Diagnosing Leprosy: Leviticus 13:9-46

Leviticus 13:9‑46  •  4 min. read  •  grade level: 9
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Leviticus 13:9-469When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; 10And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising; 11It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean. 12And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; 13Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. 14But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. 15And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy. 16Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest; 17And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean. 18The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed, 19And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be showed to the priest; 20And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil. 21But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 22And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague. 23But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white; 25Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 26But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 27And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 28And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning. 29If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard; 30Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard. 31And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days: 32And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin; 33He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: 34And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 35But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing; 36Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean. 37But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 38If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; 39Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean. 40And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. 41And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean. 42And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 43Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh; 44He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head. 45And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. (Leviticus 13:9‑46)
We noticed before that the priest was to be neither hasty nor indifferent about leprosy. He must be very sure a man had the disease before he pronounced him unclean, and so we should never accuse anyone of sin unless we are absolutely sure. “In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matthew 18:1616But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (Matthew 18:16)). We do not need to believe all we hear, for rumors are often false. When facts cannot be established, we have to wait until God brings them to light, as He surely will in His own time. This, as we have remarked, is why the priest was to shut the man up for seven days, and sometimes longer, for he needed wait until there was full evidence of leprosy before pronouncing the man unclean. Let us never be in a hurry to believe evil reports — much less to repeat them!
Covered With Leprosy
We now come to something which we would find hard, yea, impossible to understand if we did not know about the grace of our God. When the leper was covered with leprosy from head to foot he was again to be brought to the priest. The priest then looked him over and if, wherever he looked, there was nothing to be seen but the leprous white flesh, he was to pronounce him clean. This would show us that as soon as a sinner takes his true place, acknowledging that he is guilty before God, without one good thing about him — not even one clean spot — then he is in a place where God can bless him, but not before. Too often we find people who are ready to admit that they have some sins; yet they are quite unwilling to take their true place as lost, hell-deserving sinners. God will not, and cannot, bless until there is true repentance and a full confession of guilt, and so in the case of the leper, if flesh appeared showing that the leprosy was still working; he was pronounced unclean.
The Seriousness of Sin
In reading the chapter over carefully we are struck with the details given, showing the care that was to be exercised about this dreaded disease. Let us remind ourselves again that there is to be no lightness about sin. It is a horrible thing in the sight of God, and it cost Him the death of His own beloved Son to put it away, meet our deep need, and bring us to Himself.
In His spotless souls distress,
I have learned my guiltiness;
Oh, how vile my low estate,
Since my ransom was so great.
Leprosy in the Head
There is a special mention of leprosy in the head, for it was the most serious kind of all. This would show us, in type, that evil doctrine is even worse than other sins in the eyes of God. It is worse to deny the deity of the Lord Jesus than to steal, although both are terrible sins. Because of this, the man who had leprosy in his head was said to be “utterly unclean,” and he had to put a covering over his lip and cry, “Unclean, unclean.” Man always measures sin by how it affects his fellowman, but God measures sin according to how it affects His own glory and the glory of His Son. It is well to remember this, for many will find out when it is too late that they have measured sin by their own thoughts instead of by God’s standard. Because they think they have not done anyone any harm, they are satisfied with themselves, but what a solemn thing it will be for such “in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel” (Romans 2:1616In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. (Romans 2:16)).
For Further Meditation
1. Why was a leper who was completely covered in leprosy pronounced clean?
2. When we share the gospel with an unbeliever, it is tempting to present only the benefits of Christianity. That might be much more acceptable to them. But the priest in this case was careful to investigate fully the depth to which leprosy was working in the leper. How can that be applied to a full presentation of the gospel?
3. You will probably find this very short story very intriguing — A Letter From a Leper by H. Jisaburo.