Leviticus 13:45-46 (KJV):
“And the leper in whom the plague is,
his clothes shall be rent (1),
and his head bare (2),
and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip (3),
and shall cry, Unclean, unclean (4).
“All the days wherein the plague shall be in him
he shall be defiled (1);
he is unclean (2):
he shall dwell alone (3);
without the camp shall his habitation be (4).”
Notice the two leading statements as a unit:
“And the leper in whom the plague is….”
“All the days wherein the plague shall be in him….”
Notice the two sets of four rules:
First set: WHAT THE LEPER SHALL DO
“his clothes shall be rent”
“his head shall be bare”
“he shall put a covering upon his upper lip [that is, a covering over his whole mouth]:
“he shall cry, Unclean, unclean”
Second set: IDENTITY AND REMOVAL OF THE LEPER
“he shall be defiled”
“he is unclean”
“he shall dwell alone”
“without the camp shall his habitation be”
ISOLATION. What a terrifying word. In prison theory the worst long-term punishment is Solitary Confinement. It becomes a maddening state.
Many years ago, I went with Mike Barber of the prison ministry PRO-CLAIM to visit Carla Faye Tucker, The Ax Killer, who was on Death Row in the Gainesville, Texas penitentiary. She was in a maximum-security cell about 10×10 feet in size with lone female guards high above beyond bullet-proof glass watching her in shifts “24-7-365” (continually without break). She had come to salvation years before while incarcerated. It was only through the love of Messiah for her that she was able to have a joyous heart. She sent letters of encouragement all over the world to friends who were praying for her to receive a pardon.
We talked with her across a thick bullet-proof glass barrier on telephones. She had the hope of Christ in her life. One would never know that she was in strict isolation. Her companionship was that of the Holy Spirit. And she told us during the interview, “If I do not receive a pardon, I’m OK with it; I committed the crime, and I deserve to die for it. But I know I have been forgiven by the Lord and I’m ready to go be with Him in heaven.”
She was eventually executed.
But not all who are executed die with peace. Many die without the Lord’s presence in their hearts.
Isolation from God is the worst of all torments.
In the beginning, God said of Adam, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper compatible for him.” (Genesis 2:18) And God made from Adam’s own body the Woman—His Beloved Female Counterpart—His Neged—His Companion—His Helper—The One that Fit together with him perfectly and completed him—The Blessed OTHER who could show him his own true self as in a Mirror for the Soul. The One who could give him comfort through the daily courses of his long unfolding life. The One whose every movement was grace and whose beauty was his very breath. Whose words were a salve in his ears. Whose voice was melody and song.
ONE OF THE FIRST MIRACLES that Jesus performed was the healing of the Isolated Leper. In Mark 1:40-41, the scripture records,
“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”
FAITH IN JESUS: IF YOU WILL, YOU CAN…
Can what?
“Remove my identity as an unclean person and heal my tormented body.”
“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and said unto him,
‘I will; be clean.’ AND AS SOON AS HE HAD SPOKEN, IMMEDIATELY THE LEPROSY DEPARTED FROM HIM, AND HE WAS CLEANSED.”
No science can remove this stain. It is deeper than skin. It goes to the soul. But the compassionate Savior who feels our sorrows can heal it with a simple word.
What will happen to you when you call out to Jesus and ask for healing?
You will receive the healing that He died to give you.
Call out now. NOW is the time.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2,
“We then, as workers together with [Christ], beseech you also that you not receive the grace of God in vain.
“For he says, I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I nurtured you: behold, NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME; behold, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.”
So…there you have it: if you call on the Name of Jesus NOW, you will be heard and you will be accepted, and YOU WILL BE SAVED. Amen.
Do it now. And continue in faith every moment until the miracle you seek manifests in your life. (Hebrews 11:1-12:3)
