Since Noah knew about clean and unclean animals (Gen. 7:1–10), this distinction was part of an ancient tradition that antedated the Mosaic law. Whether a creature was “clean’’ or “unclean’’ had nothing to do with the quality of the beast; it all depended on what God said about the animal. When He gave these laws, no doubt the Lord had the health of His people in mind (Ex. 15:26; Deut. 7:15), but the main purpose of the dietary code was to remind the Israelites that they belonged to God and were obligated to keep themselves separated from everything that would defile them. “Be holy, for I am holy’’ (Lev. 11:44; see Deut. 14:3–20 for a parallel list of clean and unclean foods).
Nevertheless, the spiritual principle of separation from defilement applies to the people of God today. The fact that we know God must make a difference in every aspect of our lives. “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s’’ (1 Cor. 6: nkjv). “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’’ (10: nkjv). God hasn’t given His church a list of things that are clean and unclean, but He’s revealed enough to us in His Word to help us know what pleases Him and what grieves Him.
Three facts should be noted about the dietary laws: (1) God gave these laws only to the Jewish nation; (2) obeying them guaranteed ceremonial purity but didn’t automatically make the person holy in character; and (3) the laws were temporary and were ended on the cross of Christ (Col. 2:14).
Jesus made it clear to His disciples that all foods were clean (Mark 7:1ff.), and God taught this lesson again to Peter before He sent him to minister to the “unclean’’ Gentiles (Acts 10:9–16). Paul affirmed that special days and diets must not be considered either the means or the measure of a person’s spirituality (Rom. 14:1—15:13). “But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do’’ (1 Cor. 8: niv). It’s wrong to judge other Christians on the basis of what they eat (Col. 2:16–23). As long as they believe God’s Word that all foods are clean, and ask God to bless their food, they have the right to eat it (1 Tim. 4:1–6).
It isn’t necessary to identify every creature named in this chapter. In fact, some of them are mysteries to us. Keep in mind that the law named representative creatures and didn’t attempt to give a complete list. Moses gave the general characteristics of the creatures that were approved and disapproved, and the people had to exercise discernment in applying the law. If a creature was doubtful, it was rejected; there was no sense taking a chance of becoming defiled.
Land animals (vv. 1–8). The two requirements were that the animal chew the cud and have a split hoof. An animal with only one of these features wasn’t considered clean and had to be rejected. The Hebrew word translated “hare’’ in verse 6 (“rabbit,’’ niv) refers to an animal we’re not familiar with, because the kinds of rabbits we’re familiar with don’t chew the cud. The movements of a rabbit’s jaw and nostrils may give the appearance that he’s chewing the cud, but that isn’t the case at all.
Water creatures (vv. 9–12). These had to have both fins and scales to be edible, and so all shellfish, catfish, and eels were prohibited. Aquatic creatures that are scavengers and burrow in the bottom of a body of water could pick up parasites that would be dangerous to the eater’s health. Since fish swim freely in the water, they generally escape such infections.
Fowl (vv. 13–19). Carrion-eating birds of prey would be defiled by the dead carcasses of their victims as well as by the blood still in the flesh; this made them doubly unclean. When Israel lusted after meat, the Lord sent them quails (Ex. 16:1–13; Num. 11:31–35).
Flying insects (vv. 20–23). All insects were forbidden except those with jointed hind legs used for jumping, such as locusts, katydids, crickets, and grasshoppers. These creatures aren’t normally a part of the Western diet, but many peoples in the East eat parts of their bodies roasted. John the Baptist lived on a diet of locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:4). The Jews would shun cockroaches, flies, and other insects of that variety.
Some years ago, during the course of my annual physical examination, my doctor discovered that my sugar count was rather high. He checked it very carefully and then informed me that I was a borderline diabetic in danger of experiencing some serious calamity, like a heart attack or blindness. The easiest solution to my problem was to lose weight, so I immediately went on a diet.
He gave me a piece of good advice. “Remember the secret of a happy diet is to learn to hate the things that aren’t good for you and to enjoy the things that are good for you.’’
It worked! I followed the diet, lost my taste for sweets and rich desserts, and soon got rid of the excess weight that was threatening my health, if not my life. We got the sugar under control.
The Jews under the Old Covenant had to adopt a similar outlook on life. They had to learn to despise the foods that God said were unclean and to enjoy the foods that God said were clean. It was a choice between pleasing themselves and being unclean or pleasing the Lord and being clean. There was no middle ground. If any food was questionable, it should have been automatically rejected, lest they disobey God and defile themselves.
When I was a young believer, somebody gave me a copy of the tract “Others May, You Cannot’’; it was a big help to me. I learned that I had to get my directions from God and not from other people, and that I had to be willing to be different. My great desire had to be to please the Lord joyfully, not grudgingly, and not to see how close I could get to sin and still not get into trouble.