The Ceremony for People Healed of Leprosy
October 20, 2020
Commentary
After you think you are healed of leprosy you must ask for a priest to come outside the camp and examine you (vv. 1-3). And if you are well, he will have someone bring out two live birds that are acceptable for sacrifice, together with a stick of cedar wood, a piece of red yarn, and a branch from a hyssop plant (v. 4). The priest will have someone kill one of the birds over a clay pot of spring water (v. 5). Then he will dip the other bird, the cedar, the red yarn, and the hyssop in the blood of the dead bird (v. 6). Next, he will sprinkle you seven times with the blood and say, “You are now clean (v. 7).” Finally, he will release the bird and let it fly away. After this you must wash your clothes, shave your entire body, and take a bath before you are completely clean (vv. 8-9).
On the eighth day you must bring a half pint of olive oil and six pounds of your finest flour mixed with oil to my sacred tent (vv. 10-11). There he will offer one of the rams, together with the pint of oil, as a sacrifice (vv. 12=13). The priest will smear some of the blood from this sacrifice on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot (v. 14). He will sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent (vv. 15-16). Next, he will smear some of the oil on your right ear lobe, on your right thumb, and on the big toe of your right foot, and pour the rest of the oil on your head (vv. 17-20). Then he will offer the other two animals with a grain sacrifice. After this you will be completely clean.
If you are poor and cannot afford to offer this much, you may offer a ram, two doves or two pigeons as a sacrifice on the eighth day (vv. 21-23). The priest will kill this ram for the sacrifice to make things right, and he will lift it up with the olive oil in dedication to me (vv. 24-25). The priest will pour some olive oil into the palm of his left hand (v. 26), and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent(vv. 27-28). And he will pour the rest of the oil from his palm on your head (vv. 29-31). These are the things you must do if you have leprosy and cannot afford the usual sacrifices to make you clean (v. 32).
Application
Leprosy could only be taken care of by blood. like my sin can only be covered by the blood of Christ.
Leviticus 14:1– 32 (NET)
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “This is the law of the diseased person on the day of his purification, when he is brought to the priest. 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine the infection. If the infection of the diseased person has been healed, 4 then the priest will command that two live clean birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson fabric, and some twigs of hyssop be taken up for the one being cleansed. 5 The priest will then command that one bird be slaughtered into a clay vessel over fresh water. 6 Then he is to take the live bird along with the piece of cedar wood, the scrap of crimson fabric, and the twigs of hyssop, and he is to dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird slaughtered over the fresh water, 7 and sprinkle it seven times on the one being cleansed from the disease, pronounce him clean, and send the live bird away over the open countryside.
8 “The one being cleansed must then wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water, and so be clean. Then afterward he may enter the camp, but he must live outside his tent seven days. 9 When the seventh day comes he must shave all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, all his hair—and he must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and so be clean.
10 “On the eighth day he must take two flawless male lambs, one flawless yearling female lamb, three-tenths of an ephah of choice wheat flour as a grain offering mixed with olive oil, and one log of olive oil, 11 and the priest who pronounces him clean will have the man who is being cleansed stand along with these offerings before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
12 “The priest is to take one male lamb and present it for a guilt offering along with the log of olive oil and present them as a wave offering before the Lord. 13 He must then slaughter the male lamb in the place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered, in the sanctuary, because, like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 The priest will then take some of the log of olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. 16 Then the priest is to dip his right forefinger into the olive oil that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 17 The priest will then put some of the rest of the olive oil that is in his hand on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the guilt offering, 18 and the remainder of the olive oil that is in his hand the priest is to put on the head of the one being cleansed. So the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord.
19 “The priest must then perform the sin offering and make atonement for the one being cleansed from his impurity. After that he is to slaughter the burnt offering, 20 and the priest is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest is to make atonement for him and he will be clean.
21 “If the person is poor and does not have sufficient means, he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering for a wave offering to make atonement for himself, one-tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, 22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, which are within his means. One will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
23 “On the eighth day he must bring them for his purification to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord, 24 and the priest is to take the male lamb of the guilt offering and the log of olive oil and wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. 25 Then he is to slaughter the male lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 The priest will then pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand, 27 and sprinkle some of the olive oil that is in his left hand with his right forefinger seven times before the Lord. 28 Then the priest is to put some of the olive oil that is in his hand on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering, 29 and the remainder of the olive oil that is in the hand of the priest he is to put on the head of the one being cleansed to make atonement for him before the Lord.
30 “He will then make one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, which are within his means, 31 a sin offering and the other a burnt offering along with the grain offering. So the priest is to make atonement for the one being cleansed before the Lord. 32 This is the law of the one in whom there is a diseased infection, who does not have sufficient means for his purification.”
Illustration: What do You Have to do to Become a Christian
WhatMany people think that in order to become a Christian we must do something. For some it means being faithful in attendance at Church. For others it may mean that you must be baptized and when you go under the water that will wash away your sin. All we need is to trust in His shed blood. (Lou Nicholes-Missionary)