Leprosy: A Striking Biblical Picture of Sin

Listen to today’s passage – Leviticus 13 

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Leviticus 13

Second Milers also read – John 7 – 8; Proverbs 7; Psalms 36 – 40

Read a previous post from this morning’s reading – Unclean

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 19

Read the “0207 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today by Charles Spurgeon.

45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.” (Leviticus 13:45-46)

This morning’s reading contained one long chapter dedicated to leprosy, a disease that was both debilitating and deadly in Bible times. Today, leprosy (or Hansen’s Disease) is curable through modern multi-drug therapies, but in Bible days it was incurable. The descriptions given of various skin ailments in chapter thirteen include Hansen’s disease but also reference other, less serious skin issues as well. The observation and treatments given by the priests in this chapter were used to determine if an individual skin problem was indeed leprosy or perhaps a less serious condition.

While leprosy itself is a real, devastating physical disease that has afflicted both the saved and the unsaved throughout history, Scripture frequently uses it as a powerful metaphor or type to depict the ruinous effects of sin upon the soul and the body. Isaiah spoke figuratively about the sinful condition of Israel, picturing it as a physical ailment:

“4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” (Isaiah 1:4-6)

  • Sin, Like Leprosy, Is Deadly

Leprosy in the Bible was usually ultimately fatal, though it sometimes took years to completely ravage the body. The sin condition of mankind is also fatal. Sin is the cause of death. Had there been no sin, there would not have been death (Romans 5:12).

“23 For the wages of sin is death;…” (Romans 6:23)

“12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: … 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:12, 21)

  • Like Leprosy, The Effects of Sin Start Small and Progress Slowly

Leprosy started out with a tiny blemish on the skin. Slowly but surely, however, it progressed until it completely infected and debilitated the entire body. Sin is the same way. It sometimes starts out small and seemingly has little effect on the guilty person, but like leprosy it grows and its effects increase until it becomes debilitating. 

“13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:13-15)

  • Sin, Like Leprosy, is Contagious

Leprosy is contagious, though perhaps not as contagious as some other diseases. It was contagious enough, however, that people did their best to stay far away from someone who had it. Sin, like leprosy, is also contagious in the sense that it is spread to everyone. But more than just the general condition of sin being spread, individual acts of sin are often transferred to other people. Sinners love to get other sinners to join them in their sin.

“10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.” (Proverbs 1:10-16)

  • Sin, Like Leprosy, Separates Us From God But Should Also Cause Us to Separate

“2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

In the Bible, lepers were required to live away from other people, and were even commanded to cry out “unclean” when they approached someone or got near them. Sin is what separated us from God in the first place, and now that we are cleansed from our sin by the blood of Christ, it should be our desire to separate ourselves from those who are yet in their sins and content to remain that way. Christians today ought to separate themselves from sin, and from sinners who are unrepentant about their sin. This does not mean that we should isolate ourselves from people; nor does it mean that we should not be willing to help them by sharing Christ and His gospel with them. It does mean that we should not be intimate with them to the point where their sin is influencing us to sin. 

“17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Corinthians 6:17)

  • Sin, Like Leprosy, Can Only Be Cured by God

In the Old Testament, the prophet Elisha was used by the Lord to miraculously cure Naaman the Syrian from his leprosy (see 2 Kings 5). In the New Testament, there were several examples where the Lord Jesus healed those who had leprosy:

“2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (Matthew 8:2-3)

“22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” (Luke 7:22)

In Bible times, leprosy could only be cured by God. Sin, like leprosy can only be cleansed by Christ. As the song states: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” The only way for sin to be forgiven (cleansed) is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

“9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

J. Vernon McGee said this regarding this chapter:

So leprosy stands as a perfect type of sin. It is sin, as it were, made visible in the flesh. The priest was to look on the leper and pronounce him unclean. Just so, the Great Physician looks on the human family and pronounces it unclean. He does this so that we might come to Him for cleansing. He is ready to touch the leper (and sinner) and make him clean. [J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed., vol. 1 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 380.]

Spurgeon said:

Leprosy is to be considered by us as the type of sin. To describe all the loathsomeness and ghastliness of the aggravated cases of Jewish leprosy would be too sickening, if not disgusting. But it would still be a poor portrait of the loathsomeness of sin. The leper was not only loathsome in his person but was also defiled in all his acts. All the actions of the unbeliever are tainted with sin. Whether he eats, or drinks, or whatever he does, he continues to sin against his God. If he should come up to God’s house and sing and pray, there is sin in his songs, for they are but hypocrisy. There is guilt in his prayers, for the prayers of the wicked are abominations to the Lord. Every person by nature is like a leper; he is incapable of fellowship with God’s people, and he is shut out utterly and entirely by his sin from the presence and acceptance of God. [Spurgeon, The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 144.]

