Whew! The whole book of Leviticus! After this, I might just have to see if I qualify to become a Hasidic Jew! LOL I am circumcised so I met that criteria!! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
What's up with the animals??? Here is some insight from the ESV Study Bible commentary: The explains which creatures were considered clean and which were considered unclean. The rationale of why a creature is placed in one category vs. the other has puzzled commentators throughout the ages, and there is still no consensus of opinion. Typical explanations include a concern for hygiene; a “death” motif (i.e., unclean animals were somehow more associated with death in the Israelite mind); and polemics against Canaanite customs. More recently, it has been argued that a creature is unclean when it does not conform to established norms (e.g., an Israelite's established norm for a four-legged creature would be a cow or a goat, since these were their herd and flock animals; a pig is thus unclean because, even though it has four legs, it is unlike the norm in that it does not chew the cud). In evaluating the above approaches, it is probably fair to say that no single one of them can provide a rationale that works for all the animals in this chapter. As a result, there might be a number of different reasons why an animal was considered clean or unclean. While the rationale of the classifications is still debated, the purpose of these laws is clear. In brief, they were to help Israel—as the Lord's holy people—to make distinctions between ritual cleanness and ritual uncleanness (vv. 46–47). Significantly, making these distinctions in the ritual realm would no doubt serve as a constant reminder to the people of their need for making the parallel distinctions in the moral realm as well. Further, adherence to these food laws expresses Israel's devotion to the Lord: just as he separated the Israelites from the other nations, so they must separate clean from unclean foods (20:24–26). This is why the restrictions can be removed in Acts 10:9–28, when the Jew vs. Gentile distinction is no longer relevant in defining the people of God (cf. also Mark 7:19; Col. 2:16–23; Heb. 9:1–14; 10:1–18). For Israel to obey these dietary restrictions also shows that the people honor the Creator, who has the right to decide how his creatures may be used. A “clean” animal is one “permitted” for food (Lev. 11:2). It is clear that classifying an animal as “unclean” is not the same as declaring that animal “evil”: God cares for all beasts, clean and unclean alike (cf. Ps. 104:17–18; 147:9). Leviticus employs a simple and practical classification system for edible animals, based on readily observable features. It is geared to the kind of life that Israel will live in the land of Canaan, and it is not always easy to apply it to animals that Israelites did not normally encounter (for instance, the sturgeon, which modern rabbis consider to have the wrong kind of scales, is not included here). This system is good for its purpose, a purpose that is different from that of the modern zoologist's taxonomy. See the parallel list in Deut. 14:3–21
Did she see bacon or something? Or was it the house she commented on? LOL
Great comment about God's diet for Israil, Gary. I do believe that God had his reasons (again, aren't we bold to be creations questioning the Creator?). I like the book of Daniel. He had a "sort of" contest with the king of Babylon concerning nutrition. His men ate vegetables, animals God deemed clean while the king's men ate whatever they wanted. In the end, it was almost like some NutriSystem commercial: Daniel and his boys were lean, mean, fighting machines while the king's boys were arterially-clogged, obese, lethargic slobs. It is a light-hearted chapter of the Bible (Daniel 1).
Although the particular laws God laid down concerning what animals to eat or not eat were directed to Israel, the rules are health principles which apply to us today. They are important because of our responsibility to keep pure and strong bodies. A comparison of clean and unclean creatures shows that the unclean ones tend to eat or live in filth themselves. The coney is like a rabbit (there are no rabbits in the meditteranean area)except larger and more akin to the hare. I did not see any confusion concerning what to eat and what not to eat. Cloven-footed animals are able to free themselves of the plants and dirt they walk over, keeping them from potentially becoming infected by dead plant life and bacteria in the soil. Chewing the cud is a phenomenon where the animal regurgitates its food in order to break it down further and free it of any noxious substances. The food is then more perfectly digested. Swine have cloven feet but do not chew the cud. Let's talk Leviticus 18:22. Pure and simple: DO NOT BE HOMOSEXUAL. Any questions? The book of Leviticus is not all about the DO NOT's. It includes a fantastic chapter in Leviticus 19. It gives laws for GOOD behavior. Numbers 5:6 drew my attention. Here is the passage: "Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty..." Notice that wrong done to a person is "against the Lord." Jesus spoke in similar terms in Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." That goes both ways: Act kind toward another and it is as if you did the kindness to God. Act maliciously to another and it is as if you acted that malice toward God. Great section of the Bible. Loaded with thought-provoking information!
