases of His Person and features of His character, unfolded from verse 10 to 20 of this chapter. Such is the hope set before us; but, even now, in proportion to the death of our nature through the power of the indwelling Spirit, we have communion with Christ, feeding on and rejoicing in Him as the portion of our souls.
"But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head, and his beard, and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean" (v. 9). It is clear that in God's judgment the leper was just as clean on the first day, when the blood was sprinkled on him, as he was on the seventh day. What then, was the difference? Was the difference in his standing and condition – or in his personal intelligence and communion? On the seventh day he was called to enter into the full and complete abolition of all that pertained to nature. He was called to apprehend that not merely was nature's leprosy to be put away, but nature's ornaments – yes, all that was natural; all that belonged to the old condition.
In other words, it is one thing to know the teaching that God sees our nature to be dead, and it is something else for us to "reckon" ourselves as dead; to practically put off the old man and his deeds; to mortify our earthly members. The leper was pronounced clean when the blood was sprinkled on Him; and yet he had to cleanse himself. How was this? In the former case, he was clean in the judgment of God; in the latter, he was to be clean practically, in his own personal intelligence; in his manifested character. Thus it is with the true believer. He is as one with Christ, "washed, sanctified, and justified"; "accepted"; "complete" (1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:6; Col. 2:10). Such is our unalterable standing and condition before God. We are sanctified as we are justified because Christ is the measure of both, according to God's judgment and view of the case. But our apprehension of all this, and our exhibition thereof in our habits and ways, open up quite another line of things. Hence, we read, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). It is because Christ has cleansed us by His precious blood that we are called to "cleanse ourselves" by the application of the Word, through the Spirit. "This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness. because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one" (1 John 5:6-8).
Here we have atonement by the blood, cleansing by the Word, and power by the Spirit, all founded on the death of Christ – all vividly foreshadowed in the ordinances connected with the cleansing of the leper. "And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord" (vv. 10-12).
The entire range of offerings is here introduced; but it is the trespass offering that is first killed, because the leper is viewed as a trespasser. This in true in every case; as trespassers against God, we need Christ – the One who on the cross atoned for those trespasses. "Himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree." The first view the sinner gets of Christ is as the trespass offering Antitype.
"And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot." "The ear"; that guilty member which had so frequently proved a channel of communication for vanity, folly, and uncleanness – that ear must be cleansed by the blood of the trespass offering. Thus all the guilt ever contracted by that member is forgiven according to God's estimate of the blood of Christ. "The right hand," that so frequently had been stretched forth for the execution of deeds of vanity, folly, and uncleanness, must be cleansed by the blood of the trespass offering. Thus all the guilt ever contracted by that member is forgiven according to God's estimate of the blood of Christ. "The foot," that so often had run in the way of vanity, folly, and uncleanness, must now be cleansed by the blood of the trespass offering, so that all the guilt ever contracted by that member is forgiven according to God's estimate of the blood of Christ. Yes; all is forgiven; all is cancelled; all is forgotten; all is sunk as lead in the mighty waters of eternal oblivion. Who will bring it up again? Will angel, man, or devil, be able to plunge into those unfathomed and unfathomable waters, to bring up those trespasses of "foot," "hand," or "ear," that redeeming love has cast there? No; blessed be God, they are gone forever. We are better off by far than if Adam had never sinned. What a precious truth – to be washed in the blood is far better than to be clothed in innocence.
But God did not rest satisfied with the blotting out of trespasses by the atoning blood of Jesus. While this is truly a great thing; there is something still greater. "And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering; and the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand, he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord" (vv. 15-18).
Not only are our members cleansed by the blood of Christ, they are also consecrated to God in the power of the Spirit. God's work is not only negative, but positive. The ear is no longer to be the vehicle for communicating defilement, but to be "swift to hear" the voice of the Good Shepherd. The hand is no longer to be used as the instrument of unrighteousness, but to be stretched forth in acts of righteousness, grace, and holiness. The foot is no longer to tread in folly's paths, but to run in the way of God's holy commandments. And, finally, the whole man is to be dedicated to God in the energy of the Holy Spirit.
It is deeply interesting to see that "the oil" was put on "the blood of the trespass offering." The blood or Christ is the divine basis of the operations of the Holy Spirit. The blood and the oil go together. As sinners we could know nothing of the latter save on the ground of the former. The oil could not have been put on the leper until the blood of the trespass offering had first been applied. "In whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise." The divine accuracy of the type evokes the acclamation of the renewed mind. The more closely we scrutinize it; the more Holy Scripture we concentrate on; the more its beauty, force, and precision are perceived and enjoyed. As might justly be expected, all is in harmony with the entire analogy of the Word of God. There is no need for any effort of the human mind. If we take Christ as the key to unlock the rich treasury of the types; explore the precious contents by the light of Inspiration's heavenly lamp; let the Holy Spirit be our interpreter; we cannot fail to be edified, enlightened, and blessed.