 


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When We Miss the Mark: The Sin Offering and Our Savior

Listen to today’s passage – Leviticus 1 – 4 

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Leviticus 1

Second Milers also read – Luke 23 – 24; Proverbs 3; Psalms 16 – 20

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4

Read the “0203 Evening and Morning” for today by Charles Spurgeon

Read a previous post from this passage – “It Is Finished.“

What Is a Sin of Ignorance?

In Leviticus 4, a “sin of ignorance” (or unintentional sin) refers to a violation of God’s commandments done without deliberate intent or full awareness at the time. The Hebrew term often translated as “through ignorance” or “unintentionally” (from the root shagag) implies straying, erring, or wandering from the right path—perhaps through oversight, human weakness, forgetfulness, or lack of full understanding of the law’s application.

  • Examples include accidentally breaking a commandment (e.g., unknowingly touching something unclean or failing in a duty due to negligence).
  • The sin becomes apparent later, leading to a sense of guilt (Leviticus 4:27–28: “come to his knowledge”).
  • Importantly, ignorance does not excuse the sin—sin is still sin because it violates God’s holy standard, even if unintentional. The offering provides atonement once the sin is recognized, restoring fellowship with God.

The chapter outlines procedures based on who sinned:

  • The anointed priest (high priest – vv. 3-12).
  • The whole congregation (vv. 13-21).
  • A ruler/leader (vv. 22-26).
  • An individual common person (vv. 27-35).

In each case, the sinner (or representatives) lays hands on a blemish-free animal (bull, goat, etc.), transfers guilt symbolically, and the priest slays it. Blood is applied to the altar (or sprinkled in the sanctuary for higher-status sins), fat is burned, and atonement is made: “the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him” (e.g., Leviticus 4:35).

Distinguishing from Sins That Are Not “of Ignorance”

These are deliberate, premeditated, or presumptuous sins (Numbers 15:30–31). They involve willful defiance, rebellion against God, or knowing rejection of His commands.

  • Intentional/presumptuous sins show contempt for God’s law and authority (Numbers 15:30: “But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously… reproacheth the Lord”).
  • No provision for atonement through the regular sin offering existed for these; the offender was “cut off” from the people (often meaning death or exclusion from the community/covenant).
  • Example: The man gathering sticks on the Sabbath in Numbers 15:32–36 acted defiantly against a clear command, resulting in execution.

The key distinction is the heart’s posture:

  • Sins of ignorance stem from human frailty, weakness, or unawareness (still serious, requiring atonement).
  • Presumptuous sins involve deliberate rebellion, hardening the heart against God.

Both are sins, but the response differs based on intent and repentance.

How This Ties into Our Relationship with Christ Today

The sin offering in Leviticus 4 points forward to Jesus Christ as the ultimate, perfect fulfillment. The Old Testament sacrifices were shadows—temporary and repeated—covering sins but never removing them completely (Hebrews 10:1–4). Jesus provides the final, once-for-all solution.

  • Jesus is our sin offering: God “made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He became the blemish-free sacrifice, bearing our guilt.
  • He covers all sins: His blood atones for unintentional sins (our everyday failings, weaknesses, and ignorances) and, through genuine repentance, even willful ones when we turn back to Him (1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”).
  • Eternal redemption: Unlike the repeated animal sacrifices, Christ’s death was “once for all” (Hebrews 9:11–14, 26–28; 10:10–14). He entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood, securing eternal forgiveness and cleansing our conscience.
  • No more sacrifices needed: We don’t offer animals today; we come to God through faith in Christ’s finished work. His sacrifice purifies us, restores fellowship, and enables us to live in obedience—not out of fear of punishment, but gratitude for grace.

In our relationship with Christ:

  • We acknowledge our sinfulness (even “secret” or ignorant sins—Psalm 19:12).
  • We confess and repent, trusting His blood to cleanse us.
  • We rest in His forgiveness, growing in holiness by the Spirit’s power.
  • We avoid presumptuous sin by not hardening our hearts (Hebrews 3:7–13), but when we stumble, we find mercy through our High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:14–16).

This devotion reminds us: God’s holiness demands payment for sin, but His love provides the perfect Lamb—Jesus—who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Praise God for His provision! May we live in humble dependence on Christ, daily confessing and rejoicing in His complete atonement.


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Sin Lieth At The Door

Today’s Passage – Genesis 4 – 6 (Click on the reference to listen to the audio. Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 3 – 4; Proverbs 2; Psalms 6 – 10)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Joshua 1:8

Read the “0102 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “Walking with God,” “Instead of Abel: God’s Plan B;” “Shining Brightly in a Dark World,” “Respect,” and “Grieving God.”

