The word in Leviticus 5 was spoken not to an individual saint but to God’s congregation, to God’s people as an assembly. This word was not given to help and instruct an individual saint. Rather, this word was given for the purpose of keeping God’s chosen people, as a body, proper, holy, and separated to Him. Furthermore, what is spoken here should not be applied to secular, human society. God does not have the intention to make the entire human society a congregation like the children of Israel in ancient times. God’s intention in Leviticus was to keep His chosen people clean and holy that He might dwell among them. The tabernacle was in the midst of the people, and God wanted the people, who were around the tabernacle, to be holy. This was the reason the word in Leviticus was given.
Let us now consider chapter five of Leviticus verse by verse.
In typology, every aspect of Leviticus 5 has a spiritual significance. Verse 1 says, “When a person sins in that he hears a public charge to testify, and he is a witness, either he has seen or known the matter, and he does not declare it, then he shall bear his iniquity.” This verse actually deals with lying. A lie involves Satan, for he is the father of lies (John 8:44).
Leviticus 5:2 says, “When a person touches any unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of an unclean creeping thing, and it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he is guilty.” This verse speaks of the carcasses of beasts, cattle, and creeping things. The beasts are wild animals, and the cattle are domesticated animals. According to chapter eleven, the animals in this verse typify different kinds of people. Some people are like beasts, others are like cattle, and still others are like creeping things. The word carcass in 5:2 signifies death. The carcasses of these three kinds of animals-the carcass of beasts, the carcass of cattle, and the carcass of creeping things-thus signify three kinds of death. One kind of death is wild like a wild beast. A second kind of death is mild like a gentle, domesticated animal. A third kind of death is subtle like a creeping thing. In typology this indicates that among God’s people there may be three kinds of death: wild death, mild death, and subtle death.
Among God’s people, that is, in the church life, there may not only be death; there may be different kinds of death. Death may spread among us in a wild way, in a mild way, or in a subtle way. During my years in the church life, I have seen these three kinds of death. I have seen the kind of death that is wild and the kind of death that is mild and gentle. I have also seen the kind of death that creeps in in a subtle, cunning way. Have you not experienced some kind of death in the church life? Perhaps you have experienced the kind of death that is typified by the carcass of a creeping thing, the death that comes in to spread its poison secretly and subtly.
Regardless of its kind, death is death, and it is unclean. Every kind of death-wild, mild, and subtle-is filthy and defiling. It is not easy in the church life to stay away from the uncleanness of these different kinds of death.
According to the typology in the Old Testament, sin is not as dirty as death. If one sinned, he could be forgiven and cleansed immediately by offering a trespass offering (5:10). But if one touched death, he had to wait a few days to become clean. From this we can see that death is more defiling than sin. However, we in the church life may think that sin is serious but that touching death is common and not serious. But in the eyes of God to touch death is the most serious thing.
The poison of death can damage and destroy the saints. In Romans 14 Paul says that we should not destroy the work of God by doing things carelessly (vv. 15, 20). Christ has redeemed and saved the saints, and we should not destroy them by acting carelessly. The Lord has done a lot of gracious, redemptive work on the saints in the Lord’s recovery, and for years we have been working to build up the saints. No one should destroy the gracious work of Christ on the saints. No one should destroy those on whom we have been working for their building up. Would not our hearts be hurt to see the saints destroyed by the poison of death? We need to be sober, fair, calm, and kind to consider whether we are really building up the Body of Christ or unconsciously doing something to destroy God’s work by spreading the poison of death.
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