Leviticus 13 - Skin Infections - The Hairy Truth

 
Matthew 13:13-17 This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
 
What did Jesus see? He saw that looking at the law, is like looking at parables. Jesus saw his Father speak in parables, and so Jesus spoke to us in parables. Now listen to the meaning of the parable in Leviticus 13.
 
Leviticus 13:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.
 
To start to understand what God is speaking of here, we must look at what is skin. The first mention of skin in the bible is in Genesis at the fall of man. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they saw that they were naked, so they sowed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. After God had found them in this state, he pronounced his judgments then, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” It is in God’s nature that when he finds you naked that he will clothe you.
 
Why are fig leaves not good enough and why did God use animal skin?
 
If we look at this in the physical, it will not make sense, so we have to look at this in the spiritual. 
 
Genesis 2:25 says, “They were naked and felt no shame.”
 
God says in Isaiah 47:3, “Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”
 
Nakedness and shame go together. It is the shame Adam and Eve brought on themselves that made them appear naked before God, for God is pure truth, and God saw through them as though they were naked. God sees the absolute truth of all situations and circumstances. You cannot hide any detail from God. They had brought shame on themselves through disobedience and blamefulness. They not only shamed themselves, but God also felt ashamed that his creation had done such a thing by not holding onto the truth, and they brought shame on God himself.
 
Adam and Eve tried to cover up what they had done with leaves which represent pieces of knowledge, like someone who is guilty of doing something wrong and trying to cover up the shame and guilt of what they had done by trying to produce evidence to hide the truth. Pieces of knowledge do not hide the fullness of the truth from God. Jesus cursed the fig tree for having only leaves and not having any fruit on it. The fruit is that which enables the fullness of truth to become known to us.
 
So God covered the shame of Adam and Eve with the skin of animals, in other words, with truth, so he did not have to see them naked and in shame. The innocent animal skins were used to cover the sin of man, as there was still truth in these animals. An animal was found to have more truth in it than a man. It is worth asking the question, does man still only have the same amount of truth in him even now? The same amount of truth as an animal?
 
God is looking for us to have truth in us. Jesus was sent by God so that we could come to know what truth is, and take on the full truth. God wants us to have and love the complete truth. This is why God welcomes us back for salvation through what Jesus has done, because we are willing to accept the truth that we are sinners, and that we need to repent. It is because there is a hint in us that we love truth that God can work with us to bring about our complete salvation – the resurrection of man as God made him. It is those who don’t love the truth that are hidden from Gods sight. God turns his face away from them.
 
Satan states “Skin for Skin”, in the book of Job, saying that the skin of an animal needs to be paid back, ‘Skin for Skin’. Man was at this point sinful, and man’s skin could not pay back the animals life, for there was no truth in man. A lying skin could not replace a truthful skin. So God in his own righteousness, for Himself, sent Jesus to become the person who would pay back, skin for skin. Jesus was skinned through every lash of the whipping he received. Jesus’ skin was given for us, so that we could cover ourselves with truth again, for Jesus is the truth. Usually a skin is removed in one piece. Jesus skin was removed bit by bit, lash by lash. Did not Jesus in this go the extra mile?
 
Now we can see how God sees and uses skin, as the complete living truth. Skin is the largest organ in the human body, and could be seen as living truth. The hairs in the skin are individual truths that make up the complete truth. This can be seen with John the Baptist. It is recorded that “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts, and wild honey. John also baptized with water! From these pieces of information about John the Baptist, we can see a little more of what is really happening in the law. John’s clothes were camel’s hair. From Leviticus 11, it was shown that a camel is like a theologian who believes in the smallest details of the Word of God, but has not come into the salvation of God. Camel hair is the individual truths that a camel has. And what are they? They are the written Word of God. The bible is a collection of camel’s hair – so to speak, written and translated and preserved by theologians throughout the ages. So John had the written word as recorded by theologians or scribes. Secondly, he had a leather belt around his waist, representing the fullness of the truth. Thirdly, John ate locusts, which is the testimony of God’s destroyers as in Leviticus 11. Fourthly, John ate wild honey. Wild honey tastes like manna as in Exodus 16:31. Manna is the hidden revelations of God hidden in his word. Fifthly, John baptized with water, as per the requirements of the law for repentance of sin.
 
Did not John also see the Father in the law? Now we can see how this all fits together.
 
Leviticus 13:1-2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. 
  
Swelling is the swelling of pride. A rash is when someone is foolishly confident, not thinking of the results and a bright spot is like when their truth emits light, drawing attention, and it becomes a light that person lives by.
 
So when you hear of a truth that that has a swelling, or a rash, or a bright spot then you should take your truth to the priest to have it checked. For us, we need to go to Jesus to have our truths checked. Jesus is the truth, and all truth needs to be checked with what he said.
 
