As per Old Testament law, a person afflicted with leprosy was considered ceremonially unclean and was forced to stay outside the boundary limits of the town. As a result his relationship with family was also severely tested and generally broken for no one visited a leper for fear of getting infected. But the Lord caused a temporary infection of leprosy on Moses and his sister Miriam also, despite their close relationship with God. Though in today’s world leprosy is relatively uncommon, except in very poor communities, people still get infected with it. But is this a disease of the body only or more than that?
Why was Miriam afflicted with leprosy? During the Old Testament times any white spot or a sore appearing on the skin of someone was examined by the priest and if it persisted that person was declared leprous and commanded to stay outside the camp, till this was healed, which was very rare. The clothes of the leper were torn and his head was bare but he would cover his lips and cry out to others from a distance, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ (Leviticus 13:45-46). He was to dwell outside the camp separated from others. Even a garment or a house having such spots were separated and burnt down after detailed examination by a priest. All this was done to save others from getting afflicted with this disease.
The Hebrew word ‘tzara’at’ is translated as leprosy, but it is not leprosy as we know it as Hansen’s disease where the extremities of the hands etc rot and fall off. But the ancient sages considered this as a spiritual problem manifested in the body to warn the person to turn from his ways and this warning is a supernatural spiritual punishment. Sin corrupts one spiritually as leprosy does physically and the cleansing in both cases is similar in the Old Testament through the priest. Moses was commanded by the LORD God about his mission to lead Israelites out of slavery of Egypt but he doubted that the people will believe him and will say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you’ (Exodus 4:1 & 6-7). God gave him two signs to prove this, first was his rod turning into a snake and after being caught from the tail, again turning into his rod. The second was his hand becoming ‘leprous, like snow’ which returned to normal after Moses put it back into his bosom. It is believed that the sign of leprosy on the hand was a warning to Moses to not doubt his people’s faith.
Miriam, Moses’ elder sister and Aaron ‘spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married’ (Numbers 12:1-2, 8,10, 13-14). Through their speech they doubted God’s work by saying ‘Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?’ God called the three to the Tabernacle of meeting and told them about His speaking to Moses ‘face to face, even plainly’ and that ‘he sees the form of the LORD’. After rebuking them, when the LORD departed, Miriam was suddenly afflicted by leprosy. Aaron being the priest was spared from this affliction. Moses, filled with love for Miriam, cried out to the LORD, ‘Please heal her, O God, I pray’. But she had to be separated from everyone outside the camp for seven days. However in His mercy, God recognized her righteousness of the past and the camp was not moved from that place for that duration till she could enter back.
As per Scripture, a leper or ‘metzora’ was a ‘motzi shem’ or the one who spoke ill or slightly about others. In fact the Jewish sages considered ‘lashon hara’ or the one with an ‘evil tongue’ as the worst sinner compared to the three deadly sins – idolatry, illicit sex and bloodshed, for which a man is debarred from the presence of God. Anyone who speaks with an evil tongue denies God and kills three people, the one who speaks the one who accepts and the one about whom it is spoken. The power of the tongue to do good or evil is that the ‘Words kill, words give life, they are either poison or fruit – you choose’ (Proverbs 18:21). When God breathed into the form of dust shaped as man he ‘became a living (speaking) being’ for man is the only one on earth to be able to communicate with God(Genesis 2:7). Speech is to be used to communicate not condemn; to build rather than demolish and when we use it as a weapon we used ‘lashon hara’ and are removed from the presence of God.
God created everything with the power of the Holy Spirit in tandem with His spoken Word for He said and it came to be. Man being created in the image of God also has power in his tongue and we are to be a blessing for others especially through our words. Miriam saved Moses by taking their mother to Pharaoh’s daughter to nurse child Moses once he was taken out of the river. After the Red Sea was parted and the Israelites crossed, Miriam led the other women to praise God in song and dance. It is believed that the people received water in the wilderness due to her merit before God and it is also believed that Miriam died like Moses and Aaron, by the ‘kiss of death’ from God for death had no power over her.
But why was God so harsh with her though her sin was not so great? Moses was a unique prophet for he had to be ready at all times to hear the word from God and this required ritual purity of abstaining from marital relations with his wife Tzipporah. It is believed that Miriam felt her sister–in-law was being wronged and in her effort to restore the relations, she spoke to Aaron for they were both also prophets. Miriam’s intentions were probably pure and upright but her fault was in speaking to Aaron rather than to Moses directly. Miriam, though unique in her own right, was punished for her criticism, for she thought Moses was setting a wrong example for the people.
James, the brother of our Lord, warned those in positions of authority in the Church as teachers to be extra vigilant for they ‘shall receive a stricter judgment’ (James 3:1). God’s call to Miriam and through her to all leaders of His people is, ‘From you I expect better than others’. God judges everyone but it is uniquely based on the abilities (talents) God has given and their inherent potential. The dark stain on a white cloth is more visible than on any other color and the Redeemer has cleansed each one of us of our sins but He sees the smallest spot of sin in leaders more clearly than others.
