Bible Studies
THE TESTIMONY
OF A LEPER (Revised)
I am the leper. I have done nothing that would cause this
disease except to be born from parents who also were lepers. For
close to 20 years I did not know that I had this disease. There were
symptoms that others could see but I was unaware of them. Even if
I was, I didn't know their cause. As I have been studying and
researching I discovered something that caused me to take this
matter seriously. I discovered that there is no cure for leprosy,
mainly because there is no form of animal life from which they could
experiment. Lower forms of animal life are immune to the disease
although humans are not.
Over the years it has been under control but sometimes
isolation was necessary in order for others to be protected from
contamination. That's the problem with leprosy. While it is active, it
is always contagious and dangerous to society. That is why in the
Bible the lepers were placed outside the camp along with other
lepers. Those people who are clean recognized the symptoms and
so I am avoided lest they become infected as well.
I suppose that it has been a good thing that I know about
this. Strange as it may seem, trained medical doctors could not
diagnose my problem because they didn't recognize the symptoms.
There are some doctors, I understand, that are familiar with the
sickness and they can offer some solutions to keep it under control
but I have discovered other doctors who, like myself, have the
disease of which they are unaware. I read an article by a doctor
who had seen leprosy in its advanced stages and it was scary.
Here is what he described as he testifies of the horrible
reality expressed by a veteran missionary and an accurate
observer, who writes thus: “as I was approaching Jerusalem, I was
startled by the sudden apparition of the crowd of beggars, and
eyes, nose, hair, and everything; they held up their
handless arms, while unearthly sounds gurgled through throats with
no pallets; in a word I was horrified, too horrible it is to be repeated
or thought. But then all the more solemnly instructive is, that the
Holy Spirit should have chosen this disease, the most loathsome
and fatal of all, symbolizing to us the true nature of that spiritual
a condition which is true of all, and seen by the omniscient and the
most holy God. I cannot tell you the fear it brought into my heart as
I thought of what could happen if this sickness is not somehow
brought under control. The examples I have cited reflect the
sickness in its most devastating stages, where death seems to be
the only possible cure.
But hope does not go. I noticed in the Scriptures that God has
a means of cleansing leprosy so a person can function once again
as a normal person in a society without causing contagion. In the
Old Testament it was the priests who recognize the disease and
had a solution for its cleansing. Who would think that someone with
the disease such as this could ever be helped by a minister? As I
read further into the New Testament and saw the times when
Jesus dealt with lepers I discovered that not one time did Jesus
ever heal the lepers; they were all cleansed of this sickness and
brought to the place where they were no longer a menace. So there
is hope for lepers. There is a way that he could be cleansed
although they could never be completely healed. Knowing this, I
became hopeful and positive that my sickness could be brought
under control and not be a hindrance to others.
I share this with you because there are many people like
myself who have a disease called spiritual leprosy. That is what I
am referring to. We came into this world inheriting from our parents,
beginning with Adam, this horrible disease that we call sin, It is
incurable, and it will never go away. Like leprosy, it hangs around
and the seed remains in my body for all of my life. We are told in
Romans chapter 5: 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.” There is a distinct difference between sins
and sin. Sin, in essence, is leprosy. It is permanent and does not
go away until I get to heaven. Sins are the offspring of sin. The
sinful acts that I do come from the sinful person that I am. So the
Things that we usually see as sin are basically the results of sin. Sin
is something that I can't do anything about. (There are some who
believe in sinless perfection but this idea has some problems with
interpretation). Jeremiah Chapter 17:9 says “the heart is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” We
cannot know the extent and the potential that sin has. Like the leper
being banned from society, we could eventually become criminals
who were guilty of murder lust and greed spending the rest of our
lives incarcerated away from society.
That is like the extreme forms of leprosy but Jesus has
offered to us a new life and although we never lose the sin nature,
he has made it possible for us to deal with the symptoms. First, He
forgives our sin (He wipes the slate clean removes all the residue)
of that which is against us and he forgives and gives us a clean
slate and opportunity to live a new life. When we come face-to-face
with our spiritual leprosy and recognize the hopelessness of our
being able to do anything about it, we then come to God who
forgives our sin and through prayer and the implanting of the Holy
Spirit, gives us a new life and the freedom from all the leper’s
symptoms that arise. We are told in I John 1:9 that when we are
confronted by our sin, and face up to the fact of the reality of it, and
confess it, (that means own up to it,) that “God is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. For
over 77 years I lived with this terrible, dreadful sin nature, which is
leprosy that I was speaking about. Over the years I have had to
deal with the various stages that pop up every now and then,
finding the answer that will make me whole. Whenever these
symptoms appear or seem to appear, I go to the great physician,
Jesus himself, and I ask for his help to cleanse me and keep me
strong. That does not keep leprosy from festering every once in
a while, but each time I learn how to deal with it I become more
informed and stronger and the potential for contamination lessens.
Someday I know that my leprosy will be completely healed.
In Revelation chapter 21 and 22, we find these words of hope: “And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former
things are passed away. And I saw no temple there: for the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temples of the city and
had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for
the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear
as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb. In the midst of the street of it and on either side of the
river was there the tree of life which bare twelve manners of
fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: the leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more
curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and
His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and
His name shall be on their foreheads and there shall be no
a night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun;
the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever
and ever.”
Yes it is true, I am a leper and as long as this sin nature is in
my body I shall always be a leper ,but I am a compassionate leper.
I am concerned about my other friends who were unaware of their
leprosy that will destroy them both physically and spiritually. I close
this section with the final words of Jesus as he cries out to the
world, “ And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me,
to give every man according to as his work may be; And the spirit
and the bride say come. And let him that heareth, say come.
And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will let him
take the water of life freely.” Will you take His offer?
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