Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 11:13-20

13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;

15 Every raven after his kind;

16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,

19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.

We have heard the laws of cleanliness for beasts and fish, today we hear them for the birds. For this we are not given a clear defining principle, though, most of this is simply a long list of birds which cannot be eaten.

Looking at the list, however, a pattern does emerge. When we look at hawks, eagles, and osprey, we see that birds of prey are being forbidden. This maintains the pattern seen previously, where other predator animals were also forbidden. God’s people are not to be ravenous or murderous, only standing against the Lord’s foes when commanded, and otherwise establishing peace with all.

We also see forbidden the scavenger birds, such as the vulture and the raven. God’s people are not meant to be opportunists taking advantage of others’ misfortune. We are to prosper by honest labor.

Finally, we also see the dark and the strange flying creatures forbidden. Nocturnal animals like owls and bats must not be eaten. So, too, we must not deal in the dark, make alliances with the shadows, or serve the prince of darkness.

Again, we see the pattern continuing of the laws having a clear symbolism for what God’s people should be, and what they should not be. In our next post we will hear the instructions for the last category: insects.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 11:9-12

9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.

10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:

11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.

12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

Yesterday we considered the symbolism of clean and unclean land animals, and how the clean animals represented qualities of righteous and faithful followers of God. But it was not only land animals that had rules of cleanliness. Today we hear the rules for which animals of the sea could be eaten, and which could not.

As with the land animals, there are two important criteria. To be a clean sea creature, it must have scales and fins. This obviously matches up with what typically comes to mind when we say “fish.” Salmon, trout, swordfish, carp, these would all be included. It would not include things like clams, octopuses, or lobsters.

Part of the symbolism of clean sea creatures has to do with the context that they live in. The water is not where man lives, it is not fit for him to dwell there, only to make brief visits to it. It is mysterious and its depths are hidden. The sea could be seen as an analogy for the world, something distinct and different from the heavenly spirit that lives in all of us. Something that we all interact with, but only on a temporary basis, until we return to our eternal home up above.

Given that context, the presence of fins would suggest purposeful, directed, and constant movement. Be in the world to achieve what you need to achieve and then move on, not stopping and becoming attached to it. Not crawling along its darker depths. The scales can represent a boundary or a protection. A wall that keeps the foreign world out. A wall that keeps us shaped the way God made us, not amorphous or filled with the surrounding atmosphere like a jelly fish.

Thus, even with the sea creatures, the rules of cleanliness and uncleanliness once again serve as a symbolic reminder of the qualities that we must strive for to maintain a healthy separation from the world and consecrated to the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 11:1-8

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,

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.

3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.

8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

In this chapter we start to hear the details for which animals would be clean or unclean to ancient Israel. We already saw back in the story of Noah that animal cleanliness was related to which ones could be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord, and today we see that it also determined which animals the people could eat. That is what most people know of these laws as, a dietary restriction, and even Orthodox Jews today are careful to observe these restrictions.

Many have pointed out that having unclean meat is a symbol for the unclean life. Just as the ancient Israelites were to avoid certain flesh, we are meant to avoid certain inappropriate influences, cultures, and trends. We must be careful to not contaminate our spirits with things that erode and confuse them.

But how do the parameters for clean and unclean beasts factor into that symbol? What is it about cloven hooves and chewing cud that reminds one of following a clean lifestyle? Let’s take a closer look.

First, let us consider the cloven hoof. This means that any animal with a paw was forbidden, which would include most predators, such as wolves and lions. Also, anything with a solid hoof, such as a horse was also out. Cloven feet are well suited to uneven terrain, able to flex in the middle between different elevations. They might represent being able to both live in the world and in the covenant, being able to navigate the challenges of making moral decisions.

Chewing the cud means chewing and swallowing food, partially digesting it in the stomach, then regurgitating it and chewing again to break it down further. Though an unseemly eating practice, this can be seen as constantly returning to and reflecting on the principles of the gospel. We take God’s word in once, digest it as best we can at the time, but then pondering on it again to gain even more insights. It can also represent being discerning, not accepting everything that is presented to us, but being able to bring back up anything that feels wrong so that we do not integrate corrupted ideas.

