Prevention of Disease
Not only in their religious service but in all the affairs of daily life was observed the distinction between clean and unclean. All who came in contact with contagious or contaminating diseases were isolated from the encampment, and they were not permitted to return without thorough cleansing of both their person and clothing. In the case of one afflicted with a contaminating disease, the direction was given:MHH 155.2
““‘Every bed is unclean on which he ... lies, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. He who sits on anything on which he sat ... shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And he who touches the body of him ... shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ... Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until evening. He who carries any of those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And whomever [the one] touches, and has not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. The vessel of earth that he ... touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.”’” Leviticus 15:4-12.MHH 155.3
The law concerning leprosy is also an illustration of the thoroughness with which these regulations were to be enforced:MHH 156.1
“‘All the days he [the leper] has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. Also, if a garment has a leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment, whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather, ... the priest shall look at the plague. ... If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather or in anything made of leather, the plague is an active leprosy. It is unclean. He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; it shall be burned in the fire.’” Leviticus 13:46-52.MHH 156.2
So, too, a house that gave evidence of conditions that made it unsafe for habitation was destroyed. The priest was to “‘break down the house, its stones, its timber, and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them outside the city to an unclean place. Moreover he who goes into the house at all while it is shut up shall be unclean until evening. And he who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes, and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.’” Leviticus 14:45-47.MHH 156.3