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Leviticus 11-13    Listen Podcast

 

Hey! You can't eat that! (Leviticus 11:1-23)

1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth:
3 Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat.
4 Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;
5 the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;
6 the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;
7 and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.
8 Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you.
9 ¶ “These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat.
10 But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you.
11 They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination.
12 Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales—that shall be an abomination to you.
13 ¶ “And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,
14 the kite, and the falcon after its kind;
15 every raven after its kind,
16 the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind;
17 the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl;
18 the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture;
19 the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 ¶ “All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you.
21 Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth.
22 These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
23 But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you.

For those Believers today who still believe that we are supposed to keep the Law of Moses as Believers, try this chapter on for size. Leviticus 11 gives us a list of foods that the Hebrews were permitted to eat, and another list that they were not. If you have Jewish acquaintances, you may hear them refer to "kosher" foods. "Kosher" or "Kashrut" comes from the Hebrew word "kaw-share´," which means fit, proper or correct. The word "kosher" can also be used, and often is used, to describe ritual objects that are made in accordance with Jewish law and are fit for ritual use. Here's a breakdown on food as practiced by observant Jews today based upon a combination of Old Testament Law and Rabbinical tradition:

Rabbinical Kosher and Non-Kosher Foods
(as practiced by observant Jews today)
BIRDS: NOT KOSHER
(UNCLEAN)
BIRDS: KOSHER
(OK TO EAT)
FISH AND SEAFOOD:
NOT KOSHER
(UNCLEAN)
FISH AND SEAFOOD:
KOSHER
(OK TO EAT)
Bat
Cuckoo
Eagle
Hawk
Heron
Kite
Lapwing
Ostrich
Owl
Pelican
Stork
Swan
Vulture
Capon
Chicken
Dove
Duck
Goose
Pigeon
Turkey
Catfish
Eel
Porpoise
Shark
Whale
Clam
Crab
Frog
Lobster
Oyster
Scallop
Shrimp
Snail

These have no fins or scales.

Anchovy
Bluefish
Butterfish
Carp
Cod
Flounder
Fluke
Haddock
Halibut
Herring
Mackerel
Pike
Porgy
Red Snapper
Salmon
Sardine
Sea Bass
Shad
Smelt
Sole
Trout
Tuna
Weakfish
Whitefish

These have fins and scales.

You will notice in the list above that some of the foods mentioned are not found in Leviticus 11. For that reason, many Messianic Christians today support the observance of Kosher laws as specified in scripture, but not those foods which are not specified in scripture. This practice is referred to as "Torah Kosher," to be contrasted with "Rabbinical Kosher" as specified in the list above. This larger list of foods came about through rabbinical tradition rather than Old Testament scripture. You will also find the list of clean/unclean foods in Deuteronomy 14:3-21 (see notes).

By the way, the word "abomination" is used ten times in this passage with regard to the eating of certain foods. That's an interesting problem for those who insist that we (Gentiles) are responsible for keeping God's law given to the Hebrews and yet do not follow these guidelines on diet.

This designation of meat that is "unclean" is not new here. You will recall that Adam and Eve apparently started out as vegetarians (Genesis 1:29-30, see notes). Yet, when Noah was loading the ark with animals, God gave specific ark-loading instructions to Noah regarding "clean" and "unclean" animals in Genesis 7:2 (see notes). It's actually not until after the ark experience that we see the first occurrence of a meat diet per God's instructions in Genesis 9:2-3 (see notes) as part of the Noahic Covenant. So...the differentiation of which animals are okay to eat or not actually goes back to Noah.

And...don't even touch these things! (Leviticus 11:24-40)

24 ¶ “By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening;
25 whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening:
26 The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean.
27 And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening.
28 Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.
29 ¶ “These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind;
30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.
31 These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening.
32 Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean.
33 Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean:
34 in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean.
35 And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.
36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean.
37 And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean.
38 But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you.
39 ¶ “And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening.
40 He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

It's also interesting to note that the Hebrews are told that they are considered unclean until evening if they even touch the carcase of an unclean animal. That instruction first appears in this chapter in verse 8, but is repeated with great detail in verse 24-40. That means that for the remainder of the day after touching the carcase of an unclean animal, the Hebrew was not to make physical contact with another Hebrew - not until that day had passed.

You will also notice the discussion of unclean animals coming into contact with vessels. The considerations in view here revolve around whether or not the vessels have porousity and whether or not they are wet or dry. These very detailed regulations are provided as guidelines to prevent their cookware from absorbing the impurities of unclean animals.

