When God Tears Churches to the Ground: Dealing With a Leprous House

The Conquering Truth

Leprosy in the Bible was a picture of sin. And God uses it many times throughout the Old and New Testament to help us to think about different types of sin and the redeeming work of Christ.

Recently we did a podcast on reading the Old Testament and how we should think abut the types and shadows whose substance has come in Christ. Leprosy, which was never intended to be primarily about health, was a type of parable regarding sin in individuals, in the works of men, and in houses and we are to be able to understand how those pictures as given in the law and in narratives apply to the current time.
As a follow on to that topic, we want to discuss leprosy and we thought it would be useful to start with one of the more straightforward examples: leprosy in a house. We think the most direct application of this passage is to when sin is exposed in a household of faith, not just in an individual, but in the very church itself. In the text that we walk through, God spends significant time talking about how to prevent that revealed leprosy from spreading and then what to do when it is found to have spread, and when it keeps recurring. This Old Testament instruction parallels Paul’s admonitions in the New Testament and it is instructive to us that he does not repeat the Old Testament but merely references it. This not only helps us to understand how to deal with this specific situation but instructs us in the proper use of Old Testament texts, how they relate to proper practices and how they relate to the holiness of the church. Please join us as we consider this important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2025/03/when-god-tears-churches-to-the-ground-dealing-with-a-leprous-house-ep-209-audio/
Timecodes
00:00:00 What is Leprosy?
00:06:10 Leprosy in a House
00:12:15 Telling the Priest
00:21:25 Examining the House
00:39:53 Removing Stones
00:52:15 Tear Down the House
01:03:49 Uncleanness
01:08:58 Sacrifice for Atonement
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson