The Levitical/Biblical Dietary Laws

The Levitical/Biblical Dietary Laws information has been shared on the “About” section of our blog for quite a while now. While we realize this may be a controversial issue for some as our convictions may differ, we felt it important to share in a post. Our blog statistics show that people regularly search information regarding bible and healthy living and healthy foods. Please know we are not here to offend but to share the convictions our Heavenly Father has placed on our hearts and hope that for those who are searching for more biblical information on healthy foods, this would encourage you to further research and pray as to what scriptures truly say.


As a young girl, I was taught of the unclean and clean foods; my husband was not. And although I followed these biblical food choices as a youth with my family, there were many times later in life I revisited scripture to really understand if these scriptures were meant to be applied by us today. As my husband, John and I took time to study scripture early in our marriage, we both were in agreement that all scripture in the Bible is inspired from Genesis to Revelations and still applies to us today. Our Creator and Heavenly Father does not change. Malachi 3:6 says “For I am the LORD, I change not….”  To be able to hold on to His unchanging words in the bible including His law and His promises is something that we His children are able to hold on to forever.  It gives us great comfort that we can rely on Him in all things and encourages faith. We understand that the Torah in the Old Testament still applies along with the New Testament. This includes the Biblical Dietary laws found in Leviticus 11. God/Yahweh is our Creator, He designed our bodies and everything else on this earth. He knows exactly what is clean and what is unclean, what is healthy for us and what is not. And we trust He wants only the best for us. Therefore he gave us guidelines to follow so that we can keep our temple Holy to continue to further His Kingdom and be of service to Him.  As you read the Bible, you will see that  Jesus/Yeshua obeyed the Biblical Dietary laws as well.  He is our perfect example for us to follow.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19.

Remember, For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace,
as in all churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:33”

There are clearly a few scriptures that seem to come up which bring dispute in this issue. Having heard from some that the law was done away with and/or also that we are no longer under the law and we are now under grace has been a discussion that has been brought up as well.  And as such, some may understand that we no longer need to keep the dietary laws. While we understand this is an important topic, we are including resource links which covers this topic in detail. We encourage you to read the resources and listen to the audio below if you feel led. It is not our job to judge or to convict, as we know only the Holy Spirit can place something on your heart.

The following chart lists Clean and Unclean Foods as we understand by reading Leviticus 11.

LEVITICUS 11:1-47	CLEAN	UNCLEAN
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat
Leviticus 11:3-8	animal with split hoof completely divided and that chews cud (for a more extensive list please visit What Does the Bible Teach about Clean and Unclean Meats)	camel, coney, rabbit, pig, (for a more extensive list, please visit What Does the Bible Teach about Clean and Unclean Meats)
Leviticus 11:9-12	creatures living in the water with fins and scales (for a more extensive list please visit What Does the Bible Teach about Clean and Unclean Meats)	creatures living in the water without fins and scales (for a more extensive list please visit What Does the Bible Teach about Clean and Unclean Meats)
Leviticus 11:13-20		eagle, vulture, black vulture, red kit, black kit, raven, horned owel, screech owl, gull, hawk, little owl, cormorant, great owl, desert owl, osprey,  stork, heron, hoopoe, bat (for a more extensive list, please visit What Does the Bible Teach about Clean and Unclean Meats)
Leviticus 11:21:23	locust, katydid, cricket, grasshopper (for a more extensive list, please visit What Does the Bible Teach about Clean and Unclean Meats)
Leviticus 24:28		anyone will be unclean by touching carcasses. Every animal with split hoof not completely divided or does not chew cut
Leviticus 11:29-38		weasel, rat, lizard, gecko, monitor owl, wall lizard, skink, chameleon (for a more extensive list, please visit What Does the Bible Teach about Clean and Unclean Meats)
Leviticus 11:39-45	anyone touches a caras of a clean animal will be unclean till evening.	creature that moves about on the ground
Leviticus 11:46-47 'These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.' "

Chart obtained from United Church of God

Apart from scripture telling us which foods are clean and unclean, much research also shows why animals labeled unclean are truly not made for our consumption and have been linked to illnesses.

Studying scripture on this issue or any other issue takes time and much prayer and conviction from the Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh.  We encourage you allow scripture to speak for itself, to continue to study, listen with a surrendered heart and wait upon the His words.


Resources to further understand the Levitical/Biblical Dietary Laws. 

Jim Staley of Passion for Truth Ministries The following is an audio clean and unclean foods. We found these to be of good teaching and easy for our two young teens to follow.

To Eat or Not to Eat ~ Part 1

To Eat or Not to Eat  ~ Part 2 

Brad Scott of Wild Branch Ministry. This article explains common misunderstood scripture.  It also helps to understand scriptures with a Hebrew mindset.

Introduction~The Dietary Laws
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

What Does the Bible Teach About Clean and Unclean Meats 
Booklet

More Online Resources

Clean and Unclean Food List

180 Other Things You Can Do with a Pig A Guide to Kosher 

Biblical Kosher  

 

Here are other resources on Biblical eating

What the Bible Says About Healthy Living: Three Biblical Principles That Will Change Your Diet and Improve Your Health , by Dr. Rex Russel
What the Bible Says About Healthy Living Cookbook by Hope Egan & Amy Cataldo
Holy Cow by Hope Egan

The Makers Diet by Jordan Rubin
The Great Physician's RX for Health and Wellness by Jordan Rubin

What the Bible Says About Healthy Living Cookbook~Book Review
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

There is a lot of other information online.  Simply google search. If you are unclear on certain issues regarding the Biblical dietary laws, please email us if you are in need of more clarity.

Many Blessings  ~ The Brunos

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, 
and of Jesus our Lord,  2 Peter 1:2