Pure Water
“‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ””Numbers 19:20, 22
The laws for purification are so exacting and the penalty so severe (capital punishment) to show the incredible holiness of God and the holiness of His tabernacle. No one unclean may even enter his presence on pain of death. Only a clean priest can cleanse others to enable them to enter the presence of God. What happens to the nation of Israel when there is not one priest who is clean who can administer the rite of cleansing? Israel would be forever lost. This is the cause for prophet Isaiah's cry of horror when he saw the holiness of God, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5) Only a holy angel cleansing his mouth with a red hot coal from heaven's altar could take away his sin. (Isaiah 6:7)
Purification is also the cause for the devout Jew separating himself from gentiles who had no knowledge of the purification laws so would most certainly be unclean. Even a touch from something that a gentile or non-practicing Jew had touched would make Israel unclean and unable to come to the Temple. How could they possibly eat together or visit an unclean person's house? "And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him (Jesus) eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:16) The religious leaders were right regarding the purification laws and wrong by not recognizing the only clean high priest God had sent to cleanse Israel from their sin. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22
The laws for purification are so exacting and the penalty so severe (capital punishment) to show the incredible holiness of God and the holiness of His tabernacle. No one unclean may even enter his presence on pain of death. Only a clean priest can cleanse others to enable them to enter the presence of God. What happens to the nation of Israel when there is not one priest who is clean who can administer the rite of cleansing? Israel would be forever lost. This is the cause for prophet Isaiah's cry of horror when he saw the holiness of God, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5) Only a holy angel cleansing his mouth with a red hot coal from heaven's altar could take away his sin. (Isaiah 6:7)
Purification is also the cause for the devout Jew separating himself from gentiles who had no knowledge of the purification laws so would most certainly be unclean. Even a touch from something that a gentile or non-practicing Jew had touched would make Israel unclean and unable to come to the Temple. How could they possibly eat together or visit an unclean person's house? "And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him (Jesus) eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:16) The religious leaders were right regarding the purification laws and wrong by not recognizing the only clean high priest God had sent to cleanse Israel from their sin. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22