Leviticus 13:59 This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woolen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
Live a Life Worth Spreading
I think we moderns are more conscious of germs, hygiene, and cleanliness than any other generation in human history. I’m not saying this is bad; it’s just an observation. I’ve notice more and more churches that have antibacterial lotion in their lobbies, and grocery stores often have Handi Wipes to keep your hands and the cart you are using clean. In any event, our conditions are contagious.
Imagine you were camping out for months on end with hundreds of thousands of your closest friends. That’s exactly what the children of Israel were doing. Because of what it represented as to their relationship to God and sin and because of the hygiene itself, God had much to say about contagious conditions. Leviticus 13 talks about leprosy.
The three words that describe Leviticus 13 are the words “clean,” “unclean,” and “spread.” For instance, in verse 6 it says, “And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day; and…if the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean…” Verse 8 says, “Spreadeth.” In verse 23 we find “spread not.” In verse 27 we find “spread much abroad.” This goes on throughout the chapter.
In the following verses, it talks about a different condition that could spread even in a garment. Verse 57 says, “And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire.” There were two things that could be done about a plague. If it was a person with a contagious condition, you isolated that person. If it was a garment with a contagious condition, you burned it.
As obscure as this may seem to us, this is really important. Each person affects and infects those around him. No one lives to himself or dies to himself. That makes it mighty important how you live your life.
The question you must ask yourself is, “Would the group around me benefit from catching my condition?” You have a choice. You can either live in isolation or live a life worth spreading. It’s not a bad thing that we affect other people, but it should cause us to feel responsible.
In ancient Israel, if there was a contagious disease among the people, it was either isolated or burned. Today, you and I should take responsibility for ourselves. We either need to live in isolation or live a life worth spreading so that we are a blessing to the people around us.