The Original Mr. Clean

The ancient philosopher Aristotle had a theory of how concepts are formed in the human brain called Associationism – a theory which states that the mind understands things by grouping or organizing things together.  Two aspects of this theory were: 1) The law of contiguity – which states that things that are in close proximity to each other tend to get linked together in the brain.  We generally connect wallets with money, mugs with coffee and peanut butter with jelly.  Another aspect of his theory was 2) The law of frequency – which states that the more often things or events are linked, the more powerful the association of those things will be created in an individual’s understanding.  We obviously connect fireworks with the fourth of July, turkey and Thanksgiving and depending on your experience irritation with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

An interesting thing I see as I study the book of Leviticus, particularly chapters 11-15, is that Aristotle may have been taking a page from God’s book.  When we read Leviticus 11-15 we see God creating an inseparable association between Himself and cleanness through both the law of contiguity and the law of frequency.   In Leviticus 11 He takes to defining that there are certain animals that are clean and certain animals that are not clean.  He then states that Israel is not to eat of the unclean animals and in doing so “defile” themselves (the word defile means to make unclean) because He is Holy.  Israel because they are living with Him is to be Holy like He is Holy.   In other words, He makes sure that Israel cannot be near Him or “of” Him and partake of anything unclean – which through frequency enforced that every time Israel had to tell their children that because they were God’s people that they couldn’t eat an unclean animal that there was a consistent reinforcement being built into the collective consciousness of His people that He was spotless, pure and untainted.  He does a similar thing in Leviticus 13-14 in regards to individuals with a Leprous condition not being able to live in His dwelling and has similar regulations for bodily discharges in chapters 12 and 15.  Which in this case is God, through proximity, only allowing individuals in His dwelling that were clean – thus instilling in His people again the concept that He is in fact undefiled.

 

The Pragmatic God

I personally view this as one of the most fascinating revelations of God’s nature that I’ve come across in a while.  Galatians 3:15 – 4:7 gives an eternal view of God’s purpose and in particular highlights God’s pragmatic purpose for instituting a Law in Israel.  In these verses we understand that the Father didn’t want to reveal Christ to the world until “the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4) because at that point in history mankind was not mature enough in its understanding of God to correctly receive Jesus.  Thus the Law was given to act as a temporary tutor and guardian (Gal 3:25) to prepare the nation of Israel and subsequently the world to receive the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Thus we understand the Law to be a temporary institution laid down by God to accomplish pragmatic goals.  Which just the implications of that alone make the book of Leviticus one of the most fascinating books in the Bible to me right now because if seen in the light of Christ and understood for its temporary utilitarian goals, it gives us a window into the very mind of God.  It allows us to see what God was attempting to create in a people who had just been set free from 400 years of slavery and were now wandering in a wilderness looking for their land to settle in.  And more specifically what He thought was necessary for His people to know about Him before He could send His Son.

This is particularly seen in Leviticus 11-15 with almost every ordinance laid down in these chapters being overturned and nullified by Jesus and the apostles.  Yet though, Peter had a vision in Acts 10 the result of which was a revelation that God was now allowing people to eat any type of animal they wanted; and though Jesus changed people’s understanding of how to treat lepers by not only healing them, but healing them by touch and also though Jesus healed a woman by touch who was unclean through an unbroken menstrual flow of many years – all those things considered these chapters still give a beautiful insight into God’s mind and the image of Himself that He wanted to create in His people.

 

He is Clean

God wanted Israel to know that He was clean.  Even deeper than that, God wanted Israel and all of mankind to associate Him with the implication of what it means to be clean.  He was showing that He wasn’t to be linked with scabby, peeling leprous skin or bodily discharges; that He wasn’t to be connected with the paltry appearance of a buzzard or the mucky covering of a swine.  He was clean.  Noble.  Healthy.  One who through association declared that He was of high quality and to be held in the utmost regard.

Even more so we understand that should God had not so firmly established Himself as clean, that the people in Jesus’ day wouldn’t have been shocked that He touched a leper, but rather that by doing so that He actually made the leper clean.  It likely would’ve been a difficult adjustment in the mind of the Jew to see God actually making someone clean if He hadn’t made such a big deal about defining Himself in that way.

I’m thankful that God made such a bone about declaring Himself clean and that He went through such trouble to establish that understanding of Himself in Israel’s culture.  It provided the context for Jesus to impart healing and even more so it gives us a premonition of eternity – a place where God’s Presence is so palpable that all the beings that dwell with Him are pure, clean and healthy – because they have been made that way through Christ.