Leviticus 13:3 The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore on his skin has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean.
 
White symbolizes righteousness, as being washed as white as snow. A hair is a truth, and if that truth has become white meaning that the truth he has makes him righteous before God in his own eyes and the sore is more than skin deep meaning that it has entered into the flesh bringing shame, then the truth is unclean or untrue. The danger here is that the man’s flesh will become exposed exposing his true self, and bring shame on himself before God.
 
Leviticus 13:4-6 If the spot on his skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to keep him in isolation another seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. The man must wash his clothes, and he will be clean.
 
If the truth has not made the person think that he is righteous before God, in his own eyes, and has not infected the flesh bringing shame, then we are to wait and see what happens over the next 1 or 2 weeks. We are to wait and see what happens to the truth that this person has. If it fades away, then it is only a rash which indicates that the person was foolishly confident, not thinking of the results. Once the person recognizes this, he is to repent by washing.
 
Leviticus 13:7-8 But if the rash does spread in the skin after he has shown himself to the priest to be pronounced clean, he must appear before the priest again. The priest is to examine him, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious disease.
 
If the person can not let go of the infected truth that he has, then that truth is still infected, even though he has repented. He again is to have the truth checked out, with Jesus who is the truth. And if it has spread to other truths, then it is an infectious unclean truth. Even other people around could start believing the incorrect truth that the person has. 
 
Leviticus 13:9-11 when anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. The priest is to examine him, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, it is a chronic skin disease and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He is not to put him in isolation, because he is already unclean.
 
A white swelling is righteous pride, and if the swelling of righteous pride has caused the hair to turn white, and has exposed the flesh which is the testimony of who they really are, bringing shame on them, then they have a chronic infectious untruth!
 
Leviticus 13:12-17 If the disease breaks out all over his skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, the priest is to examine him, and if the disease has covered his whole body, he shall pronounce that person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; he has an infectious disease. Should the raw flesh change and turn white, he must go to the priest. The priest is to examine him, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the infected person clean; then he will be clean.
 
This person has a disease, and not an infectious disease. Because it is not infectious, the person is clean. This means that other people cannot accept the truth he has, therefore it can not spread. This is like a person who hears an untruth and accepts it, and it covers his whole being. As long as the disease does not affect the testimony of how he really is in truth he will remain clean.
 
The types of infection types change here, to outside influences by God. There are 2 main areas, such as boils and burns.
 
Leviticus 13:18-23 When someone has a boil on his skin and it heals, and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white spot appears, he must present himself to the priest. The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease that has broken out where the boil was. But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is infectious. But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
 
In Exodus, God had Moses take soot from a furnace, and throw it into the air, so it would become boils on the Egyptians. From this, we can see that boils originate from the soot which is the leftovers of a fire in a furnace. They come from the remains that the fire of God has burned up and destroyed, so a boil represents untruths that have been burnt up by the fire of God and the soot is the leftover. God’s fire works through your life, burning up untruths. This is done by reading the words of Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is there words that are the fire, and not the words of man. The soot left over from the burnt up untruths can cause a boil in the person’s skin and then when the irritation of the untruth is healed, they have accepted God’s truth.
 
God says in Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire”, declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces”?
 
The white spot represents self righteousness that has appeared. The reddish-white spot is self righteousness that is mixed with your life which is the blood. The reddishness is the blood of the person which has come to the surface through the skin. So if the boil has healed, and left a self righteousness attitude or a self righteousness mixed with your way of doing things, then you must have it checked with what Jesus has said. If the infection goes more than skin deep into the flesh and the hair has turned white, it is an infectious untruth that can be accepted by others. If the untruth spreads through the complete truth which is the skin, then it is a spreading infectious untruth, which can affect the complete truth. If not, then it is just a scar left over from the experience of God cleaning us and leading us to be covered in truth.
 
Leviticus 13:24-28 When someone has a burn on his skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, the priest is to examine the spot and if the hair in it has turned white, and appears more than skin deep, it is an infectious disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scar from the burn.
 
God can burn you with his Word, as in Jeremiah 23:29, and this is how you could get burnt, through your skin to the flesh of who you are. So, it is when the burn has penetrated to the raw flesh, and has exposed the flesh which brings shame, and in that shame there appears a white spot or reddish white spot, then it needs to be taken to Jesus to have it checked. This is like a self righteous attitude that a person may have, even when they are in shame. The white spot represents self righteousness that has appeared. The reddish-white spot is self righteousness that is mixed with your life which is the blood.
 