"And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness." Here we have a type of Christ as the bearer of our trespasses, the One who made an end of sin; the One who destroyed the entire system of sin – "The Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world"; "The propitiation for the whole world." As the trespass offering, Christ put away all our trespasses. As the sin offering, He met the great root from whence those trespasses emanated. He met all; but it is as the trespass offering we first know Him, because it is as such we first need Him. It is the "conscience of sins" that first troubles us. This is divinely met by our precious Trespass Offering. Then, as we go on, we find that all these sins had a root, a parent stem, within us. This, likewise, is divinely met by our precious Sin Offering. The order, as presented in the leper's case, is perfect. It is precisely the order that we can trace in the experience of every soul. The trespass offering comes first, and then the sin offering.
"And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering." This offering presents the highest possible aspect of the death of Christ. It is Christ offering Himself without spot to God, without special reference to either trespasses or sin. It is Christ in voluntary devotedness, walking to the cross, and there offering Himself as a sweet savor to God.
"And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean" (v. 20). The meat offering typifies "the man Christ Jesus" in His perfect human life. In the case of the cleansed leper, it is intimately associated with the burnt offering; and so it is in the experience of every saved sinner. It is when we know our trespasses are forgiven, and the root or principle of sin judged, that we can enjoy communion with God because of that blessed One, who lived a perfect human life, and then offered Himself without spot to God on the cross. Thus, in the cleansing of the leper the four classes of offerings are brought before us in their divine order: the trespass offering, the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the meat offering – each exhibiting its own specific aspect of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
This closes the record of the Lord's dealings with the leprous man; and what a marvelous record it is – unfolding the exceeding hatefulness of sin, the grace and holiness of God, the preciousness of Christ's Person, and the efficacy of His work. Nothing can be more interesting than to mark the footprints of God's grace from the hallowed precincts of the sanctuary, to the defiled place where the leper stood with bare head, covered lip, and rent garments. God visited the leper where he was; but He did not leave him there. He went forth prepared to accomplish a work; to bring the leper into a higher place, a higher communion than he had ever known. On the ground of this work, the leper was conducted from his place of defilement and loneliness to the very door of the tabernacle of the congregation, the priestly place, to enjoy priestly privileges (Compare Ex. 29:20, 21, 32). It was not his work, but God's. If the sovereign grace of the God of Israel had not stooped to lift him from the dunghill, setting him among the princes of His people, he could not have reached such an elevation. Left to himself, he might have languished and died in his leprosy. If ever there was a case in which the question of human effort, human merit, and human righteousness, could be fully tried and settled, the leper is unquestionably that case. In fact, it is a sad loss of time to even discuss such a question in the presence of the leper's case. It surely must be obvious, even to the most cursory reader, that nothing but free grace, reigning through righteousness, could meet the leper's condition and the leper's need. And how gloriously and triumphantly did that grace act. It traveled down into the deepest depths, so that it might raise the leper to the loftiest heights. See what the leper lost, and see what he gained. Typically speaking, he lost all that pertained to nature, gaining the blood of atonement and the grace of the Spirit. He was truly a gainer – infinitely better off than if he had never been thrust out of the camp. Such is the grace of God. Such is the power and value, the virtue and efficacy, of the blood of Jesus.
This forcibly reminds us of the prodigal, in Luke 15. In him a type of leprosy had risen to a head. He had been afar off in a defiled place, where his own sins and the intense selfishness of the far country had created solitude around him. But, thanks to our Father's deep and tender love, we know how it ended. The prodigal found a higher place, and tasted higher communion than he had ever known before. "The fatted calf" had never been slain for him. "The best robe" had never been on him. And why was all this experienced now? Was it a question of the prodigal's merit? No; it was simply a question of the Father's love.
Perhaps a good question is this: how can any of us ponder the record of God's dealings with the leper in Leviticus 14, or the Father's dealings with the prodigal in Luke 15, and not have an enlarged sense of the love that dwells in the bosom of God? His eternal love flows through the Person and work of Christ, recorded in the Scriptures of truth, and brought home to the heart by the Holy Spirit. May the Lord grant us a deeper and more abiding fellowship with Him.
From verse 21 to 32 we have "the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing." This refers to the sacrifices of "the eighth day," and not to the "two birds alive and clean." These latter could not in any case be dispensed with because they set forth the death and resurrection of Christ as the sole ground on which God can receive a sinner. On the other hand, the sacrifices of "the eighth day," being connected with the soul's communion, must in some degree be affected by the measure of the soul's apprehension. But, whatever that measure may be, the grace of God meets it with those touching words, "such as he is able to get." And also "the two turtle doves" conferred the same privileges on the "poor," as the two lambs conferred on the rich, because both pointed to "the precious blood of Christ," which is of infinite, changeless, and eternal efficacy in the judgment of God. In other words, all of us stand before God on the ground of death and resurrection. We are all brought into the same nearness; but we do not enjoy the same measure of communion, because we do not have the same measure of apprehension of the preciousness of Christ in all the aspects of His work. We do not all have the same measure of apprehension because we allow ourselves to be spiritually hindered in various ways.