The wrap up on unclean animals (Leviticus 11:41-47)

41 ¶ “And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
42 Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.
43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them.
44 For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
45 For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46 ¶ “This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,
47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”

These last seven verses of chapter 11 make a strong emphasis regarding the importance of these unclean-animal mandates. You can see how much emphasis is placed upon them for the Hebrews - an inseparable part of the Mosaic Law. Peter actually quotes from Leviticus 11:44-45 when he says in I Peter 1:15-16 (see notes) "but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"

For the women: Childbearing with a slight twist (Leviticus 12)

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.
3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
4 She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.
5 ¶ “But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.
6 ¶ “When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
7 Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.
8 ¶ “And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”

You'll notice that the period of ceremonial uncleanness (no contact with sacred things) for the Hebrew woman after bearing a male child was 40 days, but 80 days after bearing a female child; we don't know why the difference. You'll also notice that during the first 7 days for a male child and 14 days for a female, no contact was to be made by the mother with others whatsoever; she was considered altogether unclean.

It seems apparent that God gave the Jews a heads-up on a disease that claimed the lives of as many as 20% of all women who bore children prior to the 19th century; this disease was called "childbed fever" back then, and today is known as "puerperal fever." It was observed that women who were isolated from others (i.e. home deliveries) rarely were infected, but women who went to a hospital for delivery had the highest incident of death from this disease. After extended research in the 19th century by the Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Semmelweiz, on the disease, he was able to determine that it was the contact with others after childbirth that caused the women to contract an infection which was often fatal. He discovered that the use of soap and water was not sufficient to remove dangerous bacteria from the hands of hospital staff caring for these women after childbirth. The greater the contact of these new mothers with people, the greater likelihood they had of contracting this disease. The extended period of ceremonial uncleanness for the women after the 7 or 14 days of total isolation was probably as much for the benefit of the child as for the mother. During this extended period her contact with others in public places was significantly reduced, even though she was not totally isolated.

This disease, puerperal fever, still exists today, though uncommon due to the use of anti-bacterial soaps and gloves. However, millennia before the use of special soaps and gloves, God knew that the best way to protect moms and babies was to just keep them isolated for several days after childbirth. It is ironic that in order to do so, the women were declared to be "unclean" and not the actual unclean people. Whatever...the moms were protected.

This child-bearing sacrifice at the end of the 40 or 80 days substantially increased the work load of the priests. If you consider the sacrifices given here to be made by the mother after bearing a child based on the estimated number of women bearing children during that period (600,000 or so women), you can imagine how busy the priests were at the Tabernacle for just this sacrifice alone. Let's face it: priesting was an all-day, tedious job!

At the end of the purification days, she brought a sacrifice to the priest to complete her cleansing process. The offering was to be a lamb, or in the case of those who were poor, two "turtledoves" (aka doves) or two pigeons. Incidentally, we see in Luke 2:24 (see notes) that Joseph and Mary brought birds to sacrifice after the birth of Jesus instead of a lamb. This speaks to the fact that Joseph and Mary were not people of wealth.

Laws regarding the containment of leprosy (Leviticus 13:1-46)

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
2 “When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.
3 The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white, and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. Then the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean.
4 But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days.
5 And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore appears to be as it was, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him another seven days.
6 Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore has faded, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean.
7 But if the scab should at all spread over the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen by the priest again.
8 And if the priest sees that the scab has indeed spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy.
9 ¶ “When the leprous sore is on a person, then he shall be brought to the priest.
10 And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the swelling on the skin is white, and it has turned the hair white, and there is a spot of raw flesh in the swelling,
11 it is an old leprosy on the skin of his body. The priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.
12 ¶ “And if leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the one who has the sore, from his head to his foot, wherever the priest looks,
13 then the priest shall consider; and indeed if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. It has all turned white. He is clean.
14 But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean.
15 And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean; for the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy.
16 Or if the raw flesh changes and turns white again, he shall come to the priest.
17 And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the sore has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. He is clean.
18 ¶ “If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is healed,
19 and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be shown to the priest;
20 and if, when the priest sees it, it indeed appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore which has broken out of the boil.
21 But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in it, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days;
22 and if it should at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore.
23 But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
24 ¶ “Or if the body receives a burn on its skin by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white,
25 then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the hair of the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper than the skin, it is leprosy broken out in the burn. Therefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore.
26 But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in the bright spot, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days.
27 And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore.
28 But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread on the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn. The priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn.
29 ¶ “If a man or woman has a sore on the head or the beard,
30 then the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if it appears deeper than the skin, and there is in it thin yellow hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a scaly leprosy of the head or beard.
31 But if the priest examines the scaly sore, and indeed it does not appear deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale seven days.
32 And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if the scale has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the scale does not appear deeper than the skin,
33 he shall shave himself, but the scale he shall not shave. And the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale another seven days.
34 On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scale; and indeed if the scale has not spread over the skin, and does not appear deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean.
35 But if the scale should at all spread over the skin after his cleansing,
36 then the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the scale has spread over the skin, the priest need not seek for yellow hair. He is unclean.
37 But if the scale appears to be at a standstill, and there is black hair grown up in it, the scale has healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
38 ¶ “If a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, specifically white bright spots,
39 then the priest shall look; and indeed if the bright spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is a white spot that grows on the skin. He is clean.
40 ¶ “As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean.
41 He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean.
42 And if there is on the bald head or bald forehead a reddish-white sore, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead.
43 Then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy on the skin of the body,
44 he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head.
45 ¶ “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
46 He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.

