The Biblical Food Laws (No. CB19)

In the Bible God has lists of all the animals that are considered clean to eat, and those that aren’t clean to eat. One of the first times we read about clean and unclean animals is in Genesis with the story of Noah. Noah is told to take seven pairs of clean animals onto the ark, but only one pair of unclean animals. He is also instructed to bring seven pairs of fowls (or birds) onto the ark. The clean animals would be used for food consumption and the temple sacrifices so it makes sense Noah and his family would need more clean animals. (For added information on the flood please see Noah and the Flood (CB8).)

God shows us in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 the types of meat we can and cannot eat. He gives us a guide for a healthy diet and lifestyle. God had very good reasons for giving these Laws to us. The foods He tells us we can eat are very good for us and they help us to grow strong.

God’s Law on Animals

Clean Animals

Leviticus 11:1-3 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²”Say to the people of Israel, These are the living things which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. ³Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. (RSV)

Deuteronomy 14:3-6 ”You shall not eat any abominable thing. ⁴These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, ⁵the hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.⁶Every animal that parts the hoof and has the hoof cloven in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. (RSV)

These scriptures teach us that we can eat any animal that has a part or a split in its hoof and that chews the cud. Some of the animals in this category are cows, deer, and buffalo, as well as sheep and goats. Other animals, such as horses and llamas do not have a split hoof and horses don’t chew the cud, so therefore they are not considered clean to eat.

God also lets us know in Leviticus 7:22-24 that we should not eat the fat of any of the clean animals, or of an animal that dies on its own, or is killed by another animal. This doesn’t mean we don’t cook with the fat of a clean animal, but we wouldn’t cook with it if a clean animal died on its own. In that case, we could use the fat for non-food purposes like candles or soaps.

Leviticus 7:22-24 The Lord said to Moses, ²³Say to the people of Israel, you shall eat no fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. ²⁴The fat of an animal that dies of itself, and the fat of one that is torn by beasts, may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. (RSV)

We are also not to eat the blood of these animals.

Genesis 9:4 Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, with its blood. (RSV)

Leviticus 3:17 It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood. (RSV)

Deuteronomy 15:23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. (RSV)

Unclean Animals

Just as God tells us what animals we can eat, He also tells us which animals we should not eat.

Leviticus 11:4-8Nevertheless among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. ⁵And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. ⁶And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. ⁷And the swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. ⁸Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you (RSV).

Deuteronomy 14:7-8 Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall not eat these: The camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, are unclean for you. ⁸And the swine, because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. (RSV)

Here God is telling us not to eat animals such as pigs (pork), rabbits, camels and horses. There are very good reasons we should not eat such animals. Doctors have discovered that eating these animals can have a very bad effect on our heart, liver and other organs in our bodies.

When the term “pork” is used, it refers to all swine products – lard, ham, bacon, pepperoni and sausages are some of the most common products containing pork. We must be careful to read the food labels to avoid products that contain lard (which is pig’s fat), pork or pork casings.

God’s Law on fish

Clean fish

Leviticus 11:9 “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 rivers, you may eat. (RSV)

Deuteronomy 14:9 “Of all that are in the waters you may eat these: whatever has fins and scales you may eat. (RSV)

God is letting us know that any fish in all the waters of the world that has fins and scales is clean for us to eat. There are many fish that have fins and scales, including salmon, perch, trout, whiting, snapper, bass and many, many more.

Unclean fish

God also lets us know what fish we cannot eat.

Leviticus 11:10-12 But anything in the seas or rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is an abomination to you. ¹¹They shall remain an abomination to you; of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall have in abomination. ¹²Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is an abomination to you. (RSV)

Deuteronomy 14:10 And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you. (RSV)

This includes a wide variety of fish and shellfish, including shark, catfish, whales, dolphins, shrimp, crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters, crawfish, and many others.

Even though they are unclean to eat, unclean fish are an important part of the food supply of the fish and species that we can eat. The unclean fish play a role in helping the environment by eating the dead fish. Other fish without scales assist in cleaning up the bottom of the rivers and lakes.

God’s Law on birds

Unclean birds

Leviticus 11:13-19 “And these you shall have in abomination among the birds, they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, ¹⁴the kite, the falcon according to its kind, ¹⁵every raven according to its kind ¹⁶the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk according to its kind, ¹⁷the water hen, the pelican, the vulture, the stork, the heron according to its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. (RSV)

This seems to be a lot of birds that are not good for food, but in reality we can eat a very wide variety of birds.

