Food Prohibitions - Tom Elseroad

Food Prohibitions (Dietary Laws) - Possible Reasons
To safeguard the health (hygienic) of the Lord’s people.		Why This is NOT the Reason
		1. Jesus declared all food to be clean (Mk. 7:14-23). ?Why be concerned in the OT, but abandon it in the NT?
		2. Eating some of the "clean" animals may present a greater danger than some of the "unclean" ones!
		3. No hygienic reasons are given.
		4. Israel does not consider the unclean animals to be unhealthy.
These "unclean" animals were part of a Pagan Cultic Rite. The same word "detestable" (Du.14:3) is used elsewhere of idolatry and pagan practices (Du.7:25; 12:31).		Why This is NOT the Reason
		1. The "bull" is a common symbol in the religions of the ancient Near East, but was permitted as "clean."
The laws separated Israel from other nations.		Why This IS a Reason
		Du.14:21 "for you are a holy people to the LORD your God."
		1. They were illustrations to Israel of her relationship to God.
		2. They were illustrations to Israel of her relationship to the nations. If true, are we somehow supposed to make ourselves distinct from the world?
		3. They reminded Israel of her uniqueness as a theocratic nation.
		4. They reminded Israel of her dependence on God for their food.
		CON: If testimony, what if there are no Gentiles present? ? Does "testimony" mean that we have to do it in front of people?
They are arbitrary based on God’s Choosing.		Pro’s and Con’s
		Pro: The arbitrariness of these stipulations made them a better test of submission.
		Pro: It is God who gives meaning to all things. Man must interpret what God assigns to them.
		Con: Scripture does not present itself as arbitrary. This is especially true when specifics are mentioned. There is likely a reason, even if we do not fully understand it.
They gave the opportunity to exercise faith, which may transcend human reasoning.		Why This IS a Reason (Even for Today?)
		Today we offer thanks at mealtimes to God, the provider of all foods (1Ti. 4:3-5).
These Ceremonially represent the death/redemption of Christ		Why This IS a Reason
		1. The focus on not eating blood.
The reasons for some of the prohibitions are not readily apparent. Verse 21 "for you are a holy people to the LORD your God."
New Testament
Mk. 7:18-20	^{18And He said to them, "Are you too so uncomprehending? Do you not see that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him; ¹⁹because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) ²⁰And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man." Based on OT teachings, the disciples were to understand this?}
Ac. 10:9-23	^{13And a voice came to him, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat!" ¹⁴But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean." ¹⁵And again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy."}
Ro. 14:14	^{14"I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean"}
1 Ti. 4:3-5	"³men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.⁴For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude: ⁵for it is sanctified by means of the Word of God and prayer."
1 Co. 6:19	^{19"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?"}
These prohibitions no longer apply to us today. But common sense should be taken in the care of the body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The symbolic meaning is no longer in force.