(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 1)
As in the beginning humans were instructed on which creatures they could eat and others which for their own safety were considered as being unhealthy to consume. During the course of life oh God You also have shown us to discern many situations which were healthy and uplifting in comparison to others which were totally negative.
2. Speak to the people of Israel saying: From among all the land animals, these are the creatures that you may eat.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 2)
Oh God my father not only do You care for my spiritual welfare but even for my social, psychological and physical welfare. This is shown by the fact that you gave us a list of creatures that we are not to consume and moreover a list of the creatures that You created that are healthy and nutritious to eat in order to ensure our welfare.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God these verses had me totally stumped, however in a spirit of prayer You directed me to the following link that enlightened me on Your classification that distinguished from clean to unclean animals for human consumption along with the relative reasons. Therefore in order to have a better understanding of the Word of God in relation to the following verses please click on the following link
God's classification
5. The rock badger, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 5)
In order for us to understand which animals were considered as clean from those which were considered as being unclean please refer to the following illustration which I have complied during my praying on this chapter. The basic criteria was that particular animals such as the pig that eats all sorts of garbage and carcasses and keeps the toxins in its fat was not to be consumed in order to preserve human welfare. In order to obtain a more in depth insight on such issue please click on the following link:-
Clean and unclean foods
Oh God You love us so much that You consider both our spiritual well being and even our physical well being. This means that our physical well being is also important issue that we are to respect and obey. I thank You God for raising such awareness.
Table of Clean and Unclean Foods
Clean
1. Fish with scales
Unclean
1. Camel:
Camels can live on anything even foul food therefore they are unhealthy for us to eat, on the other hand the camel keeps its urea and this is highly toxic instead of excreting it like the cow or humans as in going to toilet. please click on the following link
The diet of a camel
2. Rock Badger:
The rock badger lives on vegetation and insects which may be harmful if consumed by humans. This may be one of the reasons why God prohibited us to eat these creatures for more information please click on the following link:
Facts on Rock Badger
3. The hare: The rabbit or hare recycles its own waste and thus is highly toxic, for more detailed information please click on the following link and move marker on to 5:12 the link is the following:-
The reasons making the rabbit unclean
4. The Pig (Although care is taken in nurturing the pig is naturally unclean Pig farm documentary
5. The mouse (For more information on unclean mice Unclean mice)
6. The great lizard according to its kind ( The great lizard)
7. The gecko (a form of lizard (A form of lizard habitat)
8. The land crocodile (An unhealthy scavenger eats anything Crocodile facts
9. The lizard (Unhealthy scavengers Lizard facts)
10. The sand lizard (Carnivores meat eaters Lizard fact sheet)
11. The chameleon (Chameleon fact sheet Fact sheet)
12. The weasel (Weasel fact sheet Weasel fact sheet)
13. All swarming creatures and those who move on belly and have many feet
5. The eagle, the vulture, the osprey, . the buzzard, the kite of any kind; every raven of any kind; the ostrich, the night hawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind. the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl. the water hen, the desert owl, the carrion vulture. the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
6. The hare, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 6)
Even though rabbits are commonly considered as being good to eat, You still classified them as being unclean even though they satisfied one of the two criteria. Now that You have given me the opportunity to browse on why the hare is considered as being unclean oh God I totally agree with You for a creature which licks the soft part of its its waste back into its body is surely unhealthy for us to consume. I thank You for the insight which has served me as a lesson for life.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 7 to 8)
As already mentioned the pig is one of the top rated candidate as a harbinger of bacteria making it a live container of toxins that are harmful to human consumption. When considering that during the times of Moses the level of sanitation was still not fully developed, it was very important for the people to abstain from eating creatures and foods that would bring harm to them.
