Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 13:42-46

42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.

43 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh;

44 He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.

45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

In today’s verses we finally learn what was required of a person who was found to be infected with a leprosy. A person with leprosy was ritually unclean and was not to draw too near to other people, and so we see a sort of quarantine being described. The infected person was not entirely shut away from the rest of society, but he did need to live out on the fringes of the population. He could be in the same place as other Israelites, but he had to announce his approach with a cry of “unclean, unclean.” The instruction that his upper lip needed to be covered sounds like he would wear a sort of scarf or veil, functioning as a sort of olden-day medical face mask.

Going back to our analogy of a spiritually sick society, when we discover a population that has adopted a harmful ideology, we tend to lessen our connection to it. Usually, these groups are not completely eradicated, but they are kept at a distance, until their members abandon their troublesome and reintegrate with the healthy population. Examples of this might include the Hippie population and the Trans movement. We never made such organizations and ideologies illegal, but society moved apart from them, and these organizations and movements have gradually dissipated over time.

Thus, even as we recognize, call out, and distance ourselves from the ills in our society, it is with the intention of rehabilitation and reintegration, not eradication. Preventing the spread of harm is essential, but we still recognize that the infected are a part of us, and we want them to rejoin us as soon as they are clean again.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 13:38-41

38 If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;

39 Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean.

40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.

41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

Today’s verses present a lesson that might seem laughably obvious, but which have a deeper symbolic meaning worth considering. In today’s verses it describes that simply going bald is not a sign of leprosy. If there is a discoloration of the skin, then that might indicate that the hair is falling out due to an underlying illness, but a man who goes bald as part of the regular aging process is not cause for alarm!

Simple and obvious, perhaps, but thus far we have seen how the principles for recognizing leprosy have all been important lessons in how to recognize social spiritual infections as well. And just as how natural baldness is not in-and-of-itself a sign of leprosy, a civilization suffering a loss is not in-and-of-itself a sign of spiritual decay. The fact is, sometimes baldness just happens, and so, too, sometimes tragedy just happens.

We live in a fallen world, after all, where things will not always be ideal. Tragedy remains tragic, whether it is a consequence of wrong decisions or a random act of nature. To know if a society has gone astray, we need to look deeper than what has happened to them, we need to look at what happenings are coming from them. Only then can we know clean from unclean.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 13:29-37

29 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;

30 Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.

31 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days:

32 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin;

33 He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more:

34 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

35 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing;

36 Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.

37 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

Today we shift from examining spots and wounds on the open skin, to ones that are hidden within the hair. Obviously, such spots are particularly nefarious, as they have the opportunity to grow and fester without detection. So, too, in our societies, some of our corruption will be covered because they live behind our sacred cows, thus forbidden to be scrutinized critically. For a long time, feminism has been such a covering, forbidding any sincere analysis into the temptations and diversions among women, though we have been very free to point them out among men. But skin under the hair is just as susceptible to corruption as skin in the open, and both must be evaluated.

Another interesting pattern in these verses is that the priest tries to judge the health of a person by certain markers (in this case, the presence of yellow hairs), and by that tries to make a determination as to whether a person is clean. But then, as we see in verses 35-37, it is possible for someone to not trip the triggers for an unclean pronouncement, but later it becomes clear that they are actually unclean.

So, too, in our society, certain behaviors may arise that seem strange, but perhaps innocuous. Since we see no clear sign of damage or perversion, we do not call it unclean, but in time the sinister quality of it becomes apparent. An example of this might be the ubiquitous messaging in children’s media that you must “be true to yourself.” It might have stood out as an overly repeated mantra but didn’t necessarily seem to be a problem…assuming it would have a well-balanced interpretation. But, of course, as the years have gone on, it has become apparent that “be true to yourself” is primarily used as an excuse for all manner of selfishness and for placing oneself at the top of the spiritual hierarchy, denigrating God, society, and family. At this point we are like the priest in verse 36 who must pronounce the area unclean, “yellow hair” or not!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 13:24-28

24 Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;

25 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

26 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:

27 And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

28 And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning.

We have heard how the priest would examine a simple spot in the skin, a boil, and today’s verses talk about a “burn” in the skin. At first I thought by “burn” it meant some feverish heat in the skin, but apparently the Hebrew word used, מִכְוָה (mikvah), means that the flesh had literally been burned by fire or hot metal or a smoldering stick or something like that. These verses are talking about burn wounds that become corrupted afterward.

