Leviticus 11:1-30
Animals Israel Could Eat
Fish with scales and fins, cow (other animals that have cloven feet and chew cud), locust family (locust, beetle, grasshopper)
Animals Israel Could Not Eat
Camel, coney, pig, hare, fish without scales and fins (sharks, dolphins), all bugs other than locust, weasel, mouse, tortoise, ferret, chameleon, lizard, snail, mole, eagle, ossifrage, ospray, vulture, kite, raven, owl, night hawk, cuckow, little owl, cormorant, great owl, swan, pelican, gier eagle, stork, heron, lapwing, bat, all fowls that creep on all four legs.
The purposes of the Lord's ancient dietary laws was to "look beyond the outward commandments and rituals for what they were meant to teach about spiritual realities...There were practical reasons for these laws related to health and sanitation. The flesh of swine is highly susceptible to trichinosis, a malady easily transmitted to man. Shellfish can develop a deadly poison if they are not killed and handled properly, and so on. But the Hebrew word for clean used in the dietary law means more than just physically clean. It carries the connotation of being “clean from all pollution or defilement … and implying that purity which religion requires, and is necessary for communion with God."
The Institute Manual goes on to say, "God was using the diet as a teaching tool. People may forget or neglect prayer, play, work, or worship, but they seldom forget a meal. By voluntarily abstaining from certain foods or by cooking them in a special way, one made a daily, personal commitment to act in one’s faith. At every meal a formal choice was made, generating quiet self-discipline. Strength comes from living such a law, vision from understanding it."
Doctrine and Covenants 89:5-17. These are some of the things the Lord gave man for use and what He has restricted:
Restricted
Wine, strong drinks, tobacco, hot drinks, corn for the ox, oats for the horse, rye for the fowls and swine, barley for all animals and mild drinks.
Use of Man
Strong drink to wash bodies, Tobacco used as herb for bruises and sick cattle, herbs, fruit, beasts and fowls of the air to be used sparingly in times of winter, cold or famine, grain for man and beasts in time of famine and excess hunger, and wheat.
The Lord has declared some things “clean” and others “unclean” because he wants us to become "holy" as He is holy. In order to do that, we must sanctify ourselves through our obedience of His commandments. The Word of Wisdom is part of the sanctification process because it helps us to become holy. We will receive health and wisdom, and we will be saved from the destroying angel. Our bodies are our temples, so in following the Word of Wisdom, we are taking care of those temples and sanctifying them. One way I can be more clean in my life is to eat healthier and more balanced diet. I need to be taking care of my body better than I have been in eating more wholesome foods.
No comments:
Post a Comment