Then if the hair has turned white, which is the untruth they have, becomes righteous with God in their own eyes, and that enters the flesh to expose it, and bring shame, then it is an infectious untruth. Yet, if there is truth in it, and has not entered down into the flesh, then we are to wait a period of time to see what happens. If after the period of time for waiting, the person still hangs onto this understanding then it is to be checked with the words of Jesus again. If it starts spreading to other truths, then it is an infectious untruth. However, if it has not changed, and has spread to other truths, or exposed the flesh, then it is only the remains from the experience of the burn from the word of God. 
  
The law now changes to focuses on the head of a person.
 
Leviticus 13:29-37 If a man or a woman has a sore on the head or on the chin, the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean; it is an itch, an infectious disease of the head or chin. But if, when the priest examines this kind of sore, it does not seem it be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if the itch has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, he must be shaved except for the diseased area, and the priest is to keep him in isolation for another seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine the itch, and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. But if the itch does spread in the skin after he is pronounced clean, the priest is to examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. If, however, in his judgment it is unchanged and a black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
 
We know that Moses’ face was radiant after he had spoken with the Lord on the mountain, and he placed a veil over his face. The word radiant is mentioned 3 times here, seaming to point at this feature. It is written in Psalms 34:5 “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame”! It shows us that our faces are to radiate, and not be in shame. It is untruths that bring shame and dull our faces, and the truths of God allow us to reflect His radiance and glory and shine like his face. Moses face was radiant with the truths of God! It is written in Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” From this we can see that Moses and Jesus faces were able to radiate the glory of God. Our faces are to reflect the glory of God, and it is important that we don’t carry shame on our faces.
 
The yellow hair represents our own glory. It is yellow and thin, and not gold, as the glory of God is gold in color. If the truth we have reflects our own glory, then we are not reflecting God’s glory, and if the hair is an untruth and it goes through the skin into the flesh bringing shame, then it is an itch, and infectious untruth that other people can believe! It is our own glory that brings shame on ourselves.
 
The black hair represents our own truths that do not shine and do not radiate our own glory. However, if there is no black hair and the sore is not more than skin deep, the priest is to put the person in isolation, and we are to wait and see what will happen to the sore.
 
If there is no change after the initial period, then the whole body is to be shaved, however not the diseased area. This removes all other truths of the person, and allows focus to be placed on the untruth to get a better understanding of the infection. If the disease does not spread when focus is placed on it, then you can pronounce the person to be clean. But if the diseased area does spread, and the hair becomes yellow and thin, then it is an unclean truth. Yet if a black hair has grown in it, and the truth claims no glory of its own, then the person is clean. The itch is healed.
 
Jesus said in Matt 5:33-37 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’ , ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
 
By Jesus saying , “you cannot make even one hair white or black”, he was saying that you can not change the truth about anything, so why do we try to change the truth? It is for us to come and know the truth, and the truth will set us free!
 
Leviticus 13:38 When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; that person is clean.
 
The key to this section is the word ‘dull’. Dull in this section means not bright or blunt. If the infection in the skin which represents the complete truth, does not draw attention to itself, then it is a rash, indicating the person was foolishly confident, not thinking of the results. It is not an infectious untruth. It is the bright spots in the first part of Leviticus 13 that draw attention.
 
Leviticus 13:40-44 When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. But is he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, the man is diseased and unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.
 
From Leviticus 12, we know that a man represents the word of God. So when the truths of the word have been lost or forgotten, we remain clean. Yet, if there comes an infection in the skin of reddish-white, a swollen sore which indicates pride, it shows that the man has become self-righteous and has put his own truths into practice, and with pride. His untruths about himself are unclean.
 
Leviticus 13:45-46 The person with such an infectious skin disease must wear torn cloths, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.
 
The person with an infectious untruth is to wear torn clothes, representing that their righteousness with God has become torn. And their unkempt hair indicates that there is a type of confusion in the truths they have. His face is to be covered, to stop people looking at the glory of themselves, and they are to cry out ‘Unclean’. This crying is to help them to come to repentance, to help them realize the fullness of their untruths. With the right attitude of heart, it is like a cry out to God, imploring God to heal them of their untruthfulness. 

Untruths are lies. The lies we believe about ourselves are to us assumed truths, and we make up truths about ourselves, bringing shame on ourselves. God knows himself perfectly and we also are to come to know ourselves perfectly. It brings glory to God if we discover the truth about ourselves, and what God has placed in us. It is the truth that covers us that will allow us to be resurrected to the fullness of Christ, and to be more than what Adam was before he fell.
 
We are to learn how to love truth. It is truth that sets us free. It is the truth about us that does not bring shame on ourselves causing God to turn away from us. It is truth that allows us to reflect the glory of God.
 
AMEN!