Topical Bible: Under the Law Atonement: Offered For: The Leprous House Healed

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In the Mosaic Law, specific instructions were given for the purification and atonement of a house afflicted with leprosy, a condition that rendered it ceremonially unclean. This process is detailed in Leviticus 14:33-53, where God provides Moses and Aaron with guidelines for dealing with a house that shows signs of a leprous disease.

Identification and Inspection

When a homeowner suspected that their house had a leprous condition, they were to report it to the priest. The priest would then conduct an inspection to determine if the house was indeed afflicted. Leviticus 14:35-36 states, "The owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’ The priest must order that the house be cleared before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean."

Procedure for Cleansing

If the priest found evidence of leprosy, the house was to be closed for seven days. Upon a second inspection, if the disease had spread, the contaminated stones were to be removed and discarded outside the city in an unclean place. The house would then be scraped and repaired with new stones and plaster.

If the leprosy reappeared after these measures, the house was to be torn down completely, and all its materials were to be taken to an unclean place outside the city. However, if the disease did not return, the house was considered clean, and a specific atonement ritual was to be performed.

Atonement Ritual

The atonement for a healed leprous house involved a ceremonial cleansing similar to that for a healed leprous person. Leviticus 14:49-53 describes the ritual: "To cleanse the house, he is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. He shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. Then he is to release the live bird into the open field outside the city. In this way, he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean."

Symbolism and Significance

The ritual for the leprous house underscores the seriousness with which God viewed ceremonial purity and the pervasive nature of sin and uncleanness. The use of birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop in the cleansing process is rich with symbolic meaning, often interpreted as pointing to purification, sacrifice, and redemption. The release of the live bird symbolizes the removal of impurity and the restoration of the house to a state of cleanliness.

This process reflects the broader biblical theme of atonement, where cleansing and restoration are achieved through prescribed rituals, ultimately pointing to the need for divine intervention to address the problem of sin and impurity.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 14:53
But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Epistle Liv. To Cornelius, Concerning Fortunatus and Felicissimus ...
... that is a sinner under the law; and when ... made, the bishops being despised and trodden
under foot, let ... confessing their sin with lowly and unaffected atonement. ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle liv to cornelius concerning.htm