Musings on the “Dietary” Instructions
Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places; who eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of unclean meat is in their pots. Isaiah 65:4 NASB
Today’s Word edition is authored by Rodney Baker, Adelaide, Australia
Unclean – Over the last couple of days I have been pondering and asking God about a question that has been bothering me: “Why did God lump the instructions regarding food, sexuality and idolatrous worship all in together, in Lev 11 through 21, and why does he again mention unclean food with idolatry in Isaiah 65 and 66?”
What is the connection? It cannot be accidental. This seems to be a clear-cut case of kal v’khomer – light and heavy – where YHVH begins with the “lighter” or simpler matter of discernment between holy and profane, clean and unclean – namely, food – and progresses to sexuality and finally idolatrous worship. Whilst I still believe that to be a valid point, it did not satisfy me as being the whole reason.
The answer came to me last night after I logged off and headed to bed. Now, one caveat – I have not yet been able to verify this through other sources, so I am not proposing this as THE definitive answer. Rather, I am documenting my journey of discovery, so walk through this with me.
We know, as a documented fact already mentioned, that YHVH instructed Moshe about food, sexuality and idolatry all together as one “package” of instructions.
We know, as a documented fact, that YHVH mentions idolatrous worship and the consumption of unclean food together in Is. 65 and Is. 66.
We know, as a fact, that YHVH did NOT change the laws regarding idolatry or sexuality at all post-Yeshua. What the apostles taught on these matters agrees completely with Moshe.
We know, as a documented fact, that Noah knew the difference between clean and unclean beasts BEFORE he and his family went onto the ark. That means, he and his sons knew what animals were acceptable as offerings to YHVH and what were not.
We know, as a documented fact, that after the flood Noah and his sons, knowing the difference between clean and unclean beasts, were given permission to eat of the clean beasts – those that were acceptable as offerings. This means that neither Ham, Shem or Japeth ate pig or any other unclean food, at least not immediately after the flood, anyway.
We know, as a documented fact, that Shem died 35 years after Abraham. Extra-biblical sources record that Shem knew both Abraham and Isaac. It is safe to assume, in my opinion, that both Abraham and Isaac knew the difference between clean and unclean meats, and of the instructions to Noah (passed on through Shem) that permission had been given to eat of the clean animals (but not of their blood).
So, when, where and why did men begin to eat pig and other unclean things? I think the answer lies in the story of Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz – the “founders” of the ancient Babylonian mystery religion (a.k.a. fertility cult, a.k.a. sun worship).
A short summary: Nimrod was a mighty hunter who built Babel and was “king” of many of the tribes that existed at that time. Nimrod consorted with a woman named Semiramis. Nimrod died in battle. Semiramis fell pregnant. She claimed that Nimrod had ascended into “heaven” and had become the “Sun”, and that he had impregnated her by the rays of the sun. She gave birth to a son named Tammuz. Tammuz took up where Nimrod left off. At the age of 40 he was killed in a hunting accident by a wild boar. The people over whom he had ruled alongside his mother hunted down and killed the wild boar, sacrificing it on the altar of Ishtar on the first “sunday” after the vernal equinox, at sunrise. They cut of the boar’s testicles and hung them on a tree and feasted on the pig as a sign of revenge for Tammuz’ death. They then instituted a period of 40 days of mourning – one day for each year of Tammuz’ life – leading up to the vernal equinox and the festival of Ishtar.
It seems to me, therefore, that eating pig and other abominable things was synonymous with and an important part of pagan fertility cult worship rituals. It was common among all the peoples of the land into which the Israelites were to go, and God warned them clearly – “DON’T learn the ways of the pagan nations and then say you’re doing them to worship Me. They are ABOMINATIONS!”
At the conclusion of Lev 20, we read these words:
[Lev 20:22-23 ESV] 22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them.
ALL THESE THINGS seems to include not only the deviant sexual practices, not only the idolatrous worship, but also the food that they ate and associated with their pagan festivals.
Then God promises, “[Lev 20:24 ESV] 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.”
So, the reason NOT to do ALL THESE THINGS is to be set apart from “the peoples” who ARE doing all these things.
[Lev 20:25 ESV] 25 You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean.
There it is! “You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean…”
What is the “therefore” there for? To link this to that which has just gone before. All these things that the pagan nations were doing included not just the sexual behaviours, not just the idolatrous worship, but their food also!
If God did not change the rules about sex, or the rules about idolatry, He didn’t change the rules about food either, because they’re all linked to pagan worship!
[Lev 20:26 ESV] 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
Are we HIS? Or somebody else’s?
