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

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:7-11

7 As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.

8 And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered.

9 And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it.

10 And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.

11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord.

These verses repeat that the priests would eat their portion as part of the sin and meat offerings. It is new information at this point that the priests would also take part of the burnt offering, specifically the skin. While we do make food from the skin of some animals today, it does not seem likely that the priests would eat this portion. Notice that it says the priest is to “have it to himself,” suggesting that it became a possession. The skins would likely have been made into leather and crafted, or sold for money.

It does seem strange that we are finding out details of each sacrifice in such a piecemeal fashion. Why not hear everything about a burnt offering in one set of instructions, rather than getting one part here and one part there? Personally, I think it doubtful that the original instructions were so fractured. We have already seen elsewhere that the books of Moses seem to be composited together from multiple separate accounts, and I assume that that is what is happening here also.

That being said, the fractured form that we see in the Bible today is not a bad analogy for the experience of anyone seeking truth. Typically, principles and doctrine are not appreciable in their entirety all at once. We have to learn progressively, “line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). From many sources and lessons, we accumulate a coherent model of God and His truths, rather than receiving it whole at once. Again, I don’t necessarily think this was an intended symbol, but it is fitting, nonetheless.

Burnt offeringGiving our life to God’s purposes
Ram, BullockMale, without blemishGive our very best
Hands placed on head, slaughteredAnimal takes the place of us
Slaughtered on the NorthRecommitment on the side of our journey
Blood sprinkled around altarOur life is sprinkled over God’s work
Cut in pieces, and washedEach part of us measured and made clean
Skin given to priestsOuter behavior that supports the mission of God
Pigeon, TurtledoveCrop pulled off, torn nearly in halfEach inner part of us exposed to God’s purifying fire
The whole thing burned on the altarOur lives consumed in service to God
Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:12-14

12 And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.

13 And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’ skins.

Today’s verses continue the description of the second layer of curtains that were to be laid over the top of the tabernacle, thickening its roof and outer walls. This second layer was to be larger than the first, and would have extra space to be laid over the back of the tabernacle and to form a border that would overhang the front and sides of the tabernacle’s entrance, at least that seems to be the intention being described in these verses.

Then, two more layers would follow: one of rams’ skins and one of badgers’ skins. The dimensions of these layers are not given, nor whether they were made of a single sheet, or two parts joined together as with the first two layers. In any case, we have four layers of covering and that is the last of them.

In tomorrow’s verses we will turn our attention to the structure over which all of these layers are being laid, the wood and metal frame that would give the structure its shape and strength.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_