Now then, continuing in the lines of previous posts what to wear and what to surround yourself with. Like sacred stones or wearing one fabric garments. We think it's just as important to consider, as what you put outside the body, what you decide to put on the inside. And yes we do know the words of Immanuel, whatever goes into a man does not defile the man, but whatever comes out of a man does (paraphrasing here, Matthew 15,11). We will explain what we think He was talking about further below. But ask yourself this, do you guys honestly think that this particular Scripture (or other examples) is telling you that it is fine to eat swine flesh or any of the other foods considered unclean? We have heard people using this (and other Scriptures) as something that builds up their argument of being able to eat whatever they want. Bacon is okay they say...
Now if you believe that it is indeed so, thats how you read it at the current moment in time. No shame in that. But what if you are wrong? How do you for instance read this verse in Isaiah (66,15-17):
"For SoNiNi will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to pay back his anger in fury, and his rebuke in flames of fire. 16 For by fire will SoNiNi execute judgment, and by his sword, on all flesh; and those slain by SoNiNi shall be many.
17 Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the centre, eating the flesh of pigs, vermin, and rodents, shall come to an end together, says SoNiNi.
The people being referred to as eaters of these unclean animals, will be of the slain. There can be no doubt about that, and Thats how we read it. Now, if you go deeper you see that Christ, in the segment of Matthew, may have been talking about something else, something deeper. On how our words are (ultimately) is the main thing that defile us. And this is another topic altogether and moves into the world of the spoken word, and that a person will be held accountable for every idle word ever spoken. It is the sinful talk that leads to sin, right? It is the tongue that opens the door is it not? Which is a mighty thing to think about. That being said, Christ never ate swine-flesh, if He did He would have broken the Law. And we know He lived the law to the fullest of perfection. So why then should you eat Swine-flesh?
Lets do a little study on it shall we. Say you admit its a small sin... so perhaps after consuming the bacon (swine-flesh) you may become partial to other pleasures, lets say your mouth runs more with slander or you being to defend the fact that its okay to look at other women (with lust) and that opens another door to you confessing a lust for this or that, going deeper and deeper into sin. Now Christ called us out of sin, so we can become more and more righteous through knowing the Law. That sound like a forced and untrue concept for a heart in disobedience. But for the obedient man, all this makes perfect sense. WE know there is right and wrong, of course there are clean things and unclean things. And of course Christ wants us to stay away from the unclean thing.
So let us get to know the Law a little better, and if we go to Leviticus 11 (and we will go through the whole chapter segment by segment below), there are descriptions and easily rememberable ways of discerning what can be eaten and what should not be eaten. Now, if you tell a person especially a self-professed Christian, that there are dietary Laws that we as believers should follow. If he or she asks why (and we cannot say how many times that has happened), you must know that they are not of an obedient heart if they argue against (Scripture), they make arguments and defend having them close to their soul when The Father has warned us to stay away from such things or good reason. Sure questions are good, but like we say pay attention to the one that asks why right off the cuff. It's a sign of the spirit that talks like this either out loud or in its heart, I aint gonna listen you or anyone, I have my own lines of thinking. What makes you so sure of what you are saying? Are you God? Prove it to me. ETC, ETC. People with inner talk like that, have a heart that has not been circumcised and they are not of an obedient mind. They have not been convicted, they have not bent the knee, their heart is deaf to Scripture, hence they do not even know there is a Holy Spirit that will guide you through your life. Amplifying one's own conscience. Showing you your sins, so you can come out of them.
Now try it, even if you drop Scripture on people with a vacated conscience, some will say (yes we have heard it with our own ears) that these laws we do not have to follow anymore. Christ did away with the Law on the cross. Is it? With those arguments, you could go and kill someone tomorrow and argue that the law is done away with and it was a mercy kill or something. You could effectively argue against anything if you allow that door to stay open in your life. You will then become truly Lawless.
Anyways, here come the list of foods (Leviticus 11,1-8):
"SoNiNi naNiNi spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them: 2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying:
From among all the land animals, these are the creatures that you may eat. 3 Any animal that has divided hoofs and is cleft-footed and chews the cud—such you may eat. 4 But among those that chew the cud or have divided hoofs, you shall not eat the following: the camel, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you. 5 The rock badger, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you. 6 The hare, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you. 7 The pig, for even though it has divided hoofs and is cleft-footed, it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean for you."