Topical Index: unclean, abomination, Isaiah 65:4, Rodney Baker
“The eating of forbidden food increases the desire for forbidden pleasures.” Hirsch
boker tov,
Chris
This might very well be true. But there also is a ‘but’. I never saw any connection between a camel and idolatry. The pig? Yes! The hare? Yes. But a camel????
Other animals are unclean because they sometimes eat dung (like dogs) or other bad food. Are they also linked to idolatry and immoral behaviour? I don’t know.
I don’t always have to understand (yet). It’s far more important to show you are willing to obey, to do what G’d says, I think. The understanding could come later.
Just a brief comment. I don’t think the God designates some things “unclean” because of health reasons. He designates things unclean because He chooses to do so for His own reason. Some of those reasons might include health considerations and I am sure some of those reasons include differentiation from existing pagan practices but in the end the issue is not whether or not I am explain why God says what He says. In the end the issue is whether or not I am willing to abide by what He says even if I don’t understand it. Hebrew vs. Greek.
I agree, Skip have you ever seen what a chicken will eat? And they’re clean. Abba has His reasons and if He chooses to reveal them that is great, but He is still in charge and His ways are better than ours for many more reasons than just health. Thank you for posting this article.
Although there are some who consider the Bible especially Torah to be the inerrant and infallible word of YHWH God, I am of the conviction that it is rather the “inspired word of an infallible God but was written by men. Although there is some disagreement among scholars when Torah was actually “penned” (written down in something like the form we have it today) I am of the opinion that these men wrote it in the spirit of what had been handed down to them over the years, “flavored” by the context of the time in which it was written. If it is true that this was post-Babylon, then some of these prohibitions would very definitely been included or, at least modified, to place a ban on any and all pagan practices by putting “the fear of God into them” if they transgressed. This was all part of preserving Judaism, both their national and spiritual identity.
Great analysis Rodney. Thank you!
Great article Rodney. This does not apply to all unclean “meats” but many of the four footed ones will dine on human flesh and that may be another reason to not consume them.
Bless you, hope you are well…
Rodney , regarding you statement,”We know, as a documented fact, that after the flood Noah and his sons, knowing the difference between clean and unclean beasts, were given permission to eat of the clean beasts ”
What do you do with the fact that in Genesis 9:3 the word for “creeping thing” is REMEZ, which is specifically prohibited in Lev. 11:44?
Vern, remez is sometimes translated “creeping thing” but in its earliest usage it was broader than that. It also means anything that goes on four legs or any “moving” animal (see TWOT for more details).
In the case of Genesis 9:3, this is one of those places where the placement of a comma (in the translations, since none exists in the original) makes all the difference.
Let me give you two literal, word-for-word translations of the first part of Gen 9:3 and you’ll see what I mean.
כָּל־רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא־חַי לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה kol-remez asher hu-chai lachem yiyeh lǝoklah
1. Every moving thing which in him is life, for you shall be for food.
2. Every moving thing which in him is life for you, shall be for food.
Do you notice the difference?
Option 1 supports the assertion that Noah was told he could eat anything and the “dietary laws” were added later and given only to Israel.
Option 2 .is in complete harmony with the rest of scripture and shows that Noah knew the difference between food and not food.
What are the moving animals that “in which is life for you”? That which is acceptable as a sacrifice. The animals God designated as טָהוֹר tahor– clean (see Gen 7:2 for further evidence that Noah knew the difference).
Food is that which is acceptable as a sacrifice. Not foodis never acceptable as a sacrifice. Never has been, never will be. I cannot find a single verse in scripture (from Genesis to maps) that changes the definitions of food and not food from that which was given to Noah and Moses when considered in its proper (full) context. Not one.
The day an unclean animal is declared by God to be an acceptable offering on his altar is the day it will transferred from being not food to food.
I need an “edit” button. That last sentence should read, “The day an unclean animal is declared by God to be an acceptable offering on His altar is the day it will be transferred from being not food to food.”
Not all foods are acceptable as sacrifice; gazelle for example. Just want to point out that THAT is not the qualifier for food.
Yahweh said he could eat REMEZ simply to lift the ban on eating REMEZ freely on the ark. Obviously Noah et al couldn’t eat as much meat on the ark as they wanted, but only what was allotted. Some say the 7 of each clean was for sacrifice, yet I must point out that the 7 would also include animals such as gazelle and bison.
The dietary observances were the equivalent of food safe 101, and the moral as related to sexual practices would prevent the spread of social diseases as well as serve a higher code of conduct in all types of human relations. A good plan for building an Army.
Eating unclean makes one spiritually dull.
Maybe being spiritual dull makes one eat unclean. 🙂
True! 🙂
Maybe a stove or a grill is not to be considered an altar. Is food sacred? Arise Peter, “kill and eat!” Peter’s reply? “Not so, LORD.” (???)
