Day 53

Leviticus 13:1-59; Mark 6:1-29; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 10:10

TODAY IN LEVITICUS we read, “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘If anyone has a swelling or a rash or discolored skin that might develop into a serious skin disease, that person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons’” (Leviticus 13:1-2).

Once again, it’s easy for our eyes to glaze over. If we think about it, we can understand why God would give instructions like this to a newly formed culture in antiquity, but it’s more difficult to understand why He would memorialize it forever in the Bible. As in our reading yesterday (where we considered the timeless concept of what is clean and what is unclean), we must look below the surface. There is an elegance to the way God gave practical instructions that are far deeper than physical behavior.

Practically speaking, we are considering a time without antibiotics or emergency rooms. An infectious disease left to run rampant through a multitude of desert dwellers would have been catastrophic. The priest was to inspect a rash or swelling and to quarantine the infected person for this reason. The way in which the priest would determine whether the outbreak was dangerous was to determine whether it was on the surface of the skin or if it went deeper.

The spiritual implications are apparent. If something is on the surface, it can generally be plucked easily from the surface. That which is deeper can cause chronic problems, both in our body and soul, and we can’t always tell what is happening within us.

Today, we have the medical community, the clergy, and counseling communities to aid us. In Israel’s time, they had family leaders and the priesthood. We’re not as different as it might seem. Regardless, that which has become more than a surface issue —whether in body, mind, or spirit —should not be left to grow into a life-threatening issue that could impact everyone around us, and Leviticus brought this fact to our attention today.

MEDITATION:

I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.