Leviticus: An Introduction and Commentary by Jay Sklar

Author:Jay Sklar [Sklar, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2014-01-29T16:00:00+00:00

Those suffering from ṣāra‘at were bearers of severe ritual impurity. The text does not say why such impurity resulted (see Context); it assumes it as fact and discusses how to identify it (vv. 1–44) and how to quarantine it (vv. 45–46).

The impurity had to be quarantined because it could easily spread – like an unseen virus – throughout the camp, eventually defiling the Lord’s holy palace. This would have been a sign of great disrespect, loosely comparable to a modern king’s palace being vandalized (cf. at 15:31). Therefore, those with such impurity had to leave the camp until they were healed. Such drastic measures testified to the severity of the impurity and especially to the holiness of the Lord, into whose presence ritual impurity was never to come. Naturally, if this was true of ritual impurity, Israelites could easily conclude the same was true of moral impurity (cf. Meaning at Lev. 11:1–47), so these measures could serve as visual reminders of the importance of holy living. Purity of life is always to characterize the Lord’s holy people (see Introduction; cf. Lev. 19:2; Ps. 51:10; Eph. 5:3).

As for those who were quarantined, it is certainly possible that their ṣāra‘at was a sign of the Lord’s discipline for a specific sin (Num. 12:1–15; 2 Kgs 5:20–27; 2 Chr. 26:16–21), and Israelite sufferers may very well have examined their lives to see whether this was the case (Pss 38:3; 41:4; 103:3; 139:23–24). This should be a practice of believers today as well (cf. 1 Cor. 11:29–30). But neither this text, nor any other, assumes ṣāra‘at, or any sickness, is always because of a specific sin. Indeed, the book of Job – whose main character suffers a severe skin affliction (cf. Job 2:7 and Lev. 13:18–20) – clearly demonstrates that suffering and sin do not always go together (cf. Job 1:8), and so warns us against judging others who are suffering (cf. John 9:1–3).

This section concludes by indicating that the quarantine ended once those with ṣāra‘at were healed (v. 46; cf. Lev. 14:1–32). For how they might have prayed at this time, see Psalm 30:2, 11–12 and Meaning at 14:1–32. For how they might have prayed in the meantime, see Context above. (It is imperative to note that the person could still worship, and pray to, the Lord during this time, even if not at the tabernacle.) And for how laws on ritual impurity apply to the believer today, see Meaning at Leviticus 11.

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