Tag: The Holy and the Profane - Leviticus 4-6

Leviticus 6:24-30

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord; it is most holy. The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy, and when any of its blood is splashed on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was splashed in a holy place. And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water. Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire.

Tag:  The Holy and Profane are to Not Mix

Throughout Leviticus we are told that Aaron and the Priest and the sacrifices were to be holy.  We are repeatedly told that the holy and the unholy were never to mix.  In the above passage we are told that if anything touches the holy, must also be holy.   In the issue of the “earthen vessels” (above), Moses is talking about clay pots.  If they use a clay pot to boil a sacrifice the pot, because it is clay and absorbs the sacrifice, is to be smashed on the ground and not used again.  If they use an bronze vessel, less pores, they are to scourge and rinse it with boiling water.   In the above text no “blood” is to be brought in; the blood is to be burned with fire.   The entire concept of the sacrifice is to keep the holy and the profane separate.  In today’s Christianity we have no different admonition.  We are to be holy.  We are not to mix with the profane.   The NT is full of admonition to keep the holy and the unholy separate.   The difference between the OT and the NT is NOT the requirement for holiness.   The difference is the type of sacrifice.  In the OT they offered in faith sacrifices of bulls, goats, birds and grain. In the NT Christ was offered and we believe by faith.   But, in both cases holiness is the goal.