Leprous Diseases
24: 8-9
Leprous diseases DIG: What does the term “leprous diseases” mean? What were the Israelites supposed to “remember” from Miriam’s story?
REFLECT: How do you treat “social” lepers? What do you need to “remember” to draw closer to the LORD? What motivates you to obey God’s Word?
Just as it was important for Miriam to submit to Moses’ leadership, God’s people needed to submit to the Levitical priests’ instruction regarding leprous diseases.
Deuteronomy 19:1 to 26:15 (to see link click Dl – The Social and Family Mitzvot) deals with individual mitzvot, and to today’s readers they might appear irrelevant at first, but the very principles behind these commandments were the ones that have brought dignity to mankind. We need to examine these mitzvot in depth to discover the spirit in which they were given, so that we can still live in obedience to God’s Word today. For example, in Numbers 18, the Israelites were to bring their tithes to the Tabernacle because the priests and Levites had no inheritance. But today we have no Temple and no priesthood; however, we bring our tithes to our place of worship. That is the spirit of the mitzvah.
From 23:15 to 26:15, Moses deals with twenty real life situations that the nation would need to function in a godly manner, and valuable lessons for us today as well: number ten.
In cases of leprous diseases be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical priests instruct you. Leprosy in the TaNaKh is likely not the leprosy spoken of in modern times (also known as Hansen’s disease). The word leprosy is commonly used to translate the Hebrew noun tsara’ath, which in fact refers to a wide range of skin diseases, any of which would exclude an infected person from participation in the covenant community. It was characterized by scaly, rough, red or itchy skin. However, the term is also applied to clothes and houses in Leviticus 14:55, and seems to have been used to describe things that were ceremonially unclean.523 It was one of the duties of the priests, like public health inspectors, to diagnose and deal with such outbreaks.
Moses referred the people to his original instruction on skin diseases, what I have commanded, in Leviticus 13 and 14. Remember what ADONAI your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt (24:8-9 NIV). Deuteronomy characteristically reinforces its advice with historical warning. Therefore, the rebellious example of Miriam (who was the principle offender who resisted Moshe’s leadership along with her brother Aaron in Numbers 12:10-15) serves as their motivation. Just as it was important for Miriam to submit to Moses’ leadership, God’s people needed to submit to the Levitical priests’ instruction regarding leprous diseases.524
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise your wisdom and purity. Not only were you so infinitely wise to create the vast world perfectly (Genesis 1); but You also knew the solution to the sin and disease that You knew would come. Praise You for providing your holy righteousness for all who would choose to love and to follow You, thru the death and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (Second Corinthians 5:21). Praise You for wisely guiding how leprosy was to be dealt with so that it did not spread. I love You and bow at Your feet in worship. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen
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