The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron telling them to tell the children of Israel what animals they were allowed to eat on the earth among all the animals.
To Eat
Among the animals, the children of Israel could eat whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chews the cud. Examples are ox, sheep, goats, deer, gazelles, roebucks, wild goats, mountain goats, antelopes and mountain sheep (Deuteronomy 14:4-5).
Whatever in the water that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or the rivers, they could eat.
Of every flying insect that creeps on all fours they could eat, were those which have jointed legs above their feet to leap on the earth. They could eat the locust, the destroying locust, the cricket and the grasshopper, each after its own kind.
Not To Eat
Even though the following list of animals chew the cud or have cloven hooves, the children of Israel were not allowed to eat them – the camel, the rock hyrax and the hare because they chew the cud but do not have cloven hooves. The swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, it does not chew the cud. All of those animals were unclean to them. They were not allowed to eat their flesh nor touch their carcasses.
All in the seas or the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing in the water were an abomination to them. They could not eat their flesh and they were to regard their carcasses as an abomination. So, whatever in the water that does not have fins or scales were to be an abomination to them.
The following list of birds were to be an abomination to them and not to be eaten – the eagle, vulture, buzzard, kite, the falcon after its kind, every raven after its kind, the ostrich, short-eared owl, sea gull, the hawk after its kind, the little owl, fisher owl, screech owl, white owl, jackdaw, carrion vulture, stork, the heron after its kind, hoopoe and the bat.
All flying insects that creep on all fours were to be an abomination to them, except for the ones listed on the “To Eat” list. All other flying insects that have four feet were to be an abomination to them.
In Acts 10:9-15, Peter has a vision about all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things and birds of the air, descending to him from heaven on an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners. A voice came to him and told him to rise, kill and eat. Peter exclaimed “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean. The voice spoke to him again and said, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” Of course, God was showing Peter that he, as a Jewish man, could keep company with or go to someone of another nation. Because he should not call any man common or unclean (Acts10:28).
Romans 14:2-3 states, “For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
Romans 14:6 says “…He who eats, eats to the Lord for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Romans 14:20-21 says, “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
In conclusion, whether you eat certain foods or not is a personal decision. Just be mindful not to offend nor judge anyone regarding their eating habits. No matter what, give God thanks. Pray over all that you eat.
Next week, it’s Leviticus 11:24-47. (Part 2)
To God Be The Glory!
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