Leviticus 13:1-3 (ESV)
Laws About Skin Disease
The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.
Where is a good dermatologist when you need one (the word translated “leprous” in the above text is better understood as ANY skin disease)? In our modern life we don’t think about some of the challenges that faced the nation of Israel. They were 1.5 million peoples, living in tents in the deserts and hills of the wilderness. There were NO modern day conveniences. There were no rest stops along the maintain by the Department of Wilderness Travelers. There were no stores to replenish. There were no medical facilities if your child suddenly became ill. The “community” of believers had to be cared for by the priest, established by the decree of God. Anyone born into the tribe of Levi, was now a priest. And, that tribe had sole responsibility to care for not just the spiritual aspects of the nation, but the health concerns, as well. This might be the greatest example of God gifting and empowering someone for a job they don’t have the full training to perform. When the nation left Egypt, they also left all the “structure” of that nation. The infra-structure of health and human services was now in the rear view mirror of Israel. God would be their sole health-care provider. They would not be able to select their own physician.
Chapters 13-15 of Leviticus are not the most popular reading for the Saints in the church age. Even though we have the this instruction from Paul to Timothy, this section of Leviticus (and perhaps all of Leviticus) seems to stretch our minds:
2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
We might read these passages and wonder how profitable can it be to read about a priest dealing with a skin infection for a nation that lived like nomads for 40 years? The answer is to marvel how God was so loving and so kind He even provided a health-care system, with Himself as the major administrator. Yes, He designated the Levitical priest to do the day-to-day work, but make no mistake, this is God’s hand caring for and protecting the health and welfare of over a million souls that He redeemed from Egypt. Much is lost in our minds about this type of care they would have needed. But, not for them. They NEEDED God to care for them. We don’t. We just go one of many med-centers in our area. We get prescriptions drugs like candy. We have huge hospitals that care for us with market driven customer services engineering. Let’s take a moment and realize that even though we might have these modern conveniences, we must still fall humble on our knees for God’s care and interaction in our lives. If we begin to trust in the systems of the world, we soon lose out on the care of the God of the universe. He was concerned enough to address skin infections and make provision for the nation. He is concerned enough to address our needs, as well. There certainly is nothing wrong with seeking modern medical help. But, it is sinful to forsake the pursuit of God’s care over all.
No comments:
Post a Comment