Journal Through the Bible: Week 18 Thursday

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Leviticus chapter 11

The dietary laws are interesting due to their restrictions. At first, they might seem arbitrary, but really the laws were given for protection. The animals, fish, birds, and insects that were forbidden are scavengers and the world's natural sewage and garbage collectors. These laws were God's way of keeping His people healthy and safe from the parasites and diseases that infected their Gentile neighbors.

In the New Testament it was made clear to the Jewish Christians that if they were going to be able to minister among the Gentiles they would need to eat the things that those Gentiles ate, including foods that did not follow the Jewish dietary guidelines. Putting one's welfare, including health, at risk is part of the call of a missionary and it is evident that this was so from the beginning of missionary service.

Does God make any promises in this chapter?

• God promised that if they would follow His dietary and cleanliness plan they would be sanctified and holy. I feel that this was a practical part of the fulfillment of the promise that the people would have none of the diseases that afflicted the Egyptians and other Gentiles (Exodus 15:26)

Are there any references to Jesus?

• If God made a differentiation between clean and unclean animals in order to label a certain people group sanctified and holy, then the clean animals must be a type of Jesus since His pure and undefiled body sanctifies us and makes us holy.
• Jesus stated that His body was our meat. He did not mean this literally, but it certainly is symbolic and is pictured in the communion service with unleavened bread.

Are there any references to future events?

• Not specified, but the subject of foods to be eaten in eternity is certainly a much debated topic! I, for one,  do not believe we will eat any sort of animal but that mankind and even animals will return to the original vegetarian plan like was instituted in the Garden of Eden. The only reason dietary provisions were changed was to accommodate the depletion of certain nutrients or situations. The first time was after Noah's Flood when the earth's climate was radically changed. Meat was added to the diet at that point. Then these Jewish dietary laws were established to keep the people healthy from animal-borne diseases and parasites. Then the Jewish Christians were told to eat whatever was set before them so as not to offend those to whom they were ministering. (Circumcision was also noted as being unnecessary as a sign of the covenant between God and man in the New Testament. And it would seem that anything designed to keep the body physically in top shape - diet and exercise - was graded only slightly profitable for extending the lifespan of men.)

Does God issue any commands?

• The dietary laws are given concerning clean and unclean animals.
• The dietary laws concerning fish and other aquatic animals are also given.
• The dietary laws concerning birds and insects are also stated.
• Anyone who touched the carcass of an unclean beast or bird was considered unclean and had to wash thoroughly and allow several hours to pass before being considered clean (uncontaminated) again.
• Any dish or utensil that was touched by an unclean beast or bird, or water that touched an unclean beast or bird, was also unclean. Earthen dishes were to be broken (probably due to their porous nature).
• Water that held an unclean dead creature was unclean unless it was a stream, fountain, or other source of running water that was constantly refreshed by movement. 
• Seed that was still dry would still be considered clean if an unclean animal fell into it but if water had been applied to the seed in the early stages of germination and an unclean animal fell into it the seed was unclean and unusable.
• God commanded them to be set apart and holy. He stated that these laws were given to show that they were sanctified (set apart) and holy.