This continues the pattern of leprosy that grows out of trauma to the body. With the simple spot, the disease developed by unknown means within the body. With the boil, a foreign agent got lodged in the skin and became an inflamed abscess. Now we have a scorching heat that burned the flesh and leaves it vulnerable other afflications.

The priest examining wounds in the skin for infection is a microcosm of what it means to live in a fallen world. We have a good system, with a clear order of how it should work, where if everything worked perfectly it would be able to sustain, grow, and repair itself in perpetuity. But inevitably, something goes wrong. Not only does something bad happen to the system, but the bad thing inevitably disrupts the function of a part of that system and causes it to not perfectly sustain, grow, and repair itself. In a word, corruption. A system that can be harmed, wounded, even killed, but then can restore itself is incorruptible. But we as individuals and societies are systems that are harmed, wounded, even killed, and left permanently dysfunctional and broken as a result. Corruptible. It is true for our bodies. It is true for our societies. It is true for our governments.

As with the leprosy, sometimes corruption in the system can be eradicated. Other good systems in the body/society/government can correct it or even cut the bad part out. Indeed, the system may overcome many corruptions, but gradually the acquisition of corruption will outstrip the ability to remove it, the system will become less effective at healing itself, and one day a corruption will come that is never removed. We will require a Savior to refresh us out of the fallen world entirely then.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 13:18-23

18 The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,

19 And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest;

20 And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.

21 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:

22 And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague.

23 But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

Today talks about boils in the skin, and how after some of them had ruptured and healed, a white spot might appear where they used to be. The priest was to inspect that spot, see whether it was only skin deep, or if it went down deeper. If it went deeper, that was a sign of disease, whereas surface discoloration was clean.

Continuing our pattern of viewing these skin disease signs as symbols for the spiritual health of a society, the boil might be considered some tragic or disrupting event. The white spot after it has passed through describes the aftermath of that event, and whether it expands into greater problems or not. Recent modern examples of disrupting events could be the twin towers attack, the recession, and COVID. These caused great pain and disruption, they caused damage, and they left behind scars. But did we as a society spiritually heal afterward, or did that pain fester and develop into even longer-lasting harmful trends in our society? If it is the latter, we have a serious and spreading spiritual disease.

The same is true on a personal level, also. Everyone has trauma, but the question is, what do we become in the aftermath of that trauma. We might become healed…or we might spiral downward.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 13:9-17

9 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;

10 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;

11 It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.

12 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;

13 Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.

14 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.

15 And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.

16 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;

17 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

Today we read how a leprosy would be recognized by the presence of “raw flesh” as opposed to flesh that had “turned white.” Raw flesh seems to be describing open sores, where the outer layers of skin have been eaten away and the open wound is visible. If it were to “turn white,” that would mean scar tissue or new skin grown over, sealing the body back up.

Viewed spiritually, this can be compared to ongoing sin versus a soul that is healing. If, for example, one is actively under an addiction, there will be ugly behaviors ongoing, like the active sores in the body. If the addict is healed, though, there will be scars and ongoing recovery, but the open wound is covered, meaning the impulsive, sinful behavior ceases to rage out of control.

When applied to an entire population, this can be compared to a society caught in a false ideology versus one that is sloughing off those lies. When a society is ideologically captured, the faulty logic spreads from one domain to another, corrupting each institution. When the people return to truth and God, there will be much to rebuild and heal from, but the source of the damage is gone.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 13:1-8

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,

2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:

3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

4 If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days:

5 And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:

6 And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

7 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again:

8 And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.

Today begins the instructions on leprosy diagnosis and prescription. In addition to their sacrificial offerings and upkeep of the tabernacle, the priests were to observe these diseases and manage quarantine among the Israelites. Interestingly, the priests do not seem to have been general doctors. They are not described as setting bones or curing fevers or addressing many of the other common ailments to man. Their scope was specific and narrow. They focused on the spreading of disease in the skin and inspected strange bodily discharges.

These categories have obvious symbolic importance. A spreading plague in the skin is an immediate reminder of the spreading of sin through a body of people. At times a diseased notion, a faulty ideology, will run through society, and it can cause great damage before it is expelled. In some societies, we have even seen it kill the host. Meanwhile, an unclean discharge would signify unseen corruption within, again symbolic of a troubled population, one where the faulty beliefs are too entrenched to be seen for what they are, and only the emergence of disturbing behaviors from within is a sign of the deep spiritual rot beneath.

