Summary of Ritually Unclean Animals
11: 41-47
Summary of ritually unclean animals DIG: Why do you think that God chose to make dead animals and dead people ritually unclean? What was the ultimate purpose in making people ritually clean? What were they restricted to do if they became ritually unclean? How can believers defile themselves today? How would you rate your spiritual discernment?
REFLECT: During the Dispensation of Torah, God wanted the Israelites to demonstrate their holiness through a ritually “clean” diet. The Bible tells us specifically why these mitzvot were given, “Do not make yourselves unclean, do not defile yourselves with them . . . for you are to be holy, because I am holy” (11:43-45). Thus, the purpose of eating kosher was to set Isra’el aside as a separate nation (15:31). In addition, they had to be ritually clean, or holy, to participate in the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. The question is: How do you show yourself holy to the Lord today? How are you set apart from the world?
Crawling Things (11:41-44): The discussion of contamination through dead animals is concluded, and the Torah returns to the original topic of dietary prohibitions. A final category for forbidden creatures is introduced as swarming things that crawl on the ground, whether they be four-footed, many footed, or crawl on their bellies. This category contains everything from bugs to beetles to grubs to snakes and worms. Any creature that swarms on the ground is a detestable thing; it is not to be eaten – whatever moves on its stomach, goes on all fours, or has many legs – all creatures that swarm on the ground; you are not to eat them, because they are a detestable thing. You are not to make yourselves detestable with any of these swarming, crawling creatures; do not make yourselves ritually unclean with them, do not defile yourselves with them. For I am ADONAI your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy; and do not defile yourselves with any kind of swarming creature that moves along the ground (11:41-44).
The mitzvah of discernment: The chapter ends with a summary of the dietary mitzvot. For I am ADONAI your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy; and do not defile yourselves with any kind of swarming creature that moves along the ground. For I am ADONAI, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you are to be holy, because I am holy. Such, then, is the mitzvah concerning animals, flying creatures, all living creatures that move about in the water, and all creatures that swarm on the ground. Its purpose is to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten (11:44-47).
The Israelites were to purify themselves by observing the dietary mitzvot so they could access the Tabernacle/Temple and the sacrifices necessary to draw near to God. We are not given any rational explanations. It is simply a commandment of the Holy One. The Israelites were to keep the dietary mitzvot, thereby making themselves holy because God is holy (11:44). He has the right to make such mandates because He is YHVH. It wasn’t their job to understand why some animals were designated as ritually clean or unclean. Their job was to distinguish between what was ritually clean and unclean and between what things could be eaten and what things could not be eaten. But in the final analysis, today Messianic Jews and Gentiles have the freedom in Messiah to choose whether they want to eat kosher or not (see the commentary on First Corinthians, to see link click Bm – The Weaker Brother or Sister).
If the Jewish people were to keep themselves ritually clean and pleasing to ADONAI, they had to exercise discernment; this meant knowing God’s Word, respecting it, and obeying it. Fathers and mothers had to teach their children the Torah and encourage them to live holy, set-apart, lives. The priests had to teach the people and remind them of God’s mitzvot. It was when the nation of Isra’el neglected the Word of God and refused to obey it that they began to follow the abominable practices of the pagan nations around them, and this would ultimately lead to Isra’el’s discipline and exile (see the commentary on Jeremiah Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem).
The Jews had to remind themselves every hour of every day that they belonged to YHVH, the true and living God, and that belonging to the nation of Isra’el was a high and holy privilege: I am ADONAI your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy (11:44). In the language of the B’rit Chadashah: Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you were called (Ephesians 4:1). Obeying God’s will isn’t a burden; it’s a privilege! As Moshe reminded his people, “For what great nation is there that has God as close to them as ADONAI our God is, whenever we call on him? What great nation is there that has mitzvot and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today” (Deuteronomy 4:7-8)?
The Israelite during the Dispensation of Torah, like believers today in the Dispensation of Grace, was not to walk as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind (Ephesians 4:17). It was a temptation to “go along with,” and then imitate the worldly practices of the pagan nations around them. This led to Isra’el’s defilement and discipline. I fear that the Church toady is following the same philosophy and becoming more and more like the world. The Church does the most for the world when the Church is least like the world (First John 2:15-16; James 1:27).