On reflecting this is the case of sin. Sin also has negative side effects when we come in contact with it. It may leave us scarred for life, therefore we are not even to come close or experiment with it.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 9 to 12)
On reading the following verses oh God I could not understand the reasons for not allowing us to eat of such species. Therefore I referred to the biblical expert to maybe clear the clouds of my ignorance. Fishing happens to be my hobby and ever since I started fishing I choose fish above all other foods to eat. Therefore Invite you to click on the following link where our expert gives us valid reasons of which as in the other creatures labelled as being unclean these creatures recycle in their bodies their own waste and become highly toxic and unhealthy for human consumption.
The science behind clean and unclean foods
In order to get the adequate explanation please move the marker to 5:59 or else listen to it all for it is very interesting.
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 night hawk, 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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 13 to 19)
As mentioned by our expert or source animals that fall under the category of scavengers all retain a high level of unhealthy toxins. Therefore what appears to be a very long list of boring names of animals that we cannot eat is in fact even supported by medical science and not only by God as being totally unhealthy for human consumption. This leads us to ask the ultimate question, according to God what is the ideal diet for us? As our source points out it is one consisting of a wide variety of fruit that contain the vitamins and minerals needed for daily life. The second part of our diet as mentioned in the bible are vegetables. Specifically after the waters of the flood had subsided God specifically referred to the fruits on the trees as being their primary source of nutrition.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 20 to 23)
Among all the insects You permitted us to consume the mentioned type of insects, meaning locusts as in the case of John the Baptists who ate locusts in the desert as part of his daily diet, however the world in all its silliness and disobedience is promoting the consumption of detestable insects such as bugs and cockroaches as shown in the following link
Everything you need to know about insects
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 24 to 25)
In order to protect the people from illness as a consequences of contact with such unclean animals You proclaimed these laws that governed public sanitation. In order to protect our souls from contamination You also issued the sacraments by means of Your Holy Spirit which never stops working in order to give us the opportunity of becoming cleansed from our sins.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 26 to 28)
It can be noticed that throughout our meditation on the book of Leviticus we have encountered several cases of repetition. As in the case of children and people with a low level of education as could have been the case of the people of God, repetition was necessary to facilitate the learning process. This technique is used also in schools and catechism where repetition helps to improve the parroting of prayers among children however the best prayers come from the heart and not from prayer books.
At times oh God may take You and Your word lightly, therefore we are also subject to being reminded that You are still our father and that we totally depend on You. However the most important reality for us humans to always keep in mind is that of the existence of hell and that one day that can be any day we are to leave this world and either heaven or hell will become our long term home. Therefore we are always to be prepared because according to the life that we live on earth, will be the choice of our long term home. We are therefore always to keep on repeating this question to ourselves. Is my life oriented to live in heaven or hell? The answer is for us to think and pray about.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 29 to 30)
As referred to in the above links the mentioned creatures are unclean in themselves and feed on prey that are unclean like themselves thus making them unhealthy for human consumption. Even though Your people were still living in the desert you gave them instructions in relation to other land sea and air creatures. God prepares us before hand of imminent dangers along with their consequences the choices are ours to take.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 31 to 32)
As is commonly known germs that have infested a dead animal or person tend to spread fast if we come in contact with that bacteria, therefore as safety precaution oh God You gave Your people this rule in order to preserve a healthy state of being. From a spiritual perspective a person who is in sin can also be compared to being contaminated by harmful bacteria. We become negative people so much that when we come in contact with others we tend to contaminate them with our negative thoughts, feelings and actions. Therefore as it is useful to wash our hands often to avoid physical contamination, it is also to seek confession often in order to preserve our spiritual well-being.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 33)
Oh God in order to preserve a healthy environment You continue to emphasise this decontamination procedure that is also applied during our times. On a spiritual level this is also the case. If we are given items that may have been used in the black mass, or maybe called lucky charms which are not lucky at all we are to destroy these items and clean up the places where they had been stored. A friend of mine was given such an object. Up to the moment that she removed the object her life and that of her family was in a state of chaos.