The respective influences of earth and nature act prejudicially; the Spirit is grieved, and Christ is not enjoyed as He might be. It is vain to expect that we can feed on Christ, while living in the region of nature. No; if we would habitually feed on Christ, there must be self-emptiness, self-denial, and self-judgment. It is not a question of salvation. It is not a question of the leper introduced into the camp – the place of recognized relationship. No; it is a question of the soul's communion; its enjoyment of Christ. The largest measure is open to us – we may have communion with the highest truths of God's Holy Word; but, if our measure be small, the unupbraiding grace of our Father's heart breathes in the sweet words, "such as he is able to get." The title is the same for all true believers, though our capacity may vary. Blessed be God, when we are in His presence, all the desires and utmost intensity of the new nature are satisfied; all the powers of the new nature in their fullest range are occupied. May we prove these things in our souls' happy experience, day by day.
Leprosy in a house
We close our consideration of this chapter with a brief reference to the subject of leprosy in a house, observing that a case of leprosy in a person or in a garment might occur in the wilderness; but, in the matter of a house, it was confined to the land of Canaan. "When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession . . . then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. And he shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days."
Looking at the house as the type of an assembly, we have some weighty principles presented regarding God's method of dealing with moral evil or suspicion of evil in a congregation. We observe the same holy calmness and patience with respect to the house, as we have already seen in reference to the person or the garment. There was no haste; no indifference, regarding the house, the garment, or the individual. The man who had an interest in the house was not to treat any suspicious symptoms appearing in the wall with indifference; neither was he to pronounce judgment himself on such symptoms. It belonged to the priest to investigate and judge. The moment anything of a questionable nature made its appearance, the priest assumed a judicial attitude with respect to the house. Though not condemned, the house was under judgment. Before any decision could be determined, the perfect period was to be allowed to run its course. The symptoms might prove to be superficial, in which case there would be no demand for action. "And the priest shall come again The seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house, then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city."
The whole house was not to be condemned. The removal of the leprous stones was first to be tried. "And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after that he hath scraped the house, and after that it is plastered; then the priest shall come and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house. It is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean. And he shall break; down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place."
The case was hopeless; the evil irremediable, the whole building was annihilated.
"Moreover, he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes." This is a solemn truth – contact defiles. Let us always remember this. It was a principle largely inculcated under the Levitical economy; and, surely, it is no less applicable now.
"And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered; then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed." The removal of the defiled stones, etc., had arrested the progress of the evil, rendering all further judgment needless. The house was no longer to be viewed as a judicial place; but, being cleansed by the application of blood it was again fit for occupation.
The moral of all this is interesting, solemn, and practical. For example, consider the church at Corinth. It was a spiritual house, composed of spiritual stones; but, the eagle eye of the apostle discerned on its walls certain symptoms of a suspicious nature. Was he indifferent? No; he had imbibed far too much of the spirit of the Master of the house to admit any such thing. But he was no more hasty than indifferent. He commanded the leprous stone to be removed, and gave the house a thorough scraping. Having acted faithfully, he patiently awaited the result. And the result was all that the heart could desire.
"Nevertheless, God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more . . . In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter" (Compare 1 Cor. 5 with 2 Cor. 7:11).
This is a lovely instance. The zealous care of the apostle was amply rewarded; the plague was stayed, and the assembly delivered from the defiling influence of unjudged moral evil.
Consider another solemn example. "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write: These things saith he that hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is; and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, Which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (Rev. 2:12-16).
Here the divine Priest stands in a judicial attitude with respect to His house at Pergamos. He could not be indifferent to symptoms so alarming; but He patiently and graciously gives time to repent. If reproof or warning and discipline prove unavailing, judgment must take its course.
These things are full of practical teaching regarding the teaching of the assembly. The seven churches of Asia afford various striking illustrations of the house under priestly judgment. We should ponder them deeply and prayerfully. They are of immense value. We should never sit down at ease, as long as anything of a suspicious nature is making its appearance in the assembly. We may be tempted to say, "It is none of my business;" but it is the business of everyone who loves the Master of the house to have a jealous, godly care for the purity of that house; and if we shrink from the due exercise of this care, it will not be for our honor or profit in the day of the Lord.
We will not presently pursue this subject further, and close by saying we have no doubt that God's lessons on leprosy have a great bearing on the church today.
