Eczema in Eden?
Why the obsession with skin conditions in Leviticus?
Remember, the tabernacle was meant to be like Eden—it was a place where God could share his eternal life with human creatures.
Key idea about Eden: In Eden, everything is in harmony, and everything works the way it was meant to work.
Because of human rebellion, however, life on earth is not in harmony. There is sin, sickness, and death.
This is why Leviticus cares about skin conditions—they are a sign that human life has been estranged from God.
Having a skin condition was not sinful, but it was a form of ritual uncleanness, or to put it another way—and this might be the best way to think about it—a skin condition was a sign of “unfitness” to come into the sacred space.
All of this is “torah”—Hebrew for “instruction.” It was meant to teach Israel about the life of God, the consequences of sin, and God’s commitment to bring sinful humans back into his presence.
Today, skin conditions don’t keep Christians from God because the blood of Jesus covers us and makes atonement, but nevertheless skin conditions are a reminder of the imperfections of life as we wait for the Second Coming.
P.S. No, I don’t think there was eczema in Eden.
