Daily Question 2/18

The dictionary definition of purity is freedom from immorality, adulteration or contamination and impurity is the quality or condition of being impure. In the sense of the Bible, purity applies in the context of morality. To be impure is to be unfaithful to God’s covenant or to rebel against God’s law. In Leviticus 19 we see the various laws that the Lord puts forth. He first establishes he is the Lord alone and there should be no worship of other Gods. This is the most important law from which the other laws build upon. This is God’s effort to maintain purity in the world. The laws act as guidelines to direct the behavior of humans through love of God and others. This maintenance of purity relates to the maintenance of order emphasized by God. For example, the creation story in Genesis 1 has two major themes: creation and order. As God continues his process of creation, he separates various things such as light from dark, night from day, and water from land. This effort to maintain order is directly tied to the maintenance of purity; however, as purity relates to humans, order applies to all of God’s creations. 

Moreover, God comments on purity through the implementation of the food laws in Leviticus 11. There is a division between clean or pure and unclean or impure food. God distinguishes the clean sea animals as those who have fins and scales. He then proceeds to establish the rules for all of the animals he created. Essentially, humans are permitted to eat all of the clean animals and are forbidden from eating any of the unclean animals. As Douglas states, “order implies restriction,” and by restricting the types of animals humans can eat, God is creating order. These food laws are an extension of God’s effort to maintain order and purity among his creations. This keeps the relationship between humans and animals pure.