"As for any fabric that is spoiled with a defiling mold---any woolen or linen clothing, any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather---if the affected area in the fabric, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a defiling mold and must be shown to the priest." (Leviticus 13:47-49) Green molds can harbor Aspergillus which can cause anything from mild symptoms such as a runny nose and sneezing to more serious illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia. People who suffer from asthma are likely going to find the presence of Aspergillus bothersome and if enough Aspergillus is present it can bring on a severe asthma attack.
Red mold is less likely to cause a serious reaction. We've all probably seen a little bit of red or pink mold in bathroom areas. You might spot this type of mold in the corners of your shower stall or in the grout between tiles or even in your toilet bowl. I have to clean the shower stall in my small bathroom every week or else I'll see a pink spot here or there in the corners where moisture lingers the longest. I suppose there just isn't enough air circulation in that room for all the moisture in the shower stall to dry fully enough and quickly enough each day to prevent mold, so on Saturdays I clean it with a product containing bleach and I use a toothbrush to make sure I get into every nook and cranny. For a person in good health, this type of mold is usually harmless. But if you have a lot of allergies or if you have asthma or if you have a compromised immune system, you could be quite sensitive to red or pink mold and develop breathing issues or a respiratory infection.
When the person spots green or red mold on an item, he brings it to the priest and the priest quarantines the item just as he would quarantine a person with a suspected contagious disease. "The priest is to examine the affected area and isolate the article for seven days. On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mold has spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a persistent defiling mold; the article is unclean. He must burn the fabric, the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has been spoiled; because the defiling mold is persistent, the article must be burned." (Leviticus 13:50-52)
During quarantine the item was presumably not stored in the same environment in which it first contracted the mold. It was possible for the mold to die once it was removed from whatever environment encouraged its growth; for example, if the place where it had been stored in the home was prone to dampness. But if the mold didn't dry up but instead continued to flourish and spread, the item had to be burned because it was unfit for use. In our day we know these types of molds can be treated with products like baking soda or vinegar or bleach, but the people of ancient Israel couldn't run down to Walmart or Dollar General and purchase products that would render these molds harmless. Items harboring a spreading mold had to be burned so the mold wouldn't cause illness in the household.
"But if, when the priest examines it, the mold has not spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, he shall order that the spoiled article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days." (Leviticus 13:53-54) If the mold has not spread during the week of isolation, it's possible the mold spores are dead or dying. In that case, washing would remove the spores and part of the fabric might be salvageable. The item is washed and laid out to dry and then it is reexamined in seven days.
"After the article has been washed, the priest is to examine it again, and if the mold has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it, no matter which side of the fabric has been spoiled." (Leviticus 13:55) If the garment is still stained with mold just as badly as it was at first, even though the mold hasn't spread yet, there's a likelihood that the spores are still alive and active and will continue to spread at some point. The person is not to keep using the garment even if the mold stain is only on the inner lining of a cloak, for example. Just because the stain can't be seen doesn't mean it isn't there and isn't harmful.
"If, when the priest examines it, the mold has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the spoiled part out of the fabric, the leather, or the woven or knitted material." (Leviticus 13:56) The mold may have left a stain but if the stain has faded then the mold is likely not still alive and at work. The stained section is removed and the remainder of the fabric can be reused. If the mold was on a cloak, for instance, the person could patch the garment where the mold was cut out and could continue wearing the garment. If the cutting out of the moldy patch rendered an item unusable for its original purpose, the material could be cut down and repurposed. A blanket with a moldy patch cut out of the middle of it, for example, could be cut up into smaller pieces and used for washcloths or towels. People in ancient times didn't want to discard anything if they didn't have to. There were no stores or websites where they could purchase cheap, mass produced items. They had to make everything last as long as possible.
Let's say an article of clothing has had the mold stain cut out of it and the person takes the garment home and begins to wear it again. But a short time later some new moldy patches show up. The garment has to be taken back to the priest. "But if it reappears in the fabric, in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is a spreading mold; whatever has the mold must be burned." (Leviticus 13:57) Even though it previously appeared that the original mold infestation had been eradicated, the appearance of new patches is proof that the item is still harboring an infestation that wasn't visible when the priest last checked the item. But a fresh outbreak of mold renders the item useless. The item is useless even if it's something that wasn't ever used inside a person's home, like a leather donkey saddle or a leather tent covering or a horse blanket. Mold spores are easily transferable by touch and they can also be sent airborne. A person might put a saddle on his donkey and get spores on his hands or on his clothing and then go back into his house later and transfer spores to things inside his house. Or he might rub his mouth or nose or eyes after getting mold spores on his hands. Or he might inhale spores that rise up when he throws a blanket over his horse's back before saddling the horse. Just because he can't see the spores doesn't mean they aren't there.
The Lord is trying to prevent the people from contracting serious illnesses that have no cure in ancient times. They are living thousands of years before the invention of antibiotics and respiratory inhalers and antihistamines and decongestants. It wasn't all that long ago that we still couldn't effectively treat serious respiratory illnesses. My mother's oldest sibling and only brother died as a toddler in the early 1920s of double pneumonia only a few years before the discovery of penicillin in 1928. He might have survived if penicillin had been available to him.
When the mold fades after the first washing and the stained area has been cut out, the item is to be washed again and then it is pronounced clean. "Any fabric, woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mold, must be washed again. Then it will be clean." (Leviticus 13:58) This second washing removes any dead and dying spores that have transferred to other areas of the item. Even though the spores are dead they can be irritating to a person who has allergies or asthma and it's best to wash the dead spores away.
"These are the regulations concerning defiling molds in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean." (Leviticus 13:59) Illnesses contracted from molds wouldn't be contagious from person to person. But mold infestations in a household could easily make everyone in the household sick. An entire family could become seriously ill or even die. Families were large in those times and multiple generations often lived together in the same dwelling. A household might be comprised of a husband and wife, the parents of both the husband and wife, possibly the grandparents and great-grandparents of the husband and wife, plus a number of children. Imagine if all these people in the household became severely sick from mold or even died from it. Not only is this a huge loss to the whole community but it could also mean the loss of that particular branch of the family tree. The Lord wants all twelve tribes of Israel to grow and prosper and endure through all generations.
As I said earlier in our study of the health regulations in the book of Leviticus, I think these regulations are intended to be taken literally. The Lord is giving sound medical advice that needs to be followed for the best health of everyone involved. I mentioned that some Bible commentators completely spiritualized the entire health section of Leviticus and didn't discuss any of its practical applications. But there's one thing of a spiritual nature I want to say about what we've studied today and it has to do with verse 55 which says a defiling mold renders an item useless no matter which side of the item the mold is on. Hidden mold is still mold, just as hidden sin is still sin. A cloak with mold on its lining might look fine and dandy on the outside, but on the inside it harbors a dangerous and spreading darkness. That's how hidden sin affects us. I'm not saying we need to confess sins publicly. I'm saying we need to get them out in the open before the Lord. A person with mold on his cloak didn't hang it on his clothesline for all the world to see; he took it to the priest. The matter of the mold was between him and a religious figure whose job it was to make intercession between the people and the Lord. When we become aware we've been living in a manner that violates the word of God, we don't need to stand up in church and announce our sin in front of everybody. We aren't to take out an ad in the paper and let the whole community know what we've done. We are to face the truth of where we've gone wrong, just as the person who found mold on his cloak faced the truth that something was wrong, and we're to go to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our high priest and the One who makes intercession for us with God, and we are to show Him our sin. Just as the priest of Israel washed the infested garment and removed the stained portion, the Lord Jesus Christ is able to wash us clean from our guilt and remove the stain of sin from our lives.
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