Leprosy existed as a horrible scourge in the ancient world. The disease infected many, causing the slow decay of bodies while ripping families apart. Today, thanks to modern antibiotics, leprosy is rare, easily treated, and not even highly contagious. Thank God we live in a modern age of medicine.

God gave the priests of Israel instructions on how to check people for skin diseases, including when to treat or when to banish the infected from the camp. You begin to realize the harsh reality of life before the treatment of this terrible affliction. It’s similar to cancers diagnosed today—some are cured while others run their course until the end of the patient’s life.

The good news is that many of us recover. When a person recovered from a skin disease among the Hebrews, they took a lamb to the temple. The priest sacrificed the lamb, and then followed these instructions: The priest shall take some of the blood…and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

Why such an odd ritual, and why these specific body parts?

One commentator wrote, The blood on the right ear said, “this one should hear God first.” The blood on the right thumb said, “this one should put his hand to do God’s will first.” The blood on the big toe of the right foot said, “this one should follow God’s path first.” This ritual affirmed and declared the radical change of life that happened to the restored leper. He was a new person, born again as it were and his life belonged to God in a special way.

The leper was born again—where have we heard that phrase? I love the image of a once defiled outcast now returned to health with the purpose of glorifying God. There is hope. Jesus made it a point to touch and heal lepers. We each are born bearing the leprosy of sin in our bodies. Wondrously, the blood of Jesus touches not just our right ear lobe, our right thumb, and our right big toe, but covers our souls as well.

Leviticus 14

Photo by Possessed Photography