What is the meaning of Leviticus 10:10? You must distinguish Leviticus 10:10 opens with a clear mandate: “You must distinguish …”. God tells Aaron that discernment is non-negotiable. • It is a direct command, not a suggestion, just as Joshua 1:7 urges steadfast obedience. • The charge follows the tragic death of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1–2), showing that careless worship can have grave consequences. • Discernment is essential for anyone who serves God—Hebrews 5:14 says mature believers “have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil,” and 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us that all believers are now a “royal priesthood.” • The purpose is practical: verse 11 adds, “so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes.” We can’t teach what we haven’t first discerned. between the holy and the common “Holy” refers to whatever God sets apart for Himself; “common” (or profane) describes everyday things not devoted to His service. • God alone defines holiness (Exodus 3:5; Isaiah 6:3). • Everything in the tabernacle was holy because it was dedicated to God’s presence (Exodus 40:9). • Mixing holy and common invites judgment; 2 Samuel 6:6–7 shows Uzzah struck down for touching the ark like any ordinary object. • Under the new covenant, believers themselves are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16–17). We keep life’s “common” pursuits from crowding out worship by offering our bodies as “a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). • Daily decisions—movies, conversations, finances—either honor God’s holiness or treat it casually. Colossians 3:17 encourages us: “whatever you do … do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” between the clean and the unclean “Clean” and “unclean” deal with purity rather than mere hygiene. • Leviticus chapters 11–15 spell out ritual categories (food, disease, bodily discharges). God says, “Be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). • Uncleanness barred an Israelite from worship until cleansing was completed (Leviticus 15:31), illustrating that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). • Christ fulfills these symbols—Mark 1:40–42 shows Him cleansing the leper with a word, and Acts 10:15 declares, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” • Yet moral purity still matters; 2 Corinthians 6:17 urges believers to “touch no unclean thing,” and 1 John 1:9 promises cleansing when we confess sin. • Practically, we cultivate spiritual cleanliness by: – Guarding our thoughts (Philippians 4:8) – Fleeing sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18) – Keeping short accounts with God and people (Ephesians 4:26–27) summary Leviticus 10:10 charges God’s people to practice vigilant discernment. We intentionally separate what belongs to God from what is merely ordinary and keep our lives free from impurity. The God who is holy still calls His people to be holy, and through Christ’s finished work we are empowered to live distinctly, teaching others by both word and example the difference “between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean.” |
    |