Leprosy is a very vivid symbol of sin and its effects on humanity. In the description and explanation of leprosy in a house we have another perspective on sin – how it affects where God lives and how He deals with it.
It may seem strange to us that a structure could get a disease, especially a building made of stone, bricks, and mortar. But as various kinds of mold and rot can affect a wooden structure, there must have been processes that would invade other materials to corrode and erode them away. It seems that anything man builds can be taken apart by the elements and processes of nature – fire, water, wind, rot, rust, earthquake – and it eventually crumbles into the dust and disappears. We also have God’s statement in verse 34, “. . . I put the plague of leprosy in a house . . .” If God curses something, it is cursed even though we may not be able to explain the why’s and how’s.
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things (sexual perversions): for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. Leviticus 18:24, 25
Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof. Zechariah 5:3, 4
When there was a suspected case of leprosy in a house, the Priest was notified to come and survey the situation to determine if it really was the dreaded plague. (Leviticus 14:35)
God came to personally evaluate Sodom and Gomorrah before He destroyed them.
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. Genesis 18:20, 21
The Priest would not enter the house to inspect it until it had been emptied and prepared. The reason for this is stated: “that all that is in the house be not made unclean.” Apparently, at the point in time when the Priest pronounced that something was unclean is when it actually was considered unclean. If the contents of the house were removed before he pronounced, “This is unclean,” they were excluded from the quarantine and later condemnation, and could be used as normal. Once the house had been declared unclean, any contact with it by persons or articles caused unclean-ness. (v. 36)
I find this to be an an interesting idea. It tells me that when God makes a statement about something, it becomes reality in His mind at that time and He will act in accordance with it. He considers it to be so when He declares it is so. I don’t know how far-reaching this principle is, but I find reassurance in it as it is related to the following statement:
If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned. Steps to Christ, p. 62
When God justifies a sinner, erasing the record of his past, at that point in time He thinks of that person as though he had never sinned; and He will treat him that way. The thief dying on the cross next to Jesus had lived a terrible life. The record of his past was filled with evil. But when he asked for forgiveness, that record was totally wiped clean. At that point in time, in the Court of Heaven, God declared him sinless and Jesus could reassure him that he would be saved. We can have confidence that God will do the same for us.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. . . . If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:7, 9
God’s justified people can take courage from this, but those who have not accepted the salvation He offers have cause for great concern and fear because, at some time in the near future, God is going to make this announcement:
. . . the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Revelation 22:10, 11
Using the guidelines God had given as his criteria, the Priest would inspect the house, then quarantine it for 7 days to allow time for any change or development of the condition. When he re-inspected the house, if the condition had spread, the affected parts were removed and replaced, and time was again allowed for developments. If the condition continued to spread, the whole structure was condemned and destroyed and anyone who had contact with it was considered temporarily unclean. (vv. 37-45)
There are 2 scenarios that come to mind in reading this, two instances where God has had to deal with the plague of sin. The first occurred in His own home – heaven. That is where the plague of sin first appeared – in Lucifer’s heart. From him it spread to a portion of the angels. The affected beings were evicted and sent to this earth. (see Isa. 14; Ezek. 28; Rev. 12) As far as we know, the plague of sin did not return in heaven.
The second situation God had to deal with was our home – this earth. He “inspected” the earth and saw a serious condition:
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5
He destroyed the affected parts by a flood but kept the main structure and started over. It is obvious that the condition has not improved; sin has returned and gotten worse, and He will soon condemn the whole thing to destruction.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 2 Peter 3:10-12
We have the wonderful assurance that when God builds a new home for us, we will not have to worry about the “plague” returning.
But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. Nahum 1:8, 9
The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love. The Great Controversy, p. 678
Notice that the affected parts of the structure were removed and replaced, then the whole house was scraped and replastered. It was not enough to just plaster over the problem.
God wants to save us from sin, get it out of our lives, so it doesn’t continue to develop and spread. He doesn’t merely forgive our sins and forget them. That would be comparable to applying a Bandaid to cancer or a deeply infected wound. He wants to deal with the source of the problem and cure it.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
If, after the quarantine and renovation, the priest determined that what at first appeared as a “plague” was only a minor blemish or a condition that was cured by removing and replacing the affected parts, then the house needed to be cleansed by the same ritual as for a person who recovered from leprosy – two birds along with cedar, scarlet, and hyssop. (vv. 48-53)
There was a difference between a condition that was temporary and could be cured, and a condition that was invasive and persistent, and could not be cured. A house that was infected with incurable leprosy was destroyed; one that could be “cured” was saved but still required cleansing.
In comparing leprosy to sin, consider the following verses:
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Matthew 12:31, 32
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 1 John 5:16, 17
Some things in our lives are not good or right; we do things that are not according to God’s ways, sometimes by mistake, neglect, lack of knowledge, etc. These are all “unrighteousness” and are classed as sin in God’s perspective even though we or those around us may overlook them. These things need to be changed, cured, forgiven, cleansed. If we allow God to deal with them, take them out of our lives, and “cure” us of them, He is willing and able to do that. Atonement can be accomplished and we can be restored to being His dwelling place. But there is a big difference between a mistake and a crime. If we do “unrighteousness” deliberately, persist in our ways, hold on to the sin, and don’t let God cure it, He has no choice but to destroy us. We are not a suitable place for Him to live.
The Lord is willing to show us our faults as fast as we are willing to put them away and overcome them. Review and Herald, 05-11-76
For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:26-31
There is an interesting Bible passage that gives a good principle to live by (among the many others in the Bible).
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 1 Peter 3:10, 11
What caught my attention in these verses is the phrase “eschew evil.” The original Greek word, “ekklinato,” means to deviate, move away from, turn aside. The old English word “eschew” has a more colorful background. It means to shun or avoid, to be startled or afraid, to shy (like a startled horse). In Bible times, people would respond in this way to leprosy. This is the way we should respond to sin and evil wherever it appears – be startled by it (instead of being so accustomed to it that we hardly take notice of it), shy away from it, shun and avoid it.