The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 242

e.re not sufficiently explained by s11nitary considerations. The Jews saw in the leper 1. s_y;'Dbol of the sinner visited with the displeasure of God. His was a stroke of em1t1ng (" plague of leprosy") from the hand of Jehovah, which made him "utterly unclean" (ver. 44). 'l'he instructions of this chapter may convey to us important truth respecting the sinner's condition. To behold it thus forcibly depicted may administer a wholesome warning. I. THE COBRUl'TION EFFECTED BY BIN. Cannot but shudder at : 1. Its loathsomeness, destroying man's appearance, making him offensive to the sight. How abominable is wickedness to the pure eyes of God, and if our moral sense were keener, what constant shocks should we receive from the wicked conduct of men I What want of taste to indulge in sin I what disharmony of relationship it introduces I 2. Note its tendency to spread until it becomes total. The commission of one crime often leads to another which still more impairs the soul; the inordinate gratification of appetite in one direction is provocative of intemperance in another; to lose modesty is often to lose natural affection. At last the whole constitution betrays the effects of sin, body, mind, and spirit are alike unpleasant to contemplate. 3. Its destruction of vital power, It was termed by the Jews a" living death." Of its worst form, where the limbs mortify and drop off, no special mention is made in the Law; indeed, the supposition is that, after the expiration of a certain time, the disease will have so spread as to become harm- less, and the man may be termed "clean" (ver. 17). The disease appears to have become more malignant in subsequent ages, and thus to typify even more accurately the waste of strength produced by evil habits. The mental and moral faculties are enervated by sin, the sinner is led captive by the devil at his will. To understand a principle we must push its application to extreme consequences, and if we would entertain fitting conceptions of sin we must regard it not when most refined, not when in its commencement, but in its gross final results. To dread fire, think of the con- flagration that visits a town with disorder and ruin! II. 'l'HE EXCLUSION IT ENTAILS FROM HOLY PRIVILEGES. The leper was separato from the people and the sanctuary. 1. Contact with the sinner defiles, except in appointed case,, where the servant of God in fulfilment of duty (as the priest in examination) seeks out the moral leper. If men mingle with sinners, having Christ's end in view, to do them good, the association is pardoned. Otherwise "one sinner destroyeth much good," "evil communications corrupt good manners." Men should naturally shun the company of the debased as they would the presence of those afflicted with an infectious disease. 2. The semblance of sin must be guarded against. All that appears like it (vers. 5, 6) needs suspicious treatment. Better to err on the safe side, not pronouncing at first ctecidedly, but watching the operation of a plan, or society, or principle, and ere long its true character will be manifested by development. 3. Continuance in sin means separation from the 0/lurch and tliefellowship of right- minded pwple. The leper must "dwell alone, without the camp." Our Lord and his apostles insisted on the maintenance of discipline in Christian bodies. The persistenL sinner will find himself eventually cut off from intercourse with his former friends, for ungodliness is an effectual barrier, creating uncongeniality of sentiment and behaviour. i. Dismission from the pruence of God is the worst penalty of sin, The Psalmist might lament his enforced absence from the tabernacle where he had seen the power and glory of God; but how much more the man who was so near the hill of Zion, and yet so far off by reason of symbolical impurity I Sin kept God and man asunder, and to removo it came the Lord Jesus Christ. The awful sentence finally pronounced upon the unrighteous is "Depart from me I " What absence of joy and peace and love is contained in the words," the outer darkness" I lII. 'J.'HE EXPRESSIONS OF FEELING THAT BEFIT THE SINNER'S STATE, 1. Grief. 'l'he leper wore the garb of mourning. There needs the godly sorrow that worketh repentance. Reflect not simply upon the sad consequences of sin, estrangement from God, deprivation of his favour, but upon their sourco, and learn to hate sin as an abomination. 2. Humiliation. The uncovered head attested the leper's shame. " I abhor myself" is fitting language for polluted lips. 3. .Acknowledgment of guilt. Listen to the cry, "Unclean I" The upper lip war, shrouded in a covering that enjoined general silence, except on the approach of a stranger, who might be thereby defiled. "We are all as an unclean thing." When sin liN heavily upon the conscience,  206 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [CH, !m.1-46.