The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 256

II. THE CONSIDERATION WE OWE TO OUR FELLOW-HEN. In virtue of the Divine precept the leper might not enter human Rociety. But this was not the only ground of exclusion ; by reason of the character of his me.lady he was wholly unfit to enter. Once exilerl, therefore, he might not return until every guarantee had been given that he _was "whole,_" until numero~s an_d prolonged ~eremonies of cleansing he.d removed all stigma from him, and made him likely to receive a cordial welcome back. Hence the elaborate ceremonial of the text: (1) priestly examination (vers. 2 3). (2) the ceremony of the two birds (vers. 4-7); (3) personal ablution (ver. 8) • (4) fu;ther exclusion for a week (ver. 8); (5) additional ablution, etc. (ver. 9); (6) off~rincrs at the altar, attended with peculiar rites with the blood o.nd oil (vers. 10-20). When by any folly or guilt of ours we have incurred the distrust or dislike of our brethren it is due to them that we should give them every possible guarantee of our "clean~ess," our integrity of heart and life, before they abandon their suspicion and give us again their cordial co?fidence. S~ciety has a righ~ ~ require that the man wb.om it has necessarily shunned 1s pure of his moral and spmtua.1 malady. We may be unable to gain any certificate of character, but we me.y, to regain confidence and readmission to human fellowship, (1) show ourselves as humble, earnest worshippers in the house of the Lord• (2) seek the open confidence of the acknowledged servants of Christ; (3) give the pledg~ of a scrupulously virtuous life, that we a.re really "washed and sanctified ••• by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. vi. 11). III. THE OBLIGATIONS OF OFFICE. Those who hold high office have sometimes unin- viting duties to disch__arge. The priests of Israel held honourable rank in the nation ; doubtless they recei vlcl a large share of public deference, and were regarded as those who occupied an enviable position. But their duties embraced some offices from which the humblest in the land might shrink. They had to make a most careful examination of the man who believed himself healed of leprosy. Probably, in their eagerness to return to the camp, these afflicted ones often sought readmission when the disease was still upon them. But the priest must examine all who came, clean or unclean. Those who now hold honourable positions in society (the minister, the medical man, etc.) must hold themselves ready, not only to do those duties which a.re inviting and congenial, but those also which a.re unpleasant and even painful, whether to the flesh or to the spirit. IV. THE OUTLOOK OF HO'llAN lll:IBERY, What was the prospect of the exiled leper? Human a.rt bad given him up as incurable, and human fellowship had cast him out as unworthy. Vvhat could he hope for? '!'here were only two possible remedies-a Di vino cure or the grave; the one blessed enough but sadly improbable, the other sad enough but a welcome certainty. If for a while we look at leprosy as the picture, not of human sin, but of human misery, we may be reminded tbat, for a Christian man, there are two remedies: (1) deliverance in time from affliction (Ps. xxx. 11); (2) comfort in affliction during life, and then "the glory which shall be revealed" (Rom. viii. 18). Though the night of weeping be life-long, "yet joy cometh in the morning" of the everlasting day.-C. Vere. 4-9.-Admission (or readmission). When leprosy had departed from the flesh, he who had been, but no longer remained, a leper was, in the sight of Jehovah and of his people, still ceremonially unclean, He was in a bodily condition which made· him readmissiole to Divine and human fellowship, but he must first " be cleansed" (ver. 4) before he would be readmitted. The ceremonies here prescribed give a picture of our readmission to the favour of God and the fellowship of his people. I. SACRIFICE OF ANOTHER'S LIFE. Ae a "clean bird" (ver. 4) was taken and its blood was shed (ver. 6), as the life-blood of the pure and innocent creature was poured out that the leper might be clean and pure in the sight of God, so is the life-blood of the spolless Lamb shed for us. There must be for our acceptance and admission, or readmission after hacksliding, a "sacrifice for sin." II. PERSONAL Al'PLIOATION 01" THAT BACB.IFIOE. "He shall sprinkle upon him that ~s to be cleansed ... seven times" (ver. 7). "The living bird" was to be "dipped lil the blood of the bird that wae killed," Here is the truth that if the "blood of Christ" is to be effectual for our salvation, it muat be applied to our individual COD• OH, XIV, 1-32.] THE noo~ OF LEVITICUS. 221