Laws Concerning Clean and Unclean Food

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Laws Concerning Clean and Unclean Food

• The first 10 chapters of the book of Leviticus
  deal with the institution of the sacrifices and
  commencement of the priesthood in Israel. The
  11th chapter, introduces us to the laws of
  purification and ceremonial cleanness.
•  
• Under the levitical system, many things could
  render a person unclean. While some of the causes
  were avoidable others were not.
•  
• In the text under discussion, God taught the
  children of Israel not to eat any kind of animal.
  Some of the animals were considered clean and
  others were not. For the clean animals they were
  permitted to eat all of them, and were not
  allowed to eat the unclean animals. Just like
  Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen.
  216-17).
•  
• The commandments of God are designed to regulate
  our behaviour and they are intended for our own
  good. In fact, He is our maker and He knows what
  is good for us, what is most appropriate for us,
  and what could easily build us physically and
  spiritually. Failure on our part to obey might
  bring a lot of calamities unto us, especially on
  unclean animals/food.

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One has to receive the instruction of clean and
unclean food from God with a grateful heart, due
to the following reasons

• God being concerned with about what to eat (ie.
  our diet).
• The prohibition of food by God was for our own
  good but not to curtail our enjoyment.
• What God disallowed us to eat were extremely
  fewer than what were to enjoy.

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A. Classification of clean and unclean animals
(Leviticus 111-44 2025-26 Gen. 120-25 Deut.
14 2-21)  

• God classified animals into two broad classes
  the clean and unclean. Each group of animals had
  its distinctive features that made them either
  clean or unclean. 
• 3 categories of animals were listed
• The land animals. These include the four-footed
  ruminants as well as the crawling animals such as
  snakes, lizards, snail, etc.
• The aquatic creatures such as fish.
• Flying animals such as birds and insects.
• For a 4-footed animal to be seen as clean, it
  must chew the cud and part the hoof (ie. it must
  be a ruminant and have its hoof divided). Having
  only one makes the animal still unclean.
• The aquatic creatures must have both fins and
  scales, before regarded as clean.
• For the birds, some specific ones were mentioned
  mostly the scavengers and carnivorous. For
  example, the vulture, the eagle, the hawk, etc.
•  

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Summary

• The classification shows that God is orderly in
  all His ways. As Christians our lives must be
  orderly and not haphazard/confused.
• God wanted the children of Israel to learn that
  their liberty should be exercised with restraint.
  The earth is the Lord and they could only eat
  things which have been permitted by God.

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B. Explanation and application of the law (Lev.
11 43-45 20 25-26, Psalm 119128)
  The law of clean and unclean animals could be
explain in two ways (1) health and hygiene to
keep the Jewish healthy in their environment, eg
the dirty habits of swine and its meat being
fatty. (Sanitation was still poor in most nations
and diseases could easily spread due to their
dirty habits.
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(2) on spiritual principle
(i) the principle of holiness. For example, a
4-footed animal must chew the cud and part the
hoof, the aquatic creatures must have fins and
scales. These features have to deal with the way
the animal lives in its environment. A person who
wants to have communion with God must also have
clean hands and a pure heart. (Psalm 243-4).
Thus, you must be saved and sanctified made
righteous and practice righteousness. Holiness
within and holiness without is what marks a
person as clean. (ii) principle of separation of
the world (Daniel 18). God gave His people the
law so as to mark them out from other nations who
had no control over their appetites. He wanted to
make them exceptional. (iii) some of the
prohibited animals signified evil. Love of
uncleanness as seen in the swine, barbarity of
the predatory birds, morose and solitary
lifestyle of the raven, hypocrisy and double life
as shown in bats, the love of darkness as in
owls. (iv) to teach the Israelites obedience,
absolute surrender and yieldedness to Gods
command (Psalm 119128). (iv) to teach the
children of Israel that God is interested in
every aspect of their live, and as such, whatever
they do had to be done in glorification of the
Lord.  
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Summary

• Significance for new testament believers (Mark
  714-23, Acts 10,9-16, 1st Tim 43)?
• The old testament law of clean and unclean
  animals is no longer binding on New testament
  believers.
• Jesus has fulfilled its demands and so we are no
  longer subjected under that law. This was made
  clear to Peter in a vision, and also to the
  disciples in the times of Christs earthly
  ministry (Acts 109-16 Mark714-23).
• However the spiritual principles that the law
  taught are still binding on believers

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Spiritual Principles

•  We must still separate ourselves from all
  unclean things, like works of darkness, pollution
  of flesh and spirit. We must be free from
  immorality, idolatry, pornography, etc. Just as
  the aquatic creatures have scales to protect
  themselves and also to prevent water from
  entering into them, we must also have the grace
  of God to keep us from the evil influence of the
  society in which we live, while we continue to
  carry our duties in the world.
• We must be guided by love and discretion in the
  way we use our liberty on diet. A believer cannot
  eat just anything and everything. We must avoid
  things that are harmful or those which are
  unwholesome. Remember, all things are lawful,
  but not things are expedient (1st Corinthians
  612).
• Clean animals chew the cud and part the hoof. As
  Christians, chewing the cud is a picture of
  meditate and digestion the word of God. We need
  to ruminate or meditate on what we have learnt or
  heard after reading or listening to the word of
  God. A clean animal must part the hoof, that
  means the word of God we hear must affect our
  walk, guide our feet and affect our lifestyle in
  general. In order to please the Lord we must
  practice what we learn.
• As believers we are the salt of the world, hence
  the need to avoid all kinds of evil life that is
  portrayed by some prohibited animals. Love of
  uncleanness as seen in the swine, barbarity of
  the predatory birds, morose and solitary
  lifestyle of the raven, hypocrisy and double life
  as shown in bats, the love of darkness as in
  owls.
• Finally we must live to the glory of God.
  Whatever we do, we must do everything to the
  glory of God. Therefore in our eating, dressing,
  work and recreation, we must always remember we
  are not lord over ourselves. We live to please
  God. AMEN!!!!!!!!