Imagine that you’re a Jewish priest under the Old Testament law. Your day consists of meeting people at the gate of the Tabernacle, slaughtering whatever animals they bring to you, going through process of forgiveness, and then doing it all over again the next day.
You know what else you get to do in between slaughtering animals and smearing blood? Check out people’s rashes. And not just at a distance either. You’re up close and personal, examining them to see if they’re flaky, white, surface-only or subcutaneous, or if they spread from the last time you saw them.
It’s an interesting job description. Not only are you the resident theologian, but the local doctor as well. What do these two industries have in common?
Because of it’s spontaneous appearance, leprosy was seen as a death sentence. But just as importantly, because of it’s connection with sin (Miriam, Gehazi), it was also seen as a scourge from God. If that is the case, then the involvement of the priest is a no-brainer. Your office is two-fold because the disease has a secondary meaning.
Regardless of whether leprosy came about by the hand of God or not, the patient needed to be ostracized in order to prevent leprosy from spreading. Since leprosy made someone unclean (Leviticus 13:3), if the entire nation became lepers, it would be an unclean race before God.
In a way, the priests were forced to be both doctor and priest. One was intertwined with the other.
If leprosy wasn’t a punishment from God, it’s an undoubtedly cruel disease that brings about an almost unfair switch in everyday life. One minute, you’re interfacing with friends and family; the next, you’re living in a colony of people who are slowly, and painfully, dying.
For that reason, more than any other disease known to man, leprosy presents a perfect picture of sin and its effects. It creates a “spot” on the soul and creates separation between you and the rest of God’s people. Isaiah 59:1-2 talks about sin “separating” us from God, and leprosy is a physical reminder of that spiritual condition.
The response should be the same. Whenever someone sins and refuses to repent, 1 Corinthians 5 talks about the painful process of disfellowshipping that person from the assembly. Not because we don’t care about them, but because we care so much that we can’t fellowship with them in that state.
In 2 Corinthians 4, it seems like that person had repented and was welcomed back into the church. The same aspect is true for leprosy. Once the spots were gone, that person was able to return to Israel.
You shouldn’t necessarily need a priest to identify leprosy or sin, but it sure helps to have an objective statement when making such a hefty change in someone’s life. Sin is sin—just as clear as a white spot on someone’s body that’s not going away.
