We conclude Chapter 11 today with the regulations regarding what types of insects and things on the ground can and cannot be eaten.
"All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you. 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. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean." (Leviticus 11:20-23) Almost all insects are forbidden. As with other forbidden foods, a person was to avoid touching them if at all possible. "You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean until evening." (Leviticus 11:24-25)
The Lord repeats His instructions regarding animals that have divided hooves and that chew the cud, but He adds the extra information that no animal having paws may be eaten. "Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean. Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you." (Leviticus 11:26-28)
Creeping creatures are also unclean for consumption. "Of all the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening." (Leviticus 11:29-31) Rats (and mice) harbor diseases that are communicable to humans, including two that you've almost certainly heard of such as Hantavirus and the Black Plague. Lizards can also transmit a number of unpleasant and even deadly viruses and infections to humans, with one of the most common illnesses being salmonella. Every year there are many people who contract salmonella by having lizards as pets. Just handling them is capable of transmitting this illness; you don't have to eat them to get sick.
Not only must a person refrain from eating the creatures listed in verses 29-30, but if any of these creatures contaminate clothing or household objects there are certain hygiene rules that must be observed. "When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean. Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:32-38)
Vermin will get into houses from time to time. If a person got his clay cooking pot out and found a dead rat lying in it, the cooking pot could no longer be used. It had to be broken to prevent anyone from accidentally using it again. Because vermin sometimes get into the house, a person might be required to remove rats or mice or lizards from the premises, but after doing so he must wash and self-isolate until evening. The Lord is providing these rules to help prevent the outbreak and spread of diseases in households and in the community.
When a kosher animal dies of natural causes or by predator attack, the person who disposes of the carcass must observe the washing and the self-isolation practices. "If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening. Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening." (Leviticus 11:39-40) The carcasses of animals brought as offerings to the Lord are excluded from being considered unclean. Verses 39-40 have to do, for example, with a farmer finding that one of his cows or sheep or goats has perished or has been attacked and killed by a wild animal. He has to dispose of the carcass, but because of the risk of contamination when handling dead and decaying things, he has to observe good hygiene after dealing with the remains of the animal.
Worms and snakes and all other creepy crawlies that slither along the ground and almost all insects are unclean. "Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten. You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean. Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them." (Leviticus 11:41-43) If you'd like to do an internet search of all the diseases carried by bugs and creeping things and slithering things, the list is long. It's easy to see why the Lord doesn't want these creatures being eaten by humans.
If the people disobey the Lord in these dietary rules, they are putting their physical health in jeopardy and they are putting their spiritual health in jeopardy. People usually don't start off disobeying the Lord in very large matters. Disobedience tends to begin in smaller matters. If a person is unwilling to follow these simple and practical and beneficial dietary rules, he will gradually begin to feel more and more at liberty to break larger rules, and the breaking of these rules will negatively impact his own life, the lives of those close to him, and in some cases the community as a whole. This is why the Lord issues the following warning: "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. I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44-45) The dietary rules aren't an arbitrary list made up according to someone's opinion. These rules are provided by the God who created all things. He knows what is good for our health and what is detrimental for our health. He knows what is good for our spiritual condition and what is detrimental for our spiritual condition. We are to honor Him with holy living because He is holy, and we cannot honor the Lord if we deliberately break His laws and commandments.
"These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten." (Leviticus 11:46-47) The Lord provides us with laws and commandments so we can recognize the good and the bad. It's important to practice godly living in every aspect of our lives, for if we fail to consider the importance of obeying the Lord in the small details, we'll certainly fail to obey Him in the bigger matters that have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences.
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