UNSPOTTED GARMENTS
[p. 453] UNSPOTTED GARMENTS
This scripture came to me since I sat down here this evening, and assuming that in its application it contains something for us, I ventured to read it. This chapter of Leviticus treats of leprosy, not the cleansing process, but the means of detecting leprosy. It is seen in a person, man or woman, in a house, and in a garment. The subject has a great place in the book; a book which is intended to instruct us as to the service of God and its maintenance; so that it is peculiarly a priestly book. The name it bears is derived from Levi, which is apropos, up to a point, but it would be more accurate to have a title derived from Aaron, because it is a question of the priests; they being in charge of the service of God. They were to “keep the charge of the Lord”, chapter 8: 35.
Chapters 13 and 14 treat of leprosy and they occupy a large part of the book; chapter 13 has 59 verses, and chapter 14 has 57 verses; so that from a standpoint of space, the subject has a great place in the book, and from a moral standpoint too, for the service of God is taken up in the wilderness in an environment that is in itself corrupting. Those who have part in the service too, according to the truth of Romans, have sin within them, but as arriving at this truth they have decided to serve the law of God, Romans 7: 25. Leviticus is peculiarly the law of God, and it is intended to be in priestly hands. Clearly we cannot be custodians of the law for others save as we allow it full force in ourselves, so that we have the statement: “I myself with the mind serve God’s law; but with the flesh sin’s law”. It is not that the speaker intended to serve sin’s law; the expression “with the flesh” is simply to bring out that it is the flesh, and if it acts at all it obeys the law of sin.
In these chapters in Leviticus typically sin in the flesh is seen working in persons, and we are instructed [p. 454] here how to deal with it as it acts. If the person in whom it acts cannot control it then the saints have to do it, and in doing that they have to control him or her. Thank God, there is power for that! The epistle to the Corinthians furnishes us with instruction how to deal with persons in whom leprosy is active, who have not dealt with it in themselves, for it is said, if we judge ourselves we shall not be judged. And these chapters deal with this thing.
The examples of lepers that we have in the Scriptures are not so extensive as we might expect, in view of the great place that the thing has as a type of sin. The first leper mentioned is Miriam, the sister of Aaron, and she becomes a leper judicially — a most solemn thing, especially in one having a reputation in the things of God. Gehazi is another who became leprous judicially. He was covetous; that is another working of sin that brings out this judicial dealing of God. That is to say, the sin that shows itself is, in the government of God, made leprosy in the person. We may not think that envy is as bad as covetousness, but God in Miriam shows that it is leprosy. And then in Uzziah, a king, who took on a service that did not belong to him, the same thing appears — he became leprous by a judicial act of God. He usurped the holy service of priesthood, although not a priest. This sin is prevalent today. The priest has access within whereas one who is not a priest, even a king, does not have that liberty, and Uzziah entered into the sanctuary, so that he became a leper judicially. There are three persons who definitely were made leprous judicially, but the real leprosy was there before it became manifest; it is God dealing with the thing, and exposing it in the sinner in its true character.
In the New Testament ten lepers are seen together and they were all cleansed by the word of Christ — but one only returned to give glory to God. Another one, definitely called a leper is Simon, Matthew 26:6; he [p. 455] represents those whom although they have been leprous, have judged the leprosy and are cleansed. The Lord Jesus was with Simon the leper in his house, and received the service of love there, showing the leprosy was dealt with, but what he had been was attached to the man; the more you thought of the attachment of the word to him, the more you would think how thoroughly he had judged the evil; there is not a stain of it, a trace of it. You may tell him that he had been a leper, but he does not resent it because he would say, I know that, and am humbled because of it, but I am cleansed. Paul would say, I am chief of sinners.
Well, I wish to point out that leprosy may be in a garment, whether in the warp or the woof of it. It is not the style of the garment, nor is it its size, but whether it is wool or linen, as to the material, or whether it is skin: “... in a woollen garment, or a linen garment, either in the warp or in the woof of linen or of wool, or in a skin, or in anything made of skin”. That is, it could be a pair of gloves, or a pair of shoes — anything made of skin.
Now this opens up a good deal, and it is a searching matter. But what is particularly in mind is to call attention to the difference between the warp and the woof; and what I have observed, as among the brethren in many parts of the world is, that we are generally ready to accept right principles. In the Bible readings brethren generally are ready to join in in the setting out of the truth; and of course the Lord is with us in all that, so far as we are saying what is true, governed by the Scriptures.
