What exactly does it mean to be "unclean"? I understand that it means you broke one of God's rule, but there are a few places where it says something like, "you will be unclean until evening", so what is the significance of being unclean?
"The central lesson conveyed by this system is that God is holy but human beings are contaminated." - Bakers Evangelical Dictionary
When someone did something that made them unclean there was typically some ritual that they would go through to be "Clean" again. Often there was a time-period for their "uncleanness". Some things that made people "unclean" were the direct result of breaking a rule. Other causes were unavoidable. So, being "unclean" does not equate directly to sin, though it may include sin.
Basically, "cleanness" had to do with acceptability for worship and fellowship. This created a culture in Israel that helped them to understand that God is Holy and also that they are affected or "contaminated" by the unholiness of people around them as well as themselves. To be Holy was to be set apart - not common. Because of sin, man is unfit for fellowship with God from sources external and internal, deliberate and unintentional. To be in God's presence, we must be "washed" (a common ritual leading to "cleanness") pointing ultimately to the washing of the Blood of Christ.
There were also two significant practical reasons for the ceremonial laws (those laws that pertained not to moral issues, but "cleanness"):
1. Had they kept them, then they would have had difficulty being around the gentile surrounding nations because much of their food and practices were "unclean" and they would not have been tempted to worship their gods. These practices helped create a "separateness" or holiness between God's people and those who did not know God.
"Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.a Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same." -Exodus 34:11-16
2. Many of the ceremonial laws had a basic medical benefit. God often punishes our sins through the natural consequences or results of our sin. These laws that God put in place to teach about his Holiness, also prevented the spread of many diseases. When Israel had first come out of Egypt, God promised to spare them from diseases if they obeyed him.
"If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." -Exodus 15:26
Not eating carcasses found on the side of the road, not hanging about with other people when you have leprosy, etc. were practical rules that prevented the spread of disease. So to ignore God's command would likely lead to natural consequences in the Israelite's camp. This is not the primary reason for these laws, though. Many had no relationship to health and only taught something about God, holiness, or the value of life.
For significance to us under the New Covenant from Christ, Paul shows us how the idea of uncleanness relates to believers being separate from worldliness:
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." - 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we should bring nothing that God has called unclean (sin) into our hearts.
For more on this topic, I highly recommend the article found here: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/clean-unclean.html
Site with some pics about the Tabernacle:
ReplyDeletehttp://koti.phnet.fi/petripaavola/Tabernacle
What exactly does it mean to be "unclean"? I understand that it means you broke one of God's rule, but there are a few places where it says something like, "you will be unclean until evening", so what is the significance of being unclean?
ReplyDeleteoeeee I remember asking this exact same question last year hahahah
Delete"The central lesson conveyed by this system is that God is holy but human beings are contaminated." - Bakers Evangelical Dictionary
DeleteWhen someone did something that made them unclean there was typically some ritual that they would go through to be "Clean" again. Often there was a time-period for their "uncleanness". Some things that made people "unclean" were the direct result of breaking a rule. Other causes were unavoidable. So, being "unclean" does not equate directly to sin, though it may include sin.
Basically, "cleanness" had to do with acceptability for worship and fellowship. This created a culture in Israel that helped them to understand that God is Holy and also that they are affected or "contaminated" by the unholiness of people around them as well as themselves. To be Holy was to be set apart - not common. Because of sin, man is unfit for fellowship with God from sources external and internal, deliberate and unintentional. To be in God's presence, we must be "washed" (a common ritual leading to "cleanness") pointing ultimately to the washing of the Blood of Christ.
There were also two significant practical reasons for the ceremonial laws (those laws that pertained not to moral issues, but "cleanness"):
Delete1. Had they kept them, then they would have had difficulty being around the gentile surrounding nations because much of their food and practices were "unclean" and they would not have been tempted to worship their gods. These practices helped create a "separateness" or holiness between God's people and those who did not know God.
"Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.a Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
“Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same." -Exodus 34:11-16
2. Many of the ceremonial laws had a basic medical benefit. God often punishes our sins through the natural consequences or results of our sin. These laws that God put in place to teach about his Holiness, also prevented the spread of many diseases. When Israel had first come out of Egypt, God promised to spare them from diseases if they obeyed him.
"If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." -Exodus 15:26
Not eating carcasses found on the side of the road, not hanging about with other people when you have leprosy, etc. were practical rules that prevented the spread of disease. So to ignore God's command would likely lead to natural consequences in the Israelite's camp. This is not the primary reason for these laws, though. Many had no relationship to health and only taught something about God, holiness, or the value of life.
For significance to us under the New Covenant from Christ, Paul shows us how the idea of uncleanness relates to believers being separate from worldliness:
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
“Therefore come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." - 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we should bring nothing that God has called unclean (sin) into our hearts.
For more on this topic, I highly recommend the article found here: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/clean-unclean.html