Sex Offender: The Modern Day Leper

By Dr. David Moore PH.D. TH.

In today's society, men and women who have committed sexual sin and have paid their debt to society and have truly repented of their sin to God are shamed, shunned, and shoved to the bottom of society and told, "We do not want you." We are seeing a paradigm taking place right before our eyes. We are truly seeing history repeating itself. As we look back in history, you will see how a person who had contracted leprosy was shamed, shunned, and shoved to the bottom of society as being unclean and unacceptable. Now fast-forward to our time period, and here is the paradigm that emerges and corresponds with that of a leper: the individuals who have been labeled "sex offender" are required to register and, in most cases for a lifetime, to make sure everyone around them know about the label they carry. Where is the forgiveness spoken of in the Word of God?

We must not solely look at the sex offender but also those who have been victimized by the offender. Equal restoration should take place with those who have been offended. Trusting in the Lord and being led by the Holy Spirit, the Lord will, if allowed to, bring complete healing and restoration to all who have been offended against. Only those who are hard-hearted and not willing to reach out to the Lord for healing and restoration will be left to agonize over the offense. Whether you are the offended or the offender, we serve a God that is a God of victory. God has called each and every one of us to live a life of victory over Satan.

As the Scripture says, "Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:36-39 KJV).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639038671

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Sex Offender

The Modern Day Leper

Dr. David Moore PH.D. TH.

ISBN 978-1-63903-866-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63903-867-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2021 by Dr. David Moore Ph.D. Th.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Dedication

I would like to, first of all, dedicate this book to my Father in heaven and my Lord Jesus Christ, for without Him, I would not even be alive today; and to my best friend, the precious Holy Spirit, who guides me in each and every step I take on this journey that I am on serving my Lord.

I would like to also dedicate this book to my lovely wife and soul mate, Carrie Moore. She is my rib, and we are one in Christ Jesus. She knows me better than I know myself at times. Carrie, I love you with all of my heart. After the Lord, my heart belongs to you.

I would also like to dedicate this book to the memory of my parents, who are now with my Lord and Savior in heaven. Bill D. and Doniav S. Moore, who taught me how valuable life really is. I did not always listen as I should have, but God the Father finally got it through to me. I love them and miss them greatly.

Also, I would like to thank everyone who has assisted me in the publishing of this book and all of your support. Without your prayer and support, this book could not have come to fruition.

Foreword

Dr. David Moore has written a book on a topic that society does not want to deal with known as the Sex Offender.

Families guard themselves and their children from these predators in such a way that drives them deeper into their own world of despair.

Much like Cain in the Bible who killed his brother Abel, Cain was marked with a mark on his forehead, which was a warning to everyone that God’s judgment was upon him. Cain told God he could not bear His judgment.

Today’s sex offenders are being driven into a life of homelessness or living in tent cities on the streets branded with their dirty secrets and the shameful truths of the unforgiving. myself a victim of the cruelness of this crime, I found forgiveness for my abuser and discovered healing for my soul. This book deals with all of it, and David has written a book that affects everyone: the victim and the accuser.

Dr. Vickie Downey

Bearing Life University

President

Preface

As I write, this author does not want to leave the misunderstanding that any form of sexual immorality is condoned or accepted. The Scriptures are very clear concerning sexual immorality and/or fornication. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived: neither fornicators [those who commit sexual sin] nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.¹ There is one thing that must be remembered as Christians: we serve a forgiving God. That is why God sent His Son to save us from our sins. Jesus came to die on the cross to forgive us of our sins and not to condemn us either. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn that world: but that the world through Him might be saved.²

If a person who has committed a sexual sin—and has been convicted of sin and has repented of sin and has been convicted by the courts/served time—has, through these processes, demonstrated the fruits of repentance, there is no reason that this person should not be accepted into Christian service. Leadership in the church should use wisdom in what areas to place this person in their service to the Lord.

God forgives. Why shouldn’t we?

Introduction

Pastor Frank calls Joseph into his office and asks him to take a seat. Joseph greets Pastor Frank and tells him how wonderful this morning service was and how much he enjoys being a part of the church. Pastor Frank tells Joseph this is what he has called him into his office to talk to him about.

Joseph, Pastor Frank says, I enjoy having you here with us at our church, but I have to tell you that you are going to have to find another church to attend.

Joseph looks at Pastor Frank with a stunned look and a sad face and asks him why. Pastor Frank tells him that it is because he is a registered sex offender.

The people of the church have voiced their disapproval of your attendance at the church, so I must ask you to leave.

This is an all too familiar true scenario that has played out too many times in churches across America in our modern time. Men and women who have committed sexual sin and have paid their debt to society and have truly repented of their sin to God are shamed, shunned, and shoved to the bottom of society and are told, We do not want you. We are seeing a paradigm taking place right before our eyes. A paradigm is defined as an example or pattern, an outstandingly clear or typical example or archetype.¹ We are truly seeing history repeating itself.

