Commentary - Leviticus 13:38-39

Bird's-eye view

In this brief section of Leviticus 13, we are dropped into the middle of a long series of diagnostic instructions given to the priests. The central issue throughout this chapter is how to distinguish between true leprosy, a deeply symbolic disease representing the horrifying defilement of sin, and other non-threatening skin conditions. God is teaching His people, through these meticulous and sometimes tedious-seeming regulations, the absolute necessity of discernment. Holiness requires making distinctions. This particular passage deals with a condition that resembles a more serious disease but is ultimately harmless. The priest must look closely, make a careful judgment, and declare the person clean. This is a picture of grace. Not every blemish is a damning spot; not every imperfection is a sign of spiritual death. God, the great high priest, knows the difference, and He teaches His earthly priests to reflect His careful judgment.

The overarching theme is that God cares deeply about the difference between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean. These external laws were a tutor, a schoolmaster, to bring Israel to Christ. They were a set of acted-out parables, teaching a spiritual reality through physical circumstances. The priest's examination of the skin points forward to the ministry of the Word, which discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. The declaration of "clean" for a harmless eczema foreshadows the gospel's declaration of "righteous" for the sinner who, though blemished, is covered by the blood of Christ.

Outline

Context in Leviticus

Leviticus 13 is a central part of the book's "Holiness Code." After dealing with clean and unclean foods (Ch. 11) and the uncleanness of childbirth (Ch. 12), the law now turns to the uncleanness caused by skin diseases, fabrics, and houses. This chapter is not a medical textbook, though its principles certainly had hygienic benefits. Its primary purpose is theological. Leprosy, the focal point of the chapter, serves as a powerful illustration of sin. It is a condition that begins small, spreads, defiles, and ultimately isolates the afflicted person from the covenant community and the presence of God in the Tabernacle. Therefore, the ability to correctly identify it was of paramount importance.

These two verses, 38 and 39, provide a crucial counterpoint to the more severe cases surrounding them. They show that the priest's duty was not simply to condemn and exclude, but also to acquit and include. The law was not a blunt instrument designed for maximum exclusion. It was a sharp scalpel, wielded by a trained hand, to carefully separate the precious from the vile. This act of priestly discernment is a fundamental aspect of maintaining a holy camp where a holy God dwells.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

38 “When a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, even white bright spots,”

The law begins with the presenting condition. It is inclusive, applying to both men and women, for sin and its consequences are no respecter of persons. The issue is "bright spots," specifically white ones. In the surrounding context, whiteness could be a sign of true leprosy, a terrifying diagnosis. So, the appearance of such a spot would naturally cause alarm. This is the moment of uncertainty. Is this the beginning of the end, a creeping death that will lead to exile from the camp? Or is it a minor, passing thing? This uncertainty is what necessitates the entire process. The individual cannot make this determination on his own. He is required to submit to an external, objective authority established by God. We are notoriously bad judges in our own cases, especially when it comes to the spots and blemishes on our own souls. We either panic unnecessarily or, more often, we dismiss as trivial something that is spiritually fatal.

39 “then the priest shall look, and if the bright spots on the skin of their bodies are a faded white, it is eczema that has broken out on the skin; he is clean.”

Here we have the procedure and the verdict. The priest must "look." This is not a casual glance. It is an official inspection. His authority comes from God, and he is to exercise it with care. The diagnostic key is the quality of the whiteness. If it is a "faded white," a dull or faint white, it is not the dreaded disease. The law gives it a name, "eczema," a common rash. The critical point is the priest's declaration that follows: "he is clean."

This is where the gospel peeks through the curtain of the ceremonial law. The priest does not make the man clean by his declaration; he declares him to be what he already is. But that declaration is powerful and effective. It restores the man to his place in the community. It removes the fear and stigma. It says, "This blemish you see is not a sign of damnation. It is a superficial trouble. You are welcome here." In the New Covenant, the minister of the gospel, speaking on the authority of Christ, declares the truth over God's people. He preaches the forgiveness of sins. He distinguishes between the kind of sin that leads to death and the struggles and imperfections that are common to the saints. He declares, based on the finished work of our Great High Priest, Jesus, that those who are in Him, though they still have faded spots and blemishes of sin, are positionally and fundamentally "clean." The verdict is not based on the absence of any spot, but on the nature of the spot, as judged by the authorized representative of the God who justifies the ungodly.

Key Words

Clean (tahor)

The Hebrew word tahor is a foundational concept in Leviticus. It means to be pure, whether ceremonially, morally, or physically. To be declared "clean" in this context was to be declared fit for participation in the covenant community. It meant you could go to the Tabernacle, you could fellowship with your neighbors, you were not under a divine sanction. While the immediate context is ritual purity, it was always meant to point to a deeper, moral purity. The ultimate cleansing is not from a skin disease, but from the defiling leprosy of sin, a cleansing that can only be accomplished by the blood of Jesus Christ, who makes us truly tahor before a holy God.

Application

The first application is that we must learn to make careful distinctions. Our culture is allergic to what it calls "judging," but the Bible commands righteous judgment. The priests had to distinguish a fatal disease from a harmless rash. In the church, elders must distinguish between wolves and sheep, between heresy and orthodoxy, between sins that require excommunication and the common failings of believers. We are not to be a community of nitpickers, nor are we to be a fellowship of moral sludge. We are to be a holy people, and holiness requires discernment.

Second, we must submit ourselves to the judgment of God's Word. The man with the spot had to go to the priest. We must bring our lives, our sins, our fears, and our blemishes to the Word of God, preached and applied by the elders God has placed over us. We cannot trust our own self-diagnosis. The Word is the divine instrument that discerns the state of our souls.

Finally, we rest in the final verdict of our Great High Priest. Jesus Christ does not just diagnose; He has cured the disease. He took our leprosy upon Himself, and was cast out of the camp for us, so that we might be declared clean. Because of His work, God looks upon our faded spots, the remnants of our old sinful nature, and for Christ's sake, He declares us clean. This is not because our blemishes are not real, but because the blood of His Son is more real. The verdict is in. For all who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. You are clean.