We move on into Chapter 11 today and begin our study of the food regulations the Lord provided for the Israelites. This is not the first time the Lord has given instructions regarding which animals can and cannot be eaten, for when Noah built the ark the Lord told him, "Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one kind of every pair of unclean animal, a male and its mate." (Genesis 7:2)
Noah apparently knew the difference between what the Lord considered "clean" and "unclean". But perhaps somewhere along the way the people forgot or began to disregard these dietary rules. I wouldn't be surprised if living in Egypt for several centuries caused them to relax their standards in this matter. As they observed the Egyptians eating anything and everything, they may have come to consider all food the same and, on top of that, I think it's possible that the daily rations supplied to them by the Egyptian slavemasters contained all sorts of ingredients that the Lord would consider "unclean".
The Israelites will soon move into and begin taking over the promised land from the idolatrous tribes currently living in that region. These tribes eat all sorts of filth and engage in all sorts of rituals with organ meats and fat and blood. The Lord doesn't want the Israelites to pick up any of these bad habits and right now is a good time to give them a refresher course on what He considers fit to eat and what He considers unhealthy to eat.
"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat. You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and chews the cud.'" (Leviticus 11:1-3) Among common animals this would include things like cows, goats, and sheep. It would not include horses. Among wild game this list would include things like deer and antelopes and gazelles.
The Lord provides several examples to make His point. "There are some that chew only 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. The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you." (Leviticus 11:4-8)
Most of us reading this study of Leviticus together are probably Gentiles but most Gentiles are aware that observant Jews do not eat pork. We are probably less familiar with the other dietary regulations, but among the forbidden animals mentioned in verses 4 through 8 it's probably the pig that presents the most danger to the eater. Pork meat harbors bacterias such as enterocolitica, salmonella, enterococcus, listeria, staph, and trichonosis. If not thoroughly cooked, a person could become quite ill or even die from consuming pork. They could also become quite ill or even die from not being able to refrigerate pork that had already been cooked, for the bacteria in pork tends to multiply very swiftly if it's not handled properly and kept at the proper temperatures.
Tapeworms were prevalent in pigs back in the days before antiparasitic drugs were invented for use in domestic animals. A person eating pork, especially if they ate organ meats such as the stomach and intestines, risked contracting a severe case of tapeworms. Worms contracted from eating pork is considered a potential cause of death for Herod Agrippa I in the book of Acts. The Bible tells us he was "eaten by worms and died". The ancient historian Josephus tells us that Herod was struck with severe pains in his belly and lay in intense agony for five days before he perished. Both Josephus and the Bible indicate that his affliction was a judgment of God for his many blasphemous ways of living. Herod wasn't struck down for his dietary indiscretions alone, but they certainly played a part in his early demise.
In our study today we find the Lord not only forbidding the eating of certain mammals but also forbidding the people to touch the carcasses. I think this prohibition serves two purposes. First, an animal that is unclean for food due to the bacteria and parasites it harbors may become even more dangerous after its death when it is decaying and when the bacteria is multiplying rapidly. Cross contamination could occur if a person moves the carcass of an unclean animal and then doesn't have access to soap and water immediately afterward. He might end up touching his face or his food and transferring the bacteria into his mouth. Second, human beings experience a heightened sense of temptation when they touch the object of their desire, whether that object is a person they have lustful thoughts about, or whether it's an object they want to purchase but shouldn't, or whether it's food that isn't good for them.
Some years back I read about a scientific experiment that had been conducted which indicated that people who touch merchandise in a store are more likely to purchase the merchandise. Touching brings us one step closer to giving in to temptation, so the Lord cautions the people not to even touch the carcass of an unclean animal. A person might come across an unclean animal that was just killed by a predator. Most predators will flee when they see a human being approaching and in that case the meat would be very fresh when the person happens upon it. The person might feel tempted to take home this meal that just conveniently ended up in his path, but as long as he doesn't actually touch the animal he's going to have a better chance of resisting the temptation.
Join us tomorrow as we study which types of seafood and which types of fowl are allowed and not allowed. In the meantime I think we should keep in mind that the Lord prohibits things for our good. If the Lord tells us something is to be strictly avoided, it's because He only wants the best for us. He knows having that thing will do us some sort of harm, either immediately or in the long run. We all face temptations in life and the Lord knows we will be in a better position to say "no" to these temptations if we have His laws written in our hearts before we find ourselves faced with temptation.
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