Leviticus 11
Clean and Unclean Foods
Chapters 11-15 give detailed laws on defilement in food, disease, childbirth, and normal bodily functions.
It is said that the laws of food here were given for the purpose of hygiene and cleanliness. That is unlikely though in the case of some animals it might be so.
In Genesis 9, the permission was given to mankind through Noah, that every thing that moved was for meat. God made it clear that he had given all things for food.
In 1 Timothy 5:4-5, Paul clearly states that for the Christian in this day of grace, all food can be eaten and nothing to be refused.
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
It is abundantly clear from these two verses that these dietary laws were given only to Israel and only temporarily.
Cf. Mark 7:19 "Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?"
Thus the Lord declared all food to be clean.
Cf. Acts 10:14-15, "But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."
If there was nothing wrong with the food then why were these laws given?
Verse 45 gives the answer. "For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
God wanted Israel to belong to Him be separate from the nations around. The restrictions on food made it difficult for the Jews to fellowship with the pagan feasts of the nations around and thus take part in idolatry. However, the Jews disobeyed these laws is clear from their history.
But what can the Christian learn from these laws?
We see can simple principles about how a Christian ought to behave from the animals listed here. We ought to behave as those animals that can be eaten and avoid the kind of behaviour represented by the forbidden animals.
1. Creatures of the Land vv.1-8
1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
The parting of the hoof and the chewing of the cud represents the truth of meditating upon the Word of God and walking according to its teachings. Meditating means that we do not just read the Bible but consider it, think about it, ask questions about it and study it so we understand it and it becomes deeply hidden in our hearts and minds.
Jeremiah ate the word of God and then as a result separated himself from the ungodly.
"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation." (Jeremiah 15:16)Joshua was commanded to meditate upon the Word of God and obey it in order to have success.
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8)The Psalmist delighted in the Scriptures and therefore it was a delight to meditate upon them. As a result he did not walk, stand or sit with the ungodly or sinner.
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." (Psalms 1:2)As Habakkuk thought about the Lord and rejoiced in Him, his feet were like the feet of a hind that can leap upon the high places and not stumble.
"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments." (Habakkuk 3:18-19)Paul told Timothy not just to read the Bible but also to meditate upon it. "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." (1 Timothy 4:13) "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all." (1 Timothy 4:15)
Illustration: A look into my gardenIllustration: How Luther
Studied The Bible
Luther said he studied his Bible as he gathered apples. First he shook the
whole tree, that the ripest might fall; then he shook each limb, and when he had
shaken each limb, he shook each branch, and after each branch, every twig; and
then he looked under every leaf. Search the Bible as a whole, shaking the whole
tree. Read it rapidly, as you would any other book. Then shake every limb --
study book after book. Then shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters
when they do not break the sense. Then shake each twig, by a careful study of
the paragraphs and sentences. And you will be rewarded if you will look under
each leaf, by searching the meaning of the words.
The Camel
4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
The camel is a type of the Pharisees and scribes who sat in Moses seat and taught the word of God but did not walk according to its teaching. "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:24)
The Pharisees were proud of their knowledge of the Word of God but they were blind guides who did not know where they were going. They had blinded themselves to the truth by their traditions.
Figuratively, they strained at a gnat lest they should be defiled by eating an unclean insect but swallowed a huge unclean camel. Outwardly pure but inwardly full of dead men's bones and all manner of uncleanness. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness." (Matthew 23:27)
Illustration: Queen Mary's Smoke Stacks
The Queen Mary was the largest ship to cross the oceans when it was launched in
1936. Through four decades and a World War she served until she was retired,
anchored as a floating hotel and museum in Long Beach, California.
During the conversion, her three massive smokestacks were taken off to be
scraped down and repainted. But on the dock they crumbled. Nothing was left of
the 3/4 inch steel plate from which the stacks had been formed. All that
remained were more than thirty coats of paint that had been applied over the
years. The steel had rusted away.
When Jesus called the Pharisees "whitewashed tombs," he meant they had no
substance, only an exterior appearance.
5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
The Swine
7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
The swine is a picture of the sinner who professes faith in Christ yet goes back to wallow in the mire.