“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (Gen 4:7)

“4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” (Heb 11:4)

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Rom 6:14)

In Genesis 4, we read the familiar story of the slaying of Abel by his brother Cain. The events leading up to Cain’s murder of his brother are very interesting. Cain and Abel each brought their individual offerings to the Lord. Cain offers to the Lord from “the fruit of the ground,” presumably something from his garden. Abel, on the other hand, offered an animal sacrifice to the Lord, which caught God’s attention because God “had respect unto … his offering,” which means he gazed upon it and considered it. By the way, the Bible does not say that God was angry with Cain’s offering or that Cain’s offering was somehow sinful in itself; it just says that God did not have “respect” for it, meaning that it did not cause Him to look or gaze upon it in the same way that his brother’s offering did. Cain’s offering represented the work of his own hands from his labor in the garden. Again, it was certainly right for Cain to give back to the Lord a portion of what the Lord had blessed him with, but it seems that Cain was offering this fruit as a means of obtaining God’s favor, and as an atonement for his sins. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that “without shedding of [Christ’s] blood is no remission.” God was very pleased with Abel’s offering because it was a blood sacrifice, which pictured the blood that the Lord Jesus would someday shed on Calvary for the sins of the world.

What does the phrase ‘sin lieth at the door’ mean?

There is a phrase in verse seven that has always intrigued me: “if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” What does this mean? There are some theologians who believe that the word “sin” in that verse means “sin offering.” The Hebrew word for sin in verse seven is chatta’ath, which has been translated into the phrase “sin offering” over 100 times in other Old Testament passages. This theory is very logical in that when people did sin, they could offer a sin offering, which served as a type or picture of Christ’s offering of Himself on the Cross. The sin offering represented a contrite and repentant offering that demonstrated an agreement with God about the seriousness of the sin and a willingness to turn away from it in the future.

However, in my opinion the phrase in Genesis 4:7 is not speaking about a sin offering, but rather it is alluding to a personification of sin that is waiting to pounce on us like a ravenous beast and put us in bondage if we yield to it. The Hebrew verb rāḇaṣ translated here as “lieth” is used one other place in the Old Testament to speak of a lion who “couched” (Gen 49:9). The Scripture speaks of Satan this way:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1Pe 5:8)

Cain was angry because God did not respect his offering as He did Abel’s, and that anger inside of Cain was driving him over the edge. Anger in itself is not a sin, but it can cause us to sin, and this is certainly what happened to Cain. His anger turned into wrath and in his wrath he murdered his brother. God was warning Cain that his anger, which was completely unjustified because it was directed against a righteous God, was going to lead him further down the road into sinful actions. Even though Cain’s anger was an emotion that he perhaps could not control, he should still have repented of the way he felt, recognizing that his emotions were not in agreement with God. And he could have asked God to help him deal with his emotions. Instead, however, he allowed his unjustified anger to cause him to go out the door of God’s will where sin pounced on him.

How does this speak to our lives today?

Don’t allow sinful thoughts or even irrational emotions to develop into actions that are in rebellion to the will of God. Think of ways that this could play out in life today. What would you do when a co-worker gets recognized, commended, or promoted for their work and you are not? Do you rejoice with that person (Rom 12:15) who was promoted or do you get jealous, angry, or bitter against either the boss or the person who was rewarded. Those feelings are powerful and could cause you to cross the line and say or do something that you will later regret.

What can you do:
  1. Recognize that your thoughts and emotions may very well be rooted in your sinful flesh and are thus, outside the will of God. Cain’s anger was a result of his jealousy. He was jealous of his brother because God was pleased with Abel’s offering, and “did not have respect” unto his own. He wasn’t thinking right to start with, which eventually lead to more irrational thinking.
  2. Restrain your thoughts, emotions, and actions. The last phrase in verse seven, “and thou shalt rule over him,” literally means that we must rule over our sinful thoughts and emotions – we must control them. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, we can have victory over our sinful thoughts. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “for sin shall not have dominion over you” (Rom 6:14) We can control what we think about (Phil 4:8), and we can “cast down sinful or irrational imaginations. (2 Cor 10:5)
  3. Repent and ask God to help you. Turn away from the sinful direction with which you were heading. Ask God to help you. I think God wants to help you do what pleases Him.

Don’t be like Cain. A sinful progression eventually caused him to murder his only brother. What a shame. It didn’t have to happen to him, and it doesn’t have to happen to us either.

Questions for Reflections

What sin is lying at your door today, and how can you rule over it through the Holy Spirit?

Have you ever allowed your emotions in the past to cause you to cross the line into sin?

What would you do today differently to keep that from happening again?


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