“Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:” (Leviticus 14:36)
The practicality of Levitical Law is simple yet astounding. Everything that the Israelites would face is covered by practical, wise scripture, including our scripture for today. This particular scripture from Leviticus 14:33-57 deals with home disease abatement, or how to clean a house diseased with mold or fungus. God warned the Israelites that when they took possession of the land that God promised them, they would encounter dwellings with unclean or contagious diseases “plague”, so God provided Moses practical advice about how to cleanse the homes or dwellings. This cleansing was then followed by a ritualistic sacrifice. Although the sacrifice is no longer necessary, because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, the rest of the Law of Leprosy is very practical, (in this case plague of leprosy = mold or fungus). Even the materials used to sprinkle the house after the sacrifice were practical.
The priest was to tie cedar wood and hyssop with scarlet yarn and dip it into the water and sprinkle the house 7 times. The number 7 denotes completion and cedar has insecticidal and antifungal properties while hyssop has antiviral, antifungal, and antiseptic properties. The use of these was symbolic, because sprinkling the house 7 times would probably not have imparted enough of the antifungal properties of these herbs, but it was still a wise and practical choice.
If you can overlook the sacrifices within Levitical Law, you can see the science, wisdom and practicality of these laws. Those that found disease in their home were told to remove everything from the building. Then the priest was called in to do a home inspection. If he determined that the house was diseased with plague (mold or fungus) they would quarantine the house for 7 days. If upon re-inspection the house was determined to be still diseased, the diseased area of the house was removed and the removed materials were replaced with new materials. If the disease did not return then the sacrifice and ritual was conducted and the house was considered clean. If the disease returned, the house was considered unclean and the entire dwelling had to be dismantled and taken out of the city. Then a new home could be built. These procedures are wise and practical, because both mold and fungus can be detrimental or even fatal to the people in the home. The Bible has an answer for everything, without exception.
I don’t consider myself a New Testament Christian, I consider myself a full counsel of God Christian, relying on the full counsel of the Bible to guide my life, so that the life I live praises and honors my precious Lord.