What steps are prescribed for dealing with "a mildew in a house"? Setting the Scene: Israel’s Housing Code Leviticus 14:33-34 sets the context: “…when you enter the land of Canaan that I am giving you as a possession, and I put a mildew infestation in a house in that land…” First Response: Call the Priest • Leviticus 14:35: “The owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’” • The initiative lies with the homeowner, but the authority to diagnose rests with God’s appointed priest (cf. Deuteronomy 17:8-9). Initial Inspection: Identifying the Plague – Priest orders house emptied to keep belongings clean. – He examines the spots: greenish or reddish depressions deeper than the surface signal true contamination. Quarantine: A Seven-Day Watch – Priest seals the house for seven days. – On day seven he re-examines. If the mildew has spread, further action follows. Remedial Action: Removing the Affected Material – Affected stones are pulled out and discarded outside the city. – House scraped; dust dumped in an unclean place. – New stones and fresh mortar replace the removed materials. • Principle echoed in 1 Corinthians 5:7—“Clean out the old leaven…” Second Inspection: Confirming Restoration – If mildew reappears after repairs, the condition is declared persistent. – If it does not return after another inspection, the house is pronounced clean. Final Measures if Mildew Persists – Entire house demolished: stones, timbers, plaster taken outside the city to an unclean place. • God’s holiness demands total eradication of entrenched impurity (cf. Deuteronomy 23:14; Ephesians 5:3). Purification Ceremony for a Cleansed House – Two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop are used. – One bird slain over fresh water; the live bird, cedar, scarlet, and hyssop dipped in the blood-water mixture and sprinkled on the house seven times. – Live bird released outside the city. – Result: “and the house will be clean.” (v. 53) • Symbolic picture of substitutionary cleansing (cf. Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:7). Timeless Principles for Today • Sin, like mildew, starts small but spreads if ignored. • Swift confession and thorough removal restore fellowship (Proverbs 28:13). • Christ, our Great High Priest, inspects and cleanses His living temple—the church (Revelation 2–3). |
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