What to eat…

• Clean and unclean animals… Read: Leviticus 11:2-3 / 10 / 21 / 41-42
  • God gave instruction to Israel as to what kind of animals they were permitted to eat…
    • The concept of clean and unclean animals goes all the way back to Noah – Genesis 7:2
    • If an animal was a ‘clean’ animal – then they were allowed to use it for food…
    • It an animal was ‘unclean’ – then it was forbidden for them to eat it…
    • Before God gave the Law it is assumed men knew ‘clean’ animals by oral tradition…
    • Now in the Law God describes 5 categories of animals – defining clean from unclean…
  • 1^st – Any animal that has a split hoof / and that eats grass – is a clean animal… vs. 1-8
    • Meaning God allowed Israel to eat – Cows / Sheep / Goats / Dear / Caribou…
    • But they were forbidden to eat – Pigs / Camels / Horses / Dogs / Lions…
  • 2^nd – Any fish that has fins and scales – is a clean fish… vs. 9-12
    • Meaning God allowed Israel to eat – Anchovies / Tuna / Salmon / Bass…
    • But everything else was forbidden – shrimp / crabs / mudfish / squid / frogs…
  • 3^rd – God gave a list of the birds that were unclean… vs. 13-19
    • Included were owls, vultures, eagles, hawks, ravens, seagulls, and bats…
    • What all these birds have in common is they either eat unclean animals…
    • Or they are eat carrion – dead animals – they are scavengers…
    • The suggestion is that birds that are not scavengers or birds of prey – are clean
  • 4^th – Any insect that had joined legs for hopping – were clean… vs. 20-23
    • The only insects that qualified were grasshoppers and locusts…
    • John the Baptist was famously fond of eating grasshoppers with honey – Matthew 3:4
    • Every other insect – spiders / ants / termites – all of them – unclean
  • 5^th – All reptiles / snakes / rodents – are all unclean and must never be eaten…
  • Why the clean and unclean animals…
    • There are two thoughts on why God forbid Israel to eat certain foods…
    • 1^st – It may have been a test – to see how devoted Israel was to God…
      • By forbidding Israel to eat certain foods – some of them (letson) VERY tasty…
      • It allowed God to test Israel and see if they would be obedient to God…
      • Part of following Jesus is learning to deny what we want – and choose the Lord…
      • * Luke 9:23 – “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
      • For example – we might want to eat – but God calls us to fast to focus on Him…
      • Fasting is giving up something we want for the purpose of denying ourselves…
      • Taking the time we would have devoted to eating (or TV) and spending it with Jesus
      • We might want to sleep – but God calls us to get up and spend time in His word…
      • God does allow tests in our lives – to see if will we please God our please ourselves
    • 2^nd – God created the animals – and He knows which ones are the safest to eat…
      • For example: Pigs are scavengers – eat anything from garbage to their own fecal…
        • Trichinosis – a parasitic disease caused by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis…
        • It follows the eating of raw or inadequately cooked meat – especially pork…
        • The adverse affects of the high content of fat in Pork – high blood/stroke…
      • Shellfish are the cockroaches and vacuums cleaners of the ocean…

• Their ‘bottom feeding’ tends to give them high levels of bacteria and toxins…
• They have notoriously high levels of mercury and heaven metals in them…
• Many people have a potentially fatal allergic reaction to ‘shell fish’…
• God wants to keep us healthy – so He gave us rules to eat the healthiest animals…
• There is wisdom in following these rules – just simply for your health’s sake…
• Eat whatever you want…
  • We are no longer under the Law – we are under Grace – Romans 6:14
    • Spiritually it does not make a difference what we choose to eat…
    • * Matthew 15:11 – “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
    • Whatever you eat – it just goes into your stomach – then into the CR…
    • So you are not a better person if you don’t eat pork/shrimp – or worse if you do…
    • So spiritually speaking – chow down on all the letson and crabs you want!
  • But what comes out of our mouth…
    • The words that we speak – they are what make us unclean – defiled…
    • We are defiled because our words reveal what is in our heart…
    • * Luke 6:45 – “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
      