On top of everything else the priests had to do, they also served as health inspectors. This chapter deals with the dreaded disease of leprosy. Yes, that's right; the priests were responsible for protecting the Israelites from the contagious spreading of leprosy. In this chapter, directions are given on how the priest is to do just that. These detailed descriptions of oozing skin disorders might just take away your appetite. By the way, our word "leprosy" comes from a Greek word "lepra" which means a scaliness. The descriptions in Leviticus 13 may include more contagious skin ailments than just our modern formal definition for leprosy, but "leprosy" is the most descriptive word we have in English for the assortment of skin maladies being described in this passage. Really, any skin abnormality was tested by the priest, and those with perceived contagious skin diseases were quarantined. We have the description of the disease, as well as the regulations connected with it, in Leviticus 13, continuing on into Leviticus 14 (see notes). We see the regulations even applied to Miriam (Moses' sister) in Numbers 12:10-15 (see notes).

There were reckoned six different circumstances under which it might develop itself:

  1. without any apparent cause (verses 2-8)
  2. its reappearance (verses 9-17)
  3. from an inflammation (verses 18-28)
  4. on the head or chin (verses 29-37)
  5. in white polished spots (verses 38-39)
  6. at the back or in the front of the head (verses 40-44)

Lepers were required to live outside the camp or city (Numbers 5:1-4, see notes; Numbers 12:10-15, see notes). This disease was regarded as an awful punishment from the Lord (Naaman in II Kings 5:7, see notes and King Uzziah II Chronicles 26:20, see notes). I'm certain that Miriam (Numbers 12:10-15, see notes) would agree with that assessment after she had expressed criticism of her brother, Moses. As banished from the congregation of Israel for the period of infection, there was a code of conduct to which the leper must adhere. According to verses 45-46, whenever the leper saw someone approaching, the leper must warn that person by crying, "Unclean, unclean!"

What's to be done about the leper's clothing? (Leviticus 13:47-59)

47 ¶ “Also, if a garment has a leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment,
48 whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather,
49 and if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a leprous plague and shall be shown to the priest.
50 The priest shall examine the plague and isolate that which has the plague seven days.
51 And he shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather or in anything made of leather, the plague is an active leprosy. It is unclean.
52 He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; the garment shall be burned in the fire.
53 ¶ “But if the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather,
54 then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the plague; and he shall isolate it another seven days.
55 Then the priest shall examine the plague after it has been washed; and indeed if the plague has not changed its color, though the plague has not spread, it is unclean, and you shall burn it in the fire; it continues eating away, whether the damage is outside or inside.
56 If the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has faded after washing it, then he shall tear it out of the garment, whether out of the warp or out of the woof, or out of the leather.
57 But if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a spreading plague; you shall burn with fire that in which is the plague.
58 And if you wash the garment, either warp or woof, or whatever is made of leather, if the plague has disappeared from it, then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean.
59 ¶ “This is the law of the leprous plague in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof, or in anything made of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.”

Verses 47-59 deal with infected garments. Of course they were unclean also, and had to be dealt with according to these specific instructions. Having read this chapter, let's reconsider the implications of Isaiah 64:6 (see notes), "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags..." These "filthy rags" are certainly the rags lepers used to wrap their skin. How's that for filthy!

You'll see from these 59 verses that God gave the Hebrews exhaustive, specific instructions on evaluating skin diseases. For the safety of others, isolation was the only remedy until it could be determined that they were disease free.

I find verse 40 amusing, "As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean." But what about the man who has a receding hairline? Verse 41 deals with that, "He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean." It stops being amusing between verses 42 and 44; that man lost his hair because of leprosy.

By the way, here are some guys who were thankful to be bald. In other words, sometimes you don't have leprosy at all; YOU'RE JUST BALD!