Day 34

Cleansing for the Unclean

Read: Leviticus 14-15

The previous chapter described leprosy. The problem was that with the lack of diagnostic tools, leprosy could not be immediately distinguished from other less serious diseases that caused lesions in the skin. Therefore, unlike what we call leprosy today, some of these diseases would clear up or could be cured. How thankful we should be for modern medicine which can diagnose and cure so many diseases.

In this passage, we find how the unclean was now to be declared clean. This was not without blood offerings. We are reminded that sin causes us to be unclean in the sight of a holy God, but he has provided a way through the blood of Christ whereby we who are unclean can be made clean. In several ways leprosy can be compared to sin. In leprosy, the germ is present long before the first symptoms appear. So with sin. We have a sinful nature that produces individual sins as symptoms. Leprosy is contagious, although not nearly as contagious as many other diseases. So also sin is passed from one generation to the next, and individual sins are often engaged in because of close association with other sinners. But most important there is now a cure. Modern medicine has a cure, and Christ is the cure of sin. Finally, those cures must be brought to the people who need them.

PRAYER
Father, we praise you for the good news that Christ can cleanse us of our sins. Cause us to be zealous in spreading that good news to other sinners. In his name. Amen.