Wednesday, October 5, 2022

DIAGNOSIS

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 13

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

 

The ancient Caesarea Maritima city and harbour was built by Herod the Great about 25-13 BC. It served as an administrative centre of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire. You can read in Acts chapter 10 about the story of Cornelius, who lived in Caesarea. Cornelius, his family, and neighbours were cleansed from the leprosy of sin as the Holy Spirit came upon them.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: Leviticus 13:44

…he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head.

 

When Jesus healed the 10 lepers, as recorded in Luke 17, He said to them, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” The priests were the medical doctors of the day. Jesus’ miracles will always stand the test of medical scrutiny. The word “leprosy” is found 28 times in Leviticus alone. Obviously, God and Moses treated this disease most seriously. There are two purposes for the instructions concerning leprosy. First, the health of those suffering from this dreaded disease, as well as the protection of others from the disease, and second, the spiritual lesson that leprosy illustrates. Leprosy illustrated for Moses the spiritual corruption that will infect God’s people if left untreated, and if there is no separation from sin.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord, please bless those that serve us in the medical profession. You care about every detail concerning our health and the treatment of our diseases. You are our Healer, Lord Jesus. Please help me to keep clean spiritually. Give me a heart that yearns to honour You always in all I do, say, and think. I pray these blessings through the Person of the One who healed many lepers, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

From time to time Norma-Jean and I have sent offerings to the Leprosy Mission of Canada. A pill has been developed which can halt and reverse the spread of this disease, particularly if taken regularly at an early stage. Thousands have been helped. In the early 1970’s I travelled to Calcutta. There I spent time with missionary Mark Buntain, who established a wonderful Christian congregation and built a great hospital. In a Sunday morning service we were together at the altar laying hands on the sick, praying for their healing. Before me stood a lady with an obvious leprous sore on her head. To my shame, I drew my hand back, but not Mark. He laid his hand upon her forehead, and prayed. The following Wednesday she appeared at the church. The leprous sore on her head was gone. She was pregnant at the time. Norma-Jean and I took on the support of the Avatoon family (the husband and father had left them). She named the new baby, David, after me. I have never felt so unworthy. Today, the three children are professionals in various fields. Reynold, our son, met the eldest daughter in Calcutta a few years back and took a picture (below). What a joy to receive his first-hand report! Reynold and his wife Kathy were there dedicating a school building project on behalf of Crossroads Missions. Many of you supported this project that helped to get young children away for a few hours each day from the city dump and into school. Reynold called this missions project, “Treasures in the Trash.”

Yours because of God’s concern for every person,

David

Below is the picture of Rita Avatoon. I first met this person when she was a little girl living in a Calcutta slum with her leprous pregnant mother and another sister. A baby boy soon arrived. Mother named him David. Norma-Jean and I had a part in supporting this family until all three children graduated from University.

 

7 thoughts on “Wednesday, October 5, 2022

  1. Father God, thank You for caring for us. Thank You for people who care about You, who love You and others. Make us also into people who love, in Jesus’s great name, amen

  2. What a Wonderful story – David & Norma Jean helping & supporting this family. My husband and I went on a short mission trip with a Christian doctor to The Dominican Republic in the late 60s. We were privileged to walk through a Leprosy village. The Leprosy infected people were confined to this area of tiny buildings away from the towns. The grass was unkempt and the people were also. They were so happy to see us but they could not approach us. It must have been so terribly hard for them. I believe food was dropped off for them but day to day life must have been so difficult for them. We did not work among them – we held medical clinics in the towns for those not afflicted with Leprosy. Difficult to remember. Blessings all.

  3. The power of God in a personal touch – beautiful, just beautiful! God bless the work of David and Norma Jean even right now and through eternity. Let’s stay in the Word dear friends!!

Leave a Reply to Rob Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.