SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 7
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [John 15:1-3]
Jesus shows us that what really matters is that we are pruned.
Pruning (cutting off, dealing with sin) is painful but necessary.
Jesus came to restore us to holiness, health and happiness – the life we were created for.
But unless we allow Him to ‘clean’ us, we will miss out on the life we’re really looking for.
At first glance, all this talk about sacrifice, clean and unclean, and being cut off from the people can be unsettling.
To our ‘modern’ mind, it seems barbaric.
We need to be careful that we do not miss the underlying meaning and value of these words because of our ‘modern’ sensitivities.
If we assume the best we might discover good reasons for these regulations.
God uses the system of sacrifice to not only keep the people continually aware of their sin, guilt, and dependence on Him but also to provide for the priests.
Not sure why only the males could eat this food, what about their families?
These offerings were expressions of thankfulness and fellowship.
It was something to be enjoyed, not just endured.
The idea of clean and unclean points to the problem of sin.
Though not always clear why some foods are clean or unclean, God uses this as symbols of our need to discern what is good and not good.
There was also a health factor.
Many unclean things (meat sitting for 3 days) posed a health hazard.
In this world where sickness and death are a reality, God also uses the laws of clean and unclean to guard His people against health hazards.
Jesus has declared all food clean [Mark 7:19], but that does not mean that all food is good for us.
We still need to be discerning about gluttony, over-indulgence, waste and greed.
These are spiritual health hazards.
Fasting from certain foods can be a good way to remind ourselves that there are healthy and unhealthy ways to eat, to live.
PRAYER:
Lord, too much of anything is a health hazard (except You). Prune me of stuff that keeps me from You. Make me clean in You!