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 it it was in any such vessel.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 34)
In the same sense when we will fully become involved in some sinful act, this negative circle of sin moves along with us and causes us to contaminate both ourselves and others by means of our thoughts and actions. The good news is that cleanliness is only a few steps away because we can always go and seek the confession of our sins.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 35)
On reflecting I thank You God for this admonition, for even in our cases we store pork in fridges that may be unclean and these bacteria are transferred to any place in which it comes into contact, whether the fridge, the kitchen chopping board on which the food is processed, and even the oven where the food is cooked.
In order to become aware of how germs spread please click on the following links:-
The spread of germs
The spread of germs from meat
36. But a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, while whatever touches the carcass in it shall be unclean.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 36)
In simple words oh Jesus You make a distinction between the primary source which is the water in the container which is clean in comparison to the contaminated carcass which when coming in contact with the water makes it unclean. It is the same in human nature. In us as in the case of the water we have the presence of Your Holy Spirit which is pure and clean, however on comparison there is the contrast when we sin we contaminate the body however the presence of Your Spirit in us unlike the water will always be clean.
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.
((Leviticus chapter 11 verse 37)
Oh Jesus You are the only source that is able to make and keep us clean. If for one second You turn Your face away from us or we from You we end up unfruitful and even contaminated in both body and soul.
39. If an animal of which you may eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 39)
With reference to the sake of sanitary purposes it is indeed wise not to come in contact with the flesh of animals that have just died for they are toxic meaning in a sever state of decomposition and therefore are unhealthy to come in contact with.
40. Those who eat of tits 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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 40)
Although those who become contaminated by the unclean carcass have the option of washing and become clean again, they will still be so called dirty by the stain of their guilt as a consequence of their wrong doing. This is similar to when we confess our sins. During the time of confession the priest in the name of God, absolves us of our sins, however when we appear before God we will still be accountable for the consequences of that sin and may have to spend time in purification in the state of purgatory before we are able and ready to appear before You oh God.
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 41 to 43)
Oh God You love us so much, that You do not wish us to be considered as being detestable in Your sight. This term and others as unclean are appropriate for the animals and insects but as humans created in Your form You gave us a higher and more noble identity. I thank You for this oh God with all my heart.
44. For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 44)
The bottom line behind all these restrictions and rules is that You oh God want us to be holy like You. All parents like their children to be like them and so do You my God as my loving father. May the goal of walking in Your ways and being like You be always on the top list of our agenda Amen.
45. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verse 45)
Oh God I thank You for being my one and only Father. Thank You for claiming to be my Father and I Your son. Every parent would like his children to imitate them and be like them in the sense of sharing their positive traits. Thank You for giving us this call to be holy. I pray for Your blessing so that even though I am a sinner I may be able to fulfil this call every day of my life, for I am still weak, however where it not possible with Your help You would not have asked us to be holy like You. Therefore we are to rest assured that if we show the will to be like You oh God You are sure to help us carry out this role and reaching this noble goal.
In light of verse 45 I invite you to click on the following links:-
Be Holy for I am holy
A Call to be Holy many are going to hell
However one may ask how can I be holy like You oh God. I tank You God for giving us the Bible as a manual on which to base my life. When I lived at the convent where I thought You were calling me to go I was given a small pocket-size book which was called "The Imitation of Christ." After so many years this book became old and tattered and of no longer good use to me. However You have given me back this book on line. Thank You for giving me an audio version of this book which will never become tattered again for even though it became tattered its message is still inscribed in my heart and mind.
Please click on the following link:-
Audio book "The Imitation of Christ by John Kempis"
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.
(Leviticus chapter 11 verses 46 to 47)
Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
I thank You now and forever for giving us such wise counsel and regulations that have to do with our physical well being. I thank You also for all the messages that You have given me both for myself and to share with others for the benefit our souls in our relationship with You and our brothers and sisters on earth. May we always strive to ensure the well being of both the soul and the body, for at the end of our lives on earth, it is the soul and not the body that remains alive and immortal even on dying whether we are in heaven or even if we are in the never ending fires of hell.