As we look back in history, you will see how a person who had contracted leprosy was shamed, shunned, and shoved to the bottom of society as being unclean and unacceptable. This person would be required, as they traveled in public, to cry out the phrase Unclean, unclean in announcing to the people around them to stay away in an effort as to not infect them. Now, fast-forward to our time period, and here is the paradigm that emerges that corresponds with that of the leper. The individuals who have been labeled as a sex offender are required to register and, in some cases for a lifetime, to make sure that everyone around them knows about the label that they carry. The symbolism of crying out Unclean, Unclean is stamped on their driver’s license, sex-offender, so that everywhere this person goes, and the driver’s license is shown in public, everyone around them knows about their sin.

Where is the forgiveness spoken of in the Word of God? True, wisdom needs to be applied as with any person serving in the church as to what areas to allow them to serve in, but God forgives us on our judgmental attitudes and the turning away of God’s people. The Word of God states, So when they continued asking him (Jesus), he lifted up Himself, and said unto them, he that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.² So let us begin our journey on how people try to justify themselves on the way they treat their brothers and sisters in Christ as they too are endeavoring to serve a God of love and forgiveness.

Chapter 1

The Leper

Exactly what is leprosy? Let us look at what the Britannica Encyclopedia says,

Also called Hansen’s disease—a chronic infectious disease that affects the skin, the peripheral nerves (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord), and the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, and eyes. The leprosy bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, causes it. Destruction of the peripheral nerves by the bacillus leads to a loss of sensation which, together with progressive tissue degeneration, may result in the extremities becoming deformed and eroded. In almost all cultures throughout history, leprosy has aroused dread and loathing about the prospect of incurable disease and a lifetime of progressive disfigurement. At one time, lepers, as those with the disease were long called, were ostracized as unclean and were gathered into isolated leper colonies in order to keep them out of sight, to control their contagiousness, and to offer them what little treatment was available. The leprosy bacillus is not highly infectious, in most cases passing from one person to another only after prolonged and close contact (as, for instance, among family members).¹

As you have just read, you can see how lepers were treated. The lepers were ostracized, shamed, shunned, and shoved to the bottom of society and placed in what were called leper colonies to separate them from the general public. We can also see the paradigm taking place with the sex offender in our modern day. These people are made to by law to register their place of residence so that everyone around them is knowledgeable of the sin these have committed. This is an all-out effort to control where these people live. Treatment is offered but at an expensive rate. Let us look now at what the Word of God teaches about leprosy.

God’s Law Concerning Leprosy

The Hebrew definition is Tsara (tsaw-rah) to scourge, to be stricken with leprosy.²

The Greek definition utilizes three definitions; they are as follows: lepis, to peel; lepra, to flake or scale; lepros, to be scaly.³ Looking closer at this disease, it was not something that could be hidden very well when it had progressed in its stages of development. Leprosy is a slow progressive disease consisting of scabs or crust-like sores that were white shining spots appearing to be deeper than the skin. Some other signs were (1) the hairs of the affected part turn white and (2) that later there is a growth of ‘quick raw flesh.’ The disease rendered its victims unclean; even contact with a leper defiled whoever touched him.⁴

The Old Testament

The first time that leprosy was mentioned in the Word of God is when God was anointing Moses and commissioning him as Israel’s deliverer on Mt. Sinai: And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.⁵

God then told Moses, And he said, put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.⁶ God did this to show Moses that He was with him and that He had anointed him to the work of delivering the nation of Israel from the bonds of Egypt and Pharaoh. As we read in the Word of God in Leviticus 13–14, the priests are given the rules and regulations on how to determine whether a person has contracted leprosy or not. There are six different circumstances in which a person might develop leprosy:

Leprosy could appear without any apparent cause.

When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.⁷

The reappearance of an old breakout of leprosy.

It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.⁸

The leprosy appears to be an inflammation.

And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.⁹

The leprosy appears on the head or on the chin.

Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.¹⁰

The leprosy appears as white spots.

If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white spots; Then the priest shall look: and behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that growth in the skin; he clean.¹¹

The leprosy appears in the front or the back of the head.

And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh; He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.¹²

There were very strong requirements on how a person with leprosy was to be treated: And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.¹³ As we progress further in our paradigm study, you will see the similarity involving the sex offender.

The New Testament

In the New Testament, we read of the great work that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished in His ministry in the healing of lepers, and He also gave us the commission to do the same as He did His apostles: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.¹⁴ We see individual cases where the Lord healed lepers of their disease:

And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, the, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thank: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.¹⁵

There was only one man who returned to glorify God and give Him thanks for his healing. This shows a heart that is repentant to the Lord for his healing and deliverance. The other nine did or would not recognize from where or from whom their healing came from. Then we see the case of a leper in whom the Lord Jesus touched, and he was healed:

And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean and immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.¹⁶

We also read in Matthew 26 and in Mark 1 of a man named Simon the Leper in which the Lord could have possibly healed him of his leprosy. These are the only cases where we see lepers in the New Testament, but as you read, the ones who were healed and cleansed of leprosy were delivered and served the Lord faithfully.

Leprosy Sent as Judgment

There were times in the Old Testament where God sent leprosy on a person in judgment for the sin that they had committed. We will look at three different instances where God did just that: He sent leprosy as a judgment.

Miriam

God became angry with Miriam and her brother Aaron because they came against Moses, and God put leprosy onto Miriam.

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the