Leviticus 11-14 Why This Is IN There

God gave the Israelites rules and a long list of things they could and could not eat.  The phrase that kept catching my eye was, “It is unclean for you.”  God was setting them apart as a holy people.  We know that in the New Testament Christians were told through Peter’s vision that all things were edible.  So God was with these commands calling a specific people to Himself with these specific rules regarding eating.    It was unclean for them, but not necessarily for others, perhaps.

In the same way, I think certain things today could be considered unclean for some and not for others.  For instance, for alcoholics, even a taste of alcohol can cause them to become enslaved to it.  Others might be able to partake it in moderation with no problem.

Whether because of sin or heredity, we each probably have things that could be considered unclean for us.  Yes, peanuts are edible, but for me to eat them would be an invitation to an upset stomach.  It didn’t use to be that way, but as a kid I overindulged in them to the point of developing an allergy!

What if it’s the same for certain sins?  So long as we obey God and avoid certain sins entirely, we may never have a problem with them.  But if we ever commit them once, we may discover that we have a propensity for that sin, and we’ve just opened Pandora’s box.  Rather than risking the possibility of having to fight a battle for the rest of our lives against such a sin, we’d be much better off obeying God and never tasting it. 

Father, I pray for myself and for my boys about this matter.  They are going through that time in their lives when they will be tempted to question the validity of the boundaries You’ve set for us.  Satan always tempts us into believing that we are the exception, and that only blinds us to where he’s taking us.  Give them spiritual eyes to see his lies, Father.  Keep them strong in You and help them to never feel the need to question Your commandments.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford