My little e-book entitled Literal Lunacy is what Leviticus 14 becomes for those that say the Bible is the LITERAL, INERRANT words of God! The Eastern mindset that wrote the book had something entirely different in mind. Let me give you the symbolic and metaphorical meaning that I glean from it.
The passage says the priest is to take two birds, kill one, dip the other in the dead one’s blood and sprinkle it seven times on the leper, and then let the bird loose (Lev. 14:4-7). And the Eastern mystic meant what? Try this one on for size.
The two birds stand for two ideas! The bird that needs to be killed is the problem and the bird to let live is the solution. Or another way of looking at it is that the bird to be killed is your CONSCIOUS BEING and the bird to let live is the BEING YOU WANT- that’s not yet. Call that bird as though it were to replace the current bird.
You are the priest- the conditioned consciousness (man) of the unconditioned Consciousness (God).
What’s the problem? Not enough money, poor health, or a need not yet met?
KILL IT! Die to it. Quit dwelling on it and thereby suck the BLOOD out of that which is the problem by giving it no more time, attention, nor emotional status. Immediately replace the problem (thoughts) with solution that will be. Meditate on it until you finally feel or sense a release where you can rest (7th day- 7th dipping).
Once you KNOW you’ve apprehended the solution (though not with you) let it GO (the bird), and it will return as the objectified manifestation that your consciousness (of God) created. A far more believable scenario for me than trying to force some literal intelligence out of the story.
A metaphorical meaning- a far more meaningful truth than fact!
To see the deeper meaning in any passage of the Old Testament, especially the ceremonial laws, see Jesus in them. Jesus himself said it was all about him. This is how Old Testament saints knew about the coming Saviour, and hence were able to have faith in Him, by the types and shadows in the ceremonial laws.
Leviticus 14 - Rituals On the Cleansing of a Leper
A. The sacrifice for a cleansed leper.
1. (1-9) The first seven days of the ritual.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest. And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper, then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field. He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows; all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean.”
a. Then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds: In this cleansing ceremony, one bird was killed in an earthen vessel over running water, and its blood was applied to a living bird, to some cedar wood, to some scarlet fabric, and to some hyssop. Then, using these things, the blood was sprinkled on the one who was cleansed from leprosy. Then, the living bird was let go.
i. This seems to be a picture of Jesus’ death and its spiritual application; a “heavenly” being (as a bird is “of the heavens”) dies in an earthen vessel, while remaining clean (because of the running water). The death of the bird is associated with blood and water; the blood is connected with life (applied to the living bird), and then applied to the one cleansed.
ii. Cedar wood: Cedar is extremely resistant to disease and rot, and these qualities may be the reason for including it here - as well as a symbolic reference to the wood of the cross. Some even think the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of cedar.
iii. The connection with hyssop is also important. Jesus was offered drink from a hyssop branch on the cross (Matthew 27:48), and when David said purge me with hyssop in Psalm 51:7, he was admitted that he was as bad as a leper.
b. He shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows: After the sacrificial ceremony with the birds, the cleansed leper had to wash their clothes and shave off all of their hair. They started all over again, as if they were a brand new baby.
i. Again, this seems to be an illustration of being “born again” - a completely new start.
Interesting that you would bring this up as I am speaking specifically about Leviticus 14 in my message tonight. I have a different (not there you are wrong) take on these verses. You can tune in to the podcast next week if interested as hear it.