Lyrics · Leviticus
Between Clean and Unclean
Leviticus 11:1-13:59
[Verse 1]
Hoof and cud, the fin and scale, the wing and creeping form,
Israel learned the difference in the creatures they were shown.
Carcass, vessel, seed, and spring had measures in the law,
For holiness reached daily life and what the household saw.
[Pre-Chorus]
"Be holy" was not hidden,
It entered food and touch and time.
[Chorus]
Between clean and unclean, teach the people how to see,
Guard the camp where holy presence dwells among the tribes.
What is touched, what is carried, what must wait outside,
Discernment kept the boundary where the sanctuary stood.
[Verse 2]
Birth brought days of cleansing and an offering at the end,
A lamb for those with plenty, two small birds for poorer hands.
Spot and scab and burn were brought for priestly eyes to test,
Seven days of waiting kept assumption from the verdict.
[Bridge]
Garments could bear plague as skin, and fire might be required,
The leper stayed outside the camp with torn clothes and a cry.
Not cruelty but guarding held the holy dwelling clear,
Till cleansing could be spoken and the separated one draw near.
[Final Chorus]
Between clean and unclean, teach the people how to see,
Guard the camp where holy presence dwells among the tribes.
What is healed, what is spreading, what may enter by and by,
Discernment kept the boundary where the sanctuary stood.
[Outro]
Holiness entered ordinary things,
And every threshold mattered.

