Dietary laws! Are you kidding? Interestingly, while God’s restrictions may seem oppressive to us in our modern, sophisticated world, there is no indication that the Israelites felt cheated out of their freedom. They simply understood that they were God’s holy people, set apart from all others, as belonging to God. And that was a great honor to them. It may not be through Old Testament rules, but do you stand out as holy unto the Lord in a very unholy world?
The Journey// Focus: Leviticus 11:1-2
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat…”
My guess is that you didn’t find your reading of Leviticus 11 all too exhilarating. Maybe you didn’t read it at all. Of if you did, you practiced the art of speed reading. For sure, you are probably scratching your head over why God would care about what was on the menu for the Israelites. Why would he give a fig about their diet? Why is this even in our Bible and what am I to do with ancient restrictions on eating camel, owls, bugs and hyrax—is that singular or plural?—today? What’s the application, or is there any practical value at all?
To make any sense or to find any application of most of Leviticus for our lives today, and especially as it relates to these archaic dietary laws, we need to remember the whole point of Leviticus: God was teaching his people about holiness. He was demonstrating to them that he was holy and that they, therefore, since they were his chosen people, must be a holy people. They were to be set apart, distinct from all the other people of the earth. And each of these laws, along with the details of the laws, provided the pathway to holiness, the guardrails to keep them on that, and the onramps to the highway of holiness once they had wandered from it.
As we have seen throughout Leviticus, holiness was a big deal to God—both his and theirs. Now while the Mosaic law is no longer in effect—it was mainly to shape these wandering Hebrews into a nation, a culture, a peaceful, productive society—the spirit or intent of the law is still in effect. God still cares about holiness—his and ours.
God wanted Israel to be holy, his unadulterated people set apart as a kingdom of priests unto the rest of the world, his prized possession. In order to have that, God told them not to blend in with the godless cultures surrounding them, and most definitely they were to avoid at all costs being polluted by their idolatry. Among the may ways God was to distinguish them as such were these dietary laws.
Now some would argue that they restrictions on Israel’s diet had health and hygiene outcomes. Perhaps. Some would say that the animals that were banned from the dinner table were animals that the godless cultures worshipped or sacrificed to their gods. Maybe. But my sense is that God, for reasons that we don’t fully understand, simple said, “here’s how you will set yourself apart for me.” He had the right to do that, you know. And he still does.
Interestingly, while God’s restrictions may seem oppressive to us in our modern, sophisticated world, there is no indication that the Israelites felt cheated out of their freedom. They simply understood that they were God’s holy people, set apart from all others, as belonging to God. And that was a great honor to them. Of course, over time, the honor of being set apart devolved into pride, and that was just as odious to God as eating a skunk. Maybe more so. But the original purpose was powerfully and beautifully important.
So what about today? How has God asked you to be distinctly his? How do you stand out as holy unto the Lord in a very unholy world? What is it that he wants you to do to be in the world yet not of it in a way that is known to one and all?
My fear is that too many of us blend so well into the world that we are seen as distinct. That seems to be the trend among Christians these days—perhaps an overreaction to the recent era of legalistic holiness that our grandparents grew up in.
Can I appeal to us that we rethink how holiness—being separate and distinct from culture, set apart for God’s purpose, a road sign for all to see that we belong to God? I don’t know if restricting your diet will do that for you, or that God is asking that of you. But then again, maybe he is.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.