With this lens, today’s passages of observing spots in the skin takes deeper meaning. A priest would check the spot’s color, any hair that grew in it, close the subject in quarantine to observe how the condition changed over time, and returning the afflicted to broader society only when he was determined to be clean. So, too, our spiritual leaders must consider our confessions, measure whether our sinful actions were temporary weakness or a sign of persistent addiction. It may be necessary for the spiritually afflicted to be removed from certain public circles, both so that he does not spread carnal influence upon the innocent, and so that he stops receiving carnal influences from the guilty. This can happen with a social media purge, applying filters to one’s internet modem, giving up a group of friends, or even being incarcerated in prison. In any case, the goal has as its primary motive the curing of the moral deviance and rehabilitation back to righteous society.

Posted on by Abe Austin

That Which Aches Most

That which aches most is not necessarily the most important.

When you take stock of your life, certain parts will likely satisfy you, and others will leave you wanting. Your connection to the divine, your friendships, your romantic relationship, your family, your career path, your physical health, your finances, your hobbies and interests…you were hopefully able to make some of these play out the way you’d always hoped, but surely there are some that are a great disappointment.

And the greatest of those unrealized dreams will ache most terribly. We may yet hold out hope for their eventual fulfillment, or despair at their permanent loss, but either way they leave a painful wound in the soul.

But, of course, if we did have those missing dreams realized, but lost other dreams that we already have, then those new lost parts would ache instead. And they might ache even more, because they might be even more essential to our soul. One of the great mistakes that people make is to sacrifice that which is higher to try and soothe the aching of that which is lower. Or they do the inverse, clutching to the lower fulfillment, at the expense of achieving the higher.

You must understand the hierarchy of the soul. The elements that matter most. Accept that some aching is inevitable and be wise in what you are willing bargain to fix it. Do not sacrifice that which is higher for what is lower. Do not hold onto that which is lower at the expense of what’s higher.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Faulty Logic

There is a faulty logic that can lead some to abandon the faith that goes something like this:

1. My father believed in Christ.
2. My father hurt me.
3. The church believes in Christ.

Therefore, the church must want to hurt me.

This is not a surprising line of reasoning. It is in our nature to learn from our suffering and to try and avoid it repeating. We instinctively look at the qualities attached to those that hurt us and become suspect of others who carry the same. And in many cases, this can actually help us identify negative patterns and avoid risky associations.

But there is a difference between correlation and causation. Having been hurt by someone who professed Christ, but who did not emulate the teachings of Christ, is not the same as having been hurt by Christ, himself. It takes maturity to look at the harm we have received and ascribe its sources to the qualities that do apply, and not to the ones that don’t.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Bad Things Shouldn’t Happen

A Common Assumption)

Our culture struggles deeply with the idea of bad things happening to good people. It is often cited as an obstacle to having faith in God. To be honest, I have never struggled with this concept myself. I simply do not see why the existence of an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God is mutually exclusive to suffering in our world. I see it as a non-sequitur, requiring several subconscious assumptions to try and bring those two ideas together.

But as I have thought about it, I wonder if the connection is simply this: Bad things shouldn’t happen to good people because that is unjust. I certainly agree with the second part of this sentence, which states that it is unjust for the good to suffer, but I become a lot less confident about the first part that says it shouldn’t happen. That depends on what one means by “should.” After all, why shouldn’t things be unjust in an unjust world? Isn’t that exactly the pattern that you should see given our mortal context?

The Different Shoulds)

I think the difficulty that so many in our society wrestle with might come down to there being two different meanings of the word “should,” and we, having lost an appreciation for the nuance between those meanings conflate them into one and draw erroneous conclusions. The first use of “should” is a moral statement. It describes the world as it ought to be, in a way that would be just and fair. Spouses should have the loyalty of one another. A defenseless woman should be able to walk down a dark alley without fear. The guilty should be held accountable for their crimes. The world should behave according to moral principles.

The other “should,” however, simply means “appropriate to the context.” It describes the expected effects of a certain condition. The visible constellations should be different from different latitudes if the Earth is round. A species in a favorable environment should thrive. A patient with malaria should have an exceedingly high temperature.

With that last one, are we saying that it is “good” for the patient to have a dangerously high fever? Of course, not. But it is the natural and fitting state for that condition. The suffering is tragic, but it follows the proper order of the thing.

So, should the innocent suffer in a moral sense? Of course, not. But should we expect to see such injustices in a world that isn’t moral? Yes. The sad truth is we live in a fallen world that has largely rejected God and elevated selfishness and sin over love and virtue. What should such a world look like? Should it be the image of justice and fairness, or is the logical order that it would be a place of tragedy, unjust suffering, and a reality far removed from the moral ideal?