UNROLL
Dawn at the edge of the Israelite camp: a worn footpath runs in from the stony wilderness toward the first black goat-hair tents, where thin smoke from morning fires rises straight into a clear sky.

The Book of

Leviticus 14

Outside the camp there was a way back in. It began with the priest walking out.

57 verses≈ 11 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

  1. 1–7The offeringsHow sinners draw near
  2. 8–10The priestsOrdained, and a warning
  3. 11–15Clean and uncleanLife before a holy GodChapter 14
  4. 16The Day of AtonementSins carried away
  5. 17–27A holy peopleBe holy, for I am holy

Cleansing from Skin Diseases

Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is the law for the one afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing, when he is brought to the priest. The priest is to go outside the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted person has healed,

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God

Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field.

Leviticus 14:7

Dusk inside the camp: a man in plain wool, seen from behind, sits on a mat outside the door of his own goat-hair tent, lamplight and the shadows of his family inside.

The law

Back into the camp

  1. Clean

    Wash, shave, bathe: clean

    The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean.

  2. Seven days

    Into the camp, but outside his tent

    Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days.

  3. Seventh day

    Shave off every hair again

    On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair.

  4. Wash and bathe: clean

    He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

Reflect

The way back

The man with the skin disease could not cleanse himself or talk his way back into the camp. God made the way, step by step: the priest went out to him, the birds were brought, the water, the washing, the seven days, and then he could “enter the camp.” The way back was God’s idea before it was his. What has God brought you back from? Write it down, and thank Him for each step.

In the tabernacle court in morning light, golden olive oil poured from a small clay flask into a priest's cupped left palm, his white linen sleeve beside it.

The law

The eighth day

  1. What to bring

    Two male lambs, a ewe, flour, oil

    On the eighth day he is to bring two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished ewe lamb a year old, a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and one log of olive oil.

  2. Presented at the tent door

    The priest who performs the cleansing shall present the one to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

  3. Guilt offering

    A lamb and the oil waved

    Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and present it as a guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil; and he must wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.

  4. Slain in the holy place; the priest’s

    Then he is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy.

  5. Blood on ear, thumb and toe

    The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

  6. The oil

    Oil sprinkled seven times

    Then the priest shall take some of the log of olive oil, pour it into his left palm, dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.

  7. Oil on ear, thumb and toe

    And the priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.

  8. Atonement

    The rest on his head

    The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.

  9. Clean

    Sin, burnt and grain offerings

    Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering and offer it on the altar, with the grain offering, to make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

If, however, the person is poor and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.

At dawn, seen from behind, a poor man in a plain wool cloak walks up to the tabernacle court's colored gate leading one lamb on a rope and carrying a small basket with two doves.

On the eighth day he is to bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.

And after he slaughters the lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. Then the priest is to pour some of the oil into his left palm and sprinkle with his right forefinger some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the LORD. The priest shall also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot—on the same places as the blood of the guilt offering.

The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.

0:55

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Then he must sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the one to be cleansed.

This is the law for someone who has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”

Outside to inside

Outsidethe camp13:46 · livingaloneThepriestgoes out14:3 · toexamine himTwo birds14:4–7 · onedies, oneflies freeInto thecamp14:8 · butoutside histentTheeighthday14:10–20 · atthe tent doorClean14:20 ·atonement madeJesus touchedhimMark 1:41 · ‘Beclean!’

Whiteboard

The way back ran in one direction, from outside to inside, and every step was God’s. The priest came out to the man and, with the birds and the water, declared him clean; he came into the camp but waited seven days at his own tent; on the eighth day he stood “before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,” and the priest made atonement for him. Jesus did more: He touched the leper first, and made him clean.

Pray

No one too far

God made a way back for the poor man too: two birds instead of two lambs, and the same oil, the same marks, the same atonement. Thank God that no one is too poor or too far off to be made clean. Pray for someone who feels shut out, by sickness, shame or loneliness, and ask Him to show you how to bring them near.

Signs of Home Contamination

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land, the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’

The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.

He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.

A heap of pulled-out fieldstones and scraped plaster dumped on bare ground outside the low wall of a small hill town, a terraced slope beyond.

The law

If it spreads in the house

  1. Seven days later: has it spread?

    On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls,

  2. Outside the city

    Stones pulled out

    he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city.

  3. Plaster scraped off

    And he shall have the inside of the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the city.

  4. Rebuilt

    New stones, new plaster

    So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.

  5. Unclean

    It comes back: the house is unclean

    If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered, the priest must come and inspect it. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean.

  6. Torn down, taken outside the city

    It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place.

  7. While it is shut

    Going in: unclean until evening

    Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening.

  8. Sleeping or eating there: wash clothes

    And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.

Cleansing a Home

The law

Cleansing a house

  1. Clean

    The mildew gone: clean

    If, however, the priest comes and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.

  2. The rite

    Two birds, cedar, yarn, hyssop

    He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house;

  3. One bird over fresh water

    and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.

  4. The house sprinkled seven times

    Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. And he shall cleanse the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.

  5. Atonement

    The live bird set free

    Finally, he is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.

This is the law for any infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak, for mildew in clothing or in a house, and for a swelling, rash, or spot, to determine when something is clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and mildew.”

Question

Quick question

Two birds were brought for the one being cleansed. Only one died.

What happened to the second bird?

You’ve experienced

Leviticus 14

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A verse to carry with you

Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field.

Leviticus 14:7

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