Weird Old Testament Laws: Clean and Unclean Food

I hope you enjoy your bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, your gummy bears, your Hawaiian Pizza, your Shrimp Tacos, your Crab Rangoons, and your Sausage Egg McMuffins. Because all of these foods are forbidden under the Old Testament law.

Thankfully, we don’t live under the Old Testament law!

Although I do still think we should forbid ham and pineapple pizza. I probably would be willing to go back under the Old Testament law to stop pineapple on pizza. But it’s not up to me. It’s up to Jesus. And Jesus said in:

Acts 10:15

What God has made clean, do not call common.

Why did Jesus have to say this in the New Testament? Because back in the Old Testament, God had declared certain foods to be unclean- and therefore forbidden to eat.

But the list seems a little random. Scholars have puzzled and debated for centuries over why certain foods were acceptable and certain foods weren’t. 

God gave the Israelites these rules as they set off on their journey through the desert after they left Egypt. And apparently, God didn’t want them stopping at a Red Lobster as they were wandering through the wilderness.

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible.

Turn to Leviticus 11, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - Eat What You Want

4:45 - Leviticus 11’s Clean and Unclean Animals

8:45 - The Health and Sanitation Theory

9:50 - The Religious Theory

11:00 - The Mixture Theory

17:00 - The Ethics Theory

21:20 - Next Time and Closing Thoughts 

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Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!