CHAPTER 11

(1490 B.C.)

ANIMALS

¹And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,

²Speak unto the Children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which you shall eat among all the beasts that are on the Earth (Priesthood having been established, to it was now committed the judgment of that which was defiled).

³Whatsoever parts the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and chews the cud, among the beasts, that shall you eat (the Laws of this Chapter and following for several Chapters were not only a test of obedience, and a loving provision for the health and happiness of the people, but they also give a humbling picture of the weakness and corruption of fallen human nature).

⁴Nevertheless these shall you not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; he is unclean unto you (it should be noted that the Word of the Lord was the one and only judge in all of these matters).

⁵And the coney, because he chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

⁶And the hare (rabbit), because he chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

⁷And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you.

⁸Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcase shall you not touch; they are unclean to you. (Why would the Lord give specific instructions of this nature, as it regarded the eating of certain animals and fowls, etc.? In Acts, Chapter 10, as it regards the vision given to Simon Peter, all of these rulings were rescinded. In fact, as it regards Christianity, which is the outgrowth of true Judaism, there are no prohibitions whatsoever of this nature. The reason for these particular laws, and the understanding of them, such knowledge was not totally necessary, but rather obedience, because Israel was a set-apart people, actually raised up for the very purpose of bringing Christ the Redeemer into the world. As they were to be the womb of the Messiah, so to speak, things which the Lord specified as being unclean were forbidden. As stated, they didnt have to understand it all, but they definitely must obey. Once Christ came, all of these prohibitions ended.)

⁹These shall you eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall you eat.

¹⁰And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:

¹¹They shall be even an abomination unto you; you shall not eat of their flesh, but you shall have their carcases in abomination.

¹²Whatsoever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

¹³And these are they which you shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

¹⁴And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;

¹⁵Every raven after his kind;

¹⁶And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

¹⁷And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

¹⁸And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,

¹⁹And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

²⁰All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.

²¹Yet these may you eat of every flying creeping thing that goes upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the Earth;

²²Even these of them you may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

²³But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.

²⁴And for these you shall be unclean: whosoever touches the carcase of them shall be unclean until the evening (an unclean animal, fish, bird, or reptile, when dead, defiled whatsoever it touched).

²⁵And whosoever bears ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening (which means that in the meantime, the person could not offer Sacrifices).

²⁶The carcases of every beast which divides the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor chews the cud, are unclean unto you: everyone who touches them shall be unclean.

²⁷And whatsoever goes upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso touches their carcase shall be unclean until the evening (approximately 6 p.m.).

²⁸And he who bears the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean unto you.

²⁹These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the Earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,

³⁰And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.

³¹These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever does touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the evening.

³²And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, does fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; so it shall be cleansed. (All of this may seem to be tedious to the unspiritual eye and mind; however, we must understand that God desired to keep His people free from the defilement consequent upon touching, tasting, or handling that which was unclean. They were not their own and, hence, they were not to do as they pleased. They belonged to Jehovah; His Name was called upon them; they were identified with Him. As a result, His Word was to be their grand regulating standard in every case. Other nations might eat what they pleased, but Israel enjoyed the high privilege of eating that only which was pleasing to Jehovah.)

³³And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falls, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and you shall break it (not only were Israelites forbidden to touch that which was unclean, if their property came into contact with such, such was to be destroyed).

³⁴Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water comes shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.

³⁵And everything whereupon any part of their carcase falls shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.

CLEAN AND UNCLEAN

³⁶Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which touches their carcase shall be unclean.

³⁷And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

³⁸But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.

³⁹And if any beast, of which you may eat, die; he who touches the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the evening.

⁴⁰And he who eats of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; he also who bears the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

⁴¹And every creeping thing that creeps upon the Earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

⁴²Whatsoever goes upon the belly, and whatsoever goes upon all four, or whatsoever has more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the Earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.

⁴³You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled thereby.

HOLY

⁴⁴For I am the LORD your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am Holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the Earth. (We would ask ourselves the question as to whether the keeping of all these rules and regulations actually made one holy. The truth is, the keeping of these rules and regulations did not make one holy, even as the Sacrifices did not save one. But what it all represented definitely did have a bearing and effect upon these individuals. In some way, all of these things, and whatever they might have been, pointed to Christ. It is from Him Alone that all Holiness and Righteousness come to us.

So, faith in the One to Whom all these rules, regulations, and Sacrifices pointed would make one holy.)

⁴⁵For I am the LORD Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. (Concerning personal holiness in its present posture, there can be no progress in the condition of Holiness into which the Believer is introduced, but there is, and ought to be, progress in the apprehension, experience, and practical exhibition of that Holiness. These things should never be confounded. All true Believers are in the same condition of Holiness and Sanctification, but their practical measure may vary to any conceivable degree.

Actually, this should be easy to understand. The condition arises out of our being brought near to God by the Blood of the Cross; the practical measure will depend upon our keeping near by the power of the Spirit [Rom. 8:1-2, 11].)

⁴⁶This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps upon the Earth:

⁴⁷To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten. (To be sure, the Holy Spirit continues to make a difference between the unclean and the clean. True Holiness is to walk after the Spirit [Rom. 8:1]. This can be done only according to Gods prescribed order of victory, which is for the Believer to understand that everything we receive from the Lord comes to us exclusively by the means of the Cross. Christ is the Source, but the Cross is the Means; consequently, the Cross must ever be the object of our faith. That done and maintained, the Holy Spirit will then perform His Work of Christlikeness within our hearts and lives, but only after that manner [Gal. 2:20-21; Rom. 6:3-14; 8:1-11].)