Dietary Restrictions
Today we consider one of the heresies that was a flanking attack on the gospel: the issue of Jewish dietary restrictions. God had restricted the Jewish diet by only allowing them to eat things that He called “clean”. Anything called “unclean” was strictly forbidden.
One of the questions we always ask is “why”? Was this mainly for hygienic and health reasons? Was it simply to make a clear distinction between God’s people and the Gentiles? Was it merely a functional restriction enacted by God to teach His people to obey? It almost seems like the answer is a mix of all three.
A brief synopsis of the Dietary restrictions is: The Jews could eat mammals that had both a cloven hoof and chewed the cud. Therefore, although a pig has a cloven hoof, it does not chew the cud or ruminate. When it came to fish or water creatures, the Jews could eat anything that had both fins and scales. Therefore, although an eel has fins it has no scales so it was regarded as unclean.
When it came to insects, Jews could eat anything that hops. Birds could be eaten but only those that were none predatory or carnivorous.
Two additional restrictions rounded out the basics.
The Jews could not eat anything that died of itself. There were two basic reasons for this restriction. First, if something died of itself it would be unclear what caused its death. Was it a disease that could be communicated to a person? This was clearly a protection to the people.
The other reason had to do with blood. When the Jews would kill an animal to eat they would drain its blood while the heart was still pumping. If an animal dies of itself the blood would congeal in the tissue causing the person to then eat the blood. Eating blood was forcefully forbidden because it is the blood that is the life. Secondly, the Jew was forbidden to eat an animal boiled in the milk of its mother. Why we ask? The answer is unclear in Scripture.
Perhaps it was related to some Pagan practice of the Canaanites that God wanted the Jews to be distanced from. Perhaps it was to reinforce the nurturing instinct in His people that would see a mother and her milk as life giving and having nothing to do with death. Either way, the OT Jews clearly understood the why within their ancient context.
Having rehearsed these, we must remind ourselves that food does not commend us to God.
We may make dietary decisions for our health today, but these have nothing to do with pleasing God.
Because of grace,
Tim
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