À LA CARTE
Opening Prayer
I am Yours, God: body, soul and mind. Lead me as You will.
Read Leviticus 11:1–12,41–45
Clean and Unclean Food
11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.
4 “‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. 5 The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 7 And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
9 “‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. 10 But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean. 11 And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean. 12 Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.
41 “‘Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten. 42 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. 43 Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. 44 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. 45 I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
In what ways does your faith in Jesus make you different from those around you?Hyrax and camel are off the menu; so what? What on earth do these persnickety food laws have to do with us? Our culture is obsessed with food. Cooking shows, diet plans, countless restaurants, obesity and other eating disorders. So while the exact stipulations of these laws may no longer apply to us, the principles are still important.
God is teaching us three things in Leviticus 11. First, he is teaching us about obedience. Many people try to hypothesize why some animals are clean and others unclean. In the end we must rest on the fact that when it comes to obedience, God has said and therefore we must obey. A maturing believer is one who increasingly obeys God’s Word, one who grows in dependence not independence.
Secondly, as God’s people obeyed these laws they would be distinct and separate from others. Their faith and obedience to God would make them stand out. While we are not called to stand out by our diet, we are called to be holy—different—because of our faith in Jesus.
Thirdly, God is highlighting his Lordship over every area of our lives. He is interested not just in our Sundays but also in every detail of life. God even wants us to eat and drink to his glory (1 Cor. 10:31).
Apply
Every time you eat today, think about these themes of obedience, holiness, and Lordship.
Closing prayer
Spend some time giving God the leadership over every area of your life today.
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