2008-04-16 - Leprosy of the Head

Leviticus 13:44, "He is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his infection is on his head."

The verse quoted above follows a bunch of rules given for the identifying of those who had leprosy, and what to do with them. A lot is said leading up to this verse and section, on those who have leprosy of the head. Leprosy of the head was considered the most serious kind to have, and the text can be read "in the head" as well as on the head. There was little hope for one who had leprosy in the head, or on the head. Very few in Israel were ever cleansed of leprosy of the head, and while leprosy of the head would be rare today, there is still a form of leprosy in the head that we must all watch out for. This, of course, is the leprosy of a false understanding of God's truth.

Once one acquires a false knowledge in their heads, it is very hard to root out. If a man or woman's judgment and understanding are sullied, the course of correction is difficult. In the Leviticus 13 passage, the references to the leper are generally stated in a way that says that the leper is unclean, but when the passage comes to the case of the leprous man of the head kind, God's Word pronounces such "utterly" unclean. The description is added because of the seriousness of the matter, and the fact that from such very few were ever cleansed. Today the leprosy of false understandings in the head, which some are prone to, is our struggle. Once false views and theories are embraced, indulged, or even appreciated, their roots reach deep into the person. A sound view and knowledge of Scripture can keep us from this form of leprosy - and save our faith from being shipwrecked.

One sure way to suffer shipwreck in our faith is to get the Gospel of salvation wrong. Get this wrong, and we get everything wrong. God gave His only Son up to death for the sin of His elect. He made Him to be sin for us all, and He poured out his wrath, for our sin, upon Christ. Is this not the foundation, the underpinning of our faith? Is not this the one comfort we have, when all other comforts seem but a shadow? Christ died on the cross for sin. He died for all those who come to Him in faith, repenting, and seeking mercy. If this is not the basis of our faith, we suffer from leprosy of the head. It is a fatal mistake, and it is hard to root out. We know that the "wages of sin is death," Romans 6:23. So if Christ's sacrifice for our sin be taken from us, we are without hope, lost, and undone. If His death for sin, be not for our sin, the rug is pulled out from under everything else we might believe. His death for our sin is our only pearl. It is the one sure thing we have. when all else seems to have been taken from us. If you deny me the satisfaction of Christ for my sin, you have taken away all my comfort. Let us be sure we have this one thing right, though we miss the mark in everything else. Let us rest in Christ's atonement, and the leprosy of our sin will not reach to our heads, and the cleansing sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit will root out the leprous disease of sin, by His continued grace working in our lives.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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