Leprosy in the Bible

In regards to Leprosy in the Bible, the Old Testament (which the New Testament replaced) says:

“If the leprosy breaks out farther on the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the person who has the infection from his head even to his feet, as far as the priest can see, then the priest shall look, and behold, if the leprosy has covered his entire body, he shall pronounce the one who has the infection clean; it has all turned white and he is clean. But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. The priest shall look at the raw flesh, and he shall pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean, it is leprosy.” – Holy Bible – Leviticus 13:12-15

Curious, isn’t it?

if the leprosy has covered his entire body, he shall pronounce the one who has the infection clean
But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean

Leprosy was a living death. In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible – Leviticus 13:45-46 it says “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

Understanding how leprosy affects a person

Prior to the 1940’s there was no effective treatment for leprosy. Leprosy was described in Gill’s Exposition of Luke 5:12 as:

The patient’s voice is hoarse, and comes rather through the nose than the mouth
The blood full of little white shining bodies, like groins of millet, which upon filtration, separate themselves from it
The serum is scabious, and destitute of its natural humidity, insomuch that salt applied to it, does not dissolve. It is so dry, that vinegar poured on it boils. The little imperceptible threads strongly bind it together, so calcined lead thrown into it floats.
The hair is short, stiff, and brinded. You cannot tear off hair without also pulling away some of the rotten flesh to which it adheres. If it grows again, either on the head or chin, it is always white
The eyes red and inflamed, and shine like those of a cat
The ears swollen and red, eaten with ulcers towards the bottom.
The nose sunk, because of the rotting of the cartilage
The tongue dry and black, swollen, ulcerated, and divided with furrows.
The skin covered with ulcers. It may be with white spots, or scales like a fish. It is rough and insensible, and when cut, instead of blood, yields a sanious liquor. It reaches such a degree of insensibility that a needle can pierce the wrist, feet, or even the large tendon without the patient feeling any pain.
The nose, fingers, toes, and even privy members, fall off entire
The body is so hot that holding a fresh apple in the hand for an hour will dry and wrinkle it as if it had been exposed to the sun for a week.

Cont.

“When leprosy first breaks out it’s almost imperceptible. Painless red spots that appear on the skin spread further and further. As the perspiration is unable to find a vent, the skin becomes dry and peels off in scales. The withering of the skin is a sign of what is going on within. Iin the marrow of the bones there is a rottenness which in due time consumes the victim. In the final stages the body collapses in to a horrible mass of animated rubbish, rather than the stately temple which God originally made it.”

Leprosy in the Bible – the repulsiveness of sin

Leprosy in the Bible is a portrait of sin. And as horrible as the description above is, it’s a very poor portrait of how repulsive sin is in the sight of God.

The Holy Bible God teaches us that in comparison to God Himself all of us are sinners:

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away. Isaiah 64:6

When we read about Leprosy in the Bible it is important to see it as a portrait of our sin. All of mankind by nature is like a leper, infected in all of our actions and in all that we do.

Summary:

So what does Leviticus 13:12-15 really tell us? Until you get to the point that you recognize that you are entirely leprous (sinful) then you are still unclean. If you rely on anything that you have felt, thought, said, or done, then you are boasting. And you are unclean.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” But, the moment you recognize you have nothing to boast of, you become clean. Christ is yours. While you are anything, Christ is nothing to you, but when you are nothing, Christ is everything.

The only thing that a sinner needs to know to approach Christ is to know that they are a sinner. For “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Do I know myself to be a sinner? Then He came to save me, and there I rest, and there I trust. If you can put your finger on any sound place in your flesh, point to any good thing that you can trust, you are a lost. Christ did not come to carry on His shoulders to heaven those who can walk there themselves. The horrific nature of Leprosy in the Bible paints a good picture of sin for us!

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