"“Thou Canst Make Me Clean” Of all the diseases known in the East the leprosy was most dreaded. Its incurable and contagious character, and its horrible effect upon its victims, filled the bravest with fear. Among the Jews it was regarded as a judgment on account of sin, and hence was called “the stroke,” “the finger of God.” Deep-rooted, ineradicable, deadly, it was looked upon as a symbol of sin. MH 67"
"And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean."
EGW directly discusses leprosy as a symbol of sin and its perception as a judgment from God, which aligns with the Levitical understanding and societal fear of the disease. The verse highlights the leper's required declaration of being 'unclean,' reinforcing the thematic link to sin and separation.
"those only who were similarly afflicted. Even kings and rulers were not exempt. A monarch attacked by this terrible disease must yield up the scepter and flee from society. MH 67.2"
"All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be."
Both passages discuss the isolation and exclusion of individuals afflicted with a terrible disease, aligning with the Levitical law regarding leprosy and similar conditions. The EGW passage expands on the Levitical law, applying it to kings and rulers, but the core idea of isolation due to disease is present in both.
"Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper."
Both passages discuss leprosy affecting even high-ranking individuals. While 2 Kings 5:1 specifically mentions Naaman, a captain, being a leper, the EGW passage broadens this to include kings and rulers. The connection is thematic, focusing on the universality of the disease's impact.
"Away from his friends and his kindred the leper must bear the curse of his malady. He was obliged to publish his own calamity, to rend his garments, and sound the alarm, warning all to flee from his contaminating presence. The cry, “Unclean! unclean!” coming in mournful tones from the lonely exile, was a signal heard with fear and abhorrence. MH 67.3"
"And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean."
The EGW passage directly references and expands upon the regulations for lepers described in Leviticus 13:45, including the rending of garments and the cry of "Unclean, unclean!"
"Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:"
Both passages discuss the isolation of lepers from the community. Numbers 5:2 commands that lepers be put outside the camp, while the EGW passage describes the leper's exile from friends and kindred. The EGW passage illustrates the principle of isolation found in Numbers.