March 3

March 3, 2012 

Deuteronomy 24:8-9   In cases of leprous diseases be very careful to do exactly as the priests, who are Levites, instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them. ⁹ Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.

Today we reach the famous chapter on mildew!!  Most people have no idea this chapter is in the Bible.  I just want you to know that today's reading has declared me a clean man. Leviticus 13 says "when a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean." There you have it, declared by Moses himself over 3000 years ago.

Today's reading might be one of the most difficult to get through. I am sure you asked yourself several times, why all this fuss about uncleanness? Modern medicine tells us this chapter is critical to healthy living. Fresh air is not only important for physical health but for mental health too. Simply put, without clean air, the body and mind cannot function properly. The danger of mold and mildew is the reason we ripped down the walls of every house in New Orleans. Mildew in the walls could lead to disease and even death. 

So what is Moses' solution to mold, mildew, red sores and leprosy?  The answer is uncleanness and infectious disease must be kept in isolation. The strict quarantines are the only way to stop a contagious disease from spreading. So there's nothing surprising about sending infected people outside the camp. There must also be the shouting of the words, "Unclean, Unclean." Everyone must know the danger of this disease. All of these actions are for the protection of the community. The surprise comes when Israel is warned to follow the rules precisely, "remembering what God did to Miriam!"  If you recall when Moses' sister, Miriam, was critical of Moses' interracial marriage, God regarded it as an open challenge to Moses' spiritual leadership. Miriam's punishment was to be given a week time-out with the dreaded disease leprosy.  

F. LaGard Smith states in his commentary, "The tie between Miriam's sin and Miriam's leprosy is significant. Although there is no automatic connection between disease and sin, in this case the connection was direct, and it raises the parallel between how one deals with an infectious disease and an infectious sin. Had Miriam been left unpunished for attacking Moses' authority, it could have emboldened others who were already predisposed with a critical spirit. When spiritual infection is in the air, the cure is the same as for the physical infection - isolate the disease. But here's the caution- not forever!! And never are we to do this unlovingly. It is to be done with the spirit for restoration and healing. It's not the person we are trying to get rid of, only the disease."

So this forces us to examine how we have been dealing with the sin disease around us. There are two great dangers we face in our response. The first is not taking it seriously. "Everyone is doing it." "Stop being so old fashioned." "Boys will be boys." These are just a few responses that are dangerous. The second is separating ourselves and priding ourselves that we have never fallen to such levels of "sin and depravation." When we separate ourselves so far from the person, we never get to touch them with the redeeming love of Jesus.  

So be very careful with the infectious stuff around us.