Does such affliction render one unsuitable to serve the Lord? We are chosen by God not because of any of our own merits but it is because of His mercy and love. Apostle Paul clarifies our state and God’s love, ‘God demonstrates His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8). ‘The LORD opened the donkey’s mouth to warn Balaam not to speak anything other than ‘what I tell you’ (Numbers 22:28). Leprosy, thus, could be termed as of two types, one in which the extremities of hands and feet, ears and nose etc fall off and one dies a very painful death while the other is the spiritual punishment seen in the body, the type Miriam suffered. In either case, God can use anyone to fulfill His purpose.
The Aramean army had laid siege to Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the ten tribes, and scarcity of food was severe (2 Kings 6:25-27). ‘A donkey’s head was being sold for food for eighty pieces of silver’ and when two women sought Jehoram, the king to intercede in their dispute, his reply was, ‘If the LORD does not help you, where can I get help for you?’ In all this, Prophet Elisha declared the Word of the LORD that by ‘tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria’ (2 Kings 7:1-2).
The prophet declared this but the LORD God performed this miracle in a most unusual way. There were four lepers living outside the city gate and they talked to each other about their state, for death was sure if they entered the city or remained where they were, outside due to hunger. So they chose the third option and decided to go and surrender to the Syrians with the hope of getting some food and live. But the LORD used the sound of their feet and ‘caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army’ (2 Kings 7:6-7). Those in the camp presumed that the Egyptians had come to help the Israelites and they fled in fear and left everything in their camp and ran to save their lives. The lepers found the camp totally empty, had their fill but then went back to the gate of Samaria to tell the guards the good news. Initially the king did not believe it but found it to be true, later when he sent some men to check. The prophecy of Elisha was thus fulfilled by the four lepers’ walk (2 Kings 7:17-18). The Kings right-hand man who disbelieved the word of God delivered through the prophet was told by the king ‘to take charge of the gate’ of the city. But in total fulfillment of Prophet Elisha’s word to him, ‘the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said’.
The first point for being used by God is to move forward in faith, even when the situation seems hopeless. Do not remain stuck in the place, change your schedule, talk to someone and share your shame or learn the Scripture. When we change our normal patterns, we generate new energy around us and God starts opening new gates/opportunities for us. The four lepers moved and were blessed by God and they in turn became a blessing for all the starving people of Samaria.
Second, do not fear opposition. When we reach out to others, there is always the chance of rejection or condemnation. But when we are doing the right thing while doing God’s work/will, do not worry about others’ response. The lepers thought that the entire enemy forces would be waiting for them but God changed everything. The different age groups view their state differently. A 20 year old is self conscious about what others think of him; a 40 year old wants to be true to himself without caring for what others think of him while a person beyond 60 realizes that actually none was ever bothered about him, for all have their own storms to face. When you march ahead without bothering about others to follow God’s will, you may find that there was no storm or opposition.
The third point is that we all have a leper within us, that trait of ours that makes us feel ugly, isolated and totally unworthy but that sometimes the news of salvation come through lepers that are isolated and outside. When we condemn the lepers around us we may miss out on our salvation or when we ignore the leper within us we may deny ourselves our salvation. Once we look straight at those traits that cause us shame, have the courage to admit those to someone with full honesty, we may find a new platform to reach greater heights of moral, social, emotional and spiritual growth. May be that the leper within may set you free to be a blessing to others.
How do we overcome the evil tongue? Almost everyone is afflicted with ‘lashon hara’, the evil tongue, but never realize this. Invariably, we see a fault in someone else that is present in us in a much larger scale and that is why we see that in the other person. The first thing is to accept this fact for until and unless one gets to know of the disease, he will never seek treatment for that. Second, seek help, ‘A leper came and worshipped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing You can make me clean’ (Matthew 8:2-3). Lord Jesus reached out and touched the leper, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed’ and he was cured of leprosy immediately. The leper knew he needed help, he also knew whom to request and thirdly, he reached out to the Source of all life in humility and reverence. For a believer the indwelling Holy Spirit is available to help in accepting the need and strengthening to heal. Third, witness to others also, for there are many others who need healing from their physical and spiritual ailments and continue to suffer like the woman with the twelve years blood flow had ‘suffered many things from physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse’ (Mark 5:26-27). But after this, when she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him’ and got healed. Someone told her and she could then reach out to the Lord. Four, be ready to help others, for as a believer each of us is authorized to do the works that the Lord Jesus did and we do this in His power and authority. When someone asks your help, pray in faith and expect a miracle in the life of that person so that your faith also grows strong. Five, be discreet that someone’s problem is not unduly shared with others as gossip under the excuse of seeking prayer help. Such an action will render you to be liable for punishment from the Lord. It is always better to speak less and listen to others more, for with this you are safe. Also do not listen to gossip for the ‘abominable’ will find their place in the fire of hell (Revelation 21:8).
Every believer is a work in progress and being changed into the image and likeness of Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit and the more we surrender to His will the more we are cleansed. Everyone has an inherent desire to talk about and listen to others about others, especially their difficulties. The earlier we recognize this in us, the sooner we are on the way to get rid of this. The LORD God is kind and loving, ever ready to help us be a better child of His, so that His name is glorified in and through us. He does this when we move forward, seek His help and surrender to His ways!
