Clean food equals to

This is a series of reflections that I sent to my fiancee from my own Bible readings. I have posted them in this blog so that it is easier to keep track for future reflections. 
44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. 45 I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.  Le 11:44–45
This passage takes place at the end of a list of regulations that God gave to the Israelites regarding the clean and unclean food that they are supposed to eat as a nation. Many people will ask why God specified such food to be unclean. Some may argue hygiene or health reasons. These people will refer to the Bible and argue that God has a specified diet for His people for health reasons and hence it can be shown that the Bible is so comprehensive that it actually even specified the diet we should eat (the same group of people will probably not adhere to the regulations that God specified immediately after this chunk regarding pregnant women).

However, think about it. In various parts of the NT, such as Mark 7:19 and Acts 10:15, the unclean food specfied in Leviticus are being declared clean. So obviously, God, while it may be legit, would probably not have the health factor in mind. To me, the clue comes in the passage quoted here: that His people are to be holy just as God is holy. His people are to live a life that is being set apart for Him, a life that indicates to the other nations that they are indeed God's people.

Extrapolate to where we are today, how can we really live a life that is holy and hence indicates to other people that we are indeed God's people? Maybe in terms of our perspectives? Do we demonstrate our holiness when we get too worried about our material gains or our circumstances? Surely there must be ways that we can live our lives that show our alignment with God's side rather than our alliance with the world's side.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Parable of the 'Good Samaritan'

Of Teaching and Learning

Iakobou Epistode: From Confusion to Clarity