“When you arrive in Canaan, the land I am giving you as your own possession, I may contaminate some of the houses in your land with mildew.” (Leviticus 14:34, NLT)

My wife Cindy and I recently moved into a new home. The former owners took pains to make sure it was in pristine condition. They had the carpets and house professionally cleaned, the landscape trimmed, and the garage floor washed. We could immediately begin putting away our stuff in the drawers and cabinets because they were all clean.

We’ve heard the cliché “cleanliness is next to godliness.” That’s not in the Bible, but we are taught that God desires things to be “clean”.

“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”

Psalm 19:9 (NKJV)

Today we see that leprosy can strike a house. In this context, “leprosy” probably refers to an infectious mold or mildew that can infect the walls and ceiling of a home. The house would be considered “unclean” and no one could live in it until the priest examined it. If it was in fact infected, then they would shut up the home and wait seven days. If the infection spread, then they would remove the infected stones in the walls and scrape the entire house. New stones would be laid with mortar and plastered over. If the infection returned, then they would break down the entire house. But if the infection did not return, then the priest would pronounce the house “clean”, and a cleansing ritual would be performed.

I am reminded of the time that Jesus “cleaned house”. He formed a whip and drove out the animals from the Court of Gentiles and overturned the tables of the money changers (John 2:13-17). Zeal for His Father’s house consumed Him.

Now our bodies are considered the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). And collectively as the church we are also God’s temple.

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 (NLT)

If corruption infects the church, then the offending members must be removed, lest the entire temple be defiled and destroyed. May God help us to remove anything that would defile us personally or the church corporately.

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