• Defiled by unclean animals… Read: Leviticus 11:43-47
  • If you touched a dead animal… vs. 24-31, 39-40
    • If you picked up a carcass – you had to immediately go and wash you clothes…
    • If you touch a dead animal – clean or unclean – you are ‘defiled’ until evening…
    • The word ‘defiled’ means – unclean or impure – you couldn’t enter the Tabernacle…
    • You could not come into the presence of the Lord till you were ‘clean’ again…
  • If a dead animal touched something… vs. 32-38
    • 1^st – A dead animal fell on something (wood/cloth/leather) – it had to be washed…
      • The item would be unclean – unusable until evening – then it would be ‘clean’ again
      • If they water used for cleaning touched anything – it was defiled until evening…
    • 2^nd – The animal fell into a clay pot – the contents had to be thrown out – pot smashed…
    • 3^rd – The dead animal fell into a spring or well – the water would not be defiled…
      • But whomever removes the dead animal – they will be ‘defiled’ till evening
    • 4^th – The dead animal falls on a seed to be planted – the seed is considered clean…
      • But it the seed was wet – then the seed is ‘defiled’ and must be thrown away…
  • It must have been very challenging to keep all these rules…
    • Every time you killed a chicken for lunch – you were unclean till evening…
    • Every time you swatted and killed a mosquito – you were unclean till evening…
    • Every time you had to kill a gecko for your wife – unclean until evening…
    • Why have all these rules – why make it so difficult for Israel – 2 reasons…
    • 1^st – To set Israel apart from all other nations…
      • God is holy (separate from a sinful world) – so we must also be holy…
      • Israel stuck out in a crowd because of God’s Laws – they were different…
      • The same way God calls us to be different from a lost and sinful world…
      • Not so much in what we eat – but in our actions – in our words…
      • We live in a VERY sinful world – if we act like them – we are not following God…
      • Instead we should be a light to them – by our life – show them the way to God!
    • 2^nd – It made Israel constantly think about God…
      • By giving rules on eating – something everyone does every day…
      • Israel constantly – daily – had to think about God’s Law for their lives…
      • Too often Christians think their faith only has to be lived out on Sunday mornings…
      • They other 6 days and 22 hours of the week – they act just like the world…
      • We should be daily in fellowship with God – guiding our every action…
      • Morning – noon – and night depending on the Lord to guide our every step!
      • Psalms 55:17 – “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.”

The Laws for giving birth… Leviticus 12:1-8

Like two halves of one whole – the one is not complete without the other!

When a woman has a child… vs. 1-5

If it was a boy…

She would be ‘unclean’ for 7 days – the normal length for her impurity…

A woman was ‘unclean’ for the first 7 days after she gave birth…

It was simply a time to allow her to physically recover from the pregnancy…

On the 8^th day – she would circumcise her son…

According to the command God gave to Abraham in Genesis 17:7-14…

The circumcision was the symbol of God’s Covenant with Israel…

* Colossians 2:11 – “When you came to Christ, you were ‘circumcised,’ but not by a physical procedure. It was spiritual… the cutting away of your sinful nature.”

It showed that the son was set apart – he was to be devoted to following God…

Then she must wait 33 more days to be purified – 40 days in all…

She could not go into the Temple – participate in religious ceremonies…

There are two thoughts as to why the woman had to wait 40 days…

1^st – It was a time to prepare for the challenges that lay ahead…

When a baby is born – they are born into a lost and sinful world…

The challenges of raising a child to know and follow the Lord were enormous….

The number 40 in the Bible is the number of trials – raising a child is a trial!

It is a lifelong choice for parents to choose to raise their children to know Jesus!

Not just simply teaching a child about Jesus – but showing them in actions…

Our children grow up following in our footsteps – they will mirror our example!

2^nd – For the health and well being of the new baby…

The first month of an infant’s life is critical physically and emotionally…

It was a time of bonding – between the mother and the child…

God did not want the mom getting busy again too quickly…

God also wanted to make sure the baby was physically strong – healthy…

If it was a girl…

She would be ‘unclean’ for 14 days – double the length if it had been a son…

Then she would wait for 66 days to be purified – 80 days in all!

There are some who have interpreted this as a punishment for having a girl – wrong…

Galatians 3:28 – “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus.”

God created us as equal – there is no difference between male or female in Christ!

Perhaps the reason for the ‘double time’ was to give more time to the baby girl…

In ancient cultures men were traditionally given more value than women…

So the Lord gave moms an extra 40 days to stay at home and bond with girls…

Offering to the Lord… vs. 6-8

At the end of the days – 40 or 80 – the woman was to go to the temple…

She was to bring a lamb as a sin offering / a bird as a purification offering…

God was not saying it is a sin to have a baby – God wants us to have LOTS of kids…

God’s 1^st command for marriage was to be fruitful and multiply – Genesis 1:28

God tells us his desire for marriage is Godly children – Malachi 2:15

And Jesus rebuked His disciples for keeping little kids from Him – Matthew 19:14

But because the baby was born as a sinner – there was a need for salvation…

Babies are not born as saints – they are born as dirty rotten selfish sinners…

The moment a child is born – you spank them – and they start crying…

Therefore a mom was to offer a lamb – to cover the sin of her newborn child…

We are born with the need for a savior – we were all born into sin and judgment…

John 3:6-7 – “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven… don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again.”

So God sent the Lamb of God – to take away our sin – so we might be born again…

This time not into sin – but into new life in Christ!

If the mom could not afford a lamb…

She was allowed to instead bring two birds as an offering…

Mary and Joseph were poor – they could not afford a lamb for the sacrifice – Luke 2:24

Instead they brought two birds – the offering God allowed for those who were poor…

It is so important to study both the Old and the New Testament…

If you did now know Leviticus 12 – you would not full understand Luke 2…