Clean and Unclean: Why?

What was the original, practical purpose of the biblical cleanliness laws? Is the original purpose still relevant today? Will it be relevant in the future? The answer to these questions is complex, yet it is simply stated in the following scripture:

Leviticus 15:31
You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.

People didn't just keel over and die for becoming unclean - people became unclean all the time! Women became unclean when they gave birth, and anyone who contracted a skin disease or touched a dead body was unclean. Furthermore, if a person's close relative had died, then the law specifically permitted people to become physically unclean by touching their loved one's dead body during their mourning. There was an established cleansing process for each type of uncleanness mentioned in the law. Becoming unclean didn't necessarily imply that someone had sinned!

Therefore, in light of these observations, how does Leviticus 15:31 fit into understanding the purpose of cleanliness laws? According to this verse, the Israelites had to avoid becoming unclean because they would die for defiling God's dwelling place, which was among them. Notice that they did not die merely for becoming unclean, but rather for being unclean in the dwelling place of God. Therefore, I conclude that the cleanliness laws were a set of physical standards and requirements for being in the PHYSICAL presence of God. The way that God dwelt among the Israelites was not some touchy-feely "God is everywhere" kind of presence - God physically manifested Himself among them as their King, and anyone who did not meet His requirements in His presence would die.

Distinguish Between the Clean and the Unclean

There is a refrain throughout the books of the Law and the Prophets that I have been pondering:

Leviticus 10:10
distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean

In a recent Spiritual Snack (Be Holy, for I am Holy), I pointed out several of the scriptures in the Old Testament in which God commanded the Israelites to "be holy," along with an analysis of the New Testament appearances of the command to "be holy." This refrain in Lev. 10:10 about discerning holiness and cleanliness comes up quite a bit in the context of the scriptures that I referenced in that article. If God wants us to "be holy," we obviously must understand what holiness is first! The point of that article is that the answer is found in God's law. God's Law gives qualifications for holiness - if you do not follow the law, then you become unholy. An important distinction to make is that keeping the law does not make you Holy - God makes you holy out of His grace and mercy because of the fact that you demonstrate faith by attempting to do His will by keeping His law.