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and its variants occur over one hundred times, variously translated, "holy", "hallow",
"sanctify", and "sanctuary". Closely allied with this holiness are the various laws and
ceremonies that deal with uncleanness and purification. Redemption from sin is not in
view in these. The great central offering for sin is seen in the institution of the day of
atonement.
Uncleanness.
As one patiently seeks out the varied laws that deal with uncleanness in Leviticus, and
as the scriptural emphasis upon the many and varied causes of contamination begin to be
translated by the Spirit into their spiritual equivalents, one feels like Isaiah who, in the
presence of the Lord, cried, "Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean
lips", and more than ever are we thankful for that precious blood "that cleanseth us from
all sin". In this book we discover that even the natural workings of the body may
nevertheless be unclean, and we learn that, irrespective of any fault of our own, there are
many outside sources of defilement that may render us unclean. There is one case, where
the near relation of the dead is definitely permitted to make himself unclean out of love
and devotion, but, though permitted, this uncleanness is nevertheless not allowed to pass;
it must be removed, as must all other (See Lev. 21: 1-4).
In Leviticus, cleanness is used as a synonym for holiness, and to know this is a
valuable help in the understanding of the will of God concerning our sanctification:--
"Put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean" (Lev. 10: 10).
In Lev. 11: we have the law regulating the matter of clean and unclean beasts that
might or might not be eaten by an Israelite:--
"These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth
. . . . . and in the waters."
A long list is given of prohibited beast, fish, fowl and creeping thing, and then come
the concluding words:--
"Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth,
neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
For I am the Lord your God; ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy;
for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth. For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt
to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11: 43-45).
Profaneness.
Another opposite to holiness, in Leviticus, is profanity.
"They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God" (Lev. 21: 6, 7).
"He shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a
blemish; that he profane not My sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them"
(Lev. 21: 23).