Leviticus 14 Commentary

Leviticus 14 Commentary: Cleansing from skin diseases.

The cleansing process is detailed here for anyone suffering from a skin disease. At this point, the picture given is that this man is no longer sick and must be integrated back into the community.

The freed dove may represent freedom, but it only comes at the expense of another of its kind. A man won’t receive freedom until one of his kind dies. The thought of Calvary comes to mind.

Blood on the ear, thumb, and toe may represent a man’s relationship with the LORD: Listening means more than the sense of hearing. It’s about how we perceive God’s word or how we consume God’s instructions. The thumb represents our actions or reactions. The toe represents the walk, but we can underline the terms, “direction” or “ambition.”

We see a requirement for both the Sin Offering and the Burnt Offering. The Burnt Offering is usual and a standard. With every Burnt Offering, man connects to God.

What is sinful about a man getting a skin disease to warrant the Sin Offering? Of course, not because a man has sinned but because he is sinful!

Think about it again. Though sickness happens to one without invitation, the victim isn’t entirely innocent. Long before the victim was born, sin entered the world and so did sickness, all at man’s initiative. So man is to blame for sickness. The Sin Offering is in order! But the complicated process of cleansing leaves us sweating!

While the rituals of cleansing are going on, we notice a combination of medical procedures. We have complete shaving, washing of both self, clothes, and a complete repeat of some of the medical processes to ensure complete healing. This is some kind of a medical review process.

Similar processes are detailed for a mold. Interestingly the LORD says, “if I cause mold”. We are talking about a problem that the LORD allows to happen. There is still a process for such problems.

You would think it is easier for the LORD to simply stop it or prevent it from happening in the first place!

Like the previous chapter, Chapter 14 is long. You can almost read it as wrong. The procedures appear illogical and loosely connected to the matter at hand. While understanding, let alone appreciating this chapter is a difficult call, one thing remains intact. The difficulty we feel is intended to dull and in a way, discredit the processes to create a yearning for something better.

It should be shocking, wrong even, if these pages left us fully happy. Completeness is only found in Christ.

If you have to offer the Sin Offering because you are sinful, and so on account of Adam’s sin, you should be happy that you can claim your righteousness on account of Jesus’ righteousness.

And how happy that we can pray and confess our sins, (real sins) from the comfort of our sofas!

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