UNCLEAN FOOD LAWS

By Russell Earl Kelly, PHD

September 23, 2008

There is much confusion among Christians about the unclean food laws of the Bible. Most of the confusion originates in the biblical fact that God made a distinction between clean and unclean animals when he instructed Noah.

The false assumption behind the unclean food of Noah's pre-flood period is that Noah and his generation had been given permission to eat the flesh of all animals except unclean ones before the flood. I repeat, the false assumption behind the unclean food of Noah's pre-flood period is that Noah and his generation had been given permission to eat the flesh of all animals except unclean ones before the flood.

However the truth is that the Bible does NOT state that Noah and his generation had permission to eat any flesh prior to the flood! Do some research to discover the facts! Most commentaries conclude that, before the flood, the "unclean" were "unclean" only for sacrifices and that not even the "clean" were to be eaten.

IN THE GARDEN BEFORE SIN

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Gen 3:17 … cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Man was not given permission to eat the flesh of any animal before sin entered.

FROM SIN UNTILL THE FLOOD BEGAN

Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

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Gen 4:2 Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Gen 4:12 When thou CAIN tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Gen 4:20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. (TENTS: LEATHER)

…..

Gen 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

………..

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Gen 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

Gen 6:20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

Gen 6:21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

Gen 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

Gen 7:3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

Gen 7:8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

Conclusions:

(1) The first animal death was when God killed a lamb to cover Adam and Eve (3:21). Although the skin was used as clothing the animal was not eaten.

(2) Although Cain raised animals, we are not told that he ate them. Most likely he killed them for clothing and offered the flesh and fat to God as a sweet-savor offering (4:4).

(3) Genesis 5:29 is important. Noah would be involved in God's removal of the curse off the ground. Evidently before the flood much more toil was required to eat than before sin entered.

(4) From Genesis 6:5-12 we are told how evil Noah's generation had become, but nothing is said about eating animals. However the consumption of animal flesh before the flood may have been part of that generation's wickedness.

(5) God told Noah to "keep them alive" (6:19-20).

(6) Genesis 6:21 is extremely important. God told Noah to feed the animals the same kind of food which he personally ate which was vegetables and fruit! Noah did not eat any of the animals on the ark.

"And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them."

(7) Noah did not bring two of every "unclean" creature. Rather he brought two of every "unclean" "animal." It seems that he brought more than two of the unclean birds and other creatures (7:2, 3, 8).

FROM THE FLOOD TO MOSES

Gen 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

This text, Genesis 8:20, does not prove that man had been given permission by God to eat the flesh of animals before the flood --neither clean nor unclean. It only proves that only the clean were used for sacrifices.

***Gen 9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat [food: NKJ, NIV, NAS] for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

***These two texts, Genesis 9:2-3, make it very clear that, as far as food was concerned, nothing was taboo or forbidden to mankind after the flood. However, the texts do not address the issue of sacrifices differentiating between clean and unclean.

Gen 9:5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Since God has now permitted man to eat any creature he desires, the reverse is also true -- any creature can eat mankind (9:5).

Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

Only after the flood does the Bible mention hunting.

UNCLEAN FOOD LAWS BEGIN

Lev 11:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

Although unclean "sacrificial" distinctions existed prior to the flood, the unclean "food" laws did not exist until the formal Law was given only to Israel. Again, the key point it that these unclean laws were only given "to the children of Israel." "Unclean unto you" occurs in Leviticus 11:4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

In Leviticus 11 "clean" animals must have split hooves" and also "chew cud" (v3).  Water creatures must have both "fins" and "scales" (v9). Instead of giving rules for birds, the unclean birds are listed (v13-19). Again, instead of giving rules for insects, the clean ones are listed to include grasshoppers and beetles (v20-23). These laws cannot be explained for health reasons. Although chickens and turkeys eat similar diets, chickens are clean and turkeys are unclean. Although many fish with both fins and scales are not fit to eat, they are acceptable for Hebrews. Although much pork is more healthy than some "clean food, the distinction stands for Hebrews.

Leviticus 11:24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 11:25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

Important! Leviticus 11:27, 28, 31, 32, 39 and 40 all say that touching (?or eating?) unclean rendered a person "unclean until the evening." It is very significant that "uncleanness" from touching unclean animals was not listed as a serious presumptuous sin which must be brought before the judges for punishment. Instead it was a relatively minor offence which could be reconciled through offerings. If eating unclean food were extremely important, it would surely carry a greater punishment than merely telling the offender to merely "wait until the evening" before being considered clean again.

THE PURPOSE OF THE UNCLEAN FOoD

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.

Leviticus 11:45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 11:46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:

Leviticus 11:47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

Whether true or not, the Bible does not connect the unclean laws to physical health. Rather they were to remind national Israel that it was a peculiar nation "above all people" of the earth (Ex 19:5) -- they were different.

