Scripture
Leviticus 13:20
20 And the priest shall look, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a case of leprous disease that has broken out in the boil.
Acts 17:30-31
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Observation
These passages in Leviticus can seem so odd at first glance: Here, amid the laws about holiness and tabernacle sacrifice, are pages upon pages of instructions for medical examinations and draconian quarantines for those found with the dreaded and incurable disease of leprosy. Why was God so preoccupied with skin diseases?
It seems that God saw a specific connection between disease, and sin:
Just as a contagious disease affects more than just the ‘patient zero’, so also sin becomes contagious and spreads when left unchallenged.
Just as a patient cannot reliably diagnose their own medical condition, so also diseases of the soul cannot be left up to the opinions and perspectives of the one suffering–they must be confronted by one who can clearly diagnose the problem.
Just as a contagion cannot be ignored in the hopes that it will get better on its own, so also sin cannot be ignored in the hopes that it will someday resolve itself.
The beautiful counterpoint to Leviticus though is this: While the Levitical law could only identify the issue but provide no cure, Jesus Christ came to provide the treatment which our spiritual diagnosis required.
Application
A positive diagnosis is never fun. When the doctor walks in to share what the test results have confirmed, there is an ‘ouch’ moment of discomfort. Yet it is the doctor’s willingness to cause discomfort in this moment, is the very thing which creates an opportunity for healing! If I don’t know my arm is broken…I won’t put it in a splint. If I don’t know my blood pressure is too high…I won’t reduce my sodium intake. If I don’t recognize that I have allowed sin to fester in my heart…I won’t allow repentance to turn me back toward the Savior.
God’s love confronts the things that I would rather ignore. His truth shines light on the things I would rather keep concealed, and His righteousness identifies the things which will kill me if not corrected. Yet His grace does not merely provide a diagnosis–because He has also supplied the cure which my problem requires!
Today I choose to allow the Holy Spirit to confront the things in me which must change. Whether I think my issue is serious or insignificant…the great physician alone is qualified to diagnose my condition. His judgement is right, His diagnosis is loving, and His treatment is always effective.
Prayer
God, thank you for your voice of truth and grace! Keep my heart teachable and humble before you, so that I would daily accept not only the diagnosis, but also the treatment that my heart requires. I welcome your voice of truth, and I want to grow daily more like you!
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