But this work of restoring an individual to outward communion with God’s saints, is one for which we must be indebted to the ministrations of others. “Restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.” “Confirm your love toward him.” So the leper stood by whilst the bird was killed for him, and he was sprinkled with its blood. But, this service performed, he was, able to act, and the first thing he did was to wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he might be clean; after which he could enter the camp. This was the work of the first day, and this the happy result. Thus, as exhibited in type, the death and resurrection of the Lord and the individual’s identification with Him being acknowledged, cleansing himself is the next and proper work.
Thus far, as regards the sacrifices to be offered up, the cleansing of the leper as well as of the house are accomplished in the same manner. To both what is the real standing-is thus typified, as well as the need of that death, and the application of the word by the Spirit, to cleanse from the unclean, which necessitated such stringent measures of isolation. For the individual other sacrifices had to be offered up, as he typified one who had transgressed. But the house, as we here see, though there were none but clean stones in it, because the disease had manifested itself in the wall, the sacrifice of the bird was necessary ere it would be acknowledged as clean.
Turning back to the leper, he is in the camp a clean man, yet not at home there, having to tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. Whatever might have been his thought of the leprosy God shows what He thinks of it, and of that of which it is the figure. So, besides the recognition of the standing, there must be typified the acknowledgment of the trespass, and how alone that can be forgiven. This work began on the seventh day, as the man, manifested his willingness to cleanse himself by shaving all the hair from his head, beard, and eyebrows, emblems of natural strength and personal comeliness, and by washing his clothes and his flesh in water. That done the special sacrifice of the eighth day remained to be offered up.
On the first day the priest went out to the leper, on the eighth day the former leper takes his place at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, but only with the appointed sacrifices. Without them he could have had no business there, for on the ground of sacrifice, and on that alone could he again stand at the place where the people assembled to meet with God. Had he presumed to come there on the ground of having washed his flesh, and shaved off all his hair, would he have been received? Assuredly not. Without he had washed and shaved it would have been presumption to have drawn near; but without the sacrifices as well he had no right to approach; and even with this he needed the priest to present him before the Lord. Now, however, rightly presented he stood where he might often have stood before without the need of the sacrifice, or any priestly presentation, and learned that a way back into God’s presence there was, but death alone could open it. A trespass offering, a sin-offering, a burnt-offering, and a meat-offering, the Lord appointed for his cleansing. “And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave-offering before the Lord. And he shall slay the lamb,” etc. The significance of the order of these sacrifices we can well understand, since the trespass-offering takes the precedence. The significance, too, of the action of the priest we may note, as he brought near the trespass-offering with the log of oil, and waved them, the animal whole and still alive, before the Lord. After this it was killed. Nowhere else have we such an action as this, the waving of the whole animal alive before the Lord. Can we not interpret its meaning! The leper typifies one who has failed to own himself belonging to the Lord, as a man on earth, i.e. on this side the grave. This failure is a type acknowledged in the waving of the animal before death. Its death next took place, and the sprinkling of its blood prefiguring to us in the waving what the redeemed ought to be, and in the death of the animal shadowing out the death of the substitute, and the atonement by His blood. The failure requires the death of the substitute, that restoration may take place, but that same death God uses to reconsecrate, as it were, to His service the one who has been acting after the energy of his own will. Therefore the priest took of that blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of him that was to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot; and then anointed each place, where the blood had been put, with the oil. “And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord.” How richly God provides for the one who has so grievously sinned does the leper’s offering teach us. Consecrated, as it were, afresh by the remembrance of the sacrifice, the full divine energy of the spirit of service is seen in the type graciously poured out on the head. After this the other offerings were offered up as prescribed, the work of restoration was complete, the leper was clean. Healed by God outside the camp, the way for re-entering pointed out and conformed to, full restoration to his tent took place, with perfect competency for service. The leprosy itself was removed, and every disqualification it had entailed was removed likewise, and the man could feel himself at home in the camp; but only on the ground of sacrifice. To the sin-offering the words were, “It shall be forgiven him;” here it is, “He shall be clean” each in their place significant of what they prefigure.
But, whilst we see God’s mercy portrayed, which will not rest satisfied till the leper is completely reinstated in his tent and position among the people, we also learn in the subsequent verses how God took knowledge of the circumstances of the individual. If he could not get all that was prescribed, God would receive smaller offerings for the meat, sin, and burnt offerings. None should be kept outside because they had not the means of being fully reinstated. Yet all had to bring the sacrifice appointed for the first day, and the lamb for the trespass-offering. These could not be dispensed with, for all alike had to own by the type what the ground of standing is, and the need of a sacrifice for restoration. How true are the words of the woman of Tekoah—and this ordinance of the leper reminds us of them— “God deviseth means that His banished be not expelled from Him.” (2 Sam. 14:1414For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. (2 Samuel 14:14).) C. E. S.