“When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession, and he that owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seems to me there is a plague in the house. Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest go into it to see the plague… ” (Leviticus 14:34-35).
In Scripture, leprosy is always symbolic of sin and evil. It was a terrible plague in those days. Lepers were totally cut off from all society, families, and loved ones; nor could they go to the tabernacle to worship God. Lepers were cast outside of the city in camps, and a leper could not return to his family until he was cured, which only the priest could pronounce. But could a house have leprosy? Because the same rituals and commandments that a recovered leper had to follow to be reinstated to society, God also commanded to be applied to a house determined to have leprosy.
It began with greenish and reddish streaks appearing in depressions in the walls and foundation. The priest was called to inspect the house. He would tell the owner to empty all of his possessions out of the house, because if the house were determined to be unclean, they would be unclean. The house would then be closed up for seven days. The priest would return, and if the plague had spread in the walls, he ordered that the stones affected by the plague be removed and the mortar and dust be scraped as well. They had to take the defiled stones to a place outside the city. They were not to be reused. Then the homeowner had to replace the stones using fresh mortar (vv.37-42).
If the plague reappeared: “Then the priest shall come and look, and behold if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean. And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house, and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place” (vv. 43-45). The house was condemned as untreatable and uninhabitable. There was a very good reason to tear these houses down and why God ordered it to be done in these cases.
First, we must understand that God gave these commands to Moses while the Israelites were still in the wilderness living in tents. He knew something about the houses they would move into. Second, we should note that God said, “I put the leprosy in the house.” It was God who brought the plague that forced them to tear the houses down. The question is: Why?
God promised that He would take Israel into Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give them good cities which they did not build, and houses full of all good things which they did not build, and vineyards and olive trees which they did not plant (Ref: Deut. 6:10-15).
So who built them? Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites and Amalekites—all pagan nations who worshiped idols. These nations had heard of the God of Israel, and how He brought them out of Egypt, and for 40 years they lived in fear of the day when they would come knocking at their doors: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt; and what he did to the two kings of the Amorites…. whom you utterly destroyed. As soon as we heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:9-11).
This was spoken by the harlot Rahab to the two spies Joshua sent into Jericho, years after these events, and the people of Jericho were still trembling in their boots! The nations of Canaan lived in terror of the Israelites’ coming. Every time there was a ruckus outside the city walls, they thought it might be those Israelites, the children of the Most High God! What does this have to do with leprosy breaking out in the houses when Israel conquered their lands and moved in?
The people lived in readiness to flee their homes, knowing the Israelites were coming. They didn’t know when; maybe in the middle of the night while they were sleeping. When they came, they would have no choice but to vacate, so they decided to protect their most cherished possessions, their idols of silver and gold. According to ancient Jewish writings, they hid their idols, burying them in the walls and foundations of their houses, behind the stones and under the floors. Perhaps they thought they might recover them later.
Expose & Evict!
God knew those abominable idols were in the walls and floors of those houses, and He did not want His people living in houses with demonic articles. God said, “I put a plague of leprosy in the house!” He did not want His people living in a leprous house where demonic spirits had been given liberty to cohabitate.
When they dismantled the houses like God said, they found the idol gods in the walls and foundations. God wanted the evil exposed, so He allowed “a fretting leprosy”—a malignant fungus to sprout in the houses so they would be condemned. After they evicted the evil and got rid of the idols, it wasn’t the end of the story. Next they had to sanctify the home, and they followed the same protocol for the home as a person with leprosy. The priest had to cleanse him with the blood of a bird and clean running water; then sanctify him with oil. They were before the cross; we are after the cross: we are sanctified by the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9, Rev. 12:11). This gives us the authority to sanctify our homes when we have exposed and evicted all evil.
Before they entered the land, God warned the Israelites not to allow anything abominable remain in the houses they would dispossess from the Canaanites: “Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and utterly abhor it, for it is a cursed thing” (Deut. 7:26).
God commanded Moses in Numbers 33:52: “Destroy all their pictures, and all their molten images, and pluck down all their high places” (altars). And in houses where idols were hidden in the walls and foundations, God put a plague of leprosy—a malignant mold— in the house so the priest would condemn it to be torn down. God did not want His people living in houses with demonic ties—then or now!
Some Christians today have abominations in their houses and have unwittingly opened the door for demonic activity to enter in. While some things are overt infractions, others are more subtle, like the idols that were hidden in the walls and floors of the Canaanite houses. When these things are present, they give demon spirits attached to them leeway to bring a curse to that home and the people living in it. When the atmosphere of a home is persistently filled with tension, arguing, and oppression, demonic influences may be the cause. The first thing to be done is to expose the evil and then evict it! What TV/videos are being watched? What music is being played? Are there drugs and alcohol present?
Don’t try to bless your house if it has evil in it. You don’t come home from work, take off your filthy clothes you worked in all day, and put on a good suit or dress without first taking a bath. Likewise, you have to clean your house before you can anoint it. Sometimes it’s the little things that open the door to the demonic: “Take unto thee the little foxes that spoil the vines” (SS. 2:15). Little things going on in your home can give the enemy a foothold where the fox comes in and begins to nibble away at the vine. Before long, the vine is dying, your family is in disarray, and you are spiritually barren. You must cleanse your house thoroughly of all things that give Satan an advantage, and once your house is cleansed and anointed, do not allow anything unclean back in!