"But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:22)
The foot is cloven speaking of an outward correct walk but there is no chewing of the cud speaking of no appetite for the word of God. Such sinners soon go back to the filth of sin.
Cf. Matthew 13:20-21, "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended."
2. Creatures of the Sea vv. 9-12
9 ¶ These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: 11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
The sea creatures that could be eaten had to be characterised by fins and scales.
This speaks of ability to move forward and at the same time to be protected from the environment by scales.
The Christian should be spiritually moving forward and have on the whole armour of God. The armour of God does not have armour for the back for there is no protection from the Devil afforded to those who turn their backs on God and the Christian life.
Demas is an example of one who had energy to move forward and was known as a fellow labourer with the apostle Paul on his missionary journeys . This tells us that initially he was a tireless worker. "Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers." (Philemon 1:24)
But sadly, he did not have the scales to protect himself from the world around and he backslid. He forgot that he was a pilgrim and stranger in this world. "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia." (2 Timothy 4:10)
Archippus is an example of the opposite. He was in fellowship at Colosse yet was not moving forward spiritually. Paul had to admonish him, "And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it." (Col. 4:17). For an unknown reason, Archippus who is described as a fellow soldier in Philemon had retreated from the battle. He was not fulfilling the work God had given to him.
The one will not avail without the other. It is of no use to be energetic in Christian work, yet be influenced and contaminated by the world around. And it is of no use being separated from the world, yet not making any progress.
3. Flying Creatures vv. 13–23
13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; 15 Every raven after his kind; 16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 20 ¶ All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
All these birds ate carrion, rotting dead animals, or were omnivores and ate anything. These were forbidden. They swallowed everything and anything.
In like manner, Christians are not to feed upon that which the sinners of the world feed upon but upon Christ, the True Bread of Heaven. We are a heavenly people, strangers and pilgrims on earth. We are not to be found grovelling upon the earth with a worldly attitude
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)
Illustration: Which world?
William Kelly was an outstanding student of the Bible whose scholarship and
spirituality made him a real power for God in Great Britain at the close of the
last century. Mr. Kelly helped a young relative prepare for Trinity College in
Dublin, and in this way came to the attention of the professors there. They
urged him to take up work at the college and thus distinguish himself. When Mr.
Kelly showed a complete lack of enthusiasm, they were nonplussed.
One of them asked in exasperation, "But Mr. Kelly, aren't you interested in
making a name for yourself in the world?"
To which Mr. Kelly adroitly replied, "Which world, gentlemen?"
Locusts
21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; 22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. 24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.
John the Baptist's food was locust and wild honey. "And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." (Matthew 3:4)
John not only preached repentance but dressed and ate as a man that sorrowed over sin and the condition of Israel. To those feasting and dressed in fine clothing, John was a rebuke to their spiritual apathy and materialism.
"And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet." (Matthew 11:7-9)
Like, John the Baptist, the Christian must be a testimony to this world that is fast going down the broad way that leads to destruction. Repentance should not only be preached but seen in the life.
Locusts would also speak of unity. "The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands" (Proverbs 30:27). Believers though diverse and spread abroad the world have no earthly headquarters or earthly King, yet we are united by the Spirit of God to the risen head in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. This unity is one that God has created and man can never achieve. In a local company of believers each must seek to maintain this unity.
"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:2-3)
Cf. 2 Samuel 22:30 "For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall."
Not to be touched
25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. 27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even. 28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
Samson did not eat the lion but he ate honey out of the dead carcass of the lion. He did not drink wine yet he was in a vineyard. He teaches us the lesson that we must keep as far away from sin as possible. He tried to go as near as he could and ended up sinning against God.
4. Creeping Things vv. 29–45
29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, 30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. 31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. 32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed. 33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it. 34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. 37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. 38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. 39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
Creatures that creep upon the earth remind us of those whom Paul warned the believer to be on guard against.
"Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)" (Philippians 3:19)
"For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts" (2 Timothy 3:6)
Holiness Demanded
43 ¶ Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
The lesson for the believer is clear. Just as the Jew had to carefully read the Scriptures to discern what could be eaten and what could not be eaten so the believer must know the Scriptures well so that he can discern what is clean and unclean in this world.
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5:12-14)