Yes, even a house in which a Jewish family lived could become “infested” with something unclean, impure.
And God gave Israel regulations about cleansing such a situation! (That’s how intensely God wanted to fellowship with his people! That’s also how even the slightest defilement could block sweet communion with Almighty God!)
Of course they would need no such “house” legislation while in the wilderness, living in tents. But once in Canaan … this would become a key issue. So here in today’s Text is God in His Love … looking ahead … graciously meeting the needs of His people.
Remember: anything speaking of death, of deterioration, would lead away from God. The wages of sin being … death! And mold and mildew (the main culprits in this house impurity defilement) were indications of some sort of pollution, for sure. Jesus said “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE!” Quoting John 11:25. He is also the Conqueror of death, Death!
Let me show you a sample of what God taught Israel in this regard, concerning even buildings:
Let’s say a Jew discovers a “spot” on the wall of his house, a suspicious growth of some kind. “If the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.” Leviticus 14:37-38, sounds like “building code” minutia.
Impurity to any degree … even colored streaks like these, if beneath the surface of the plaster … could bar fellowship with God. Because an unclean house could render its inhabitants unclean … thus they would not be able to go to the Tabernacle and sacrifice/worship/commune with the Lord!
Wow!
Reminds me of Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired admonition in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 … “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
And if this “leprosy” in the house got out of control … this could be the final result: “And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the morter of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.” The complete destruction of the dwelling, Leviticus 14:45.
One more question today. What could a homeowner do if such mold/mildew/leprosy appears and is only superficial? He must obey the inspector/priest on duty … “Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city: and he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place: and they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house.” Leviticus 14:40-42, major “surgery” on the house! Getting rid of the dreaded infestation! And reconstructing where necessary!
The point of these Passages … stay pure in God’s Eyes … let absolutely NOTHING hinder your fellowship with Him!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
I supect a lot of so-called Christian homes could undergo a little cleansing (morally as much as ritually) even in these days, in the “last days” according to Scripture.
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