Leviticus 14:45-16:3
We were noticing that if leprosy continued to spread in a house, the house had to be torn down. We believe these things have a voice for us even today. How many places we can think of where there was once a happy testimony gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, but “the house” has been torn down and the “candlestick” removed (Revelation 2:5). These things can all be traced to unwatchfulness and unfaithfulness, and we all have our part in it. May these things exercise each one of us who are children of God, for we are members one of another, and we each have our own responsibility before the Lord.
It is lovely to see the provision made here if the plague was checked in time, for the house could then be preserved by that which figured the death of Christ. The cedar wood, the scarlet, and the hyssop were all to be dipped in the blood of the bird that had been killed, as in the case of the cleansing of a leper himself. Sometimes there is a danger of considering a man’s position (like the great cedars), and not acting in faithfulness because of this; but the cedar wood (man in his greatness), the scarlet (human glory), and the hyssop (man in his smallness), were all to be dipped in the blood. In a word, we are not to have respect of persons in these matters, but to act for God’s glory. We all need to take the low place, too, at such times. Even though this is law, and not grace in our chapter, let us remember God’s character has not changed, nor His estimate of sin, although we need to be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” in meeting it (2 Timothy 2:1).
The Flesh Doesn’t Profit
The next chapter (Leviticus 15) reminds us once again, in figure, that we are fallen creatures, and that “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). Even contact with defilements, which in many cases we cannot prevent, defile us, and therefore the Word of God (like the water) needs to be constantly applied to all our ways. Then, too, the one who has an infirmity which he cannot help or prevent still needs both the application of the Word and of the death of Christ lest his infirmity be the means of getting him out of communion. What a hopeless condition we were in apart from the work of Christ, and how foolish for any person to think that in himself he is fit for God’s holy presence. Nothing we can do can cleanse away our sins, for every moral thought, every movement, every act of the natural man is sin.
God Going on With His People
The sixteenth chapter is most important as giving us the ground work, or basis, by which God could go on with Israel as a nation in all their guilt and defilements. Of course we need hardly remark here that all these things were only types and shadows, for the blood of bulls and goats could never put away sin (Hebrews 10:4), nor could they make the one who offered these sacrifices perfect as pertaining to the conscience. All this awaited the work of Christ, which was accomplished on Calvary, and which is the only real basis of God’s relationship with Israel, or with sinful man at all.
First we notice that there was to be a bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. This gives us the two points in view on this most important day: the sin offering to meet the sinner’s need and the burnt offering showing how God has been fully glorified in the atonement which has been made.
For Further Meditation
1. What does hyssop represent in Scripture?
2. If we were to spend too much time thinking about our flesh, we would rapidly become discouraged. But our God has made a tremendous provision to be able to continue on with us. How many ways can you think of that God has made provision for both our weakness and our sin?
3. You can find a nice article from Words of Truth entitled The Bunch of Hyssop at bibletruthlibrary.org.