Source of Uncleanness

Leviticus 14:34-36
(34) "When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession,
(35) then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, 'There seems to me to be some case of disease in my house.'
(36) Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house.

This passage goes on to describe all that happens when a house appears to have a leprous disease, or mildew as the NLT translates it. It's very inconvenient for the homeowner. They have to scrape the walls and replaster. Then they have to leave the house for 7 days for a time of purification. Then they have to see if the mildew comes back. If it does then they have to tear the house down.

Look at who brings this to them. According to verse 34, the Lord is the one who puts the mildew in the house. Somehow I doubt that Joel Osteen ever preaches on this passage. Frankly, it's not something I would have thought of writing about if it were not for this blog. I have always maintained that Leviticus helps us to see the holiness of God in action. Passages like this give us a clearer idea of how God operates.

Can we read a passage like James 1:2-4 or 1 Peter 1:3-7 and truly rejoice? I know that I don't always rejoice in my suffering like I should. I think it's important to remember that God uses it to sanctify us. I need to prayerfully seek that mindset though.