Leviticus 11:1-23 - Dietary Do’s and Do Not’s

Leviticus 11:1-23

Foods Permitted and Forbidden (Deuteronomy 14:3–21)

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.

To instruct Israel in discerning good from evil (Hebrews 5:14) and pursue holiness, the LORD God gave dietary guidance of what was permitted and what was forbidden to allow them to choose what was healthy for them and to learn obedience to the word of God.  He gave complex and complete instructions on which animals, fish, birds, and insects they were to avoid and which were acceptable to consume.  Some were called an abomination and some merely unclean in both a religious and health sense for their own good, not to arbitrarily set restrictions to control them.  God does all things for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28) because He has called us in love as His own and cares for our poor and fallen estate.  These are not ceremonial laws binding on believers set free in Christ (John 8:36, Romans 14:14, Galatians 5:1, 4) now, for we have heard that He gives us all things richly to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17, 1 Corinthians 10:23, 25-26, 28, 31) and all foods are acceptable in Him as long as they are not sacrificed to lifeless idols to offend our devotion to His sovereignty, or contain their lifeblood (Genesis 9:3-4, 5, Leviticus 17:14, Acts 15:20) to hold His created animals in disregard for their Creator who gives them His breath of life (Genesis 7:15, Ecclesiastes 3:21) as we eat them.  These dietary do’s and do not’s point us to learn good from evil, acceptable from unacceptable, from God’s word and are not meant to restrict us from all the bounty of His good provision for us.  All our food is therefore to be thankfully (1 Timothy 4:4-5) received and enjoyed from His hand according to His word of grace and truth as we learn from Him what is acceptably pleasing.