Women who gave birth to females were unclean far longer than women who gave birth to males (Lev 12:2-5). Why? Was there a physical reason or was it because male children had a higher social status in Israel?

Leviticus 17:15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

Again, eating that which was unclean was not considered a major sin and only required waiting until sunset. It is difficult to make such a "big deal" about eating "unclean foods" when the punishment was so minor! Satirically speaking, many would gladly cause themselves to be "unclean until sunset" in exchange for eating ham, turkey, shrimp, lobster or catfish!

Leviticus 19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

The unclean food laws were not the only laws which were unique to national Israel which reminded them that they were different from other nations. Prohibitions against cross-breeding animals, mixing varieties of seed and even mixing different kinds of clothing only make sense if understood as cultic rules to remind Israel not to mix with the Gentiles.

Leviticus 20:24 … I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.

Leviticus 20:25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean …, which I have separated from you as unclean.

Leviticus 20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.

The summary of the unclean laws repeats the distinctive as separation of Israel from the rest of the world.

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Before Calvary the unclean laws were still in full force. Jesus commanded his disciples NOT to go to either the Samaritans (part-Israelites) or to the Gentiles.

Matthew 15:2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

…..

Matthew 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

…..

Matthew 15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Mathew 15:20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Although Matthew 15:1-20 is not a discussion of unclean "foods" per se, it is indeed a discussion of "uncleanness" caused by violation of the Pharisees' tradition requiring a ritual hand-cleaning prior to eating food.

Like the OT ritual which required waiting until sunset, Jesus minimized the results and degree of uncleanness in comparison to far greater offenses. In 15:11 Jesus was actually opening the door for the Gospel to reach the Gentiles who are about to become "clean" after Calvary.

FOOD LAWS AFTER CALVARY

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Although not yet fully recognized by Jesus' Jewish disciples, the unclean distinctions had disappeared. Rather than prohibiting his disciples from evangelizing Gentiles, now Jesus commands what he had previously prohibited. Calvary is in the past.

Acts 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

Acts 10:2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.

God chose Peter, the apostle to the Jews, to engrave the fact that clean/unclean distinctions had changed. He sent Peter to lead a pagan Gentile, Cornelius, to Christ and salvation.

Acts 10:11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

Acts 10:12 Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

In vision God commanded Peter to eat unclean food. The fact that Peter refused to do so is irrelevant. God was not commanding Peter to sin. God was attempting to teach Peter that the food distinctions between clean and unclean has disappeared. God was not using something that was "untrue" in order to teach something that is "true" --that would be dishonest and confusing.

Acts 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

Acts 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

If the unclean laws had still been in full force, then the vision from God would have compared Gentiles to clean food.

Acts 10:28 And (Peter) said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Again, God was not using something that was "untrue" in order to teach something that is "true" --that would be dishonest and confusing. If the unclean laws had still been in full force, then the vision from God would have compared Gentiles to clean food.

Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Peter reminded the Jewish church that the OT implied that the Gentiles could be saved also.

Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

The Jewish Christians were forced to acknowledge that God can and does save Gentiles even though they had not been circumcised and had not observed any of the unclean restrictions of the law.

Acts 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

The OT unclean laws were designed to "put a difference" between Israel and the rest of the world. That "difference" no longer exists. Proof? The Gentiles have the same Holy Spirit as believing Jews!

Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Acts 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Peter argued against putting the Gentiles under the "yoke" of the law --- including the unclean food laws!

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

James, the leader of the Jerusalem Church, proclaimed that Gentile Christians were exempt from obedience to the formal Law and that includes unclean foods. The restrictions focus on pagan and not Jewish perversions.

Acts 15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment.

Today Seventh-day Adventists ignore the post-Calvary texts and attempt to impose the unclean laws on believers.

Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean , to him it is unclean.

Paul would have never written this if he had the slightest conviction that he might have been wrong about unclean foods.

Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

The unclean bird is retrospect to its disqualification for sacrificial purposes as was seen before the flood.

CONCLUSION:

(1) God did not authorize man to eat flesh until after the flood.

(2) The unclean designation before the flood only referred to disqualification as sacrificial animals.

(3) After the flood God allowed mankind to eat anything he desired (Gen 9:2-3).

(4) The unclean food laws only applied to national Israel under the Law system.

(5) The unclean food laws were given to Israel to make a difference between them and other nations.

(6) OT Israel was forbidden to share its covenant with other nations.

(7) Before Calvary Jesus forbade his disciples from taking the gospel to unclean Gentiles.

(8) After his resurrection Jesus commanded his disciples to take the Gospel to Gentiles.

(9) God used unclean foods to convince Peter to take the Gospel to a Gentile.

(10) Peter and James convinced the Jerusalem church not to command Gentiles to observe the formal Law, including food laws.

(11) God has left it up to man to decide for himself what he wants to eat.

Russell Earl Kelly, PHD

Exposing Seventh-day Adventism.com