Hello and welcome back my beautiful friend! It's great to have you here with me once again studying and understanding God's word. A while back and on one of our social media channels I had posted something related to the topic of 'forbidden meats' by God and got a flood of responses that, in a sense, stated that God's rules to the Israelites when it comes to the types of meat that should/should not be eaten no longer apply. The reason behind this belief, for them, came out of a verse in the New Testament. I have spoken to this topic before but very seldom and through not official ways so I figured we should just study together the topic once and for all. What do you say?
As it has been the tradition, below a video with this week's topic summary. If you're more of a reading type of person then... no problem! Please feel free to skip the video and continue with the read. If you can spare a few minutes, I invite you to watch.
Did you see the video? If so, then, what are your thoughts? If you have not watched it, what do you think about meats? Are christians free to eat all sorts of meat? Are the "meat-eating-rules" given in the Bible for the Israelites no longer apply to us? Well, only one way to figure this one out... let's open the Bible! As I have always stated, everything we need to know about living a life with purpose, sense, and one that honors God, is in that little book. Let's get started.
Meats & Bible
Before we can begin our discussion, we first need to take a look at the Bible verses involved in this study. Let's go back to when God freed the Israelites from bondage to the Egyptians and He gave them a set of rules to abide by for them to enjoy better and, of course, healthier lives. Let's read Leviticus 11:
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: You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. “‘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. The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
“‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. 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. And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean. Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.
“‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
“‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you. There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.
“‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
“‘Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean. Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you.
“‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat,any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean. Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
“‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening. Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
“‘Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten. 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. Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. 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. I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
“‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”
Ok, I know... we just read a whole chapter in the Bible. Point is, God did left for us in the Bible regulations about the meats that we should and we should not eat. A quick glance at these rules clearly show that God was not just giving these rules because He wanted to be strict, but because He cared for our health. Take for instance the pig... pork meat is commonly eaten nowadays and what do we know about pork meat? Well, it has a VERY high fat content. No wonder why heart attacks are on the rise. Take lobster and shrimps... these living creatures are the vacuum cleaners of the ocean, they feed on waste, then we humans go and eat them as delicacies. A careful analysis at the meats that God forbid comes to show clear and obvious reasons why these meats should not be eaten.
Clearly God had reasons for forbidding certain meats to the people of Israel and has reasons to leave these texts preserved for us. Now, some claim that there are certain Bible verses in the New Testament that basically make void these meat rules and opens up the possibilities for us to eat just about any meat in the market. Let's take a look at the most commonly quoted verse (chapter) ever by those who want to be in favor of eating all meats. Lets read Acts 10 and pay close attention to the red and blue highlighted sections.
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offeringbefore God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Corneliusfound out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. Peter at Cornelius’s House.
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
We just read Acts 10:1-29. Thoughts? Let's read one more verse that is quoted often when some try to justify the fact that the meat-eating rules are no longer in effect. Lets read a portion of Matthew 15:
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
We just read Matthew 15:1-20. Ok, now that we have read what the Bible has to say when it comes to meat and what verses are used to make void the meat-eating God-given rules... let's further discuss and get this issue clarified once and for all. Deal?
Discussing Acts 10 - Was God talking about meats?
In spanish we have this phrase that sort of goes like this: "A text outside of its context is a pretext". Funny, simple, and right to the point that we're going for in this discussion. Immediately after reading Acts chapter 10 as a whole we ask: "is there any indication whatsoever that one of the lessons of this chapter is talking about what meats we can or can't eat? The answer is no. Yes, God talks in the dream about not calling all kinds of meat unclean, but nowhere else in the chapter we find a discussion about meats. Clearly God's intention was not to expand on, or supersede His position on unclean meats, but to teach another completely different lesson.
Having said that, now we analyze the parts of the chapter we highlighted. God gave the dream to Peter, hence, clearly He wanted to teach or show something to Peter. Let's take a closer look:
He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” - Acts 10:10-15
The first thing to note is Peter's response to God's request. God asks Him to kill and eat and Peter responds: "Surely not! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean". What does this tells us? Clearly the laws about meat consumption were not solely for the Old Testament Israelites... they were still very much in effect at the time of Peter's dream which is even after Jesus had ascended to heaven. Having walked with Jesus for years one would think that, if all meats were indeed a 'free for all', Jesus would've told them. But that's not the case. Peter, even after having walked with Jesus and even after Jesus ascended, still recognized that there are some God-given mandates when it comes to meat consumption.
The second thing to note is that after these verses we don't read anything related to this dream or its interpretation until we reach a verse further down the chapter (blue highlighted section). Let's read:
While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” - Acts 10:27-29
For the Jews, anyone who was not a Jew, the 'gentiles', was unclean and unworthy of God's redemption. In the verses above we see that God's intention with the dream was to show Peter, not anything related to meat consumption, but that His grace was not solely for the Jews, but for everyone. We clearly see this when Peter says: "But God has shown me that I should not call ANYONE impure or unclean". Clear?
Using the verses in Acts 10 to defend that all sorts of meats are clean and can be eaten, bad Bible study; is taking things out of context. Simple as that.
Discussing Matthew 15 - Was Jesus talking about meats?
...and once again in Matthew 15:1-20 we have a similar situation as that of Acts 10. By taking things out of context surely one can justify with the Bible that it is allowed to eat all sorts of meat... one could even justify murder for that matter. When studying the Bible we HAVE to be careful to keep things in context and look, often times, at the broader picture. Matthew 15:1-20 is a prime example.
In the verses that we read we see Jesus stating that "it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles but what goes out" and just by using this verse alone, out of context, many claim that it is then valid to eat any kind of meat because what goes inside the mouth does not defile. Question, is this a good method of Bible study or even study in general? Of course not.
Just as before we start by reading the entire portion of the Bible chapter, verses 1 through 20, and look at the context of these verses. Side note, sometimes it is even necessary to read several chapters to grab the context!! Not in this case though. After reading the noted verses we realize that the intention of Jesus at the moment was not, at all, to enter into a discussion about meats that can or can't be eaten. Jesus intention was to teach the Pharisees and jewish teachers that man-instituted traditions had no absolute value to the matters of heaven and salvation. Simple as that.
On another note, just as with Acts 10, further down the line Jesus explains exactly of what He was talking about when He said what He said:
“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Read that last portion that I underlined for you. See? Clearly Jesus was not entering into a discussion on meats. Simply a text that often gets quoted out of context.
Closing...
I really hope that today's topic was more than a clarification, a lesson for us all including me. Yes, we as christians do need to be careful about which meats we consume Yes, God gave us rules, for our benefit really, on which meats we should and we should not eat that we as christians need to pay attention to. But beyond all this and most importantly, YES, we DO NEED to carefully study the Bible and ENSURE that we're not taking verses out of context... else, we're bound to self-deceive ourselves.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, suggestions, future posts ideas, or anything at all. I'd be more than happy to meet you and respond you back :)
Take care my beautiful friend... and until next one!
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