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Topic: Clean And Unclean Food
[DCLM Daily Manna 4 September 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Leviticus 11:24-40 (KJV)
24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.
25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.
32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.
33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.
37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
Key Verse: “These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even” (Leviticus 11:31).
MESSAGE:
A young man in a church once asked the pastor during the Sunday School lesson why God forbade Adam and Eve from eating a certain fruit in the Garden of Eden. The questioner wondered why God decided to create the tree of knowledge – the fruit which Adam and Eve were not to eat in the midst of the garden. The pastor smiled and answered that the tree was to test their obedience. It was to test their self-control and their power over their appetites.
Our text deals with certain objects that the Israelites were not only forbidden to eat or drink but also disallowed from touching. Anyone who ate any of the forbidden animals or touched it was considered unclean till evening. This was a form of confinement to prevent possible spread of germs in the camp.
These laws, though no longer applicable to the New Testament believers, were intended to keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. The laws forbade not only the eating of the unclean beasts, but also the touching of them. This indicates that believers should not only run away from sin but also from the appearance of evil. Additionally, it should be noted that some of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry for the heathen.
There is no gainsaying that Christians have been set at liberty by Christ from all such observances. Nevertheless, the liberty is not without some caution. We must be separated from the world so as to live a life of absolute surrender and total obedience to His word and will. As believers, we should remember that all things are lawful for us, but not all things are expedient, all things are lawful to us, but all things edify not (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Thought For The Day: Whatever is not eaten through faith is sin.
The Bible In One Year: Psalm 85–88