So we see here the animal with divided hoof, like cow, goat, sheep - your everyday grazer or livestock animal. Are indeed clean and good for eating. But if there is one that eats grass but does not have a divided hoof, like the camel, you are not to eat it. So eaters of camel meat and drinkers of camel meat, think twice. What parasite or other door have you opened yourself up to. Another one is the Rock badger here, with we assume could be talking about the Honeybadger (a well known master escape artist in southern Africa), does not have divided hoofs and, therefore unclean, as is the pig and hippo, both chew the cud but has a cleft like hoof. They are unclean. And just look at what the pig will eat, you will understand that the unclean animal does not discern what goes into its body, so, therefore, anything goes. It further says do not even come close to its carcass. And just out of curiosity, how is pig's meat stored in the shops? That's right, just next to the other meats. Makes you wonder whether all commercial foods become unclean at that point.
So lets continue, and we have moved from land and dived into the sea now to see what we can and cannot eat from it (Leviticus 11,1-8):
9 "These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams—such you may eat. 10 But anything in the seas or the streams that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and among all the other living creatures that are in the waters—they are detestable to you 11 and detestable they shall remain. Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall regard as detestable. 12 Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.
13 These you shall regard as detestable among the birds. They shall not be eaten; they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, 14 the buzzard, the kite of any kind; 15 every raven of any kind; 16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind; 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the water hen, the desert owl, the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 All winged insects that walk upon all fours are detestable to you. 21 But among the winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to leap on the ground. 22 Of them you may eat: the locust according to its kind, the bald locust according to its kind, the cricket according to its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind. 23 But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.
Unclean Animals
24 By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26 Every animal that has divided hoofs but is not cleft-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean for you; everyone who touches one of them shall be unclean. 27 All that walk on their paws, among the animals that walk on all fours, are unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until the evening, 28 and the one who carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean for you.
29 These are unclean for you among the creatures that swarm upon the earth: the weasel, the mouse, the great lizard according to its kind, 30 the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31 These are unclean for you among all that swarm; whoever touches one of them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. 32 And anything upon which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether an article of wood or cloth or skin or sacking, any article that is used for any purpose; it shall be dipped into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening, and then it shall be clean. 33 And if any of them falls into any earthen vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break the vessel. 34 Any food that could be eaten shall be unclean if water from any such vessel comes upon it; and any liquid that could be drunk shall be unclean if it was in any such vessel. 35 Everything on which any part of the carcass falls shall be unclean; whether an oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces; they are unclean, and shall remain unclean for you. 36 But a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, while whatever touches the carcass in it shall be unclean. 37 If any part of their carcass falls upon any seed set aside for sowing, it is clean; 38 but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39 If an animal of which you may eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 40 Those who eat of its carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until the evening; and those who carry the carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until the evening.
41 All creatures that swarm upon the earth are detestable; they shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever moves on its belly, and whatever moves on all fours, or whatever has many feet, all the creatures that swarm upon the earth, you shall not eat; for they are detestable. 43 You shall not make yourselves detestable with any creature that swarms; you shall not defile yourselves with them, and so become unclean. 44 For I am SoNiNi naNiNi; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that moves on the earth. 45 For I am SoNiNi who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.
46 This is the law pertaining to land animal and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms upon the earth, 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten."
Now there is allot to go through here. First of we will do a future post on which animals is being talked about as some of these, just like the Gemstones of Southern Africa, some these will of course be wrong as they have not considered all the animals from the continent of Africa. Wrong region, wrong culture. Wrong just about everything. And when the English Bible translated unicorn rest assured it should have been referring to the Rhino, not a made up horse. But we will go through more of that in the future, and get the southern African species right, many bucks here we think can be eaten and that are to be considered clean. Some not.
Now it is going to become more and more important to source your own food in the future. We see now the amount additives are growing exponentially and all kinds of protein additives (clean and unclean), from bugs and pigs alike) that all of it may very well come from unclean animals altogether. So we have to be vigilant, the Devil wants you to break the commandments. Remember all who share in the cup of Babylon (Revelation 18,3):
For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”