Leviticus, 11
47. so that you may know the difference between clean and unclean, and so that you may know what you ought to eat, and what you ought to refuse.
47. so that you may know the difference between clean and unclean, and so that you may know what you ought to eat, and what you ought to refuse.
Leviticus 11 deals with food laws and distinction between animals considered pure and impure for consumption. The rules for food were important to ensure the holiness of the people of Israel and please God. Here are five verses related to these topics:
Deuteronomy 14:3-4: "Do not eat anything detestable. These are the animals you can eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat ..." This verse relates directly to Leviticus 11, as it also talks about food laws also and the distinction between pure and impure animals.
Matthew 15:11: "What contaminates man is not what enters the mouth, but what comes out of the mouth, that is what contaminates man." This verse is interesting because Jesus seems to be contradicting the dietary laws of Leviticus 11. He is emphasizing that holiness comes from the heart and not following external rules.
Acts 10:13-15: "Then a voice said to him, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' 'Not at all, Lord! I have never eaten anything unclean or filthy,' said Peter. The voice spoke to him for the second time, 'Do not draw unclean to what God has purified.' This episode of Peter in Jope shows that the distinction between pure and impure animals is no longer necessary after the coming of Jesus.
Mark 7:19: "Why not enter your heart, but in your stomach, and are eliminated?" In saying this, Jesus was explaining that foods do not affect man's relationship with God. This suggests that the dietary laws of Leviticus 11 were more to maintain social order than to ensure holiness.
Colossians 2:16-17: "Therefore, may no one judge them for what you eat or drink, or with some religious festivity or the celebration of the new or Saturday days. These things are shadows of what would come; The reality, however, is found in Christ. " This verse suggests that holiness does not depend on following the dietary laws of Leviticus 11 or to observe religious festivities, but on having a personal relationship with Christ.
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