Whew! The whole book of Leviticus! After this, I might just have to see if I qualify to become a Hasidic Jew! LOL I am circumcised so I met that criteria!! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
ReplyDeleteWhat's up with the animals??? Here is some insight from the ESV Study Bible commentary: The explains which creatures were considered clean and which were considered unclean. The rationale of why a creature is placed in one category vs. the other has puzzled commentators throughout the ages, and there is still no consensus of opinion. Typical explanations include a concern for hygiene; a “death” motif (i.e., unclean animals were somehow more associated with death in the Israelite mind); and polemics against Canaanite customs. More recently, it has been argued that a creature is unclean when it does not conform to established norms (e.g., an Israelite's established norm for a four-legged creature would be a cow or a goat, since these were their herd and flock animals; a pig is thus unclean because, even though it has four legs, it is unlike the norm in that it does not chew the cud). In evaluating the above approaches, it is probably fair to say that no single one of them can provide a rationale that works for all the animals in this chapter. As a result, there might be a number of different reasons why an animal was considered clean or unclean. While the rationale of the classifications is still debated, the purpose of these laws is clear. In brief, they were to help Israel—as the Lord's holy people—to make distinctions between ritual cleanness and ritual uncleanness (vv. 46–47). Significantly, making these distinctions in the ritual realm would no doubt serve as a constant reminder to the people of their need for making the parallel distinctions in the moral realm as well. Further, adherence to these food laws expresses Israel's devotion to the Lord: just as he separated the Israelites from the other nations, so they must separate clean from unclean foods (20:24–26). This is why the restrictions can be removed in Acts 10:9–28, when the Jew vs. Gentile distinction is no longer relevant in defining the people of God (cf. also Mark 7:19; Col. 2:16–23; Heb. 9:1–14; 10:1–18). For Israel to obey these dietary restrictions also shows that the people honor the Creator, who has the right to decide how his creatures may be used. A “clean” animal is one “permitted” for food (Lev. 11:2). It is clear that classifying an animal as “unclean” is not the same as declaring that animal “evil”: God cares for all beasts, clean and unclean alike (cf. Ps. 104:17–18; 147:9). Leviticus employs a simple and practical classification system for edible animals, based on readily observable features. It is geared to the kind of life that Israel will live in the land of Canaan, and it is not always easy to apply it to animals that Israelites did not normally encounter (for instance, the sturgeon, which modern rabbis consider to have the wrong kind of scales, is not included here). This system is good for its purpose, a purpose that is different from that of the modern zoologist's taxonomy. See the parallel list in Deut. 14:3–21
ReplyDeleteJen woke up this morning and started walking around the house yelling, "Unclean! Unclean!"
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDid she see bacon or something? Or was it the house she commented on? LOL
ReplyDeleteGreat comment about God's diet for Israil, Gary. I do believe that God had his reasons (again, aren't we bold to be creations questioning the Creator?). I like the book of Daniel. He had a "sort of" contest with the king of Babylon concerning nutrition. His men ate vegetables, animals God deemed clean while the king's men ate whatever they wanted. In the end, it was almost like some NutriSystem commercial: Daniel and his boys were lean, mean, fighting machines while the king's boys were arterially-clogged, obese, lethargic slobs. It is a light-hearted chapter of the Bible (Daniel 1).
Although the particular laws God laid down concerning what animals to eat or not eat were directed to Israel, the rules are health principles which apply to us today. They are important because of our responsibility to keep pure and strong bodies.
ReplyDeleteA comparison of clean and unclean creatures shows that the unclean ones tend to eat or live in filth themselves.
The coney is like a rabbit (there are no rabbits in the meditteranean area)except larger and more akin to the hare.
I did not see any confusion concerning what to eat and what not to eat. Cloven-footed animals are able to free themselves of the plants and dirt they walk over, keeping them from potentially becoming infected by dead plant life and bacteria in the soil. Chewing the cud is a phenomenon where the animal regurgitates its food in order to break it down further and free it of any noxious substances. The food is then more perfectly digested.
Swine have cloven feet but do not chew the cud.
Let's talk Leviticus 18:22. Pure and simple: DO NOT BE HOMOSEXUAL. Any questions?
The book of Leviticus is not all about the DO NOT's. It includes a fantastic chapter in Leviticus 19. It gives laws for GOOD behavior.
Numbers 5:6 drew my attention. Here is the passage: "Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty..." Notice that wrong done to a person is "against the Lord." Jesus spoke in similar terms in Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." That goes both ways: Act kind toward another and it is as if you did the kindness to God. Act maliciously to another and it is as if you acted that malice toward God.
Great section of the Bible. Loaded with thought-provoking information!