CLEAN AND UNCLEAN FOOD
Keywords 11:45
I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be
your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
1. This passage mainly describes the clean and unclean
food the Israelites are allowed to eat. Starting with the land animals and
insects, then the sea life, and lastly the birds in the air, the Lord instructs
them carefully in much detail what they can eat and cannot eat, touch and not
touch. Why this realm of self-denial involving food?
2. Eating involves fellowship and even religious
worship. Just as God forbade them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, he forbade his people to eat certain foods. Unclean food was
associated with pagan religions and cultures. Eating or not eating certain
foods sets them apart from other godless peoples. For example, eating cows
would have made them detestable to the Egyptians, who regarded cows as sacred.
By not eating pigs, it would separate them from Egyptians and the Canaanites,
who ate pork.
3. Sharing a meal unites us emotionally, mentally, and
even spiritually with others. Thus, God commands them not to touch unclean
food, so that they won’t be even tempted
to go near them. “Be holy as I am
holy'' forced them to control their appetites and set boundaries in their
relationships. This would preserve them as God’s holy people in history.
Prayer Father, I
need your discipline to be holy and sanctified. Please help me to control
myself.
One Word Be holy as
I am holy
No comments:
Post a Comment