God also has His reason for us not to eat these kinds of birds. One of the most obvious ones is that most, if not all, of these birds are scavengers. That means they eat a lot of different things including animals that are already dead. This makes them not good for humans to eat because they may have a disease from some of the food that they have eaten. They also have specific enzymes in their bodies that help them to digest these dead animals and other types of unclean species, and these enzymes can be harmful to humans.

Clean Birds

Leviticus does not specifically list the birds that are clean, but they would include everything that is not unclean. The clean birds are of the family of chicken, turkey, quail, pigeon and dove – all of these birds have a crop. The duck, goose and swan are also clean birds. We can also eat the eggs of clean birds.

God’s Law on insects

Leviticus 11:20-23 “All the winged insects that go upon all fours are an abomination to you. ²¹Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet, with which to leap on earth. ²²Of them you may eat: the locust according to its kind, the cricket according to its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind. ²³But all other winged insects which have four feet are an abomination to you. (RSV)

It might seem odd to us for anyone to eat bugs, but for some people around the world locusts are a part of their daily diets. If you are hungry enough, you just might eat them too. God says it is alright to eat the locusts, crickets and grasshoppers.

God’s Law on animals with paws

Leviticus 11:27 And all that go on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, (RSV)

We should not eat cats and dogs or any other animal that has four legs and paws.

God’s Law on rodents and reptiles

Leviticus 11:29-31 “and these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm upon the earth: the weasel, the mouse, the great lizard according to its kind, ³⁰the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. ³¹These are unclean to you among all that swarm; whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. (RSV)

Leviticus 11:41-42 “Every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten. ⁴² Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, all the swarming things that swarm upon the earth, you shall not eat; for they are an abomination. (RSV)

Here God lets us know that we are not to eat things like snakes, lizards, rats, mice, ants, worms, and many other things that are of the rodent, reptile, and bug families. Most of us would not want to eat these things anyway.

People of the world go against God’s food laws

Many people around the world eat the things that God tells us not to eat. Some of the most common things they eat are pork and shellfish. Some people seem to be willing to eat all of the things God tells us not to eat and sometimes they are considered delicacies (like snail, pufferfish, octopus and many, many more).

It is a common belief in many religions (including mainstream Christianity) that it does not matter to God what we eat anymore, but that is not true. Jesus said that the Law would not pass away until all is accomplished (Mat. 5:17-18). So until all the things in the Bible are done we must keep God’s Law, and keeping the food laws is a part of the Law of God.

Matthew 5:17-18 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (RSV)

Some people say that Acts 10:13-15 makes it alright to eat unclean food. However, if you keep reading after verse 16, you will see that chapter was a miracle that God used to show Peter that God had made salvation open to the Gentiles who had until that time been regarded as unclean. That text has nothing to do with clean and unclean meats.

Acts 10:9-28 The next day, as they were on their journey and coming near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. ¹⁰And he became hungry and desired something to eat; but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance ¹¹and saw the heaven opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth. ¹²In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. ¹³And there came a voice to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." ¹⁴But Peter said, "No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." ¹⁵And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call common." ¹⁶This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. ¹⁷Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men that were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate ¹⁸and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. ¹⁹And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. ²⁰Rise and go down, and accompany them without hesitation; for I have sent them." ²¹And Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?" ²²And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say." ²³So he called them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went off with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴And on the following day they entered Caesare'a. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends. ²⁵When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man." ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered; ²⁸and he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (RSV)

Summary

Romans 2:13-15 tells us that God writes His Law on our hearts and that it is not the people who hear the Law but the ones that do the Law who will be justified.

Romans 2:13-15 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. ¹⁴When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them (RSV)

God loves us and He lets us know His Laws are in our hearts as well as in His Bible. He has given us a guide on what we should eat for our overall health and benefit. He has also let us know about the things we should not eat, many of which were created to help clean the planet (like vultures and bottom feeders in the ocean). God’s creation is perfect and His way of life is a blessing for those who follow His Laws.

For a more detailed study on the food laws and related issues refer to the paper The Food Laws (No. 015).

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