LEVITICUS 11

I.   History of Clean and Unclean Animals

A.     Genesis 1-8 - Every creature ate only plants until after the flood.

1.       Gen. 7:2 - There is a distinction between clean and unclean before the flood.

2.       Gen. 9:13 - Meat added to the diet after the flood.

B.     Lev. 11 - The restrictions concerning clean and unclean animals made clear.  These restrictions are added to what was known before.

C.     Acts 10 - Peter on the rooftop - God tells him all are clean.  The restrictions are now removed. So if you feed me ham or catfish, I'll eat it.

II.   The reason for Lev. 11 (the restrictions)

A.     They are a particular people.  They call unclean those animals used by the heathen for food and sacrifice to their gods.

1.       The swine - sacred to Venus.

2.       Owl - sacred to Minerva

3.       The eagle - sacred to Jupiter

4.       The dog - sacred to Hecate

B.     The restrictions are to be a constant reminder, "I belong to God".  (By the clothes they wore, the food they ate, the arrangement of their camp, their system of government, so forth.) We are under the authority of God and will obey Him, even if we don't understand why.  Like in the Garden of Eden, Adam and his wife were forbidden to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  It was good if that fruit had been left alone.

C.     The restrictions are good for their bodies.

1.       By disobeying the command to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, sin has ravished our bodies.

2.       The unclean animals are "scavenger" animals, those animals that eat the dead, decaying bodies and clean up this world.  They are "God's garbage disposals".

D.     God is preparing a people to bring forth the Christ child. (The restrictions placed on the people by the clean and unclean animals is a public declaration of God's intentions.)

1.       Judges 13:2-5 - Samson's mother commanded to be pure before Samson is born because he was to be a Nazarite unto God.

2.       Matt. 1:23 - A virgin shall conceive.  God used a "clean" woman to bring forth Christ.

E.      Since Christ is come into the world, there is no need for clean and unclean animals.

1.       Judges 13 - After the birth of Samson, the restrictions placed on his mother were removed.

2.       Matt. 1:25 - Mary did not remain a virgin all her life.

a.      Matt. 12:46 - Jesus' mother and brothers desiring to talk with Him.

b.      Matt. 13:55 - The names of His four brothers and sisters (plural).  His sisters names are not given.

III.   Animals

A.     V. 3 - three restrictions

1.       parteth the hoof - a complete separation in the hoof.

2.       clovenfooted - the bottom of the foot is divided.

3.       cheweth the cud - like a cow.

B.     V. 4 - camel - Is unclean because his hoof is divided above, but joined together below to form a solid pad resting on the ground.

C.     V. 5 - Coney - a rabbit that looks and acts more like a large rat.  Lives among the rocks.

D.     V. 6 - hare - another type of rabbit.

E.      V. 7 - Swine - or hog.

IV.   Fish

A.     Clean - having fins and scales.

1.       Bass

2.       Crappie (White Perch)

3.       Bream

4.       Carp

B.     Unclean - without fins and scales

1.       catfish

2.       whale

V.   Fowls

A.     V. 13-20 - A list of scavenger fowls.

B.     V. 21-22 - grasshoppers and locust are clean.

VI.   A recapitulation.

A.     V. 23-25 - receiving cleanness after touching an unclean animal.

B.     V. 26-28 - A recap of clean and unclean animals.

VII.   Creeping things

A.     V. 29-31 - various unclean animals.

B.     V. 32-43 - the cleansing or destruction of that which the unclean touches.

1.       V. 37,38 - because the life of the seed is touched by the unclean water.

2.       V. 42 - snake.

3.       V. 42 - More than 4 feet.

VIII.   Verse. 44-47 - The reason for clean and unclean. God said it and that settles it.