1The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, telling them, 2“Say to the Israelites, ‘Of all the beasts of the earth, these ones you may eat: 3You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.
4But of those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following:a
The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
5The rock badger,b though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
6The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
7And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
Unclean animals were considered unkosher and were forbidden to be eaten.
“It is now known that the pig is the intermediate host for several parasitic organisms, some of which can result in tapeworm infestation. One of these worms, the Taenia solium, grows to about 2.5 m in length, and is found in poorly cooked pork.” (Harrison)
Jesus completed the Law and in Acts 10 we see the Lord lifting the ban on unkosher animals.
Acts 10: Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air. 13Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”
14“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven.
Have you ever eaten blood sausage, head cheese or liverwurst?
Years ago people raised their own animals for food and every part of the animal was used. If you were raised on a farm you were educated on food production but if you were raised in a city or the suburbs you may be ignorant on the how and where animals are raised for food.
I recall years ago in the news seeing a anti hunting note left for a hunter telling him to stop killing poor defenseless animals and to buy his meat at a store!
13Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”
If the Lord told Peter it was ok to kill and eat, it’s ok to kill an animal for food.
If you are a vegetarian, I respect your food preference but you also need to respect mine.
Blessings, David
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