11:1–16:34 In these chapters, Moses explains the difference between the ceremonially clean and unclean. “Clean” means “fit for God’s presence”; “unclean” means “unfit for God’s presence.” Anyone who was unclean or who had come in contact with uncleanness was to abstain from public worship until he was cleansed. The basic idea is that God is perfect life, while the essence of uncleanness is death. Normal, healthy creatures were clean, but abnormal or unhealthy creatures, and particularly corpses, were unclean. Abnormalities that suggested or that could lead to death were marks of uncleanness. Life and death were not to be mixed, so the unclean was never to enter God’s presence. Ultimately, it is Christ, the great Mediator and High Priest, who triumphs over death and corruption on behalf of those who trust in Him (1 Cor. 15:20–28, 50–57).