Well, I liken that to the laying out of the warp. In weaving, the warp is laid out in the loom in long stretches of yarn, carefully set in the beam; it is usually stronger yarn than the woof, for there is more pressure on it as the weaving, proceeds. The Spirit of God takes all this up here as a symbol; we have our Bible readings and our [p. 456] ministry meetings, and the Spirit is with us in developing the truth. The best translation of the Bible is in our hands; God helped the translator with it, and He helps us now; the Holy Spirit is with us in our meetings for mutual help, and according to what the Lord says, He guides us into all the truth; that is, according to our type. He lays the warp out on the beam. The Lord was occupied largely in doing that as seen in the gospels.
Now when we leave the meeting room normally we should begin to fill in the woof, using the shuttle, as it were; that makes the cloth. You cannot have cloth without both the warp and the woof, and whilst the warp is clear, there is not a particle of leprosy in it, all being agreed on the principles; but when we get outside the door and stand around we find that we have judgments different from what we supported at the reading inside. Disciplinary actions have taken place according to Scripture, but we are not in agreement with them; we talk about them; we are in agreement with the things as we speak of them in the Bible readings, but not as we come to deal with the persons. We cannot have the weft inserted, the cloth woven, without one another; principles are abstract. All eastern religions and even Judaism are largely a question of principles, but christianity is very definitely not only principles, but practice; the truth worked out in a concrete way in relation to one another, that is in our intercourse with the brethren. One whispers at the corner of the room something that is entirely in disagreement with what was said in the meeting — that is leprosy in the woof. You have had the warp; the principles set out are to your mind right, but your practice is not right. And so there may be coteries, parties differing secretly from the brethren and from what is taught publicly — well, dear brethren, such have a garment, but a garment with leprosy, and that is what this passage is intended to rebuke.
[p. 457] Another thing in the chapter is a garment of skin. You may say, that means that death has come in, because you cannot have skin without the death of an animal; that is the principle. God made the first garment, and it was of skin; there was no leprosy in that. Abel followed that up; he brought the firstlings of his flock with the fat and offered it; that is to say, the death of the animal had taken place; he offered it up an acceptable offering to God. He evidently followed the light afforded in what God had done for his father and mother, in making garments of skin. If Eve had a wardrobe, no doubt you could see the coats of skin there; they would have been very interesting; I should like to have seen them. God made those first clothes; He made them of skin. In our chapter the garment of skin typifies the profession of christianity; that is to say, I come to the gospel meeting; I hear the gospel; I agree with every word that is said as to the gospel, the death of Christ alone as the means of salvation. But then when I come to practice, to work out my own salvation, I carry on much as I have always done; I do not walk according to the truth of the gospel. My profession, as owing to the death of Christ, is good, but my practice is not in keeping with it. What God requires in such a garment is the correlation of the truth of the gospel which I profess to accept — and my practice. If my walk is out of accord with the gospel which I say I have accepted, my garment is leprous. Even the apostle Peter, who accepted and preached the gospel, was, for a time, guilty in this way, Galatians 2: 11 - 16. He was affected by human influence. This always tends to leprosy in our garments. It is most important as walking in the truth, to disallow personal preferences and party affiliations.
There is nothing more to say except that each of us should look into this passage and see how the truth is worked out, how cleansing takes place. We have, for instance, “if ... the sore is greenish or reddish in the [p. 458] garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is the sore of leprosy”. It is shown unto the priest. ‘Greenish’ or ‘reddish’ points to what is distinctive in the sense of evil; contrary to what should be there and hence discipline is plainly insisted on. I cannot dwell on it; my thought is to bring out one point, that is, believers having principles right, and also practice flowing out from them so that their garments are free from leprosy and hence pleasing to God. It is largely how we regard one another, so that there should be unity among us, that our profession is real; that we are real christians; we are brethren, and we ought to see eye to eye. When the Lord brings back Zion, we are told, they shall see eye to eye — why should there be any difference? If we are agreed on the principles, then surely the leaven is in the practice of which I have spoken, our speakings, the way we regard one another, instead of seeing that we are essential to each other. We cannot have the garment without the saints. The disallowance of sin in the principles is usually seen as we are together in the Bible readings, but the disallowance of sin in the woof is generally when we company with each other informally, in our houses, in private conversation, and other opportunities of manifesting the practicability of the truth. As the warp and woof agree, as I have been showing, there will be a good front, a profession presented according to God, for the profession of christianity should be real in all its features. The general profession has become spurious, but actually the profession of the christians and the walk of the christians corresponded exactly at the beginning, as Acts 2 shows.