These are powerful symbols when taking individually, but when we combine them together and look at the class of animals that fit these criteria, there is even more to learn. Animals that chew the cud and have cloven hooves include the most docile herd animals, the most easily domesticated, and the most familiar to our species. It includes the cow, the sheep, and the goat. Carnivorous predators and stranger beasts are excluded. We see in these animals a sign that we should also herd together in our churches, that we should work together for the good of the whole, that we should follow a good shepherd, and that we should submit to our master.

When one first reads the laws of clean and unclean beasts it might seem antiquated and strange, but upon closer inspection we saw that the symbolism and lessons embedded in these laws were truly inspired.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:19-21

19 And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof.

20 But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

21 Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

These verses emphasize the separation that there must be between unclean and clean. If part of an offering touches that which is unclean it is now also unclean and must be burned with the unclean parts. Given that different parts of the same animal were clean and unclean, one could easily see how this might happen on a fairly regular basis.

It is also made clear that sometimes people go through unclean periods. These will be spelled out more later, but symbolically it is observably true that we all go through times of guilt and shame, times where we have done things that we know we shouldn’t have, times where we feel out-of-place among the innocent and pure. Verses 20 and 21 make it clear that if we then did mingle ourselves with the pure, that would be living in a spiritually disingenuous way, and that is actually worse than the original uncleanness.

This brings up a theme that I have been noticing during this study of Leviticus. We are so often told that the Old Testament and the Mosaic Law are strict and demanding and cruel, oppressive laws that we are much better off to be rid of. But that isn’t what I’ve seen at all. What I’ve seen is a law that understands and accepts the fact that its people will sin, and which asks them to just be honest when they are in that condition, and to excuse themselves in those moments without shame. So long as an Israelite was honest about his failures, the law was perfectly willing to work with him, to allow him time to become clean and whole again.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 5:2-3

2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.

3 Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.

Yesterday’s verse talked about an omission of doing good, where the perpetrator knew he wasn’t behaving as he ought. Today’s verses are different in that the person does something and “it be hidden from him.” Also, they describe situations that are not always a choice: such as stumbling over a carcass or having a nighttime emission.

Later chapters (11-15) will explain that these and other situations make a person temporarily unable to enter the tabernacle. It is not that the person has sinned, just that they are in a common state where they need to wait a day before entering the holy place of the Lord, and in certain cases bring a small offering.

Therefore, the situations described in this verse are not an indictment of the individual so much as an acknowledgement of the crudity of this world. Take, for example, how it obviously isn’t a wrong thing to defecate, but also, we would be mortified to do so in front of others. Just by living this mortal life, we will all have moments awkwardness. We do not need to feel ashamed for them, but neither should we deny that they are, in fact, awkward. And when we come to the house of the Lord, we should make the effort to come as the best that we can be.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Doing Muscle- Proverbs 28:13, Romans 10:10

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

COMMENTARY

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper
The effort of self-improvement is too great to also be burdened by unconfessed wrongs. I have had personal experience in trying to make myself a healthier, better balanced, more faithful person…while also harboring secret shames. It simply didn’t work. I felt that I was running on frictionless ice, flailing my arms and legs about valiantly, but all to no effect. My system was broken, and I simply could not prosper.

But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy
And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation
Eventually I made confession to God, to my family, to my spiritual leaders, and started attending therapy for my addictions. Shortly thereafter one of my spiritual leaders asked me how I was doing and I expressed that I had felt a wall breaking down. Suddenly all my efforts weren’t cursed anymore. Suddenly striving to improve myself actually felt like it was going somewhere.
Yes, confession had brought me mercy, and it had put me on the path of salvation. I had anticipated that. But what had come as a surprise was that now when I sowed, I finally had the opportunity to reap.