Touch Not the Unclean Thing

Since Jesus often spoke in parables or metaphors
When He says “touch not the unclean thing”
He was talking about the spiritual
Otherwise, it would be a sin to garden
or do any sort of work where our hands got soiled
and that’s preposterous

With that command “touch not the unclean thing” in mind,
we need to first consider what Jesus considered unclean and why
those things might be spiritually unclean or filthy

Before I was a Christian,
I was raised in another religion which had many idols
I was involved with horoscope readings
I read Tarot Cards
I visited a palm reader
and touched many other unclean things
Once I became a Christian,
I chose not to read any horoscopes
and even won’t read fortunes in fortune cookies
I want nothing to do with the unfruitful works of darkness
It is my choice
While I am far from perfect, the last thing I need
is to do is something intentionally that offends the Lord
or hinders my walk with God

When Jesus exhorts us to touch not the unclean thing
He was/is speaking specifically of spiritual filthiness
sexual immorality; substance abuse;
anything that draws our attention to the world and away from Jesus
The important part is to recognize the filthiness of sin
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. Isaiah 52:11

Josiah, the king the Lord spoke the most highly of, cleaned house
He removed all the idols in his kingdom
and would not allow his people to worship other gods
He tore down the altars to other gods
We should do the same, in our kingdoms

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 Corinthians 6:16

When Jesus spoke of being born again,
He was talking about a spiritual birth,
that is, accepting that Jesus is Lord,
that Jesus was raised from the dead
and that He was crucified and shed His blood
to make a pathway for us to reconcile with God:
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Romans 6:6 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

Once we have committed our lives to Christ,
we then are to walk in the newness of life:
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

Our new life is of a different focus
the spiritual
We see things differently
and as we know Him better,
the Spiritual World becomes more real to us than what we see, hear and smell

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19

I belong to the Lord and have been bought with a price
I don’t want to ever take that for granted

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Matthew 4:10

Scriptural References:

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. 2 Kings 22:1

And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
2 Kings 22:2

And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 2 Kings 22:10

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. 2 Kings 22:11

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. 2 Kings 22:19

Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again. 2 Kings 22:20

And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. 2 Kings 23:25