The presence of God must never be taken for granted. It is always a precious privilege granted by the mercy and the grace of God. This is the reasoning behind the cleanliness laws recorded in the text before us. Everything about God’s people—thoughts, attitudes, and actions—were to be informed by the reality of God dwelling among them. The presence of God would literally impact them from the outside in.
Nothing can be hidden from God. He sees all. He knows all. This truth is revealed in the text before us. This text, which has proven to be disturbing to modern, and not-so-modern, readers, points us to God’s mercy. It drives home the truth that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways.