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Atonement Discussions Torah

Leviticus 14: Cleansing the ‘leprous’ houses of our souls

Apostle Peter wrote that we are “living stones” in the house of God (1Peter 2:5). As we study Leviticus 14, think of yourself as you read about how a “leprous” house is cleaned.

Much of the imagery in this chapter matches the Day of Atonement. The theme of clean and unclean is repeated from Leviticus 13. Only the priest can decide what is clean or unclean, not a king, a governor or a individual person.

Apostle Peter wrote that we are “living stones” in the house of God (1Peter 2:5). As we study Leviticus 14, think of yourself as you read about how a “leprous” house is cleaned.

Much of the imagery in this chapter matches the Day of Atonement. The theme of clean and unclean is repeated from Leviticus 13. Only the priest can decide what is clean or unclean, not a king, a governor or an individual.

“This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. Now he shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall go out to the outside of the camp. Thus the priest shall look, and if the infection of leprosy has been healed in the leper, then the priest shall give orders to take two live clean birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop for the one who is to be cleansed.” (Lev. 14:2–4)

What is the cedar wood, scarlet string and hyssop? The hyssop was also used to apply the blood on the door posts at Passover (Ex. 12:22) and in the ritual of the red heifer (Num 19:6). King David tells us hyssop is used to purify.

“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psa. 51:7)

Remember that in Leviticus 13, that when humans developed some kind of leprosy, he was taken out of the community but he was not killed. He was “excommunicated” in a sense. The priest will go outside the camp to seek out the one who wants confirmation of healing. A person could be healed and be restored to the community. This is not the case for leprous stones.

God does not desire the death of the wicked. He said, through Yeshua that He was to deliver His people from death. He doesn’t want the curse. God can clean anyone He wants to clean. He killed Yeshua so He doesn’t have to kill us.

If the priest finds the person is cleaned, he brought out  cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop, but he also brought out two live birds. One of the birds “slay the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water.” This mixed the birds blood in the water. Messiah’s side gushed out water and blood when He was killed. The bird is totally innocent and Messiah was totally innocent.

The living bird was bathed in this blood soaked water. Then this water was sprinkled on the cleansed person. The living bird was then set free. Just as the goats in the Day of Atonement when one is killed, one is sent away. But this is only part one of the process for the leper to reenter the community. This just allows him to approach the temple. He still has to make appropriate offerings at the Temple before he is fully accepted back into the community.

Lev. 14:10-20 tells us that they are to bring two lambs and the blood of one of the lambs is to dabbled onto the cleansed leper on the ear, thumb and toe just as was done to the High Priest Aaron when he was ordained. They did the same thing with the oil: dabbed it on the right ear, right thumb and right toe.

This person was never unholy, he was simply unclean.

Whether you were wealthy or poor, you had to pay something. The wealthy had to pay more but the person who was poor still had to pay something.

The purpose of the gift is more important than the gift itself.

In Lev. 14:34- 57 tells us that leprosy is not limited to human beings. Houses can have “leprosy” as well. Moses warns them that when they enter Canaan, they will occupy homes that were not their own. The homes would be made of stone.

What is a “stone” spiritually? What does it mean? The apostle Peter says that we are living stones. If God puts a curse of “leprosy” on a stone in the house, the priest has to examine it. If there’s something there, the family have to move out all their possessions for 7 days. If the leprosy doesn’t spread, you simply have to remove that stone, and then go wash yourself up.

But if it spreads, it becomes more difficult, if not impossible to clean. All you can do is throw all the stones out and build a new house from scratch.

How does this relate to Yeshua’s prophesy about the Temple being destroyed so that one stone will not be left upon another? The religious atmosphere was so contaminated that the entire edifice had to be utterly destroyed.

One stone can pollute the other stones. Clean stones don’t make a dirty stone clean, but a dirty stone can contaminate a clean stone.

None of this was written so that 2000+ years later, we can say “This doesn’t matter anymore.” This is a picture of the Melchizedek priesthood just as much if not more than it applies to the Levitical priesthood. The Messiah is the one whose blood is taken.

When we live in the flesh, we make God’s rules more difficult than God makes them.

Reader: Jeff. Speaker: Richard Agee. Summary: Tammy.

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