Signs of Home Contamination
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land, the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’
The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.
He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.
On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. And he shall order that the inside of the house be completely scraped, and that the plaster that is scraped off be dumped into an unclean place outside the city. So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.
If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered, the priest must come and inspect it. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening. And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.
Cleansing a Home
If, however, the priest comes and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.
He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house; and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. And he shall cleanse the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. Finally, he is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean. This is the law for any infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak, for mildew in clothing or in a house, and for a swelling, rash, or spot, to determine when something is clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and mildew.”
Now that we have dealt with skin diseases and contamination of clothing, we turn to contamination of buildings. Although these precautions may sound like overkill, they are not. Failing cleansing, buildings infested with mold and mildew can make their occupants very sick, particularly if those occupants suffer from asthma. While the Israelites might never have heard of asthma and allergies as such, they are still at risk.
Such buildings are to have their contents cleared allowing the priest to inspect the house. If the priest sees red and green depressions below the surface of the walls, the priest will lock up the house for seven days, at which time, he will re-inspect it. If the mold has spread further, the affected stones will be removed, the walls will be scraped, and the stones will be replaced and the walls re-plastered. If the mildew recurs, the entire house must be torn down and the stones, plaster, and timbers dumped in an unclean place outside the city. “Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening. And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.” On the other hand, if the mildew does not spread, the priest will perform a ritual similar to that for cleansing of an individual, making atonement for the house.
APPLICATION: In the wake of Katrina and other hurricanes, many homes in the Gulf Coast have had to be destroyed or extensively decontaminated. Mold and contamination from asbestos have forced older buildings in the U.S. to be destroyed or rehabilitated. It’s interesting that God is giving the Israelites these regulations while they are still wandering in the desert living in tents. God isn’t leaving anything to chance.
We read these regulations and think, “Why would anybody need to make a blood sacrifice on behalf of a house? Generally, blood sacrifices are only done to atone for sin; aren’t buildings spiritually neutral?” Actually, the jury is out on that one. People leave spiritual stains behind them on places they live and sometimes even the places where they have worked.
For nearly two years, we lived in New Orleans. Although there are many people who rave about the beauties of the French Quarter, we found it a very disturbing place. There are many dark stories about things that happened in the French Quarter centuries ago, some of them true. We have lived in Memphis, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina. Although each of these cities has places of serene beauty, there are other parts in which the evil is palpable. We believe that it is no accident that each of these cities has a history of being involved in the slave trade. Slavery is a horrific evil that stains anyone involved with it.
These days, we don’t need to make blood sacrifices for places where we live and work. But if you find yourself uncomfortable in a building, don’t disregard your feelings; you may be picking up on something. Pray and break off curses in the Name of Jesus.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, thank You that there is more power in one drop of the Blood of Jesus than in all the forces of hell. Thank You that when we pray in Your Name, You will protect us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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