A New House
Leviticus 14:33-57
Cleansing From Defiling Molds
33 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land, 35 the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a defiling mold in my house.’ 36 The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mold, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. 37 He is to examine the mold on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 38 the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. 39 On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, 40 he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. 41 He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. 42 Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house. 43 “If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, 44 the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean. 45 It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place. 46 “Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening. 47 Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash their clothes. 48 “But if the priest comes to examine it and the mold has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the defiling mold is gone. 49 To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. 50 He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. 51 Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. 53 Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.” 54 These are the regulations for any defiling skin disease, for a sore, 55 for defiling molds in fabric or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, a rash or a shiny spot, 57 to determine when something is clean or unclean.
These are the regulations for defiling skin diseases and defiling molds.
I found something strange here that God is pretelling about how to do in case some molds are seen in the house that is located in Canaan. They are still in the wilderness, but God is telling about future house in a new land. They have never seen it before God told them about, which was actually the hometown of their forefathers, such as Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and his 12 sons.
However, the descendants have never been there since they had lived in Egypt, for more than 400 years. They had to imagine the land of honey and milk, most of all, the place of freedom. Then, why is God telling about the mold that could cause them to have the terrible leprosy, and it seems like God is making it happen, in verse 34, quote, I PUT the mold in the house... If it is, then, what is the intention of God?
Traditionally, we had a kind of ceremony of cleansing the new house or old house where something bad could happen in there, which seems to be connected to this ceremony of cleansing houses that God had ordered. The building or house affects my health and even the state of minds, so it should be cared for well enough to clean everything in there. Above all, I think I should think of God's presence in there and how He has led me there, the new dwelling place.
Now I am living in my dream house, about which I had never thought it would be mine, but I just thought it would be good if I live in there, thinking it is good for living as it is nearby Seoul, quiet and cozy like a country town. One day, while I was reading a newspaper, I read an add about this place and at the moment, one idea was popped from my mind, 'this is the gift of God!' and the subconscious or super conscious mind was right.
I believe everything comes from God, including nature and material things and health and life and death. From eating to living in a house and wearing clothes, everything comes from Him, the Creator. I came with nothing and will go to nothing. I am just renting everything I use from God, and nothing is mine. That's the reason I am always thankful for what I have and use in life. I appreciate that I have my house to live in safety and in a good condition, so that I could live as His children like my children do, who could be protected from hunger, coldness, heat, and other threats, etc.
This morning, I think of my house, where it should be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, spotless hygienically and spiritually, by cleaning, praying and praising Him with songs, and thanks, and so on. I should check if there is anything unclean and mold in my house and my soul as well.
