Year 7, Day 102: Leviticus 13

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Reading through Leviticus 13 makes me very glad to be a part of a modern culture.  We don’t deal much with leprosy and other highly contagious communal diseases.  We don’t even worry about things like smallpox any more.  Those of us in a modern culture typically have to worry about the occasional cold or flu and that’s all.  Chapters like this do make me appreciate what we’ve been able to do in the modern world.

Another thing that we can learn from this chapter is the value of health in a community.  Sickness spreads easily among human beings because we are social by nature.  We pass along germs and diseases readily.  If you don’t believe me, go talk to an elementary teacher.  All it takes is one kid to get sick and usually within two to three weeks every other child will get sick, too.

This is really important from both a health and a spiritual dynamic.  Just like human beings are susceptible to catching disease and sickness from each other, human beings are susceptible to catching spiritual sickness, too.  Sin often breeds more sin – often even escalating worse sin!  We are quick to respond to sin in even more sinful ways.  Our sinfulness is not just harmful to ourselves; it can be a detriment to the other people around us as well.

Finally, let’s look at the role of the priest.  The priest was not just the spiritual leader of the people, they were also the diagnosticians, too.  The priests diagnosed areas of uncleanliness.  As with the discussion above about disease, we can apply this concept to the spiritual realm.  As priests of God’s kingdom, we are to be the diagnosticians of spirituality!  We are to be on the lookout for unhealthy patterns in life.  We are to be looking out for our fellow mankind and warning them of potential downfall, injury, or consequence.  It’s what it means to live with a sacrificial mindset.

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