Scripture tells us the devil is a liar, slanderer, tempter, thief, and murderer. And he’s also a trespasser! You have to make it clear that your home is posted with a “No Trespassing!” sign. This includes what you watch on TV, videos, Internet, music you listen to, books you read, as well as home décor, children’s toys, including video games, many of which have demonic influences, and even the jewelry you wear. These all have the potential to invite demonic activity into your home, and if you open the door, it will come in. Things tied to spiritual darkness give a signal to the forces of darkness that they are welcome.
What Are You Watching?
A major source of spiritual leprosy in a house is the TV. David said: “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way…. I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eye.” (Psalm 101:2-3). In this verse wisely refers to discernment. David said: “I will exercise discernment about what I put before my eyes.” The word perfect means integrity, referring to a person whose character is of the highest standards. If you let the TV be your standard, you have a good chance of backsliding. Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes. I will not look upon a maiden” (Job 31:1). In other words, “I told my eyes, you’re not going to look with lust!—You’re not sitting in front of the TV, or computer, or phone, to watch lustful, unholy sex that promotes adultery and homosexuality!”
Jesus said, “If your eye offends you, pluck it out” (Matt. 5:29-30). This may sound harsh, but He meant that it’s better to go to Heaven missing one eye than into hellfire with two eyes! And if you let it, TV will suck the spiritual life out of you and poison you and your children to become tolerant of fornication, homosexuality, and violence, because there is nothing held sacred anymore, including marriage, the family, and sexual morality. You will become desensitized by evil influences and so accustomed to the aberrant, that it becomes the normal thing, such as the current wave of “transgenderism.” Viewing programs about the occult and paranormal can also open the door to a spirit of fear to you and your children that can follow you for years.
I read the story of a minister whom God uses in dreams and visions for the church, who had a frightening dream about his own home: There was a nest of rattlesnakes in his house, and they kept coming in. He had young children, and he was alarmed, because he was afraid the children would stumble onto the rattlesnakes and be bitten. Frantically, he ran through his home trying to find out how they were getting in. Then something spoke to him to look at the TV: They were coming through the TV! When he awoke, the Spirit of God spoke to him: “You need to watch what your children are watching.” He was shocked by what they were watching.
Pornography has become a secret addiction amongst many Christians, including the ministry. They sit in their homes, offices, cars, and hotel rooms, watching it on TV, computers, and phones, thinking it is harmless. There is no benign pornography. Do not think because there is no physical contact with another person, it is harmless, sinless, and not addictive. Jesus said that if you lust for a woman in your heart, it is the same as committing the act of adultery, (Matt. 5:27-28), and if you don’t get delivered from pornography, it will escalate to acting out. Marriages are ruined by this spirit of abnormal lust that a godly wife can never satisfy. Unlike other addictions that you can avoid, such as alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs, you can’t get away from vile images burned into your mind (2Peter 2:14). This is an insidious leprosy you must evict from your home and life, and seek spiritual deliverance.
Where Leprosy Lurks
With the rise of new age spiritualism and occultic influences in America, you may be surprised how many items in homes are tied to these, including music, literature, decor, toys, and even jewelry. These can provide an atmosphere for spiritual leprosy to take hold in your home through seemingly harmless products that are rooted in darkness and satanic inspiration. Perhaps you don’t feel convicted by these, but I am trying to help you get the devil out of your house and bring peace, tranquility, and serenity into your home.
Christians should not have statues of Buddha, dragons, gargoyles, Native American items tied to spiritualism, African items associated with witchcraft and shamanism, or anything having to do with witchcraft, in their homes and gardens. Christians don’t need gargoyles in their gardens to scare off evil spirits — we have the Holy Spirit! If you look at gargoyles, they are ugly, because they are demonic. Neither do you need to decorate your home according to Feng Shui as suggested by some upscale decorators. The only spirit you need in your home is the Holy Spirit! But you must get rid it of spiritual leprosy! I once dreamt I was outside someone’s home. I saw a small white porcelain Buddha surrounded by green plants which made it hard to see it first. I said: “No wonder you’re not being healed!”
Children’s toys aren’t exempt. For instance, trolls seem harmless, but they are tied to demons. When my daughter was young, there was a toy troll with a lighted heart in his chest. When the child pushed the button, it told her fortune. But the most serious offender is the Ouija board, invented by a Baltimorean. It is not child’s play. It gives credible answers and details because it serves as a medium for demons. It has opened the door to terrorizing nightmares, evil visitations, and paralyzing fear for many who have delved into it. I once refused to allow my young daughter to attend a sleepover for a classmate’s birthday party, because I didn’t know the family. She was very upset, but at school Monday morning, the girls who attended told how they stayed up to play the Ouija board. One child, also from a Christian family, was traumatized. Was I glad I didn’t give in! If you have one in your home, burn it!
The same goes for satanic bibles, tarot cards, anything satanic, burn them like the Ephesians did: “Many also which used curious arts (occult) brought their books together, and burned them before all men…. and the price of them was fifty thousand pieces of silver” (Acts 19:19). Don’t worry about the cost! Get the evil out of your house! And don’t give it to anyone else to be cursed.
Almost anything with an astrological theme, including crystals and jewelry, can be tied to the new age. Obviously, Christians should not wear jewelry or T-shirts depicting snakes and dragons. These are both titles of Satan: “that old Serpent, the devil”…. “Satan the great dragon”—why would a Christian wear these? (Ref: Rev.12:9).
This is the tip of the iceberg. Music is another medium Satan uses to control and deceive with its filthy, lewd, sexually explicit, racially-charged, violent lyrics. Talk about spiritual leprosy!
“The house of the wicked shall be overthrown, but the house of the upright shall flourish” (Proverbs 14:11).
About The Author
