What about unclean foods or alcohol for the Christian?
Wow. Here’s a hot button topic!
Food and drink really hit us right where we live, don’t they?
I had extensive references book-marked for this topic, but for now a crash resulted in loss of that data. I’m in the process of building those files again.
1) Our family used to really enjoy all types of seafood. Same with some pork products. Then I read this....
First clue. This is future tense:
Isaiah 66:15-17
15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.
Leviticus 11:4_12
4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
10 AND ALL THAT HAVE NOT FINS AND SCALES IN THE SEAS, AND IN THE RIVERS, OF ALL THAT MOVE IN THE WATERS, AND OF ANY LIVING THING WHICH IS IN THE WATERS, THEY SHALL BE AN ABOMINATION UNTO YOU:
11 THEY SHALL BE EVEN AN ABOMINATION UNTO YOU; YE SHALL NOT EAT OF THEIR FLESH, BUT YE SHALL HAVE THEIR CARCASES IN ABOMINATION.
12 WHATSOEVER HATH NO FINS NOR SCALES IN THE WATERS, THAT SHALL BE AN ABOMINATION UNTO YOU.
Many have argued that unclean animals were only unclean to the Old Testament Jews.
Well.....
Let’s look at these scriptures:
Genesis 7:1_8
7 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
Apparently Noah, who lived pre-flood and before Abraham....knew the difference between clean and unclean animals, so to say clean and unclean animals are only so to the OT Jews does not agree with these scriptures.
Compare to the second coming via Isaiah 66:15-17, and we cannot see where unclean animals and "the abomination" somehow is no longer "the abomination" (shrimps, crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, catfish, shark, crayfish, squids, etc.).
I must confess I used to find most of these animals quite tasty, especially while working as a chef and all of the many recipes and ways to cook up "the abomination". Sauteed abomination, baked abomination, broiled abomination, deep fried abomination, steamed abomination.
Yum?
"Yes waiter, I’ll have the abomination (aka shrimp) stuffed with abomination (crab stuffing) please." I used to salivate for my stuffed shrimp (I mean abomination).
Sheila and I down at Ocean City on the board walk with our fresh crab cakes (abomination cakes).
You get the picture
Then I read the scriptures.
Don’t take my word for it. Be a Berean and study for yourself.
2) Regarding "alcohol in moderation"
First let’s look at the term sober in scripture:
Sober: 3525 nepho (nay'_fo); of uncertain affinity: to abstain from wine (keep sober).
1Thes 5:6
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Thes 5:8
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
2 Tim 4:5
5 But watch thou (nepho) in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
1 Pet 1:13
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Pet 4:7
7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober (4993 sophroneo of sound mind), and watch (nepho) unto prayer.
1 Pet 5:8
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Here again we begin with the end in mind, to be "sober". No such thing as mostly sober, or somewhat sober.
We’ll leave you with this for now, and I’ll add references regarding the ancients use of "wine" in a future post.