The ritual for cleansing lepers was highly symbolic. The leper was brought to the priest. The entire book of Leviticus was the handbook for priests, similar to the bishop’s handbook today. Leviticus 14 reveals how the roles of modern-day bishops and ancient priests were similar. This chapter describes the entire ritual for cleansing lepers.
The priest would command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, cedarwood, scarlet, and hyssop. All these elements relate to the atonement of Jesus Christ. The cedarwood represented the wooden cross. The scarlet represented the Savior’s redeeming blood and also the scarlet robe placed on Him by the Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:28). The hyssop was used during the Crucifixion as a sponge of vinegar was raised to His mouth on a branch of hyssop (John 19:29). Hyssop was also used to place the blood of the paschal lambs on the doorposts during Passover.
One of the birds was killed in an earthen vessel over running water. Jesus provides eternal life and “living water” for all of us! The earthen vessel can represent the earthen tomb.
Leviticus 14:6 states, “As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water.”
The blood of the sacrificial bird was the purifying agent to cleanse the leper, just as we are cleansed and sanctified by the blood of the Lamb of God.
Verse 7 states, “And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.”
The seven times sprinkling relates to the number seven, symbolizing fulness or completion. The Hebrew for seven is sheba`and it also means “to make a covenant.” If you were making an oath in Hebrew, you would say, “I seven myself.”
The leper is then pronounced clean, and the living bird is turned loose into an open field. As a recovering alcoholic, I absolutely love the symbolism of a free bird flying high! Jesus sets us free from sin and bondage!
There is a washing ceremony for the leper as well.
“But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.” (Leviticus 14:9).
With the shaven head, beard, and eyebrows, the leper now has the appearance of a newborn baby and is symbolically born again.
The priest pours oil into his left palm of the hand. The Hebrew word for palm is kaph, and it’s the same word used in Isaiah 49:16 as the Lord said, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
“And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.” (Leviticus 14:17).
This anointing with oil seals the ordinance. The anointing is similar to the consecration of priests, and the symbolism of the right ear, thumb, and toe was explained in my previous post.
I have attached an excellent video below explaining all of this. I highly recommend this YouTube channel called “Messages of Christ.” It’s narrated by Daniel Smith. I went to his class last year at Education Week, and it was so good!!