Leviticus 11:21-3121Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; 22Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 23But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. 24And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. 25And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 26The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. 27And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even. 28And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you. 29These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, 30And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. 31These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. (Leviticus 11:21‑31)
WE NEXT come to instructions about winged creatures that crawled. They lived in close contact with the earth, and so were unclean to the Israelites.
However, the locust they could eat. Its legs lifted it above the earth, as did its wings; it could leap and fly, its food was vegetable, and therefore it was clean. Perhaps the spiritual lesson for us here is that as Christians, while we may have to live in this world and to a certain extent mingle with it, at school or at work, yet we ought to use our spiritual “legs” to keep from getting into too close contact with this defiled scene. May we be like the grasshopper, ready to leap or fly by the Spirit’s power above earth when free. It says of the disciples in Acts 4:2323And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. (Acts 4:23), “Being let go, they went to their own company.”
Just to touch the carcass of one of these crawling creatures rendered an Israelite unclean, and he must wash his clothes and be unclean until even. If one cannot rain where he is and be faithful to God, then he must change his associations. This is typified in washing the clothes. It is applying the Word of God to what is nearest, and perhaps dearest, to us in life.
Death came in through sin and the Lord would have His people to feel its defiling effects. We are exhorted to “Touch not the unclean thing,” and be separate unto the Lord who has bought us with His precious blood. We are now in a new and near relationship to Him who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
“Every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, nor cheweth the cud, shall be unclean unto you.... And whatsoever goeth upon his paws among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you.” Then also among those things that creep on the earth are mentioned the weasel, the mouse, the tortoise, the ferret, the lizard, the snail and the mole. All were unclean to the Israelite. Some like the weasel, the mouse and the ferret are sly things, destructive and like the darkness. They are like men whom the Lord said, “loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:1919And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19).
Some of these were beautifully colored, and not all groveled on the earth, or like the mole, burrowed beneath it, yet all were unclean. Whoever touched them when dead should be unclean until even. Through all these Israel had to learn how that the creatures God had made were deified through man’s sin. Yet how many there are in the world around who deny this truth and walk in a vain show amidst the defilements of death. Nevertheless, may we who are God’s children here below learn from these instructions that while we are in this world that we are not of it, and cleanse ourselves from all the defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:11Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)).
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