Skin Disease Carrier-Metzora

In the last lesson, we looked at Tzara’at which is basically any number of skin infections from mild rashes to intense blistery outbreaks that if chronic resulted in the poor victim being outcast to outside the camp of Israel.   In Hebrew a person afflicted with Tzara’at was called a Metzora.  Today I want to look at the actual procedures a Metzora had to go through to regain entry back into the community of Israel if his skin infection healed and see how these procedures apply to Yeshua’s ministry.  For easy digestion, I have broken down the procedures into the following steps.

Step One:

First, if a metzora’s skin disease has apparently cleared up, he is examined by the priest outside the camp who verifies that that he has indeed been healed. If the priest makes a positive determination concerning the metzora’s former skin disease, the metzora is now considered eligible to begin the cleansing process.  Again, I emphasize, he is NOT considered clean yet.  He is only eligible to begin the cleansing process which leads to Step two.

Step Two:

The metzora presents to the priest two birds (usually sparrows) along with cedar wood, scarlet from a yarn (a red dye) and a hyssop branch.

Step Three:

One of the birds is killed and its blood drained into a clay bowl that has water in it. 

Step Four:

The other live bird along with the cedar wood, red dye and hyssop branch are dipped into the mixed blood-water concoction known as Mayim Chayim. 

Step Five:

The attending priest sprinkles the blood and water onto the metsora seven times. 

Step Six:

The live bird is let go to fly away and the metsora washes his clothes, shaves his head, and bathes himself.  At this stage he is allowed into the camp of Israel but must stay out of his tent or house for seven days.

Step Seven;

On the seventh day of the seven-day period, the metsora must again wash his clothes, shave, and bathe.  At this stage, the metsora has reached a level of cleanliness whereby he is now eligible to offer the required sacrifices.

Step Eight:

The newly cleansed Metzora begins the required sacrifices starting on the eighth day with the Asham sacrifice.  The blood of this sacrifice is dabbed on the right ear lobe, the right thumb and the right big toe of the metsora.  After that, oil that was brought is sprinkled in the direction of the Holy of Holies and is also applied to the metsora in the same body spots that the blood was.  This signified that the former metsora was now pure enough to enter the courtyard and participate in the remaining sacrifices consisting of the Olah, Minchah and Hataat.

As can be seen, these procedures are some of the most complicated in the Bible and again are a sober reminder of how serious our sin is in G-d’s eyes.  A metzorah basically has to go from being unclean to being clean to finally being made holy as follows:

Unclean→Clean→Holy

Now according to Scripture, the element of water is needed to bring about cleanliness and the element of blood is needed to bring about holiness.  Both water and blood are needed to bring about purification and holiness. Take a look at Step Three from above.  Note how both water and blood are needed in the procedures. 

The next point I want to make is that the water used for this concoction is called Mayim Chayim in Hebrew.  Do you recall what that means?  It means “living water”.  That’s right!  The term “living water” originates right here in the Old Testament.  IT IS NOT SOME NEW TESTAMENT CONCEPT!  It begins right here!  Are you hearing me people?!  When Jesus went around claiming to be a fountain of living water that would never run out, the Jews knew exactly what He was talking about. He was referring to the specific kind of water the Torah calls for in the purification rituals and not some esoteric, general, lofty metaphor of being a kind of water that satisfies one’s spiritual hunger.

Now take a look at the following NT Scripture.

“but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. 35 And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.”-John 19:34

So here we see that the writer of the New Testament, having witnessed the strange phenomenon of blood and water coming out of Jesus’ side, records the incident because as a Jew he understood the incredible impact of what this meant.  Anybody familiar with the Torah would have understood that the messiah would have had to provide both blood and water to make mankind holy.

Finally, look at the explanation for the final step eight.  Now there is another very well-known phrase that can be used to describe somebody who has once been an outcast and outside of the Kingdom of G-d but was brought back in.  Do the words, “Born again” ring a bell?  That’s right!  The concept of being born again originates right here in Leviticus.  IT IS NOT A UNIQUELY NEW TESTAMENT CONCEPT!  Born again means being purified of our sin and made holy so that we can gain entry into the camp of Israel.

L-rd,

Thank you again for Moses’ Torah that impresses on our minds the serious nature of our sin and thank you for sending our Savior Yeshua who perfectly fulfilled the righteous requirements of the sacrificial system with His own body.

Amen