Impossible. (“Not possible – LORD.”)
Is it possible, (IF Yeshua is LORD), No. Is it possible “since Yeshua IS LORD” to even say (or think?)- “No, LORD?” How is it even possible to refuse Him? The ONE we now know as King of kings and LORD of lords? The ONE we know “IS” LORD of all? LORD of the living and of the dead? LORD of the sacred and the profane? LORD of the Jew and the Gentile?
Ahh.. watch what goes into your mouth! Be very “kosher.” “Fitness” is has been said, (according to the “experts”- powers that be) is 80% diet!) Yes, please. Be a “picky” eater! Choose you, “this day”.. but..
~ Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare ~ (Isaiah 55.2)
~ Your words were found and I did eat them and they became unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by Your Name, O LORD God of hosts ~ (Jeremiah 15.16)
Brothers.. sisters.. here is (as we would say in the South) This is our most excellent “Soul Food.” The very words of God- we are to “devour them” (with relish!).
We (all) do love to eat! It is a most enjoyable experience! But what are we “feeding on” when it comes to “soul nourishment?” The clean, or the “unclean?”
~ For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. “Whosoever” feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” ~ John 5.55,56)
For not only is our LORD Jesus the sinless-suffering-substitutionary-Sacrificial Lamb of God, He also is to be the “shared Lamb.” What were His words of instruction to us?
~ Take. Eat. ~ This is my Body which is broken for you ~
~ You prepare a table for me in the presence of mine enemies ~
~ My meat is to do the will of Him who sent Me ~
~ How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! ~ (Psalm 119:103)
~ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer ~ (Psalm 19.14)
The ways of God-the witness of God-and the wisdom of God, “all” are now fully revealed (no longer concealed) for “whosoever will” within the words of God.
Open your Bible,- the (written) Word of God. Look. Find. “Feast.”
~ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself ~ (Luke 24.27)
~Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but he delights in the LORD’s instruction, and meditates (and “marinates!”) in His instruction day and night. ~
And the “results-consequences-fruits-transformation” of this would be?
~ He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers ~ (Psalm 1.3)
~ the righteous (rightly-related) will thrive like a green leaf ~ (Proverbs 11.28)
Hungry? Thirsty? (Good/tov!)
~ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled ~ (Matthew 5.6)
A friend on facebook just posted this based on some research he’s done. It fits right into what I suggested above…
“SO historically, pig was used by the priests in Egypt once a year (around passover) in the springtime. Other Ancient Near-East cultures treated pigs similarly. They would sacrifice their reproductive organs and bury them in the ground as a fertility ritual. God told his people do not learn the ways of the heathens. So, then Yeshua shows up on the scene and the context is pigs are being used as sacrifices to underworld demons. So, NOW, i am supposed to believe because Jesus dies for pigs it is acceptable to learn the ways of the heathen and eat pig? Really? This is why Jesus died? For us to eat pig? He died for us to learn the ways of the heathen? This is what makes us separate? Different than everyone else? Oh wait. NO, this is what makes us the same as the heathen. OKAY! I get it! Jesus wants us to be the same as everyone else. And that pretty much describes the church today. Homogenus with the world.”
Thanks for the article Rodney!
Do you know the source for this information about the ancient customs? And do you/does anyone have documented information about Nimrod/Tammuz/Ishtar? I have found several websites that repeat this information but none of them “look” reliable, and no one seems to include sources. I like to pass these articles on, but people who have never heard such things are hard to convince without citing.
May I inquire as to the meaning of Peters dream in regards to people making unclean what He has made clean?
Yes, you may inquire. Please search on my web site for comments on the verses in question for Acts 10 and also look at the video by Bob Gorelik from the teaching in Israel.
I loved the analysis, but it raises a new set of questions for me. We have forgone many things that one day we intimately linked with pagan worship but is not anymore, ie, women cut their hair, we don’t cover our heads anymore, have even gone even further and men do not shave their sideburns. This list is very long.
IF the only reason pork was forbidden was because of its relationship to pagan worship, then that is not so anymore and we should be able to eat it. But we all know we cannot. As Skip said, we separate clean and unclean foods because we God said so, not because we understand the reasoning behind the prohibition.
But then, where do we stand with all those “other” rules we don’t follow? And why do we follow sone but not all? Anyone honoring the sabbatical year around here?
We can get into the two-law discussion, which I’m sure it’s somewhere in the archives already. Are we not bound to all but the Noahide laws because we are Gentile?
I’ve been absent from participating for a while, but this article really got to me. Thank you Rodney!
Flashback to 2013!!!!
You mentioned at the beginning of this post that it was your journey and an unfinished examination. Have you verified with other sources and now conclude this to be THE definitive answer?