Jews who exercised spiritual discernment would “walk in love,” and their love for ADONAI would motivate them to obey His Torah. Each morning, the observant Jew would recite the Sh’mah, the official Jewish confession of faith: Sh’ma, Yisra’el! Adonai Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra’el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). That is still the first and greatest commandment (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Jb – Which is the Greatest Commandment?).
Like Isra’el in TaNaKh, believers today must not only walk worthy of their calling and walk in love, but must also pay careful attention to how [we] conduct [our] lives – living wisely, not unwisely . . . so don’t be foolish, but try to understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15 and 17). We must keep our eyes open and look around carefully lest we defile ourselves. Jews who knew what ADONAI said was ritually clean and unclean, and who exercised constant caution, weren’t likely to touch something ritually unclean and defile themselves. When we walk as children of the light (Ephesians 5:8), we won’t stumble over some carcass in the darkness; God’s Word is the light that directs our path (Psalm 119:105).
What the prophet Hosea said about Isra’el in his day is true of many professing believers today: You will stumble by day, and the prophet’s will stumble with you . . . My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:5). But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by continuous exercise to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:15). Nothing is more rare in the Church today than discernment. The natural man knows nothing of it, and the carnal man is devoid of it. Only the spiritual man has it and we have all too far few in that category.174
Haftarah Sh’mini: Sh’mu’el Bet (2 Samuel) 6:1–7:17 (A), 6:1–19 (S)
(see the commentary on Deuteronomy Af – Parashah)
Thus your house and your kingdom will be made secure forever before you; your throne will be set up forever (Second Samuel 7:17). The haftarah reading for Sh’mini concerns the tragedy of Uzzah, son of Abinadab. The Ark of God was originally placed in the Most Holy Place was being returned triumphantly on a wagon from the Philistines who had captured it. Th procession was being led by two sons of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio, with Ahio leading the oxen that were pulling the wagon, and Uzzah standing beside the Ark. However, when the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark, but Ha’Shem became angry and struck him dead on the spot. King David, very afraid, decided to leave the Ark at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. David soon learned that Obed-Edom had been wonderfully blessed by the presence of the Ark, so the decision was made to restore it to Jerusalem.
The haftarah concludes with the giving of the promise to King David. Through Nathan the prophet, ADONAI explained to David that though he cannot build an indestructible “house” for God (First Chronicles 17:4-5), God will build him an indestructible “house” (First Chronicles 17:11, 14-17). Alas, David’s son will build that house. A line of kings will come from David’s loins. Indeed, the house, the kingdom, and throne shall all be established eternally (see the commentary on the Life of David Ct – The LORD’s Covenant with David).175
B’rit Hadashah reading (Hebrews 7:18-19):
Thus, on the one hand, the earlier rule is set aside because of its weakness and inefficacy (see the commentary on Hebrews Bi – The Former Priesthood Was Temporary), for the Torah did not bring anything to the goal; and, on the other hand, a hope of something better is introduced, through which we are drawing near to God (Hebrews 7:18-19). Aaron’s line endured through two Temples. Ultimately, a permanent priesthood, the spiritual priesthood of Melchizedek grants access to God’s throne in heaven (see Hebrews Be – Melchizedek Was a Type of Christ).
An early Jewish hymn sings of the eternal heavenly origin of Melchizedek, a man whose beginnings are not in the Torah, not even in the world. Melchizedek had no predecessor in office. He was the first priest, and he was the one to whom Abram tithed with Levi still in his loins (Hebrews 7:3-5; Genesis 14:17-20). Possibly the priesthood of Levi, with its mitzvot of ritual purity, could achieve some superficial wholeness in the outer man (Hebrews 7:11). But cleansing the conscience and purity of the inner man requires even more (Hebrews 9:6-10, 13-14, and 10:1-18). The order of Melchizekek (see Herbews Bf – The Order of Melchizedek and the Order of Aaron) addresses these hopes. Access to ADONAI in heaven is not lost, because Messiah clothes us in righteousness. Put off deeds of the flesh! Put on the deeds of Messiah (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bb – Going Home).
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your wisdom, love, and holiness. How awesome is Your gift of righteousness to those who love You. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Thank You that Your gift of righteousness is not a coat to be taken on and put off; rather it is You, Yourself, living within those who love You. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). I rejoice in Your gift of righteousness so that I can live with You in heaven. I show my joy and love for You by living my life on earth with a heart focused on pleasing You for all eternity. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In hard or in easy times I always want to love You and please You. In the Name of the One who sits at Your right hand. Amen
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