21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;

22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.

We finally come to the last major category of animal cleanliness, which has to do with the insects. Perhaps not surprisingly, almost the entirety of the insect kingdom is forbidden. The only specimens that are permissible are those with raised legs that can leap or fly. Specifically, it describes locusts, beetles, and grasshoppers.

Perhaps the symbolism here is that only the low creatures that aspire to reach higher could be accepted, just as we are lower than God, but we strive for godliness. This is a beautiful symbol of discipleship. We are not perfect, and we are not going to be so in this life. But still, we leap for it. Not to fool ourselves into thinking we are something that we aren’t, but because it is in the striving and falling short and striving yet again that the best comes out of us. Man’s ambition should always be at least a bit beyond his grasp.

This concludes the main sections of animal cleanliness. In the following verses God describes various other unclean elements and specific animals to be avoided, but the main animal category symbolism is complete. It is a fascinating part of God’s pattern that we are above the animals, yet we can look to them for our own edification. God has provided examples both of good and bad among them and even given us hints for how to recognize each.