Keeping Pure - Numbers 18-20

Numbers 19:11-13 (ESV)

“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

The above is found in the context of purification for the nation of Israel.   There are at least three aspects that should be noted.  There first is that death in a camp of a million plus people, traveling in a desert for 40 years, was not healthy.   Remember, there was no refrigeration for them.  There were no Yeti coolers.  They had to be careful everyday of disease.   Not purifying yourself after touching a dead body could bring diseases into the camp and more people would die.  In this case, God’s command was for their personal safety.  

A second reason for the command requires us to remember that they are traveling in the wilderness for 40-years because they had disobeyed God.   All those who did disobey had to die before their children could come into the promise land.   So, over 40-years over one million people had to die.   That means there was going to be 50-70 people die every day.   That is a lot of possible diseases coming into the community.  Purification was necessary to keep the next generation safe.   

The last reason for the purification was to keep the Tabernacle holy.  Death is the ultimate sign of unholiness.  Jesus would come and defeat death by dying.  He would be laid in the tomb and the women and friends would cover Him with herbs and spices to cover up the smell of the decay. But there would still be decay.  The reason for the purification was to symbolize victory over death. It was a shadow of what Jesus would do.   Jesus purified us from death by dying for us.  The Tabernacle in the nation was the symbol and shadow of Jesus’ presence.   It had to be kept holy.  

There are reasons for God’s commands in the Old Testament. Some for us simply to be safe. But all for us to see the glory of God.