Prepare

Have you ever done a job that left you filthy dirty, or a walk that left you covered in mud? How did it feel to get clean?

Bible passage

Leviticus 11:1–25,44–47

Clean and unclean food

11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² ‘Say to the Israelites: “Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: ³ you may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

⁴ ‘“There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. ⁵ The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁶ The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁷ And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. ⁸ You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

⁹ ‘“Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. ¹⁰ But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales – whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water – you are to regard as unclean. ¹¹ And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean. ¹² Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.

¹³ ‘“These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, ¹⁴ the red kite, any kind of black kite, ¹⁵ any kind of raven, ¹⁶ the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, ¹⁸ the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, ¹⁹ the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

²⁰ ‘“All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you. ²¹ There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. ²² Of these you may eat any kind of locust, cricket, cicada or grasshopper. ²³ But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.

²⁴ ‘“You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. ²⁵ Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

Leviticus 11:44-47

⁴⁴ I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. ⁴⁵ I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

⁴⁶ ‘“These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. ⁴⁷ You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”’

New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Explore

To enjoy God’s welcome in his house, careful attention needed to be shown to Israel’s daily diet. The classification of ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ is important because only ‘clean’ things could be made holy. 

The distinction is roughly equivalent to ‘normal’ and ‘unusual’, or ‘whole’ and ‘flawed’. In the animal kingdom – animals (vs 2–8,29,30), fish (vs 9–12), birds (vs 13–19), insects (vs 20–23) – some things conform to type, some don’t. Fish, for example, that swim ‘normally’ with fins and scales, are distinguished from ‘unusual’ water creatures that have neither (vs 9–12). 

Many of the reasons are obscure to us, but it seems that the distinction between clean and unclean foods is a parallel to Israel’s status as a holy nation (vs 44,45). God had made a distinction between the ‘clean’ nation of Israel and the other ‘unclean’ nations that surrounded them. Every time the Israelites ate, they were reminded of their special status and the call to holiness.

In the New Testament age, the distinction between the nations has been abolished (Acts 10:11–28). In Jesus all are made clean and may enjoy God’s welcome.

Respond

Meditate on this verse: ‘A man with leprosy came to him … “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus … reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”’ (Mark 1:40,41).

Deeper Bible study

Thank God for giving you all the food you need and more. Pray for wisdom to eat in a responsible manner, always mindful of the needs of others.

We can only speculate as to the reasoning behind the classification of what may or may not be consumed as food according to these laws. Meat from animals which have cloven hoofs and chew the cud does not taste any better or provide more healthy sustenance than those which are banned for eating! The same is true of sea creatures with scales and fins and the birds and insects specified in our reading. What, then, was the purpose of these laws and of what relevance are they for us today?

God wants us to eat and to eat well. That is the way he has designed our bodies. However, right from the beginning, God saw it fit to introduce some discipline regarding what we eat.¹ Sometimes, the reason for the prohibition is explained, as for the sanctity of blood, but in other instances the reason remains a mystery. However, one thing is clear. In giving his laws for Israel to obey, Israel’s God was making a distinction between them and all the other nations on earth.² Regardless of whether the people of Israel understood the underlying reasons, every one of God’s laws was for their good.³ 

Today we are at liberty to eat anything and everything we fancy, since Jesus Christ has delivered us from the demands of the Law. Being a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian does nothing to improve our spiritual standing with God. It is still important, all the same, to exercise strict discipline in what we eat or do not eat. We have a responsibility to take good care of our body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Also, even when what we choose to eat may do us no harm, we should be careful to consider its impact on the spiritual and physical well-being of others.⁴

Ask God to keep you mindful of the welfare of others in every area of your life.

¹ Gen 2:17; 9:4  ² Deut 4:8  ³ Deut 10:12,13  ⁴ Rom 14:20,21; 1 Cor 8:8–13

Bible in a year

Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 11,12; Matthew 22

Pray for Scripture Union

Pray for churches planning to run The Restoration Station holiday club during halfterm and Easter holidays. As the children explore stories from John’s Gospel, pray that they will discover the power of Jesus to heal and restore.

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