Torah Portion: Metzora(Leper) Leviticus/Vayikra 14:1-15:33
Haftorah Reading II Kings 7:3-20
Tonight, we continue our study of leprosy by looking at the process by which a person, house or clothing could be cleaned from leprosy. To begin, I would like us to look at several scriptures in the Messianic writings that speak of this problem in the time of Yeshua.
In Luke 17:11-19 we read of Yeshua meeting 10 lepers on His way to Jerusalem. They asked Him to heal them from this disease. He told them to go and show themselves to the priest in Jerusalem. As they went, they were cleansed. Yeshua did exactly what our Torah portion explained had to be done to be considered clean again. The lepers were told to go before the priest in Jerusalem to confirm their healing.
We also read in Acts 21:26 where Paul, while not suffering from leprosy, saw the continued importance of following Torah and being faithful to what was written. This verse and also Acts 24;18 deals with the issue of being purified. This allowed Paul and the others to enter the Temple and become part of the worship activities. Always remember, all this had to do with being ritually pure, not necessarily linked to sin. If you were ritually impure you could not approach G-d. In I Peter 1:22 we read how these purity commandments shed light on what the blood of Messiah does for us. As we read these verses in the Messianic scripture remember their roots in Torah.
In this Torah section we read about a house and clothing being affected by leprosy. In fact, in Leviticus/Vayikra 14:33 we see where G-d Himself says He will put the plague on a house. How could, or why would this be so?
Sometimes we become involved in things that are not from the Father. Traditionally gossip and slander are seen as the root cause of leprosy. What story in scripture supports this idea? Do you remember someone slandering another person and getting leprosy? If you read Numbers 12:1-10 you will see the story of Miriam slandering her brother Moses and G-d punished her. So maybe G-d in His mercy is giving us a warning of an issue we might have in our lives, something we might be involved in that is harmful to us or others. So first, He puts this on our house, then if we still miss it, He spreads it to our clothing and finally to our bodies. My point is that G-d is merciful and does not allow us to continue in sin without giving us a warning sign that we are off tract. I think we all have seen this in our lives as His people. He corrects us and wants us to return to Him. We are set apart and as such we are to live holy, pure lives. (I John 3:3)
Now to my question of the week. In our Torah portion, verses 14:10-20 we read of the ceremony a leper goes through to be declared clean and allowed back into fellowship with His brothers and sisters. I asked you to read Leviticus/Vayikra 8:23-34 and see how this compared to the setting apart of the priest for his duties. In both passages we read where the priest and the leper had oil and blood from the offering, applied to their right ear, thumb on their right hand and big toe on their right foot. What do you think this is teaching us?
By anointing the right ear, it teaches us how important it is what we listen to. What we listen to goes into our minds and influences either for good or for evil. It can change our views to the world’s view. The world’s view is most likely not G-d’s way. By anointing our hands, it points out what we do with our hands must be those things that glorify the Father, good works.
Lastly our feet are to walk in the ways of the L-rd. These things teach us just as the priest had been set apart for service to the L-rd, we are to live our lives dedicated to Him. In our verses today the leper, who had been healed, is expected to live differently than he did before. G-d restored him to the spiritual life of the community. That means his life should be lived dedicated to the L-rd.
In both of these people, as well as for us, there has been a transition from secular to holy, from impure to pure. The anointing with oil is an outward sign of this change in status from separated from G-d to being connected to Him.
All this should play itself out in our life by how we live and how we spend our time each day. My prayer for us all is that our lives reflect who we are as G-d’s people and how much we love Him.