Unclean!

"One Year Bible" Old Testament History Passage
Leviticus 13:1-59

"Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare, and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!'"  Leviticus 13:45 (NKJV)

Can you imagine the devastation upon a man or woman who found that they had leprosy in the Old Testament?  It is beyond my ability to conceive the pain and misery they must have felt.

There are two perspectives from which we must view the plight of such a person in the Old Testament.  Why would God relegate such an individual to such rejection and alone-ness on top of the physical pain they were enduring?  Also, what does this obviously dire and desparate situation point toward?

First, the quarantine of the leper in the Old Testament was necessary for the good of the whole nation.  Advances in medical science had not yet unfolded and the only answer to avoid a spreading plague was that the person be shut off from the crowds.  Frankly, this was a practical necessity, unfortunate though it seemed -- perhaps even unfair.

Second, all human misery should be seen in the light of that which God wants to bring as the ANSWER.  This Old Testament man or woman was commanded to cry out daily, "Unclean. Unclean."  It is wonderful to consider that the New Testament counter-part is that that very same person IN CHRIST may cry out "Clean!! Clean!!" 

Only our God could do such a thing.  He heals the sick, He cares for the orphans, He gathers the outcasts, He saves the sinner.  All of the pain of the Old Testament was but the dark backdrop against which the bright light of the Son of God, Jesus, could shine. 

One last word -- why are we so blessed today that we should be able to enjoy the fullness of the Son of God, while those long ago could only but hope?  We cannot answer that easily.  We can only say that we will TODAY rejoice in what God HAS done.  And receive it in full.